ComicConnect Sessions Begin to Close for Event Auction 57
ComicConnect is now in the final days of Event Auction 57, with extraordinary offerings for fans of all kinds. The remaining sessions will begin closing at 7 pm EST through March 18-22. “After a great year of investors and collectors building their portfolios,” said ComicConnect President Vincent Zurzolo, “it’s been a real honor to present these collections of beautiful comics at rare high grades!”
ComicConnect has always been proud to present the Jon Berk Collection, with CEO Stephen Fishler noting that he was “humbled to have [Jon] entrust us with the solemn task of bringing his collection to market.” Sadly, EA57 marked the first time that titles from the Berk Collection will be available for auction since the beloved comics historian passed in August of 2023. Berk’s legacy continued in EA57 with stunning Golden Age titles such as Wow Comics #2, Planet Comics #1, Wonder Comics #2, and Berk’s personal favorite of Mystery Men #3—as well as other titles including Amazing Spider-Man #1-11, all CGC 6.0 to 8.5.
Original art from Jon Berk’s collection included incredibly rare Golden Age rarities, including a splash page for The Ray by Lou Fine and a lost Wonder Man page by Will Eisner that went unpublished because of a lawsuit filed by DC. An incredible page from 1963s Strange Tales Annual #2 featuring Spider-Man and the Human Torch by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.There’s an outstanding Hourman drawing by Bernard Baily created as a contest giveaway in 1941, and the earliest-known Carl Burgos illustration of the Human Torch!
Investors and fans still have time to bid on the astonishing release of titles from the Puget Sound Collection. “A dedicated collector in Washington State assembled this truly outstanding collection of high-graded CGC books,” Zurzolo noted, “with pages all registered as White or Off-White/White.” These include an Amazing Spider-Man #1 as part of a run from #1-100 with a minimal grade of 9.0, and a further run with no grades below 9.4. Similar runs of X-Men, Avengers, Daredevil, and Fantastic Four cover the Silver and Bronze Ages. Classic issues of Strange Tales, Tales of Suspense, and Tales to Astonish are all at 9.0 OW/W. Neal Adams also has DC representing with CGC 9.4/W runs of the legendary artist’s work on Batman and Green Lantern.
“Comic fans recognize the PACole name as one of the most respected figures in the industry,” said Zurzolo. “Now we’re excited to host the debut of The PACole Collection, with over 1,000 CGC-graded comics that have been admired by fellow collectors for decades.” These books have been ranked #90 out of over 7,000 collections in the CGC registry point system, with 18 of the sets currently ranked at #1 in the Registry. This auction is set to include the Sugar and Spike books that won the CGC Comics Registry Award for Best Golden Age Set. There are also extraordinary runs of EC Comics (including MAD #1-10, and beyond) and classic titles such as Fantastic Four and Detective Comics—and an amazing run of Rulah, Jungle Goddess, along with her debut in Zoot #7!
In addition to the pieces from the Jon Berk Collection, Event Auction #57 will offer top-tier work including the cover to Fantastic Four Annual #11 by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott, featuring the only time that Kirby included Captain America on a Fantastic Four cover. There’s also a page by Todd McFarlane from Amazing Spider-Man #298 (his first issue on the title), Gene Colan’s title splash from Daredevil #31, a page from Sandman #1 by Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg, plus pieces by John Romita Jr., J. Scott Campbell, Erik Larsen, and Marc Silvestri.
Memorabilia collectors can look forward to more National Comics artifacts dating from the creation of Superman. An internal memo from 1939 dismisses co-creator Jerry Siegel’s suggestion of “developing an Achille’s heel for Superman,” as other contracts and letters document the troubled early expansion of the Superman empire. There are also disturbing new letters from Siegel’s poison-pen campaign blasting the executives who bought the rights to Superman for $130 in 1938.
“ComicConnect built up an incredible collection of titles for our first Event Auction of 2024,” added Zurzolo. “Collectors can always reach out to our staff about future consignments through peterb@comicconnect.com, or by calling 212-260-4147 or (888) 779-7377!”