Johnson City Press from Johnson City, Tennessee • 14

-O i 1 i i 1 I i Jl I 't 4 I Even In art i 1 5 i I -i 4 Comic books become big business for collectors third-ire children add teenagers Among other steady customers are a surgeon a nuclear physicist and a doctor and Blum lays he does a big busl ays he does a big come tjig business and some of the early editions sell for 65 75 or even 100 dollars Comics suddenly have become art thanks to painters such as Roy Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos And they have become items thanks By PETER JOHNSON The Lot Angeles Time Holy Moley! Hie other day comic books were literature priced at a moderate 10 cents or later 11 cents Now shazam they have be Hollywood has become the nation a largest comic bode center for collectors and manager Burt Blum says the business accounts for a sizable amount of the total income Blum says about one-third of his customers are artists and cartoonists some interested in pop art and some doing research for ideas Another one- like Bill Placzek 15 of Si who has a 40000 defection Collectors are clamoring for the years-old adventures of Superman Batman- Captain Marvel Plastic Man Doctor Fate Mandrake the Magician The Green Lantern Spectre Star-man Buck Rogers Sub-Mariner Sandman The Atom The Phantom Flash Gordon etc Fan magazines are booming with avid fans doing extensive research into the backgrounds of their super-heroes analyzing various artists who draw the strips for aesthetic ability and compiling indexes of their heroes appearances in other strips The Cherokee Book Shop in ness selling old Flash Gordon 1 A -t JOHNSON CITY TENN- PRESS-CHRONICLE SUNDAY JUNE 11 1965 -111! 4 III end Buck Roger! comics to aerospace engineers nd scientists Blum gets his stack from pri vate collectors The largest col lection he has bought SO far cost him 2000 dollars He says his business In comic books began about three years ago after one of his second-hand book customers gave him a list of comics to locate This was OPEN MONDAY THURSDAY' AND FRIDAY NIGHTS TIL 91 -4 IMGjsg dlE? OS aUDdiEb £tmB SD followed by another list then the mends bej began coming IMMTOffiMD-- ALWAYS FIRST QUALITY DOWNTOWN JOHNSON CITY and soon it was a big business A first edition of Flash Gordon in (unused) condition is worth 75 dollars retail and a first edition of Superman Is worth 65 dollars A (consecutive editions) of adventure comics' from 1 to 22 is worth 200 dollars Super-hero comics form the sV i i V- i $ii -w bulk of the blg-money items but MRS TOMMY DAVID LED- Betty Arrowood Tommy Lee exchange nuptials early Walt Disney is also valu able Comics printed before 1945 are most treasured especially those before 1943 most of which were destroyed in paper drives Blum points out however that not all old comic books are valuable Value depends on age condition and thetype of comic books He says that Flash Gordon Buck Rogers and Tarzan are his three best sellers in that order Alex Raymond who drew Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim is considered the greatest artist with his original sketches bringing 50-75 dollars The first comic-book to be sold on the stands was the July 1934 edition of Famous Funnies featuring Mutt and Jeff the Toonerville folks and Hairbreadth Harry It is now valued at 75 dollars Blum says good area of business for us is in featured panels of organza lace over taffeta meeting at the Vincent Methodist Church was the setting yesterday at 8 pm for a double-ring candlelight ceremony performed by Rev John Ferrell uniting Betty Arrowood and Tommy David Lee The bride Is the' daughter of Mr and Mrs Bill Arrowood of ter -of the skirt Th emolded bodice was desiped with a scalloped sabrina neckline and sleeves ending in wrist points The back of the gown held divided layers of organza lace over satin sweeping to the floor Her veil of illusion was attached to a double crown of lace seed pearls and sequins She carried a white satin covered Bible topped with pink rosebuds with streamers ending in love knots and rosebuds Rt 8 Jonesboro Mr par- Lee ents are Mr and Mrs John of Greenwood Drive Johnson City Mrs Alan Shelton soloist and Mrs Dean Rambo pianist presented a program of nuptial music The bride wore a floor-length bouffant gown of Chantilly lace and tulle over satin The front sion of fan magazines including the Blast Batmania The Sword and Fantasy Magazine Alter Ego Flame On Voice of Comicdom and Fantasy Illustrated old Sunday comic strips clipped from the newspapers and assembled In runs I have a 10-year run of Krazy Kat worth 600 dollars also sell Big Little Books featuring comic strip characters with each page of text faced by an illustration These average one dollar each but I can get 30 dollars for an edition of Rogers and the Floating used to go to a party and when people asked me what I did I told them I sold comic books so they ignored me Now they rush up to me and say So the pop art A New York paper recently carried an advertisement announcing art portraits of your all-time heroes now available in full color By special arrangement with Mandrake the Magician Flash Gordon Prince Valiant and the Phantom The ad pictured the Phantom himself seated 4n-front of a large portrait of a panel in the phantom strip in which he was saying The firm also offered the other three heroes in various stages of action including Flash Gordon in full stride with the note Flash Gordon sets out on a perilous but all-important a daring one-man expedition against fearful Jerry Bails 31 a professor of Natural Science at Wayne State University in Detroit has founded the Academy of Comic Book Fans and Collectors which numbers 2000 members In addition there is a profu- Anna Sue Arrowood sister of the bride was maid of honor She wore a street-length sheath of pink brocade taffeta with gathers at the waist- The fitted bodice was desiped with a scooped neckline A cabbage rose of matching pink with green leaves accented the back Her headpiece was a veil of pink illusion attached to a small cabbage rose and surrounded with peen leaves She carried a bouquet of long-stemmed pink roses held by a full pink now with streamers Mrs Gary Bailey and Mrs James France were bridesmaids Their dresses and flow-' ers were Identical with the maid of The only Jewelry worn by each attendant was a single strand oLseecL pearls a gift from the Wendy Cornett flower girl carried a basket of pink rose petals Ring hearer was Roger Hammer Danny Keith Lee' brother of the bridegroom was best man Ushers were Edgar Mac Arrowood cousin of the bride and Terry Cole cousin of the wide-groom Following the ceremony a reception was held at the home of the parents After a wedding trip through the southern and western states the couple will reside in Ocean-side Calif The magazines sometimes assume an almost fanatical tone as in the credo of the Batman-ians published in their January 1965 issue: insure the popularity of Batman for years to come we must encourage the reeding of his adventures by the younger fan By accomplishing this we can create a constant interest ofmoreand more fansBat-manians call these younger fans robins To become a Second Class Batmanian you must three robins to the ranks of the Batmanians three (or more) robins will always remain under your name on the official batman records Five er more robins who II I i it A apply for membership to our club entitles you to the highest rating of our organization the Grand lizards Sandy how will fans of the Man of Steel meet this threat from the caped crime-crushers? the worst danger since Kryptonite 4-Piece CAUFORNIA I1EDMD ENSEMBLE for DELUXE OUTDOOR LUXURY and COMFORT Through Saturday Only! a csYn ONLY SI WEEKLY IN CARTON 2 FULL-SIZE ARM CHAIRS 2-SEATER SETTEE -COFFEE TABLE SAVE 13! 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