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Author:
Title: NEW BOOK OF COMICS No. 1
Place Published:
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Nicholson Publishing Co. Inc.]
Date Published: 1936
Description: CGC certified: Good (2.0). Grader's notes: "5 extra staples re-attach cover; spine split bottom of spine; moderate creasing to cover; moderate stain right bottom of whole book." Light tan to off-white pages. Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.

GPAnalysis: A 2.0 sold for $2000 in 2009. A ten-cent variant in 2.0 sold for $2280 in 8/20.

Overstreet: "Rare. 1st regular size comic annual; 2nd DC annual; contains reprints of New Comics #1-4 & More Fun #9." CGC Census: 18 graded copies (15 Universal, 3 Restored). The Census records a single graded copy of a ten-cent variant. Gerber Photo-Journal Guide Scarcity Index: 8 ("Rare: 11-20 copies").

Credits: Cover: Various. Scripts: Leo O'Mealia, R. G. Leffingwell, Whitney Ellsworth, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Sheldon Mayer, Clem Gretter, Matt Curzon, Jerry Siegel, Vin Sullivan, Tom Cooper, Stan Randall, R.H. Livingstone, Rosemary Volk, Bill Allison, Al Stahl. Art: Leo O'Mealia, R. G. Leffingwell, Whitney Ellsworth, R.H. Livingstone, Sheldon Mayer, Clem Gretter, Rafael Astarita, Matt Curzon, Joe Shuster, Vin Sullivan, Tom Cooper, Stan Randall, Bill Allison, Tom Cooper, Al Stahl.Tapped by Taschen: The DC Universe Collection copy of New Book of Comics #1 is illustrated in Taschen's 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking (page 26), with the following commentary: "If 1935's Big Book of Comics sold, why not a New Book of Comics? The decision to issue a second reprint collection must have been sound, as a second volume followed, cover-dated spring 1938."

Major Achievement: "By the end of 1936, the Major had published 21 comics consisting of two titles, More Fun and New Comics, plus the anthology New Book of Comics #1. He was the editor for all 21 magazines and wrote scripts for at least four features in each one; a conservative estimate would be a total of 80 scripts for that year." — Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson, DC Comics Before Superman: Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's Pulp Comics. Hermes Press: 2018, p. 123.****************************************
The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION comprises over 40,000 comic books, encompassing every single DC comic published for retail sale from 1934 to 2014. The collection was amassed by British music producer Ian Levine over the course of several decades, and it's been hailed as the single greatest collecting accomplishment in comic book history. This collection served as the basis for former DC Comics president Paul Levitz's monumental book 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, published by Taschen in 2017. PBA is proud to present this epic collection in a series of themed sales, including The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION Part 3: The GOLDEN AGE, coming this summer. To join the DC Universe Collection notifications list, contact pba@pbagalleries.com.

Enjoying PBA's DC Universe Collection: Pre-Hero, Ashcans and Oddities sale? A very small number of softcover and limited edition hardcover auction catalogues are available for purchase. The catalogues are fully illustrated, thoroughly researched, and make excellent reference works for DC diehards. To order a copy, or to inquire about consignment opportunities, contact Ivan Briggs, PBA's Director of Comics: ivan@pbagalleries.com.