So you are looking at the title to this post and quite possibly you are asking yourself is, “What is ACC?”
Well, ACC is the Atlanta Comic Convention, a great one day comic show that happens once every three months in, well, Atlanta. I mean it’s right there in the name. It’s run by Wes Tillander, who is a great guy and puts on a fantastic one day show that is 90% comics, which is fantastic. Sure you have some off the beaten path dealers, like the person selling fans and parasols and such and you also have one or two DVD dealers, but other than that it is all comics, which is a rare thing to find these days considering even most supposed comic book conventions are, in reality, pop culture conventions. It’s not that there is anything wrong with that sort of thing, but I’m a comics guy, so it is nice to be with my people and see all of the pretty books.
I didn’t have a whole heck of a lot of money this time out, so I wasn’t planning on getting much of anything. I had a small list of comics I was on the look out for and would buy if the price was cheap enough. In an odd bit of coincidence all of the items I bought were Superman related and one…one was such a freaking epic find that four days later I am STILL geeking out about it, but I will save that for last.
The first thing I found was a copy of Superman: Adventures of the Man of Steel. This is a trade paperback of the first six issues of the Superman Adventures book that was published to go along with Superman: The Animated Series.
Bask in the glow of the Bruce Timm cover.
More under the cut.
I was a big fan of this series when it came out and have a complete run, but since I collect Superman trades I have wanted to pick this particular volume up for quite some time but had yet to actually do so. The price on this book made it impossible to leave behind.
I mean how can you pass up a trade paperback for one dollar?
How I ask you?
Here’s the back cover.
Now I am not going to tell you how much I paid for the next item just yet because I got it as a package deal with the FREAKING EPIC FIND, so I’ll reveal how much it cost later, but for now here’s the cover.
Man I love that cover. This is the first Superman Sourcebook for the DC Mayfair Role Playing System from back in the mid-eighties. I already had two copies of this book; one that I bought on my thirteenth birthday and one that I bought off of eBay a few years ago to have a nicer copy. I saw this at the show and it was in such immaculate condition, thatI asked a price and the dealer quoted me $8 and I had him hold on to it while I decided if I should get it or not.
Here’s the back cover.
So obviously I bought the book, but I didn’t pay eight dollars because I got it as a package deal with the FREAKING EPIC FIND.
What was the FREAKING EPIC FIND?
It…was…this!
Superman (Volume 2) #75. Platinum Edition.
I have been wanting a copy of this for years.
Now I could be wrong on this one, but I am pretty sure that this version of Superman #75 was a retailer incentive/exclusive sent to comic dealers presumedly for ordering a certain number of the standard bagged version of the book. I have seen copies of this Platinum Edition at various comic shops and conventions over the years but usually the price tag was $100 plus and every time I would see it and then see the price I would think something like, “OH! IT’S THE PLATINUM EDITION OF SUPERMAN #75! I REALLY WANT THAT…oh, wait. It’s over a hundred bucks. Never mind.”
So when I was at the show on Sunday I saw it sitting with the other expensive books and for whatever reason asked the dealer how much. He took it off the rack, looked at it, told me that the price tag said sixty but he would take it for forty-five. I looked at the book and thought about it. Then I thought about it some more. Then I REALLY thought about it and casually asked the dealer to hold on to it for just a minute. I had twenty-five in my wallet, so I went back to where Rachel was sitting (she wasn’t feeling well and was resting on a couch in the hotel lobby), got the other twenty and went back into the dealer’s room.
Two minutes later the book was mine as was the Sourcebook, both of which I got for the forty-five dollars because I did a little haggling; the Platinum Edition for forty and the Sourcebook for five. I normally don’t haggle, but I figured I would take a shot and it paid off nicely.
So yeah…I now own a copy of Superman #75 Platinum Edition. This makes five copies of the death issue that I own. One copy of the newsstand edition, one copy of the bagged edition out of the bag, one copy of the bagged edition in the bag, one sealed version of the bagged edition that my buddy John gave me a few years back and now this one.
I am one happy Superman fan at the moment.
Now all I need is the Platinum Edition of Adventures of Superman #500 and I’ll be pretty much set. I guess that is going to be the next great quest.
For now though I will bask in the satisfaction of a great comic book find.
Sigh.
Big, huge, contented sigh.
Tomorrow: The latest episode of From Crisis to Crisis: A Superman Podcast.
More to follow…
I know you mentioned something about it but it is nice to get a little more info on the bagged comic. Also is that the comic that you talk about in one of your many podcast about acid effecting the comic.
I did not find many gems but was and enjoyable time. It was nice to meet you and chat a little. but I don’t think anything I seen at this show can beat the 3 for a $1 deal one dealer was having at the May show. I am not talking about one or 2 long boxes it had to be more like 20 to 30 boxes.
Anyway it was nice you were able to score one of your sought after gems for a good price.
have a good day
D
Aside from the gray’ish-white on the bag itself, is there some big difference between the platinum edition vs. the standard bagged Superman #75?
Either way, cool finds all around, I’d say…
penfold, aside from the cover, I don’t believe there’s any difference.
The biggest difference that I could see is that the Platinum Edition only contains the comic book. The arm band, poster, trading card and Daily Planet page are not in the bag.
I worked for a comic shop around the time Superman #75 came out. It was a dealer only incentive, I believe dealers recieved one copy of the platnium edition for every 100 copies of the regular bagged edition they ordered. I don’t know for sure if what’s in the bag of that one is different but I do have a copy of the Platnium Adventures 500 that the guy I worked for gave me as a gift. When he gave it to me it was already open at the top, I believe the book did actually say platnium edition on it, its deep in my comic closet when I find it I’ll let you know. I know you wouldn’t want to open the platnium 75.
That’s the first time I’ve seen what the Platinum Edition looks like. Never even seen it in person. Congrats on the find. Boy, is it just me, or does the Byrne Superman on the Sourcebook cover look a lot like Christopher Reeve?
The ACC sounds a lot like the comic shows that go on in the Baltimore area every month or 2 (or at least they used to, I haven’t lived there in 5 years). One month it would be in Glen Burnie on the south side of Baltimore (and just a couple of minutes from my apartment), then the next it would be in Towson on the north side of Baltimore. Just local comic shops and one table with the bootleg DVD/Videos. Good times.
He does look a bit like Christopher Reeve but not in a creepy way.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Wow! I’m so envious! I have two versions of the death issues. But I have been searching forever for the Man of Steel source book. They are always expensive. If you ever want unload one of your copies of the source book I’ll coud trade you a set of Star Trek Remastered DVDs seasons 1-3. Sounds stupid but I have the Batman source book and I love it. Great purchases!
Those are some great finds Professor Bailey! I am really jealous at the moment, but if any Superman fan deserves that great a deal, it is you 🙂 This article is really well written, and I can hear your voice like it was an episode of Views. I first became aware of the Prof. Through Starkville’s House of El and now I listen to Views, From Crisis to Crisis, Tales, and Crawlspace. Let me just say I admire your dedication to the Man of Steel. Although I am a recent addition to the Views Corps., let me say I am not a listener, I am a fan!
Great story Michael, thank you.
Awesome post once again.! Thank you.