MORE FUN COMICS #16 * CGC 4.0 * Only 7 Slabbed Copies * 1st DC X-Mas Cover?

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Author:
Title: MORE FUN COMICS No. 16
Place Published:
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Nicholson Publishing Co. Inc.]
Date Published: December, 1936
Description: CGC certified: VG (4.0). Grader's notes: "Tape cover; tape interior cover; light staining to cover; moderate tears to cover." Cream to off-white pages. Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.

GPAnalysis: A 4.0 sold for $850 in 2016.Only four recorded sales in any grade.

Overstreet: "Cover numbering begins; ties with New Comics #11 as 1st DC Christmas cover; last Superman tryout issue." CGC Census: 7 graded copies (7 Universal, none Restored). Gerber Photo-Journal Guide Scarcity Index: 7 ("Scarce: 21-50 copies").

Credits: Cover: Vin Sullivan. Scripts: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Vin Sullivan, Jerry Siegel, Bill Carney, Russell Cole, Whitney Ellsworth, Ken Fitch, and Bill Patrick. Art: W. C. Brigham, Vin Sullivan, Sven Elven, Joe Shuster, Tom Cooper, Raymond Perry, Creig Flessel, Bill Carney, Leo O'Mealia, Tom Hickey, Henry Kiefer, Russell Cole, Homer Fleming, Whitney Ellsworth, Clem Gretter, and Bill Patrick.Tapped by Taschen: The DC Universe Collection copy of More Fun Comics #16 is illustrated in Taschen's 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking (page 28), with the caption: "The last issue of the final year of Wheeler-Nicholson's vision. By the end of 1937 the Major would be gone, forced out and handed a consolation prize of a percentage of this title's profits for 10 years. Almost exactly to the date — specifically, November 1947 (the 127th issue) — More Fun would follow its creator into comic book oblivion."

The Major Wises Up: It's mighty odd that DC pulled the plug on More Fun just as soon as the Major's ten-year profit-sharing deal was concluded. From what we've learned about Donenfeld's dealings, you'd think he'd have axed More Fun as soon as possible if it meant shafting the Major out of his share of the loot. Did the Major's contract specify that DC couldn't cancel More Fun 'til its financial obligation to him was met? If so, that suggests that the Major was a far cannier operator than he's generally made out to be.****************************************
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.

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