NEW ADVENTURE COMICS #26 * ACTION COMICS #1 Ad * Rarest DC?

Heading: Superman Debuts In House Ad * Rarest DC?
Author:
Title: NEW ADVENTURE COMICS No. 26
Place Published:
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Detective Comics Inc.]
Date Published: May, 1938
Description: CGC certified: VG (4.0): Conserved. Grader's notes: "Cover cleaned; light creasing to cover; light staple rust; moderate staining to cover." Off-white pages." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.

GPAnalysis: No reported Restored/Conserved sales in any grade. A Universal 4.0 sold for $10,384 in 3/19; a Universal 2.0 sold for $7768 in 2017; a Universal 0.5 (no grade, coverless, incomplete) sold for $1680 in 10/23.

Overstreet: "(Rare) Has house ad for Action Comics #1 showing B&W image of cover (early published picture of Superman) (Prices vary widely on this book)." CGC Census: 9 graded copies (7 Universal, 2 Restored). Gerber's Photo-Journal Guide Scarcity Index: 7 ("Scarce: 21-50 copies").

Credits: Cover: Creig Flessel. Scripts: Homer Fleming, Jerry Siegel, Bill Ely, Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff, Ray Burley, Russell Cole, Walter Wellman, Ed Winiarski, Bob Kane, Maurice Kashuba, Joe Donohoe, Sven Elven, Tom Hickey. Art: Homer Fleming, Joe Shuster, Bill Ely, Bob Kane, Sheldon Moldoff, Ray Burley, Russell Cole, Walter Wellman, Ed Winiarski, Maurice Kashuba, Joe Donohoe, Sven Elven, Tom Hickey. Action Ad: This rare mag, one of nine copies on the CGC Census, ties with More Fun Comics #31 and Detective Comics #15 as the first published appearance of Superman, in a black-and-white house ad for Action Comics #1. Although More Fun #31, Detective #15 and New Adventure #26 have identical cover dates, a strong collector preference has emerged for New Adventure #26, aided by the book's legendary scarcity.

Tapped by Taschen: The DC Universe Collection copy of New Adventure Comics #26 is illustrated in Taschen's 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking (p. 26), with a full-page reproduction of Bob Kane's "Rusty and His Pals," captioned: "'This five-page strip didn't advance humor cartoonist Bob (Batman) Kane's career until it became high adventure, complete with a logo that imitated 'Terry and the Pirates,' and a better writer.' — Bill Finger."

Levine Comes Clean: Ian Levine, the British music producer who amassed the DC Universe Collection, says that New Adventure Comics #s 26 and 27 were the hardest mags of all for him to obtain.

"By 2004, I had whittled the list down to twelve comics. All the comic dealers around the world knew of my quest. I took a big colour advert in some of the main comic trade magazines and one by one I started to get the list down to the last two — New Adventure Comics 26 and 27, which I guess makes them the rarest DCs. I found a 27, which just left number 26. Finally word of my quest resulted in someone coming forward. In the hot summer of 2004, Harley Yee collected the last comic for me from San Diego, and after the convention he came to London bringing my last treasured prize with him.

"The collection was complete at last." — Ian Levine, "Achieving an Insurmountable Quest." The DC Universe Collection Part 1: The Batman. PBA Comics: 2023, p. 7.

What's Wikipedia say? "Levine also possesses one of the world's great collections of American comic books. He claims to have the only complete set of DC Comics in the world, with at least one copy of each DC comic book sold at retail (i.e., not including promotional or giveaway comics) from the 1930s to present. The last vintage comic book he obtained for his collection was a copy of New Adventure Comics #26, which he acquired at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2005." — Wikipedia.****************************************
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.