NEW COMICS #2 * 1st FEDERAL MEN * 10 Copies on Census

Heading: 1st Federal Men by Siegel & Shuster
Author:
Title: NEW COMICS No. 2
Place Published:
Publisher:DC [Indicia: National Allied Newspaper Syndicate Inc.]
Date Published: January, 1936
Description: CGC certified: Good (2.0). Grader's notes: "Detached centerfold; spine of cover completely split & front cover detached." Off-white to white pages. Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.

GPAnalysis: A 2.0 (Billy Wright pedigree) sold for $3107 in 2012; a 1.8 (Lost Valley pedigree) sold for $1550 in 2003. More recently, a 0.5 sold for $850 in 3/23.

Overstreet: "1st app. Federal Men by Siegel & Shuster (Rare)." CGC Census: 10 graded copies (6 Universal, 4 Restored). Gerber Photo-Journal Guide Scarcity Index: 7 ("Scarce: 21-50 copies").

Credits: Cover: R.G. Leffingwell. Scripts: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Vin Sullivan, R. G. Leffingwell, Matt Curzon, Tom Cooper, Whitney Ellsworth, Sheldon Mayer, A. D. Kiefer, Joe Archibald, Bill Allison, Jonathan Swift, Clem Gretter, Stan Randall, Jon Blummer, Ellis Edwards, Al Stahl, R. H. Livingstone, Jerry Siegel, Rosemary Volk. Art: William Cook, Vin Sullivan, R.G. Leffingwell, Matt Curzon, Tom Cooper, Whitney Ellsworth, Sheldon Mayer, R. H. Livingstone, Henry Kiefer, Joe Archibald, Bill Allison, Walt Kelly, Clem Gretter, Stan Randall, Jon Blummer, Ellis Edwards, Al Stahl, Joe Shuster.Tapped by Taschen: The DC Universe Collection copy of New Comics #2, featuring Walt Kelly's adaptation of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, is illustrated in Taschen's 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking (page 31), with the caption: "Shelly Mayer claimed to have bonded, on the basis of being 'stiffed' by Wheeler-Nicholson, with the soon-to-be Disney animator [Walt] Kelly. This story is one of the few that he did for DC, some 13 years before the debut of his hugely successful newspaper strip, 'Pogo.'"

First Federal Men: "Amid the relentless bad news of the Great Depression, America had become fascinated with J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. Super heroes did not yet exist in comics, but the industry was casting about for reliable moneymakers, and adventurers and law-and-order types were beginning to make headway. In the second issue of New Comics, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster introduced 'Federal Men,' starring FBI agent Steve Carson, who investigated kidnappings and other federal crimes above the reach of local law enforcement. In subsequent issues, the feature spawned a Federal Men fan club for young readers called the Junior Federal Men." — Alan Cowsill, Alex Irvine & others, DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing: 2012, p. 14.

Levine Comes Clean: Here's Ian Levine, rattling off the names of some of the most elusive DC comics of all time, with special emphasis on this here funnybook: "Buzzy 70, It's Gametime 3, Girls' Love 5, All-Flash 32... New Adventure 26, and New Comics 2. Which is MILES rarer than New Fun 2." — Ian Levine, CGC discussion boards, 2005.

Director's Note: If you're hankering for the elusive DC mags Ian Levine references above, never fear. All-Flash #32 will be offered in PBA's August auction, The DC Universe Collection Part 3: The Golden Age. For all you completists out there, Buzzy #70, It's Gametime #3, and Girls' Love #5 will be featured in PBA's The DC Universe Collection Part 10: PLOP! The "Everything Else" Sale. Stay tuned!****************************************
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.