NEW FUN COMICS #5 * Apparent 7.0 * Restored by Ciccone

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Author:
Title: NEW FUN COMICS No. 5
Place Published:
Publisher:DC [Indicia: National Allied Publications Inc.]
Date Published: August, 1935
Description: Apparent F/VF (7.0). Moderate professional restoration (by Susan Ciccone of The Restoration Lab). Edges trimmed, paper-fill and color touch to length of spine, top staple replaced. If not for trimming and restoration, appears 7.5 or better. All 44 pages present and intact. Cream pages, light tan edges. Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.

Overstreet: "Soft cover." Gerber Photo-Journal Guide Scarcity Index: 7 ("scarce: 21-50 copies"). CGC Census: None (CGC does not offer grading for tabloid-sized comics). Sales Data: Heritage has sold 2 copies: a "FN/VF" for $9000 in 2020, and a "VG+" for $2185 in 2002.

Credits: Cover: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson and W. C. Brigham. Scripts: Stan Randall, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Vin Sullivan, Ken Fitch, Tom Cooper, Whitney Ellsworth, Tom McNamara, Al Whitney?, John Lindermayer, Joe Archibald, William Cook, Stan Randall, Leighton Budd, Eugene Koscik, Adolph Schus, Charles Shows, Dick Loederer, Henry Kiefer, W. C. Brigham, Monroe Eisenberg. Art: Stan Randall, Monroe Eisenberg, Vin Sullivan, Clem Gretter, Tom Cooper, Leo O'Mealia, Whitney Ellsworth, Tom McNamara, John Lindermayer, Leighton Budd, Eugene Koscik, Adolph Schus, Sven Elven?, Charles Shows, Henry Kiefer, Dick Loederer, W. C. Brigham, Raymond Perry, Bob Rich."Fun" Foundation: "It all started here for DC comics. Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, a former military officer and pulp writer, had founded National Allied Publishing in 1934 and in 1935 he launched the first-ever comic book devoted to new material: New Fun. Before New Fun, comic books reprinted popular newspaper comic strips, but Wheeler-Nicholson's tight budget meant he could not afford to purchase reproductions of the lucrative syndicated strips. So ironically, Wheeler-Nicholson was forced to allow storytelling to flourish. In New Fun, the notion that writers and artists had a place to sell their wares inspired many dreamers, including two young creators from Cleveland: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. After publishing four issues of New Fun, Wheeler-Nicholson packaged them into his first reprint book and soon added a second title, New Comics, to the National Allied lineup." — Alan Cowsill, Alex Irvine & others, DC Comics Year By Year: A visual Chronicle. DK Publishing: 2010, p. 12.

The Lowdown from Levine: British music producer Ian Levine, who amassed The DC Universe Collection, considers this copy of New Fun Comics #5 to be one of the standouts of the entire collection. According to Ian, it was restored to its current lovely state by master conservator Susan Ciccone of the prestigious Restoration Lab. "New Fun 5 cost me a fortune because Susan Ciccone restored it. There are no such things of high grade copies of these, they were printed on such ragged newsprint. Susan said that restoring this copy was her finest moment."****************************************
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.