Inside This Issue

January 4, 2000 at 7:30pm at the GIAC, Meeting room 2. Who is Supergirl?

January 18, 2000 at 7:30pm at the GIAC, Meeting room 2. Doctor Who Comics and Toys.

February 1, 2000 at 7:30pm at the G.I.A.C., Meeting room 2. Election Night and Simpson

February 15, 2000 at 7:30pm at the G.I.A.C., Meeting room 2. Romance Comics

March 7, 2000 at 7:30pm at the G.I.A.C., Meeting room 2. Toy Night. Bring your toys, but please share.

March 21, 2000 at 7:30pm at the G.I.A.C., Meeting room 2. Read Aloud Night

Club News

Will Kone, Jeff Hetzel - Taken from notes by Carmela Merlo

December 7, 1999 The day that will live in imfamemy: Who is better Kyle Rayner or Hal Jordan—Answer: Allen Scott. A Debate over Which is the better Green Lantern. Much was said about the past Green Lantern and even more about Green Lanterns. Some decided we really need to bring back G’Nort and the Squirrel. (OK, so they didn’t) But everyone agreed that bad writing can kill a hero.

January 4, 2000 Who is Supergirl? Come to the meeting and find out. A great escape from reality after 4 days of dealing with the Y2K bug.

January 18, 2000 A History (?) of Doctor Who where we find out if the Doctor is Y2K compliant or if it only bothers his machines when he is in the year 2000?

February 1, 2000 Election Night, Come and help pick the Club leadership for the new final year in the minenllia. To be followed by Simpson’s Videos.

February 15, 2000 Romance Comics. (Hey we are close to Valentines Day.)

February 5, 2000 The Spring Show. Women’s Community Center, 10am to 4pm. Sign up now to help.

March 7, 2000 Toy Night! Bring all your favorite toys that you got for the holidays.

March 21, 2000 Read Aloud night. Everyone Loves Read Aloud night.

Bring a friend, bring an enemy, meet new people, and let new people meet you.

Shades is Back!

This looks like a review of a Comic Book Theft!

Amy Worden

amy.worden@apbnews.com

Valuable Comic Books Swiped From Conn. Home Estimated to be Worth Hundreds of

WESTPORT, Conn. (APBnews.com) -- In a caper worthy of a front-page headline in The Daily Planet, someone has made off with two of the most valuable comic books in the world.

The stolen comics, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, were removed from a safe at a vacation home in this well-heeled waterfront community, police said.

The comics were reported missing last week, but police said because the home was not continuously occupied, the theft could have taken place several months ago.

Missing are a copy of the first Superman comic, Action Comics No. 1, valued at about $200,000, and the first Batman comic, Batman No. 1, worth at least $63,000. But experts say if the comic book is in excellent condition, demand could quadruple the value at auction.

"The value in the price guide is conservative," said Robert Overstreet, author and publisher of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. "If it is high-grade and dealers have customers who can afford it, the collectors can drive the price up four or five times that."

Superman makes his debut

The Action Comics No. 1, printed in 1938, is notable because it represents the first appearance of Superman. "It is the most valuable comic book," Overstreet said. "It is the most sought after, the one to have over all others."

Batman No. 1, from 1940, is significant because it is the first Batman-titled book. Only Detective Comics No. 27, published in 1939, where Batman appears for the first time, is more valuable.

"They're what we call key comics," said Maggie Thompson, editor of Comics Buyer's Guide. "They are a turning point of comic books in the field."

Only a handful remain

Printed by D.C. Comics, the Superman and Batman editions came out during the golden-age of comic book publishing, which ended in 1949.

They were among the hundreds of thousands of copies printed for mass market distribution on newsstands and mass consumption among schoolboys.

Today, only a handful of these Batman and Action Comics editions remain. Of the estimated 75 copies of the Action Comics No. 1, four are in top condition. Of the 250 known copies of the Batman No. 1, 16 are in nearly perfect condition, according to The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. The condition of the stolen copies is not known.

Paper drives during World War II, followed by widespread comic book burnings during the early 1950s, destroyed many golden-age comic books, Thompson said.

Each 'has some distinguishing mark'

Experts said peddling either of these comics would be like trying to pawn a Stradivarius violin. Any top dealer would recognize the comics, making them virtually impossible to sell anonymously in the collectibles market, Thompson said.

"Each of these has some distinguishing mark that would be recognizable," said Overstreet. "They could turn up for sale in another country though."

He said most comic book thefts occur at retail stores or conventions, and that he has never heard of a theft of comic books of this value from a private home.

Cash, earrings taken

Westport police have no leads and no suspects in the heist. "It's pretty sketchy," said Officer George Marks. "It will be under investigation for as long as it takes."

Also missing was $500 in cash and a pair of gold earrings, leading police to believe the thief may have not known what they were stealing.

Police would not identify the comic books' owner, saying it was standard procedure not to release a property owner's name or the address in burglary cases.

So take a look, you might be pleasantly suppressed.