DC Special Series #27 Batman vs. the Incredible Hulk

In 1975, DC and Marvel both attempted to gain the rights to publish a comic adaptation of the Wizard of Oz, eventually deciding to co-publish the project. The result was the tabloid-sized "MGM's Marvelous Wizard of Oz". DC and Marvel quickly agreed to another co-publishing venture, and in early 1976 "Superman vs. Spider-Man" was released as a one-shot tabloid. Five years later DC and Marvel revisited the Superman and Spider-Man team-up in Marvel Treasury Edition #28, and later that same year DC took their turn at an inter-company crossover in the final issue of DC Special Series. DC Special Series was an umbrella title for one-shots and special issues published by DC Comics since 1977. Each issue featured a different character and varied in format, published as either Dollar Comics, 48 page giants, digests, or treasury editions. 

DC Special Series #27, released September 24, 1981, is a comic book of 64 tabloid-sized pages (25 cm x 33 cm), with a cover price of $2.50. Neither the umbrella title nor the numbering system appear on the cover, the title "DC Special Series" appearing only in the indicia, with the cover banner reading “DC and Marvel Present: Batman vs. the Incredible Hulk”. DC Special Series #27 features cover and interior artwork by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez & Dick Giordano (Inker), with a story, “The Monster and the Madman", by the legendary Len Wein. When a story features Bruce Banner working at a division of Wayne Research, assisting in the development of a gamma-gun designed to cure diseases, and the Joker is intent on stealing that selfsame gamma-gun, well, you know serious mayhem is going to follow! This epic tale was the last tabloid-sized comic published by DC for almost twenty years.

Conversion of Assets V

With the recent popularity of the Avengers movie and the Iron Man films, there is a growing nostalgia for the Silver Age and Bronze Age Iron Man! With that in mind, the panelology department set their sights on acquiring a nice copy of ‘Iron Man #47’. But in order to acquire the necessary funds the following books were sold: first, ‘Batman #251’, published by DC Comics September, 1973. This issue is the bronze-age debut of the Joker, profoundly revised by writer Denny O'Neil and artist Neal Adams. Graded around F (6.0), the cover gloss on this issue still has moderate reflectivity, although there is some minor cover wear, with some minor to moderate creasing; second, ‘Batman #386’, published by DC Comics August, 1985. This issue contains the first appearance of the villain Black Mask. Graded around VF/NM (9.0), this is a sharp copy with no creases, and still has outstanding eye appeal. Issue #251 was sold for $49.96 CAD and issue #386 for $45.79 CAD - a total of $95.75.

These funds were then used to purchase a CGC graded 9.0 (VF/NM) copy of ‘Iron Man #47’ for a total of $92.64 CAD. Published by Marvel Comics in June, 1972, this issue retells the origin of Iron Man, written by Roy Thomas with art by the incomparable Barry Windsor Smith. This is the first detailed retelling of the golden Avenger’s origin since his debut in ‘Tales of Suspense #39’, a decade earlier. The cover itself, an iconic Iron Man image if ever there was one, is by the legendary Gil Kane. As the Iron man movie franchise has grossed over one-billion dollars worldwide, there will be lots of fans for generations to come that will be interested in key issues of his eponymous comic book series!