Those Scoop readers who enjoyed August 30^th's report on Metropolis' recent acquisition of a collection in Omaha will be pleased to hear that another collection has been discovered and purchased! Less than two weeks ago, Metropolis Collectibles received a call about a gorgeous group of Golden and Silver Age comics, this time right in their own backyard in Queens, NY. Adding to the joy of uncovering this original owner collection, Metropolis co-owner, Vincent Zurzolo, came back with interesting anecdotes about the owner's family friend, Spider-Man co-creator, Steve Ditko.

The collection was compiled by the seller's late husband, an ardent fan of comics from the 1940s all the way up until his passing from a heart attack in 1972. It is plain to see by the well-read condition of the Golden Age books that the seller's husband really enjoyed his collection. It was also apparent that as time passed, keeping the books in good condition became more important to him. Comparatively speaking, the sixties and seventies books are in exceptional shape. As reported by Zurzolo, it was truly fascinating to open the twenty some odd boxes as the musty comic book aroma wafted through the room. To him, it was more like looking into a time capsule than just buying a comic collection; there were fanzines and newspapers of which many he had never seen before. And as any old time collector can appreciate, a small number of books were in the famous “Robert Bell” bags.

The woman who sold the collection to Metropolis shared many stories about her husband's passion for collecting. One story that stood out occurred right after the newlyweds moved in together. One evening her husband came home with a group of old cardboard boxes and carefully placed them into their bedroom closet. Inquisitively, she asked him what was in the boxes. He proudly exclaimed they were his beloved comic collection and that if she loved him, she wouldn't ask him anything else. Perhaps he was afraid she might suggest throwing it away, but she loved him dearly and respected his wishes. His time with his comics was precious to him, and perhaps that is why she waited so long to sell the collection.

As Mr. Zurzolo finished looking over the comics, they spoke about her line of work. She and her family were in the jewelry business. She mentioned that when her dad was alive, he would often procure the assistance of a friendly neighborhood artist whose studio was next door to their jewelry shop. When attempting to describe how a piece of jewelry would look to a customer, her father would ask his neighbor, Steve Ditko, to draw a sketch for him. Mr. Ditko would ask what colors to make the various precious stones and then he would get to work. She told of how kind “Steve” was to her and her family. Often Publishers would drop off art with her and her brother when Mr. Ditko was not around. For Zurzolo, he was taken aback by the informal relationship she and her family had with one of his favorite artists, the man who breathed life into his favorite hero, Spider-Man.

As for the collection, it is a pot pouri of various titles, publishers and grades. There are lots of DC and Fawcett Golden Age, as well as Fifties Westerns and runs of various Silver Age Marvels and Bronze Age keys. Titles that come to mind are All Star Comics, World's Finest, Whiz Comics, Marvel Family, X-Men, Spider-Man, Green Lantern, Two-Gun Kid, Black Terror, Exciting Comics, Leading Comics, More Fun, Strange Adventures, Teen Titans, Night Nurse and Catman. Metropolis Collectibles is hurriedly grading the comics and will release a list soon. In the mean time, if you would like to send Metropolis your want list, they will scan the collection for books you are in need of.
Metropolis can be contacted Toll-Free 800-229-6387, by Fax 212-260-4147 and by Email at orders@metropoliscomics.com.