TALES OF
SUSPENSE
Comic Books
For Sale
Captain America - Iron Man -
Hawkeye - Black Widow - Black Panther
Affiliate links appear on this
page that I may earn a commission if a purchase is made at
no additional cost to the buyer.
One of the
most significant Marvel Comic titles made its debut as a
mystery title until the Marvel Age of Comics burst onto the
scene in 1961 with the Fantastic Four.
Upon seeing
the success of that title Marvel started unleashing other
superhero characters and eventually started to convert Tales
of Suspense into a superhero book.
Here Iron Man and Captain America would forge a significant
path through the Silver Age-1960s.
Iron Man made his first appearance in Tales
of Suspense #39 in 1963 and gained his first
series in the pages of this title.
Captain America
would receive his first solo Silver Age series in issue #59.
Both
characters ran side by side for 41 issues before Marvel
was able to create newer titles for both characters.
Captain
America directly took over with issue #100 after Tales of Suspense
ended with issue #99 and Iron Man was given his own book in
the same year at a time when Marvel was able to expand on
its current monthly titles.
When you run
through the Tales of Suspense listings in the Overstreet
Comic Book Price Guide, you see
a lot of key
issues in this run that have had a great significance to the
Marvel Universe.
There are some great stories and great artwork between
issues #39 through issues #99. Jack Kirby and Gene
Colan were the primary artists during these issues and made
an indelible impression on all who have had an opportunity
to look through and read any of the books in this range.
Iron Man set
the stage for the title and quickly evolved into one of
Marvel's greatest superheroes.
Happy
Hogan and Pepper Potts who are Iron Man/Tony Stark's main
supporting cast made their introduction in issue #45 and one
of his primary villains made his debut in issue #46-Crimson
Dynamo.
Iron Man's armor would change a couple of times in this book
going from gun metal gray to gold to his famous red and gold
colors with each time the armor shape changing especially to
the red and gold in issue #48.
The X-Men made their first cross-over appearance in issue
#49 at a time when characters from one book making an
appearance in another character's book was a premium.
The Avengers were also featured in this issue which was
their first cross-over appearance without Captain America.
Some of Iron
Man's and Marvel's mainstays made their first appearances in
issues #50-Mandarin, #52-Black Widow and #57-Hawkeye which
are at the top of a lot of collectors' wishlist.
Marvel's most mysterious character the Watcher has his
origin told for the first time in issue #53.
The infamous
battle issue with Iron Man and Captain America tangling for
the first time came in issue #58 which was a quick prelude
to their back to back series that started in the next issue
with issue #59.
The two would initially share the cover of each issue and
eventually would alternate as the main subject on the book's
cover. Captain America would primarily be the focus on
the even number issues cover and Iron Man on the odd number
issues cover.
Not since the
Golden Age has Captain America's origin been told to
readers, but with issue #63 the collectors of that era
finally got their opportunity to read about Steve Rogers and
his path forever changing with the injection of a super
soldier serum during World War II to become the Living
Legend.
Continuing
through issues in the 60s and 70s you begin to find some of
both heroes' villains making their entrance into the
universe with the Red Skull the most prominent in issue #65
with his origin told in issue #66.
Titanium Man, Batroc, Agent 13-Sharon Carter, Whiplash, the
Cosmic Cube all made their debut in this title.
There are some
fabulous covers that have been displayed in this book making
them a focus for collectors who love to collect high impact
covers.
With a couple of
Iron Man and Captain America movies having been made and a
few animated movies and TV movies and animated TV series
been produced, many collectors continue to search for issues
in this title for their collections.
Purchasing Tales of Suspense Comics
When reviewing sources to acquire
Tales of Suspense issues, I like to check
out local comic book shops and conventions. I get to see
the comics in person and can examine more issues at one time than I could online.
Eventually local sources go only so far since they rely on
collectors and other sellers in the area to bring them in.
Sources on the internet tend to travel and pick up
collections and will buy a lot of books online to add to
their inventory. They also have a lot of people from
all over the world who will contact them since they are not
tied to a local area to sell to them. These sellers
also tend to advertise on a more global scale than the local
comic book shop since their marketplace is the entire world
essentially.
mycomicshop
is a great place to find Tales of Suspense issues. They're a
national online seller and have been selling comic books
through the mail since the 1960s. They try to stock every issue of every
title that has ever been published.
You'll
see a large amount of
Tales of Suspense
covers of key books in the run
as well as general issues in the title on this page that I
think will interest any
Tales of Suspense
collection which will take
you directly to mycomicshop's inventory of that issue.
There you
will see every condition of that issue they currently have
in stock so you can choose the right condition of the book
that you're looking for.
Don't be
worried if you do not see an issue in stock when you click
on any of the links. Often times they will receive an
issue into their inventory on a fairly regular basis as they
purchase books and collections daily. Just go ahead
and bookmark the link after you've clicked on the issue here
or check back here and click on the link to see if the issue
has come into stock. The links will stay permanently
connected.
I've
purchased books from mycomicshop before and will continue to use them.
Their grading is accurate and they are a reliable source.
They have great customer service in providing you books in a
timely manner.
Ebay is a
great option as there’s a lot of
collectors/sellers/dealers always looking to move in
and out of product and use Ebay as their avenue.
You may find some good deals on Ebay, but be careful to check out
the auctions and or Buy it Now listings carefully. Some
sellers’ terms are not right for everyone and sometimes the
items are not what you expect.
If condition is important to you, then be sure to ask a lot
of questions. If you don’t get the right kinds of answers
you’re looking for, then move on and try another listing.
Always check out the seller’s profile to see how their past
selling has been. If they’re new to selling and have only
been buying, ask questions.
You always want to be comfortable with the person you’re
potentially going to be buying from and you really need to
know what it is you’re getting.
If you're looking for CGC Tales of Suspense comics, then ComicLink is
your best choice. They focus primarily on CGC books
and you can find some of the top notch
Tales of Suspense issues available on
their site. Expect to see from time to time CGC Tales
of Suspense #39 (Iron Man's first appearance) and others of
that era.
I hope
this page has been informative to you regarding the world of
Tales of Suspense
comic books.
Happy Collecting!!!
Johnson's Collectibles
