The over 200 comic book offerings during the next Hake’s Americana cover a
lot of ground. Many are among the highest graded books that CGC has listed on
their census. Some of those, and others, bear an impressive pedigree. The
auction will contain books from collections as diverse as Mile High,
Pennsylvania, Allentown and San Francisco. There are also a number of Gaines
File Copies as well some from the Crowley and Rockford pedigrees.
Last week,
Scoop was able to preview the Golden Age Batman and Batman-related books
that Hake’s will be offering. This week, with the help of the fine folks at
Hakes, we turn our eyes to the books that shared that time period with Batman.
Some of the titles appeared under the All-American imprint, others under DC. All
of them offer an exceptional opportunity for the collector.

Some may be
hypnotized by the incredible shark cover on the Mile High Copy of Adventure
Comics #41. Others my identify with the little boy awe felt by the little
boy who stands in front of the billboard on the cover of the 132 page Big
All-American Comic Book. We all know how great the cover to All-Star
#3 is, but how many have had a chance to really study the cover to
All-Star #1.

The hidden gem among the offerings may be the three
different issues of Leading Comics that are being listed. Each cover
features the Seven Soldiers of Victory. Undervalued for years, the Law’s
Legionnaires are undergoing a very positive critical and collectible
revaluation. DC has recently given them their own edition of the Archive series
and the Soldiers are currently on the newsstands once again. Contributing to
their rebirth is none other than the great Grant Morrison.

The covers of
each issue offered in this auction are beautiful examples of a classic comic
book cover. For Leading Comics #1, the Seven Soldiers of Victory are seen
dropping out of the sky directly into action. It is a simple, yet very strong
introduction to the newest team-book of the Golden Age. Leading #8 is
another classic as the Dummy stands laughing on top of an hourglass that
contains the Soldiers.

They are both great covers, but it is the cover to
Leading Comics #4 that has become iconic. The villain is safe inside a
mystical jar as the Seven Soldiers attack with all their might. As they do, the
Villain laughs maniacally at their seemingly wasted efforts. This cover has
joined All-Star #3, Detective #27 and a few others as a timeless
image of the Golden Age. This copy is part of the San Francisco pedigree.

Hake’s Americana & Collectibles Auction #183 will be available
online for viewing and bidding beginning March 30, 2005. For more information
visit their website at http://www.hakes.com. To request a
catalog, call toll free (866) 404-9800 ext. 443 or 249.

Scoop does
have a soft spot for the Seven Soldiers of Victory. We wrote about them in our

April 25, 2003 edition. The writer of the introduction to the DC Archive, noted
comic historian R. C. Harvey, was kind enough to credit Scoop as a reference in
his introduction to the volume. If you want to know more about the Seven
Soldiers, here is the link to that original
article.