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Salute a half-century of comic collecting in Overstreet's new 50th anniversary special
For comic book creators, buyers, sellers, publishers, and historians, Robert M. Overstreet's annual Comic Book Price Guide is an indispensable tool to value their collections, teach fans how to grade their books, keep tabs on the growing marketplace, and learn illuminating details about the wide world of comics and its colorful history.
Now in honor of its half-century of service, Gemstone Publishing is presenting Overstreet @ 50: Five Decades of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide (Nov. 17), a 320-page trip down memory lane that documents Overstreet's longstanding committment to veteran collectors, hobbyists, journalists, researchers, brokers, dealers, and diehard comic fans of all ages — and SYFY WIRE has an exclusive sneak peek inside this birthday release.
Since 1970, what's now become "The "Bible" of the comic book industry has been providing updated price levels for issues of all eras, from illustrated Pioneer Age relics and Silver Age superhero classics, to Bronze Age horror gems and Modern Age event miniseries. Overstreet's goals in those foundation years were to help stabilize the collector market and compose a realistic, dependable price guide for everyone to utilize.
This special edition takes a nostalgic look back at Overstreet's influence via revealing new interviews, personal essays from former employees, interviews with acclaimed comic creators, loyal historians, legendary shop owners, and wise words courtesy of CEO Bob Overstreet to recount the tale of the Guide’s early days and its importance to today's thriving comic book market.
It also includes vintage concept art, rare advertisting materials, a vibrant cover gallery spanning five decades, the complete Overstreet Hall of Fame roster, and much more.
"I knew that the lengthy interview with me was included, and the staff had asked me to pick out my five favorite Price Guide articles from our first 50 years, so I knew they were in the book, but in truth they were able to mostly keep me in the dark until it came time to review the book before it went to the printer," Overstreet tells SYFY WIRE.
"In all honesty, I was stunned by all the commentaries and kind quotes that people submitted. It was also amazing to see five decades of covers all in one place. I was really surprised by everything that's packed into this book. It still amazes me."
Gemstone Associate Editor Amanda Sheriff believes this deluxe anniversary book is a wonderful highlight reel of what makes the Guide so important to comic collecting, with Hall of Fame entries celebrating some of the greatest creators in the field, and info about the Guide’s roots from Bob himself.
“What Bob has accomplished with the Guide is nothing short of extraordinary," she tells SYFY WIRE. "He has spent 50 years meticulously studying the comic book market, analyzing the headline-makers down to the minutia of lesser-known books. That painstaking detail and Bob’s objectivity have had an invaluable impact on the hobby.”
Overstreet @ 50: Five Decades of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide arrives on Nov. 17.
