CHESS IN COMIC BOOKS
by
Kerry Lawless
In the late 1970’s, I found myself revisiting my childhood passion at an Oakland comic book convention. Walking down aisles brightly festooned with colorful nostalgia, I came across the provocative Atom-Age comic Haunted Thrills 16. Looking at the cover, I had an epiphany …chess comics. I searched flea markets, comic book stores and comic book conventions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Unfortunately, at the time, there weren’t a lot of comics in that category, so my collection wasn’t very large. Of course, the Golden-Age Batman 23, was the cornerstone of my collection. I was lucky enough to find this issue at one of the dealer tables at a San Francisco comic convention. The Silver-Age comic Strange Suspense Stories 36, was bought from a collector at the Alameda Flea Market. Another Silver-Age comic Justice League of America 1 was difficult to find and expensive, even then. I would eventually have purchased it had I not quit collecting comics altogether. Sadly, I never read those comics, being content just to gaze at their covers as they adorned my walls. In retrospect, I realize that if I’d had full color reproductions of the covers, I wouldn’t have had to buy the comics, always a welcome thought to a poor chess player. Now that the digital age and www.comics.org are here, I am not only able to start my collection anew, but can find more comics that would have made it into my collection had I but known about them. Nowadays, of course, Chessman Comics 1 and 2 occupy the top spot in any chess player’s comic collection. The Incredible Adventures of CHESSMAN 1 & 2 were written by IM John Watson. Yes, I have read them many times. It’s obvious the writer has played in a tournament or two. In the letters-to-the-editor section, issue 2 mentions a forthcoming story, "The Origin of Chessman", but CHESSMAN 3 was never published.
Comic book collecting in general has evolved into a hobby only for the very rich. Investors and dealers have been very busy running up the market value of rare comics in the higher grades to astronomical levels. Nowadays, budget-minded collectors tend to specialize in a particular time or subject. The 40th Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide breaks comic book history into official ages:
The price of a comic book is based on desirability, rarity and condition. Of course, desirability is in the eye of the beholder. Rarity, on the other hand, is defined by Overstreet as:
Scarce = 20-100 copies estimated to exist.
Rare = 10-20 copies estimated to exist.
Very Rare = 1-10 copies estimated to exist.
Comic book fandom has a comic book grading standard set by the certified grading company, Comics Guaranty, LLC.
10.0 = Gem Mint
9.9 = Mint
9.8 = Near Mint/Mint
9.6 = Near Mint +
9.4 = Near Mint
9.2 = Near Mint –
9.0 = Very Fine/Near Mint
8.5 = Very Fine +
8.0 = Very Fine
7.5 = Very Fine –
7.0 = Fine/Very Fine
6.5 = Fine +
6.0 = Fine
5.5 = Fine –
5.0 = Very Good/Fine
4.5 = Very Good +
4.0 = Very Good
3.5 = Very Good –
3.0 = Good/Very Good
2.5 = Good +
2.0 = Good
1.8 = Good –
1.5 = Fair/Good
1.0 = Fair
0.5 = Poor
If you like chess and comics, building a chess comic collection is a no-brainer. Prefer paper to digital: no problem, newer chess comic books in the lower grades are very affordable. The chess comic books shown in this article represent only a small fraction of what’s available and more are printed every month. Happy collecting!
More Fun Comics 76 was published by DC in February 1942. The cover which features Dr. Fate was penciled and inked by Howard Sherman. Overstreet says that all issues of this comic are scarce to rare. The prices range from $255 to $3,950.
Batman 23 was published by DC in June-July 1944. The cover which features a great looking Joker was drawn by Dick Sprang. The prices range from $271 to $4,200
Dynamic Comics 12 was published by Dynamic Publications in November 1944. The prices range from $50 to $750.
Adventures of Alice 2 was published by Civil Service & Pentagon Publications in 1945. The prices range from $11 to $110.
Shadow Comics Volume 5, Number 10 was published by Street & Smith Publications in January 1946. The prices range from $42 to $625.
Shadow Comics Volume 6, Number 7 was published by Street & Smith Publications in October 1946. The cover was penciled and inked by Charles Coll. The prices range from $39 to $550.
Boy Commandos 22 was published by DC in July-August 1947. The cover was penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Steve Brodie. The prices range from $25 to $340.
Action Comics 112, published by DC in September 1947, featured a cover penciled by Wayne Boring and inked by Stan Kaye. The prices range from $71 to $1100.
Land of the Lost Comics 9, published by EC comics in the Spring of 1948, featured a cover drawn by Olive Bailey. The prices range from $20 to $270.
Sub-Mariner Comics 29 was published by Timely Comics in December 1948, and had a cover penciled by Ken Bald and inked by Al Gabriele. The prices range from $126 to $1,950.
Detective Comics 158 was published by DC in April 1950. The cover was penciled and inked by Winslow Mortimer. The prices range from $68 to $1050.
Betty and Veronica 2 was published by Archie Publications in 1950. The prices range from $106 to $1,650.
Eerie Adventures # 1 was published by Ziff-Davis in the Winter of 1951, with a painted cover by Bernie Krigstein. The prices range from $47 to $700.
Strange Adventures 35 was published by DC in August 1953, with a cover drawn by Murphy Anderson. The prices range from $31 to $675.
The Beyond 16 was published by Ace Magazines in October 1953. The cover was penciled and inked by John Chilly. The prices range from $17 to $210.
Haunted Thrills 16 was published by Ajax Company in July-August 1954. The prices range from $25 to $340.
Uncanny Tales 30 was published by Atlas in March 1955, and drawn by Dick Ayers. The prices range from $19 to $235.
Baffling Mysteries 26 was published by Ace Magazines in October 1955. The prices range from $17 to $215.
Batman 100 was published by DC in June 1956. This commemorative issue reproduced the Dick Sprang Joker cover, among others. The prices range from $277 to $4150.
Strange Suspense Stories 36 was published by Charlton Comics in March 1957. The prices range from $26 to $335.
Felix the Cat 85 was published by Harvey Comics in July 1957. The prices range from $4 to $50.
Spunky the Smiling Spook 1 was published by Ajax/Farrell in August 1957. The prices range from $10 to $90.
Man in Black 4 published by Harvey Publications in March 1958. The cover was drawn by Bob Powell. The prices range from $14 to $150.
House of Mystery 77, published by DC in August 1958, had a cover drawn by Bob Brown. The prices range from $10 to $170.
Archie 112 , publishe by Archie Publications in August 1960. The prices range from $5 to $75.
Justice League of America 1 was published by DC in November 1960, with a cover by Murphy Anderson. The prices range from $400 to $10,000.
Four Color 1175 was published by Dell in May 1961. The prices range from $4 to $50.
Checkmate 2 published by Gold Key in December 1962. The cover features Hollywood stars Anthony George, Sebastian Cabot, and Doug McClure! The prices range from $5 to $70.
Unusual Tales 37 was published by Charlton Comics in January 1963, and had a cover penciled by Charles Nicholas and inked by Vince Alascia. The prices range from $4 to $55.
Blue Beetle 5 was published by Charlton in April 1965. The cover was penciled by Bill Fraccio and inked by Dick Giordano. The prices range from $5 to $75.
The Friendly Ghost Casper 117 was published by Harvey in May 1968. The prices range from $3 to $26.
Bunny 16 was published by Harvey in September 1970. The prices range from $4 to $55.
Twilight Zone 35 was published by Gold Key in December 1970. The prices range from $2 to $22.
Richie Rich Diamonds 5 was published by Harvey in April 1973. The prices range from $3 to $30.
Laugh Comics 266 was published by Close-Up, Inc. in May 1973. The prices range from $2 to $15.
Wonder Woman 208 was published by DC in October-November 1973. The cover was penciled by Ric Estrada and inked by Vince Colletta. The prices range from $3 to $30.
Prez 2 was published by DC in November 1973. The cover was penciled and inked by Jerry Grandenetti. The prices range from $2 to $20.
Giant-Size Defenders 3 was published by Marvel in January 1975. The cover was penciled by Ron Wilson and inked by Joe Sinnott. The prices range from $3 to $30.
Dark Shadows 34 was published by Gold Key in November 1975. The cover was penciled and inked by Joe Certa. The prices range from $4 to $50.
Weird War Tales 43 was published by DC in November-December 1975. The cover was penciled and inked by Ernie Chan. The prices range from $2 to $14.
The Incredible Adventures of CHESSMAN 1 published by The Chess House in 1975, was written by IM John Watson and drawn by Chris Hendrickson. In 2003, chess book dealer Alan Benson was selling this online for $10.
Marvel Spotlight 29 was published by Marvel in August 1976. The cover was penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Al Milgrom. The prices range from $3 to $24.
Unknown Soldier 206 was published by DC in July 1977. The cover was penciled and inked by Al Milgrom. The prices range from $2 to $18.
Master of Kung Fu 60 was published by Marvel in January 1978. The cover was penciled by Ernie Chan. The price in near mint is $4.
Archie’s Joke Book 263 was published by Archie Comics Group in December 1979. The price in near mint is $6.
Phantomen 84 (Swedish) was published in Summer 1979.
Justice League of America 178 was published by DC in May 1980. The cover was penciled and inked by Jim Starlin. The prices range from $1 to $7.
Star Wars 35 was published by Marvel in May 1980. The cover was penciled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Bob Wiacek. The prices range from $1 to $9.
Brave and the Bold 183 was published by DC in February 1982. The Cover was penciled and inked by Jim Aparo. The prices range from $2 to $12.
Iron Man163 was published by Marvel in October 1982. The cover was penciled and inked by Jim Starlin. The price in near mint is $4.
Iron Man164 was published by Marvel in November 1982. The cover was penciled by Luke McDonnell and inked by Brent Anderson. The price in near mint is $4.
The Incredible Adventures of CHESSMAN 2 published by Chess Enterprises in 1982, was written by IM John Watson and drawn by Svein G. Myreng (with "special thanks to Chris Hendrickson for permission to use the character Chessman"). Online prices are from $4 to $15.
Micky Maus 48 was published in November 1983.
L’ Invincible Iron Man 121-122 was published by Editions Heritage in 1983.
Arak, Son of Thunder 40 was published by DC in January 1985. The cover was penciled and inked by Tony DeZuniga. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Aztec Ace 14 was published by Eclipse Comics in June 1985. The cover was penciled and inked by Tom Yeates. The price for near mint is $2.50.
Professor Coffin 21 was published by Charlton in February 1986. The cover was penciled and inked by Wayne Howard. The prices range from $1 to $8.
Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt 9 was published by Hero Comics in July 1988. The cover was penciled and inked by Eufronio R. Cruz. The price in near mint is $2.50.
New Mutants 68 was published by Marvel in October 1988. The cover was penciled and inked by Bret Blevins. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Checkmate 15 was published by DC in May 1989. The cover was drawn by Gil Kane. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Checkmate 33 was published by DC in January 1991. The cover was penciled by Steve Erwin and inked by Al Vey. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Justice League America 61 was published by DC in April 1992. The cover was penciled by Dan Jurgens and inked by Murphy Anderson. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Uncanny X-Men 299 was published by Marvel in April 1992. The cover was penciled by Brandon Peterson and inked by Dan Panosian. The price in near mint is $4.
Cerebus 158 was published by Aardvark-Vanaheim in May 1992. The cover was penciled and inked by Dave Sim and Gerhard. The price in near mint is $3.
Cerebus 166 was published by Aardvark-Vanaheim in January 1993. The cover was penciled and inked by Dave Sim and Gerhard. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Eclipso 10 was published by DC in August 1993. The cover was penciled and inked by Kelley Jones. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Star Trek 71 was published by DC in May 1995. The cover was penciled and inked by Jason Palmer. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Disney's Aladdin 10 was published by Marvel in July 1995. The price in near mint is $3.00.
Wonder Woman 122 was published by DC in June 1997. The cover was penciled and inked by John Byrne. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Superman_Wonder Woman – Whom Gods Destroy 4 was published by DC in 1997. The cover was penciled by Dusty Abell and inked by Drew Geraci. The price in near mint is $5.
Vampirella Queen’s Gambit 1 was published by Harris Comics in June 1998. The cover was penciled by Amanda Conner and inked by Jimmy Palmiotti. The price in near mint is $3.
Superman 137 was published by DC in August 1998. The cover was penciled by Paul Ryan and inked by Joe Rubinstein. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Invisibles 7 was published by DC in October 1999. The cover was penciled and inked by Brian Bolland. The price in near mint is $3.
Batman Legends of the Dark Knight 126 was published by DC in February 2000. The cover was penciled by Alex Maleev and inked by Wayne Faucher. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Gambit 18 was published by Marvel in July 2000. The cover was penciled by Jim Starlin and inked by Al Weiss. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Heroes Convention Volume 1, No. 20 was published by the Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find, Inc. in June 2001. The back cover art is by Murphy Anderson, Davis, Simonson, Perez & Pacheco.
Batman 619 was published by DC in November 2003. The cover was penciled by Jim Lee and inked by Scott Williams. The price in near mint is $5.
Kingpin 7 was published by Marvel in February 2004. The cover was penciled and inked by Tony Harris. The price in near mint is $3.
Wonder Woman 218 was published by DC in August 2005. The price in near mint is $2.75.
OMAC Project 5 was published by DC in October 2005. The price in near mint is $2.50.
Checkmate 1 was published by DC in June 2006. The cover was penciled and inked by Lee Bermejo. The price in near mint is $4.
Checkmate 2 was published by DC in July 2006. The cover was penciled and inked by Lee Bermejo. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 3 was published by DC in August 2006. The cover was penciled and inked by Lee Bermejo. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 4 was published by DC in September 2006. The cover was penciled and inked by Lee Bermejo. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 5 was published by DC in October 2006. The cover was penciled and inked by Lee Bermejo. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 7 was published by DC in December 2006. The cover was penciled and inked by Jesus Saiz. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 8 was published by DC in January 2007. The cover was penciled and inked by Jesus Saiz. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 9 was published by DC in February 2007. The cover was penciled and inked by Jesus Saiz. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 11 was published by DC in April 2007. The cover was penciled by Jesus Saiz and inked by Nathan Massengill. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 16 was published by DC in September 2007. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 17 was published by DC in October 2007. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 18 was published by DC in November 2007. The price in near mint is $3.
Amazing Spider-Girl 13 was published by Marvel in December 2007. The price in near mint is $3.
Cthullhu Tales 1 was published by Boom! Studios in March 2008. The cover price was $3.99.
Checkmate 23 was published by DC in April 2008. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 24 was published by DC in May 2008. The price in near mint is $3.
Checkmate 25 was published by DC in June 2008. The price in near mint is $3.
Beyond Wonderland 5 was published by Zenescope Entertainment in February 2009.
New Mutants 10 was published by Marvel in April 2010. The price in near mint is $3.
New Mutants 10 Variant was published by Marvel in April 2010. The price in near mint is $3.