<![CDATA[Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors - Comics History & Collecting]]> http://www.bleedingcool.com/forums/ Vintage Comics, Original Art, CGC, and related matters en Mon, 20 May 2013 11:29:25 GMT vBulletin 15 http://www.bleedingcool.com/forums/images/misc/rss.png <![CDATA[Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors - Comics History & Collecting]]> http://www.bleedingcool.com/forums/ Can anyone help me find the letter associated with this No-Prize? http://www.bleedingcool.com/forums/comics-history-collecting/69805-can-anyone-help-me-find-letter-associated-no-prize.html Sat, 04 May 2013 20:02:20 GMT Hi, everyone! I’ve got a question I’m hoping some of you might be able to help me with… I just picked up a couple of vintage Marvel ‘holy... Hi, everyone! I’ve got a question I’m hoping some of you might be able to help me with…

I just picked up a couple of vintage Marvel ‘holy grails’ this past week: a 1965 Merry Marvel Marching Society Fan Club kit and a coveted Marvel No-Prize (from 1968). When I brought them home I went online as I thought it might be interesting to enter the original owner’s name into a Google search to see what might come up and was flabbergasted to discover that they originally belonged to a very important local Minneapolis collector who passed away in 2010 and left behind what is now considered to be one of the finest Silver Age collections in the country. His name is Gary Dahlberg and you can find multiple articles on the web about him and his comic collection. By all accounts, he seemed to be a true fan of comics and the MMMS Kit and Marvel No-Prize are in beautiful condition. I feel so lucky to have found both of these and I just can’t stop looking at them - simply amazing!

It got me thinking - especially about the Marvel No-Prize: In what issue, exactly, is Gary’s letter to Marvel Comics published? The post date on the No-Prize envelope is dated February 12th, 1968 and by doing a little ‘comic-dating’ math I’ve come up with a region of months where I think it might have been published. Now, I don’t know how long it took Marvel to mail out a No-Prize letter and exactly how soon they would have done it - I’m guessing it went out about the same time the letters page for the issue was typed up so that whomever was in charge had it fresh in mind...I don’t know. My guess works like this: Let’s say the letter might have been published in the May or June 1968 issue (which, as comics are published, would most likely carry the cover date of 2 to 3 months earlier (February or March 1968)). I suppose it could have also been in the February or March 1968 issue (cover date November or December 1967). So, to be safe, I’ve included all Marvel comics issues cover dated from October 1967 through June 1968. I’m hoping that makes sense and if I’ve missed something in my logic, let me know.

Here are the issues I own that I’ve checked for a Gary Dahlberg letter:

Amazing Spider-Man #53 (10/67) - 61 (6/68)
Daredevil #33 (10/67) - 41 (6/68)
Doctor Strange #169 (6/68)
Fantastic Four #67 (10/67) - 75 (6/68)
Incredible Hulk #101 (3/68) - 104 (6/68)
Iron Man #1 (5/68) - 2 (6/68) (from Omnibus reprint)
Iron Man and the Submariner #1 (4/68) (from Omnibus reprint)
Strange Tales #161 (10/67) - 168 (5/68)
Tales to Astonish #97 (11/67), 99 (1/68)
Tales of Suspense #94 (10/67) - 99 (3/68) (from Omnibus reprint)

Does anyone have any of the following issues that they could kindly check the letters page for Gary Dahlberg’s name?:

Avengers #45 (10/67), 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 (6/68)
Captain America #100 (4/68), 101, 102 (6/68)
Captain Marvel #1 (5/68), 2 (6/68)
Captain Savage #1 (1/68), 2, 3 (5/68)
Kid Colt Outlaw #137 (11/67), 138 (1/68), 139 (3/68)
Marvel Super Heroes #12 (12/67), 13, 14, 15 (6/68)
Sgt. Fury #47 (10/67), 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 (6/68)
Submariner #1 (5/68), 2 (6/68)
Tales to Astonish #96 (10/67), 98 (12/67), 100 (2/68)
Thor #145 (10/67), 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153 (6/68)
Two Gun Kid #90 (11/67), 91, 92 (3/68)
X-Men #37 (10/67), 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 (6/68)


I believe these issues I’ve listed in both categories are the only Marvel issues published during this time period. Perhaps, someone can let me know if I’m wrong and what needs to be added. It’s possible to check the Omnibus versions of some of these issues as there are reprints of the letters pages included (unlike the Masterworks series). Also, I think the new Essentials have letter page reprints, too.

So far it’s been an exciting search as I’ve uncovered three letters written by Gary Dahlberg. However, I don’t believe any of these are what he received his No-Prize for. One of them falls in the territory of time I’ve given, but doesn’t seem to fill the criteria for what was being given out for No-Prizes at the time in 1968. His letter commenting on the Not Brand Echh #9 (Aug 1967, published in May or June 1967) is published two months later in #11 (December 1967, published in Sept or Oct 1967). I just don’t think Marvel would have mailed the No Prize in February, 1968. I don’t know for sure, but that seems like a long time to wait for the No-Prize (almost 5-6 months). Also, the actual No-Prize has the following words written on it: “Very Powerful Words Indeed, Gary!” After reading the letter in Not Brand Echh #11, I just don’t think he was awarded a No-Prize for his comments here. Well spoken...but, not profound. Maybe, whoever wrote the words on the No-Prize was being sarcastic. Not sure. In several places online it states -

“The "No-Prize" is what the fans would "win" when they would find an continuity error inside a Marvel Comic, but made up an explanation so that it could be considered as if it was no real error at all. The fans could write a letter with the explanation to Stan Lee whom would publish it in his letter-column. If it was deemed worthy by Stan Lee, the fan got a No-Prize mailed to their home address, which was an empty envelope.”

This letter is only commenting on the contents of Not Brand Echh #9 and gives Gary’s impression of each storyline. Not really No-Prize worthy. The other issues that I could find with letters from Gary are published quite a bit later: Marvel Super Heroes #18 (1/69) and Nick Fury #11 (4/69).

So, now I’m in search of that elusive letter that enabled Gary to claim his No-Prize and enter the hallowed halls of Marvel fandom forever. It’s thrilling to imagine the world of comics in the 1960’s and the surge of joy Gary felt when he found out that he won an empty envelope from Stan the Man. Any help anyone can offer would be much appreciated.



Thanks so much, Michael
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