Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Atomic Age, dc comics, It's Game Time

Rarest Issue of the Most Obscure DC Comic "It's Game Time", at Auction

Published Sun, 03 Apr 2022 12:18:11 -0500

1955 was a weird year for the comics business. Much of the industry was in shambles — having to significantly retool their comic book lines or get out of the business entirely — in the wake of the mid-1950s moral panic that led to the formation of the Comics Magazine Association of America and its Comics Code late the prior year. DC Comics publisher Harry Donenfeld was vocal about the Code as DC Comics began bearing the Code seal beginning with March cover-dated comics in 1955, saying "It's as necessary to have a czar of the comic magazine industry as the motion picture industry." While not as hard hit as most publishers, DC Comics tried some new things that year as well, and launched well-remembered titles including My Greatest Adventure and The Brave and the Bold. But that year also saw the debut of what is perhaps the most obscure DC Comics title ever published — It's Game Time. There's a copy of It's Game Time #2 (DC, 1955) Condition: GD/VG, the rarest issue of this obscure series up for auction in this week's 2022 April 3-4 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122214 from Heritage Auctions.

It's Game Time is not exactly a comic book, though it does contain comics. Instead, it's a puzzle or activity book that also contains comics content. It's hard not to wonder if Donenfeld thought this might have been a good move based on the notion that George Hecht, a comics and magazine publisher whose Parent's Magazine helped fan the flames of the moral panic that resulted in the code, also published a children's activity book magazine called Humpty Dumpty's Magazine for Little Children at this time. Whatever the reason, It's Game Time only lasted four issues.

Of these, it would appear that It's Game Time #2 is the rarest of the series. Incredibly, there are zero copies of this issue on the CGC Census. But there's a chance to get a copy of It's Game Time #2 (DC, 1955) Condition: GD/VG, the most rare issue of this obscure series up for auction in this week's 2022 April 3-4 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122214 from Heritage Auctions.

It's Game Time #2 (DC, 1955) Condition: GD/VG. Overstreet lists this book as "scarce," and a Gerber "8" or "rare." This is one of only three copies we've offered. Writing inside and some games filled out. Dodo and the Frog one page story. Overstreet 2021 GD 2.0 value = $73; VG 4.0 value = $146.