Joe Kubert's Bible

When I purchased Limited Collector's Edition #C-36 off the newsstand in 1975, I was amazed at the beauty of the artwork by Nestor Redondo. I had been appreciating the superlarge tabloid-sized LCE's since they had begun three years earlier and was enjoying them even more as they started showcasing non-reprint stories.

LCE #C-36 featured Stories from the Bible and is a 68-page issue featuring 60 pages of story written by Sheldon Mayer and drawn by Nestor Redondo with Joe Kubert credited as 'graphic designer' (which was taken to mean that Mr. Kubert provided layouts for Mr. Redondo to work from).

Fast forward a couple of decades. Whooooosh.

I was window-shopping on amazon.com last month and saw that Mr. Kubert's Bible had been reprinted as a hardcover at the same original tabloid size. Whoa! In fact this collection had been published back in 2012 and entirely escaped my notice until last month. (By the way, the credits in the hardcover have been revised to read "Art by Joe Kubert and Nestor Redondo.")

This is a wonderful comic book presented beautifully. When I purchased the HC for $20 it was on a temporary markdown and I want to do a little math with you for a minute to talk about what a fabulous deal that was.

Back in 1975 when the LCE was published with cover-price $1, standard comic books sold for 25¢. These days a standard comic book seems to retail for (gulp) $5. This means that comics cost twenty times as much today as they did in 1975. At the same rate of increase, the $1 LCE of 1975 would retail for $20 today. I paid $20 for the reprint, but I got a deluxe hardcover with heavy white pages rather than a softcover with flimsy newsprint paper. Deal!

The temporary markdown I pounced on has ended, but this publication is well worth its list price and you can grab a copy for yourself over here while the supply lasts.

(I never tire of seeing photos of Mr. Kubert at his massive drawing table. How about you?)