OtherEric

Trimble to Trimble:

On 9/4/2024 at 5:13 AM, KirbyJack said:

Did Marie Severin color that cover, or did Wally do it himself? I think it's the best color work I've seen on a comic.

Not sure, but it is beautiful work.

On 9/4/2024 at 11:40 AM, LowGradeBronze said:

The Vee Gees........

Their version of Staying Alive is all about CPR’ing a book…

Mailed Flat

On 9/3/2024 at 7:41 PM, Jayman said:

VFT Matrimonial Murder:

Have had this issue for years but never read it, so when @Stevemmg posted the OA for this page, something clicked with that name that was familiar. Belle Guiness, the widow of death. Possibly the most bloody and violent precode crime story ever from Underworld #3. 

Although the Vampi mag probably paints a more accurate picture than the comic!

So, if anybody wants to see this story, it's available here:

https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=23825

In today.  While I've got a lot of them, I'm missing a disproportionate number of the Gorilla covers in the 23 (22 now) issues I still need for the run:

I've figured that my Arkham House collection has required at least one Stanton & Lee book as an example for a while now, and this one popped up at a reasonable price.

On 9/3/2024 at 10:23 AM, comicginger1789 said:

Detached Centrefold 

They canceled so many gigs their detractors started calling them Missing Centerfold 

Double covers are one of the most common errors you can see in comics, and there are people who collect them.  Thread here:

Dell to Dell

Is it possible people sent in some cheap books so they could see some of the results for themselves, including additional damage to the books caused by slabbing, and then were just trying to recover their money once they had the info they needed?

Not saying that makes a lot of sense, but it's the only scenario that easily comes to mind.

Maguire to Maguire

Vampirella #20 thoughts:

Cover:  All else being equal, I'm not a fan of the picture frame covers on the Warrens.  But I have to admit the yellow really pops on this one, and the axes breaking the frame make this one work very well.

Matrimonial Murder:  Another mostly accurate case history, well told.

Vampirella: When Wakes the Dead:  This wraps up the current storyline pretty well, with excellent art by Gonzales.  It feels less like filler than the other Brennan stories, but he leaves after this issue as well.

Tomb of the Gods: Gender Bender:  Beautiful art by Maroto, but the story crosses the line between "obscure" and "incoherent" and I don't really see the thematic connection to the other Tomb chapters we've seen.

Love is No Game:  A nasty, ugly little story.  Well done as far as it goes, but very much not my cup of tea.

Eye Opener:  A nicely creepy EC style story, Martin Pasko's first story for Warren according to the index. In fact, as near as I can tell it's his first story ever, he does a handful for Warren and has over 1100 credits at the GCD total.  So the debut of a major writer, despite him not getting a credit here.

Vengeance, Brother, Vengeance: An enjoyable little fantasy story, rather than horror.  It's neat that Dominguez got to do the cover for his own story, as well... that happens surprisingly infrequently in the Warrens.

The Headless Hauntress of Shepton Prison:  Much more impressive use of the single cover on this page than the inside front cover.  A cursory check didn't turn up the specific haunting discussed, but Shepton Mallet definitely has a reputation for being haunted... which is understandable, given that it was active as a prison most of the time from 1625 to 2013.  (It apparently briefly closed before the Second World War.)

Overall, a better than average issue... but not that much better than average.  I would have felt my 75c well spent back in the day, at least.

To no Bettie on the cover but 9 pictures inside:

I already have my copy, Jimbo.  But it's a great book, Seabury Quinn's one genuine classic.

Let's continue that theme:

On 8/31/2024 at 12:14 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Stiletto by Harold Robbins Dell First Edition C115   PBO 1st Printing   December 1960   $25

Sweet Robert Abbett back shot cover on Harold Robbins' only paperback original.

I'm surprised he even did one, he made such a fortune on hardback firsts followed by millions of pb printings.

 

It was his first book in five years at that point, so I can think of several possibilities.  First guess would be he just needed a publisher at the point he signed the contract, then had to deliver despite having a couple films based on his work turn up shortly before the book came out.  Or he may have felt he owed the editor a favor.  Or he thought the book was more suited to being a paperback original for some reason.

We'll probably never know, and given that it's, well, Harold Robbins, I really don't care much. But other writers have done PBO's well past the point when they could get a HC contract for anything they wrote... Stephen King being the most obvious current example.

On 8/31/2024 at 1:56 PM, Stevemmg said:

 A new feature and double your fun on Vampi’s Feary Tales. Included the cover and original artwork pages for the VFT’s for you. 

Thank you so much for sharing the original art!