fifties

So the reader copy I bought off eBay a few years back for $17.50 (detached cover, but O/W all there) was a good investment, ya think?

One thing I've noticed about particular pre-code titles; some, such as what Fawcett produced (before they shut down due to the lawsuit by National (DC) comics in 1953), only contained three stories, while Atlas books generally had 5 (and early post-code, sometimes 6). And of the Atlas titles, I never could figure out why Journey Into Mystery would always go for the bigger bucks, regardless of grade. Of course, Menace, with their scarier covers, was also a bigger money title as well. I think that some producers, such as Standard, used a cheaper quality of paper, at least for their covers, and the same might be said of Atlas, given that better grade books are so rare, relative to numerous other publishers titles.

"Back then", bagging and boarding were unheard of. Inflation; I remember back about 1957 or so, going to a small used book stand and asking if he had any horror comics. He got out a small box, and sold me two or three PCH's, at I believe it was 50 cents each. When I got back into collecting PCH in 1973, there were a few used bookstores on Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood that I would drop into, since I was working in that area at the time. I would go to a rear counter at the largest one, and ask to see their "old comic books". The clerk would bring out a cardboard box, with maybe two-three dozen comics in it, mostly Atlas's, along with a few other publishers, at two dollars each. It was here that I got a Fair copy of Mister Mystery 12 (the flame toward the eye cover), and a near-mint copy of Black Cat Mystery 33 (electrocution cover), among others. If only I had had the coin to buy all of them! About 1982 or so, can't remember the exact year, I bought from a Recycler seller who was a comic book dealer, several books, and although I can't remember the others, one was Horrific 3 (bullet hole in the head cover) for the princely sum of 4 dollars. No bags, no boards, no excessive cost, no speculative purchasing; just a collector buying for the reading enjoyment. How times have changed, eh eh.

So back about 1960, there was a song by The Clovers entitled, "Lovey", and one of the verses went, "did you ever see a sweater looking better"...

Granted there would have been a screaming girl in the background or those 3 vignettes on the left but I only had the splash to work with. My main point was the subject matter being a werewolf rather than a closet full of spooky clothes. Sadly, that "closet full of spooky clothes" was the beginning of tamed down covers for the series, and every JIUW following displayed actually even less "spookyness" on the cover. Prolly feeling the vibes from the approaching CCA censorship. I think horror comics in general hit their height in gory covers about August of 1954, and then it was all downhill after that. JIUW just began a little early. Look at the difference in the cover subject material up to issue #28, and then with #30 on; http://www.comics.org/series/816/covers/

Not on an Atlas book. The single face genre seemed to be the province of Standard's Horrific series, by and large. That said, yes, it would have otherwise made a great horror cover.

Very nice! I can't help but wonder if that werewolf splash was on the cover, how much more desirable this book would be. Notice any resemblance to another cover? That's prolly why.

Ghost Comics 6

No 9 point something slobs, err, slabs here; I buy 'em for the purpose in which they were intended...To read. Do you think that CGC will ban me from the board for such blasphemy?

The only Phantom Lady issue showing a blonde on the cover.

I'll tell you how...Those types of covers used to scare the daylights out of me when I saw them at the newstand, in the early '50's. But there was also the allure to open one up and look at the forbidden contents...

I've always thought of JIUW as being the flagship of Atlas Comics, or at least of their Sci-Fi and later horror group. Although not recent purchases, I have a nice little collection of their pre and some post code output. These two were somewhat harder to find than most. Notice that the Science Fiction logo in the upper left corner of #6 was later replaced by the skull 'n crossbones, as shown on #13.

.... I totally understand why it's slabbed.... but this one looks like it's chock full of fantastic art..... Don Perlin was especially polished during this phase of his career. GOD BLESS... -jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u I'm glad that you totally understand; now please 'splain it to me. After all, if it's slobbed, err, slabbed, it can't be read now, can it? The first story is by Stan Lee. Here's the splash for the rat story;

From Mysterious Adventures 23, December 1954, a cool Jay Dishbrow splash.

This is the BC house ad of "This Magazine is Haunted", #8. I have the full 8 issue run of "Beware Terror Tales", and this image adorns none of their front covers. If I recall however, it is a splash for one of Fawcett's horror comic stories.

From Haunted Thrills #3; notice the phantom titles of Strange, Dark Shadows, Suspooks, Bewitched, and Dark Journey. From Haunted Thrills #17; I'm not sure of the first three titles, but I don't believe that there ever was a "Police Thrills". Perhaps they were thinking of changing "Haunted" to "Police", to conform to the coming CCA censorship. That illustration is very similar to their cover of Fantastic Fears #10.

Too bad that it's sealed; pretty cool story inside based on the cover illustration...

GACollectibles, hope you don't mind an old-time collector and forum newbie asking, but aside from maybe having an "investment grade" book, valued at perhaps 10x the slabbing cost and being held strictly as an asset, what's the point in slabbing? I recognize that some books' most valuable aspect are their covers, and that could be another reason, but at least from my perspective, comics were meant to be read, which is the primary reason I myself collect. Can't do that if it's been sealed.

Knowing Brian's purile sense of humour, not sure if he's applauding the longevity of your collecting or simply that you wrote 69 In either case - good work fella I'm guessing that he's clapping because he's not the oldest on the board, ! Thx for the applause!

I started reading comic books around 1952 or so. I'm 69.

Always happy to help enlighten fellow EC addicts, eh eh! So long before this here internet stuff, there was a publication entitled, "The Monster Times", and the particular one referred to below was the May, 1972 issue, dedicated to our favorite publisher; Here's a scan of that issues centerfold; And here's their assessment of the market rates at the time;