29dukedog Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 The thread on Halloween covers made me realize that Baker never drew a holiday cover of any kind -- unless I'm forgetting one. No covers for Halloween, Christmas, or even ... St. Valentine's Day. Kind of odd and different from, say, Archie where holiday covers abound. Maybe the erratic production cycles at St John made it difficult to commit to a specific cover appearing in a particular month. They might have ended up having to run a Christmas cover on a June issue. I've always assumed this cover to represent a Mardi Gras celebration. Not really a holiday in the same category as those you mentioned, but close...) Sure, it may just be a costume party, but I believe the sailor is the critical clue. Plus, the party is obviously going on outside, in the streets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 On the subject of nice copies of Teen-Age Romances 31 for bargain prices... This copy came from Metropolis, about ten years ago, and only cost $26., if you can believe it. That was before Metro caught wind of the fact that Baker romance was selling for many multiples of guide. (Also, the copy does have a bc tear, about 1 1/2".) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inaflash Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Beautiful copy. Very nice colors. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 The thread on Halloween covers made me realize that Baker never drew a holiday cover of any kind -- unless I'm forgetting one. No covers for Halloween, Christmas, or even ... St. Valentine's Day. Kind of odd and different from, say, Archie where holiday covers abound. Maybe the erratic production cycles at St John made it difficult to commit to a specific cover appearing in a particular month. They might have ended up having to run a Christmas cover on a June issue. I've always assumed this cover to represent a Mardi Gras celebration. Not really a holiday in the same category as those you mentioned, but close...) Sure, it may just be a costume party, but I believe the sailor is the critical clue. Plus, the party is obviously going on outside, in the streets. You are right. It's pretty obviously Mardi Gras. That counts as a holiday, I think, because it's an event that occurs at a particular time. Note, though, that the issue has a cover date of December! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VintageComics Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Mardi Gras is in February, which is 2 months after December. That book would likely have hit the newsstands in October (I think). Possibly a New Years Eve celebration depicted? Why not check the story inside? I would but I don't have a copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonwad Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Mardi Gras is in February, which is 2 months after December. That book would likely have hit the newsstands in October (I think). Possibly a New Years Eve celebration depicted? Why not check the story inside? I would but I don't have a copy. None of the stories have anything to do with the cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Mardi Gras is in February, which is 2 months after December. That book would likely have hit the newsstands in October (I think). Possibly a New Years Eve celebration depicted? Why not check the story inside? I would but I don't have a copy. Mardi Gras moves around from year to year, depending on when Easter falls. So it's not always in February. (I'm being pedantic!) But it's never as late as October (maybe early March at the latest?). I'm trying to remember, but I don't think the cover connects to any of the stories. The way people are dressed makes it seem more like Mardi Gras than New Year's. Most readers were probably in the northern U.S. (as, of course, Baker was) and wouldn't associate being outside without coats and hats with New Year's. By 1954, I think St. John was just cobbling together whatever content he could from material at hand. GCD doesn't mention it, but I think this issue may have reprinted an earlier issue -- maybe one of the Ziff-Davis issues? -- with a new Baker cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Mardi Gras is in February, which is 2 months after December. That book would likely have hit the newsstands in October (I think). Possibly a New Years Eve celebration depicted? Why not check the story inside? I would but I don't have a copy. Mardi Gras moves around from year to year, depending on when Easter falls. So it's not always in February. (I'm being pedantic!) But it's never as late as October (maybe early March at the latest?). I'm trying to remember, but I don't think the cover connects to any of the stories. The way people are dressed makes it seem more like Mardi Gras than New Year's. Most readers were probably in the northern U.S. (as, of course, Baker was) and wouldn't associate being outside without coats and hats with New Year's. By 1954, I think St. John was just cobbling together whatever content he could from material at hand. GCD doesn't mention it, but I think this issue may have reprinted an earlier issue -- maybe one of the Ziff-Davis issues? -- with a new Baker cover. That's correct. CL 25 reprints (mostly) Ziff-Davis' CL 6. What's interesting to note is that CL 26, which reprints Z-D's CL 11, contains a story called "Mardi Gras Sweetheart". This at least presents the possibility that Baker drew the CL 25 cover with the original intent that it would be used on the CL 11 reprint, but for some reason the cover didn't get used on the book with the Mardi Gras story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tri-Color Brian Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 The TAR 31 went for a good price as well. The person with the private fb was pretty active in these auctions. There's a really beat up one on eBay right now with a BIN of $80+. I have to say I'm very happy with my VG/F you sold me for $75. When's your next liquidation sale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 The TAR 31 went for a good price as well. The person with the private fb was pretty active in these auctions. There's a really beat up one on eBay right now with a BIN of $80+. I have to say I'm very happy with my VG/F you sold me for $75. When's your next liquidation sale? Well, I have been doing some upgrading, so I do have a few more undercopies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tri-Color Brian Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 (edited) You know how to contact me... Edited October 4, 2014 by tricolorbrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Mentallo Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 You know how to contact me... Morse code? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 ig-Pay atin-Lay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Mentallo Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Fino-Ugrik? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Babel Fish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Two plastic cups and a very long piece of string? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Mentallo Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Two plastic cups and a very long piece of string? That one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Nope. Parseltongue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Was happy to pick this up. Tough book, I think. No copies on the census and my other copy is a real beater (forget I said that if I end up trying to sell it on the boards!). Stumbled into it because the seller had mistakenly listed it as Spider-Man 20! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tri-Color Brian Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 ig-Pay atin-Lay? Uh...no...just PM... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
