EC Fanatic Appreciation Weird Thread of Terror

[AJD]

And a couple of 'Planet Comics'

 

 

[29dukedog]

Two of my favorite Evans covers:

 

 

[dgarthwaite-migration]

Impact #1 (White Logo. 1st Printing)

 

DG

 

Interesting. Neither GPA nor the CGC census seems to distinguish between the two printings.

 

There were no Gaines file copies for this version. EC used Charlton to print it and Bill Gaines was so displeased with the printing quality that he had them all recalled and destroyed. Some still made it to the market evidently as evidenced by the fact I own one. I discovered two printing existed when I saw an eBay seller hyping it. I went back to my collection and discovered I owned the more rare of the two printings.

 

DG

[dgarthwaite-migration]

I will add that I bought this thinking it was a waste of money.

 

 

The cover is code approved Valor #2

The interior is a pre-code Lawbreakers (Charlton) issue.

 

When I bought it, I figured it might be an EC cover married to some Charlton interiors, but the logic of doing that didn't really make sense to me.

 

This was a time period when the code rules were changing and the cost to produce books was increasing. Publishers were folding and Charlton was buying them. Charlton was also doing the finishing touches to produce the comics in-house entirely. I believe they bought a company to do the engraving of the plates and shifted it into the Derby facility. They used their own off site binding of the comics if I understand the history of their timeline. It seems as though Simon & Kirby's company Mainline had started using EC's binder towards the end of their publishing. Charlton took over and published Mainline's Bullseye series starting in 1955. The Lawbreakers series was published between 1951-1952. Lawbreakers Suspense Stories was published in 1953. From the publisher info inside on the last page of the comic, the guts of this book appear to be from Oct. 1951.

 

The page quality inside is extremely nice. The cover is miscut and jagged, but otherwise nice quality.

 

I can't help but wonder if it's a struggling publisher or binder trying to pass off a precode interior under a post-code cover.

 

I figured I'd share the scan in case there are any more knowledgeable historians out there.

 

DG

[Duffman_Comics]

This thread really gets my collecting nostalgia juices flowing.

 

Indulge me here with the set-up.

 

By 1972/3 I was aware of EC's, but the fact that none were distributed here at publication, naturally made them rare and unobtainable. Up until this point, I was pretty much a Marvel zombie, buying a lot of books from the usual dealer suspects,

 

A Robert Bell catalogue arrived and along with the (mostly) Marvel and DC offerings, he had a couple of EC's. No pictures, no condition stated, just "Vault of Horror" #29 and #30.

 

I just wanted a couple of representative samples. I wanted to see what the fuss was about, so I ordered them. How much? $10 each, plus postage.

 

Remember, collecting back then was a lot about faith - no internet, no reference books, no Conventions (here, anyway) - nothing. I had no idea what they'd look like so it was a "shot in the dark".

 

 

Still got them and here they are:

 

 

 

 

What pleased me about them was their condition, the fact that I got "old head to new head" pics of the Old Witch and the Crypt-Keeper. I loved that the 30 was a grisly cover with a little joke thrown in.

 

Interestingly, on the bags that these were shipped, they had been marked down from $15 to $10

 

I have a few others now, but these will remain my favourites.

 

Not too much later, I got the "Horror Comics of the 50's" hardcover by Gaines and Bhob Stewart, followed shortly by the East Coast reprints and then the Cochrane box sets.

 

The acquisition of the latter pretty much killed any real desire to chase the originals.

[AJD]

 

I just wanted a couple of representative samples. I wanted to see what the fuss was about, so I ordered them. How much? $10 each, plus postage.

 

The acquisition of the latter pretty much killed any real desire to chase the originals.

 

Cool - send them to me and I'll pay $11 each + postage.

 

But seriously folks, they are great books Peter.

[Duffman_Comics]

 

I just wanted a couple of representative samples. I wanted to see what the fuss was about, so I ordered them. How much? $10 each, plus postage.

 

The acquisition of the latter pretty much killed any real desire to chase the originals.

 

Cool - send them to me and I'll pay $11 each + postage.

 

But seriously folks, they are great books Peter.

 

They are great, not for the intrinsic value, but rather where my collecting "head" was at, at the time I got them.

 

Oh, and Andrew, if you were using parity to price them you are overpaying.

 

Way back then $US1 cost me $AU0.67 - so the comics were really around $7.00 each.

 

Now that $11 offer of yours is looking mighty tempting

[Larryw7]

This thread really gets my collecting nostalgia juices flowing.

 

Indulge me here with the set-up.

 

By 1972/3 I was aware of EC's, but the fact that none were distributed here at publication, naturally made them rare and unobtainable. Up until this point, I was pretty much a Marvel zombie, buying a lot of books from the usual dealer suspects,

 

A Robert Bell catalogue arrived and along with the (mostly) Marvel and DC offerings, he had a couple of EC's. No pictures, no condition stated, just "Vault of Horror" #29 and #30.

 

I just wanted a couple of representative samples. I wanted to see what the fuss was about, so I ordered them. How much? $10 each, plus postage.

 

Remember, collecting back then was a lot about faith - no internet, no reference books, no Conventions (here, anyway) - nothing. I had no idea what they'd look like so it was a "shot in the dark".

 

 

Still got them and here they are:

 

 

 

 

What pleased me about them was their condition, the fact that I got "old head to new head" pics of the Old Witch and the Crypt-Keeper. I loved that the 30 was a grisly cover with a little joke thrown in.

 

Interestingly, on the bags that these were shipped, they had been marked down from $15 to $10

 

I have a few others now, but these will remain my favourites.

 

Not too much later, I got the "Horror Comics of the 50's" hardcover by Gaines and Bhob Stewart, followed shortly by the East Coast reprints and then the Cochrane box sets.

 

The acquisition of the latter pretty much killed any real desire to chase the originals.

 

Great post and books!

[MrBedrock]

 

I just wanted a couple of representative samples. I wanted to see what the fuss was about, so I ordered them. How much? $10 each, plus postage.

 

The acquisition of the latter pretty much killed any real desire to chase the originals.

 

Cool - send them to me and I'll pay $11 each + postage.

 

But seriously folks, they are great books Peter.

 

They are great, not for the intrinsic value, but rather where my collecting "head" was at, at the time I got them.

 

Oh, and Andrew, if you were using parity to price them you are overpaying.

 

Way back then $US1 cost me $AU0.67 - so the comics were really around $7.00 each.

 

Now that $11 offer of yours is looking mighty tempting

$7.00 in 1972 was a ton for a back issue comic. We take for granted how much easier it was to find old comics here in the US. But in hindsight it was a great way to spend that money. Cool comics and a great story. (thumbs u

[Marty Mann]

This is really an interesting book.

 

mm

[29dukedog]

This is really an interesting book.

 

mm

 

Indeed, it is. The only non-fiction issue, too.

 

[montrealfilmguy]

Everybody ?

 

 

 

I just noticed the big Johnny Craig sig on the covers and how cool is that ?

 

 

Wouldve been nice if Kirby wouldve had that too.

 

Well,everyone who ever did covers right ?

[podboy66]

I actually don't have any EC's but I got this in trade for a Marvel Mystery 3. 8 pages of original art, Vault of Horror 21 - One Last Fling! Art by Johnny Craig. It was too cool to pass up!

 

[AJD]

I actually don't have any EC's but I got this in trade for a Marvel Mystery 3. 8 pages of original art, Vault of Horror 21 - One Last Fling! Art by Johnny Craig. It was too cool to pass up!

 

 

Good Lord! Choke!

[mrmyst]

I actually don't have any EC's but I got this in trade for a Marvel Mystery 3. 8 pages of original art, Vault of Horror 21 - One Last Fling! Art by Johnny Craig. It was too cool to pass up!

 

 

Wow. Let me know via PM if you want to sell...sorry if that's inappropriate but I cannot help myself....

[ARWilson-migration]

Impact #1 (White Logo. 1st Printing)

 

I'm in the club too!

 

[Ameri]

Nice books guys

 

 

 

[dgarthwaite-migration]

Although it pre-dates the horror stuff, this is one of my favorite EC collectibles...

 

Print: A Quarterly Journal of the Graphic Arts Vol. 3 #2 (EC related, Article with comic content inside)

 

This magazine has an EC comic bound into the middle.

 

http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/Home/4/1/73/1012?articleID=52083

 

DG

[Foxtrot70]

Although it pre-dates the horror stuff, this is one of my favorite EC collectibles...

 

Print: A Quarterly Journal of the Graphic Arts Vol. 3 #2 (EC related, Article with comic content inside)

 

This magazine has an EC comic bound into the middle.

 

http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/Home/4/1/73/1012?articleID=52083

 

DG

 

Great info DG! I had never heard of this mag. You and everyone else are making this a cool Thread! Orig art, Gaines copies, rare Annuals, unusual collectibles, trivia...

[Moondog]

Love the ToT 1. What books are in the interior?