Comics, Pulps, and Paperbacks: Why such a discrepancy in values? 26 26

[Surfing Alien]

On 6/3/2024 at 12:43 AM, Darwination said:

I like the cigarette hanging out of the mouth.  Wonder what percentage of the noir covers we post here have a cigarette element.

The cigarette is an essential noir element, as needful as a gun and a girl. Back when only about five people posted on this thread, @OtherEric used to rib me because I'd say the good girl had a "stogie" hanging from her mouth

 

[Surfing Alien]

On 6/4/2024 at 12:46 PM, jimjum12 said:

A recent pick up ... unsure of artist, but I see elements of Ray Johnson in it. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

Classic sleaze title but definitely not Johnson. He painted some not so great figures but he'd have to have been as wasted as Bonfils was when he painted that Vietnam Nookie book posted a while back to have painted this

 

[Surfing Alien]

On 6/4/2024 at 4:10 PM, johnenock said:

my work in progress. All the Shayne mysteries.

You, sir, are a brave man! Are you looking at getting all the covers for each title? - I don't even know if @OtherEric would attempt that

[jimjum12]

On 6/8/2024 at 8:59 AM, Surfing Alien said:

Try as I might, I could just never love Powers. It didn't help after I read the interview (somewhere) where he said (paraphrasing) that, once he stopped painting realistic covers early in his career when publishers started experimenting outside of realistic art, he could just paint anything fast and get paid. I still like quite a few of his covers but there's many that I can't warm to because they're just cold to me. As always YMMV

He's certainly not the old guard pulp stylist, and you're right, he did crank out a few WTF? covers, but many of his sci fi efforts seem to be a good fit. He's one of my favorites for sure, but falls behind Maguire, Mcginnis, Johnson, and sometimes Bonfils. I like Balarski but the subject matter of the books he was employed on always seem to be more pedestrian ... so the images sometimes follow suit. PB covers were a very competitive market, so I'm still encountering new names with very dynamic and appealing efforts. GOD BLESS ... 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Surfing Alien]

On 6/4/2024 at 9:04 PM, Sarg said:

On 6/4/2024 at 7:03 PM, Darwination said:

 

Can a paperback with a hideous cover still be beautiful? The jury is out, but this cheap Orrie Hitt Beacon looks like it came off the shelf yesterday.

Expand  

No, it is simply hideous, with no redeeming quality. I sure hope for his sake that the artist is unknown. Besides the terribly painted face, hair, and hands, the design is also dreadful. Who in their right mind would make the back of a man's bald head so prominent?

I have this book because I like Orrie Hitt, but I keep it buried, behind a closed door, in the back row behind the front facing row of books

 

Edited June 8 by Surfing Alien

[Surfing Alien]

On 6/5/2024 at 7:28 AM, jimjum12 said:

how many titles exist with dust jackets?

Several dozen. In American pbs, mostly Bantam, Pocket, Penguins and a few Cardinals I think. The Canadian Newsstand Library line has a bunch as well, all rare. The British Penguin line has a ton of them, all (I think) with a type-face dj on a type-face cover. No fun at all in that for me so I don't care about them at all.

[Surfing Alien]

On 6/5/2024 at 10:16 AM, Darwination said:

Rafael DeSoto

[Surfing Alien]

On 6/5/2024 at 1:24 PM, waaaghboss said:

My guess is they wanted to up sales with sexy covers but just started making the lurid covers to begin with circumventing the need for the dust jackets.

Basically this. Almost all the pictorial cover dj's are wrapped on later printings, or remainder books, with duller covers released earlier in the 40's before the GGA boom started around 1948. Once that back stock was gone they just went right to the main cover with the goodies.

[Surfing Alien]

On 6/7/2024 at 2:14 PM, OtherEric said:

I know the series is no longer popular

I love this series, some excellent covers. I haven't had any problem selling dupes. I don't think they're as out of favor as you think

[Surfing Alien]

On 6/7/2024 at 5:21 PM, Darwination said:

The Persian Cat - John Flagg (1950.Gold Medal Book 103) cover Willard Downes PBO

A couple of blogs say this is the first Gold Medal, but there are a couple of anthologies before it, so that doesn't seem quite right.  John Flagg is a pseudonym for John Gearon, though Flagg seems better known (likely from the 8 Gold Medals he wrote).

The title page says the book is a screenplay for an upcoming Warner Bros. film, but apparently that did not happen.

Full, shiny lamination on this one, pretty nice copy

You are correct, and they are not. Words have meaning but they get butchered so easily, especially in interwebs, cut-n-paste world . This is the first PBO novel under the GM label. I love this Downes cover, along with his other early Gold Medal covers. I love the ones Pat posted earlier as well but the tall format and the publisher's willingness to let the artists paint big uncluttered pin-up girls really lit up the pb racks. Who could resist?  The excellent original stories kept them coming back for more and all the other publishers had to start soliciting originals.

[Surfing Alien]

Fun catching up on this thread, I've posted very little lately as work has been consuming this week. Still had a little time for some fun.

I acquired this little gem from @Hap Hazard and wanted to mention he's great to deal with

Navy Romances No. 1, Spring 1946, Cover by Warren King

 

This is a tough little pamphlet and goes great with my full set of Army Romances. I just need Navy Romances No. 3 now to complete the entire "Romances" series (there is no known #2)

[Darwination]

Pretty sure these are same publisher as the Uni-books.  Weird little digests - I've only had that second Army Romances, but the production values were not high

 

[jimjum12]

On 6/8/2024 at 11:13 AM, Darwination said:

Pretty sure these are same publisher as the Uni-books.  Weird little digests - I've only had that second Army Romances, but the production values were not high

 

Here's one for you, my friend. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Darwination]

Heh heh, been looking into that one, total fridge magnet.  Definitely gonna find one for my shelves

(not my copies) Originally published here (Belarski):

The original splash (not sure of the artist here) might have inspired Thurston's take on the Monarch edition:

full scan of that ish available here courtesy of Ufikus, my departed homie who was crazy for Startling (and SF in general)

and later (Earle Bergey)

splash by Virgil Finlay (not perfectly original, title font and pagination adjusted to line up when I worked the sketch join)

scan by Miss G available here

Edited June 8 by Darwination

[johnenock]

On 6/7/2024 at 12:14 PM, OtherEric said:

Several books in today.  I know the series is no longer popular, but I figure anything that was so successful for so long deserves a look.  And the Pyramid editions have some great covers.

I've been looking for nice copies of this series for awhile and can never find decent copies. I especially like the Avon edition of Daughter of Fu Manchu!

[johnenock]

On 6/8/2024 at 7:10 AM, Surfing Alien said:

You, sir, are a brave man! Are you looking at getting all the covers for each title? - I don't even know if @OtherEric would attempt that

If I can. Of course, there is a long and ever-growing want list so....

[OtherEric]

On 6/8/2024 at 11:05 AM, johnenock said:

I've been looking for nice copies of this series for awhile and can never find decent copies. I especially like the Avon edition of Daughter of Fu Manchu!

I've got that one, but also looking for the 1st Pyramid edition someday.

[Pat Calhoun]

This GM Fu is a winner.

[Darwination]

On 6/8/2024 at 1:58 PM, Pat Calhoun said:

This GM Fu is a winner.

Green, Yellow, and Blue?!

Love it!

 

 

[OtherEric]

On 6/8/2024 at 6:10 AM, Surfing Alien said:

You, sir, are a brave man! Are you looking at getting all the covers for each title? - I don't even know if @OtherEric would attempt that

The only one I'm trying to go for completion on is the Ace D-S-G books.  One simple, straightforward project.  What's so crazy about that?