Post Your Anti-Communist Comics! 8 8

[Harvey Dude]

Great T-MAN. Has anyone ever seen VF or better copies of this title? I have several T-MANs on my want list but I never could find crease-free examples.

[AtlasT]

That tale of pinko robot intrigue comes from Suspense 6, which boasts yet another Everett gem!

[adamstrange]

Great T-MAN. Has anyone ever seen VF or better copies of this title? I have several T-MANs on my want list but I never could find crease-free examples.

 

Anti-Nazi rather than anti-Commie.

 

[adamstrange]

That tale of pinko robot intrigue comes from Suspense 6, which boasts yet another Everett gem!

 

The cool thing about Atlas is you gotta look inside as there's countless little gems sprinkled throughout their titles.

 

AT- that's just too awesome!

[esquirecomics]

PYSCH!!!! I won the one grail lot I was really going for in the Heritage Signature Auction. One of only 5 known copies to exist of the B/W version of Blood is the Harvest.

 

 

Strangely enough, the price of $1,092.50 was a steal. This book was previously auctioned, I believe in the last Heritage signature auction, and I was the underbidder at around $2,500. Either it did not meet reserve or the buyer backed out and it was offered for sale again. Go figure.

[Bonds25]

PYSCH!!!! I won the one grail lot I was really going for in the Heritage Signature Auction. One of only 5 known copies to exist of the B/W version of Blood is the Harvest.

 

Congratulations - nice pickup!!!

[esquirecomics]

Does anyone know who owns any of the other B/W copies?

[esquirecomics]

It has arrived!!!!

 

 

One of only 5 known B/W copies to exist.

[Harvey Dude]

It has arrived!!!!

 

One of only 5 known B/W copies to exist.

 

Congrats. That book certainly does not surface too often.

[esquirecomics]

A recent pick-up (and from a fellow forumite!) of a scarce copy of Atom-Age Combat #4:

 

[esquirecomics]

You are seeing a comic book that many thought did not exist. This is the cover of IF AN A-BOMB FALLS. This COLD WAR CIVIL DEFENSE COMIC BOOK was produced in 1951, at the height of ATOMIC PARANOIA.

 

Here is a book that I recently picked up that falls in the same vein as your purchase. I do not believe this 5x7 giveaway comic is listed in the Overstreet Price Guide. This book came from the personal files of Malcolm Ater, publisher for Commercial Comics.

 

 

The seller writes the following:

 

THE H-BOMB AND YOU"

 

This VERY SCARCE 20-page book, including a 4-page slick cover that shows the very first government tested EXPLOSION of the H-BOMB (the first time it was ever shown to the public) was originally designed as a promotional giveaway of survival and preparedness tips in case of an H-Bomb attack. All it did was cause ENDLESS NIGHTMARES for the children who read it! One of the most FRIGHTENING and TRUE stories of "WHAT IS TO COME" and it was produced for the U.S. GOVERNMENT under advisement of Federal and Civil Defense advisors, and the American Red Cross! Published by COMMERCIAL COMICS. Written by MALCOLM ATER. Art by JACK SPARLING.

 

This is NOT a story you would have wanted your kids to read back in 1955! IT'S SCARY! The story opens with a teacher showing her class a movie about the H-Bomb, and her students naturally think the bomb will WIPE OUT ENTIRE CITIES and that everyone will be KILLED! So she explains that they always must be prepared for survival and relates how in the past "No matter how powerful a weapon seemed at first, ways were always found to offset its effects and survive..." And she goes on to explain that "The best defense against the H-Bomb is a well-trained CIVIL DEFENSE."

 

A few days later a Civil Defense guy comes by to talk to the students. He tells them of OPERATION SKYWATCH, the goal of which is to have 24,000 observation posts around the country where any enemy aircraft can be seen or heard, telling them no city or town in the United States is out of reach of enemy bombers. (You want your kids to hear this?) He goes on to say how unprepared we were for PEARL HARBOR, and that if WW III came, enemy planes and missles would get through to AMERICAN TARGETS with LOSS OF LIFE and PROPERTY DAMAGE sure to be high! (Again, I don't know if I'd want this dude telling my children all this stuff!) He goes on to say that, "We Americans must get used to the threat of WAR AS A NEW WAY OF LIFE."

 

Finally the guy tells everyone what they can do to help prepare for Civil Defense; the jobs for boys, the jobs for girls, jobs for mothers and jobs for fathers. Everyone gets involved! He says that every family within a 15-mile target area should have a shelter, preferably an underground concrete shelter in the yard. He further suggests everyone learn how to give first aid, because if there is an attack there wil be HEAVY CASUALTIES! But the good news is that if there is a warning of attack, it is important to KEEP CALM!

 

.

 

As HD knows, I've identified and obtained at least a second copy of this remarkable book.

 

[Harvey Dude]

I keep an eye out for atomic bomb covers and "THE H-BOMB AND YOU" is one of those books that seldom see the light of day,

Good pickup.

[Montezuma]

Harvey Dude

 

I've been a lurker on these boards for a long time, and finally decided to break down and post.

 

The first pictures are of an impact Press copy of Red Iceberg I picked up in North Dakota a few years back. The second set of pictures are a copy I picked up this weekend in Minnesota. The second copy is black and white and about 6x4 inches. The frony cover is the same except for the Impact publications address on the bottom. The back cover has paragraphs added to it.

 

Was this comic reprinted by someone at a later date? or is it a variation from the Guild?

I'm looking for info, and you appear to have the most information on these books.

 

[Harvey Dude]

Welcome Montezuma,

 

It is not surprising that you found the books in the Midwest. Virtually, all of the copies that I have seen

for sale have come from the Midwest (one version was distributed in Florida). Did you buy your

Impact Press variant from eBay? The reason I ask is that I picked up my copy from a North Dakota

dealer two to three year‘s ago and I suspected that he had two or three high grade copies of this book

for sale. My records are in storage so I can‘t pull the name up. Do you remember the dealer‘s

name? Great pickup. I still think there are less than twenty copies in existence of that variant but

only time will tell.

 

Regarding the black and white version, it does not fit the parameters for the 1979 reprint from Sparkle City.

The back cover narrative is different from all other variants that I have ever seen so I doubt it is a reprint.

Since it came from Minnesota, it is possible that it was used to solicit sales but that is only a theory.

Can you tell me if it has the same amount of pages as the color version? Are the interiors the same?

I would love to find out more about the black and white purchase you made. Was the purchase from

a St. Paul book store? A civic organization? Are the staples the same as the color printing?

 

Phil Levine is the biggest holder of Catechetical Guild material. If anyone knows him, I would be interested

to get his take on this black and white issue as I can‘t rule out that it is an original issue.

[Montezuma]

I bought the color copy a few years back from an antiques dealer in Minot ND. He had 2 copies and I traded the 2nd one for other books at that time. The black and white one came from an antique store in Detroit Lakes MN. I found while digging through a pile of paper in one of the booths last week. The interior is the same as the color copy. The only differences I see are

 

1. The address in the lower right on the front cover.

2. The additional verbage on the back cover

3. The Impact Press vs Impact Publications on the back cover.

 

I grew up in Minnesota, and have come across quite a few (relatively speaking) of the guild publications. If the Devil Would Talk, Woman of Promise, First Christmas, etc at garage sales. I recently sold my lower grade copy of the book below on e-bay, and was surprised at what it went for. I think Phil Levine was the under bidder.

[esquirecomics]

I think Phil Levine was the under bidder.

 

If that is so it may be a first. The guy beats me out all the time with sniping.

[Montezuma]

It was Paperpeddler who I think is Phil Levine. Yeh, he's outbid me in the past too. I was surprised at the price a lower condition copy brought. It looks nice, but has a 1x1 piece out of the back cover.

[Harvey Dude]

Hard to beat Phil on those giveaways. Monte, I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota but I left when

I was young. Out of curiosity, have you driven down the street listed on the book. I know

the Catechetical Guild is defunct but I wonder what resides at that address. It is great that

you can still find some gems at those garage sales and antique shops.

[Montezuma]

Summit is the street that runs past the Minnesota State Capital. I was just there last week, but didn't think to look for the Guild address. Something to look for the next time I'm there.

[esquirecomics]

My latest pick-up. Kinda beat (and I accidently caused a tear also when putting it back in its holder! ), but you don't see it often. Related to the Two Faces of Communism promotional books.