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The most lurid pre-code horror cover?

Started by *paull*,

82 posts in this topic

PovertyRow

PovertyRow

Posted
Posted
So many choices - Weird Mysteries & Mister Mystery alone could dominate this thread. I thought this over an wondered should I go with gruesome ( Black Cat 50 or Weird Tales of the Future 8), after all we are talkong about horror - but decided on a cover that is technically not a horror book, and requires a close look, but is truely one of the all-time dementedly lurid pre-code covers.

 

688843-lss11.jpg

 

893applaud-thumb.gif893applaud-thumb.gif893applaud-thumb.gif

 

That Lawbreaker's Suspense is legendary! Definitley on my want list.

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

Posted
Posted

That's a tight looking copy , Pov. Nice going!

 

Thanks. It IS a very tight book.

 

As far as your Crime Suspense 24 goes.....

 

css24.jpg

 

That is a doozy and a half all right! Like the Lawbreaker's Suspense tongue cover shown here, some of the crime books had as good a horror cover as the, well, horror books! grin.gif

 

PS - do you ever get the urge to break it out of the slab and just read such a specimen?

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

Posted
Posted
A personal favorite due to it being bizarre as well as lurid. You've got the skull with the dagger impaling it, as well as the ant with the human head emerging from it. God knows what the cover signifies, but it's grotesque on a psychological as well as visceral level.

 

14081010070o.jpg

 

My god I have wanted that book ever sionce I saw it in Gerber! Weird Mysteries only ran 1-12. I wonder....how hard would it be to get the full run? This may be something for me to look out for at Wondercon.

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shrunkenhead

shrunkenhead

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Posted

POV, truth be told, yeah, I have been tempted to uncork that CSS, but I don't think it's gonna happen. Highest graded copy on the census....makes me too afraid too touch it with my mortal fingers! At least I've got the hardcover reprints, though, whenever I get the urge to "break the glass."

 

PS I got a pretty fair price on that book, I think because it didn't come with the Gaines certificate. I got it off comiclink, so I never got the full story as to why the certificate was missing. I've noticed though on Heritage a lot of the books don't come with the certificates...I guess many of them have gotten lost? Can't imagine that, but anybody else know what's up with so many missing certificates?

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Mephisto

Mephisto

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Posted
foreheadslap.gif Looks like I found a scan for a Black Cat 50, seeing as there's a thread about it just below......................

 

b9_1_b.JPG

 

Hehe I knew there was I was just to lazy to copy and save the pic from ebay and then dig it out of the hard drive to post it up. Plus the pick on there was pretty small sorry.gif

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precodekeith

precodekeith

Posted
Posted
So many choices - Weird Mysteries & Mister Mystery alone could dominate this thread. I thought this over an wondered should I go with gruesome ( Black Cat 50 or Weird Tales of the Future 8), after all we are talkong about horror - but decided on a cover that is technically not a horror book, and requires a close look, but is truely one of the all-time dementedly lurid pre-code covers.

 

688843-lss11.jpg

 

One thing I always wondered about this cover, is what is up with the little dudes in the lower right hand corner??!! confused-smiley-013.gif

 

One looks like Prince Valiant or something and the other guys look like Fate from The Hand of Fate. Are they supposed to be knick knacks or what? They just look "off" to me for some reason, almost as if they were little live fellows just observing a crime..... 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

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Mephisto

Mephisto

Posted
Posted
So many choices - Weird Mysteries & Mister Mystery alone could dominate this thread. I thought this over an wondered should I go with gruesome ( Black Cat 50 or Weird Tales of the Future 8), after all we are talkong about horror - but decided on a cover that is technically not a horror book, and requires a close look, but is truely one of the all-time dementedly lurid pre-code covers.

 

688843-lss11.jpg

 

One thing I always wondered about this cover, is what is up with the little dudes in the lower right hand corner??!! confused-smiley-013.gif

 

One looks like Prince Valiant or something and the other guys look like Fate from The Hand of Fate. Are they supposed to be knick knacks or what? They just look "off" to me for some reason, almost as if they were little live fellows just observing a crime..... 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

 

I caught that as well and was wondering the exact same thing. It looks like there are 3 guys (two in cloaks and the prince valiant guy).

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Mephisto

Mephisto

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My vote is for Thing #7, the most underated of the grotesque ones. The fingers digging INTO the eyes as blood leaks out, the snakes, the horrible transformation of the woman. Its th emost psychologically disturbing one to me. I'll try to find scan.....

 

893naughty-thumb.gif You better or you'll end up looking like someone in one of those crime SUSPENSE books because that's what you are doing to me by telling me all about with no and not providing an image.

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october

october

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I have to say that cover really sticks out in my mind as being the creepiest I have ever seen. It doesn't get much weirder than a vampire chicken lady with snakes growing out of her clawing a man's eyes out.

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