Cool GA Crime

[rjpb]

What number Real Clue is that? I like the cover.

 

Vol. 7 # 1 - March 1952 (of course) - No corresponding story inside by the way.

 

I used to own a copy of that issue. I remember being disappointed that there was no cover story. The stories are pretty dull IIRC. Nice cover though, should have kept mine.

[Scrooge]

What number Real Clue is that? I like the cover.

 

Vol. 7 # 1 - March 1952 (of course) - No corresponding story inside by the way.

 

I used to own a copy of that issue. I remember being disappointed that there was no cover story. The stories are pretty dull IIRC. Nice cover though, should have kept mine.

 

I agree nowhere as gritty as the Wanted but I tend to like Hillman's output overall because of the consistency in quality both editorially and artistically brought to their publications. That book is on my reading pile for tomorrow.

 

Tonight I read that Wanted and the story indeed aren't your usual Crime fare.

 

Story 1 - after AS's comment, I am wondering if this might be Big John's work. I tried to pick a couple of pages that might betray him.

 

Plot - We take a long look at the life of a Kansas City crime boss posing as a prominent businessman while taking protection money from local businesses. The story starts with the guy being too poor to afford dates and turning to crime as a result -

 

 

then through associations and attrition he climbs to become the local kingpin. The attrition is due to the Mafia taking over the territory the hard way: eliminating local bosses 4 bullets at a time and putting our protagonist in charge -

 

Look at the last panel for typical Buscema ? Oh and that mug must've hurt. Count the four BAM in the panel - The Mafia's signature kill!

 

 

Eventually, a new governor is elected, supposedly a puppet for the main guy but he starts investigations into crime and the Mafia's reprisal is to kill the local boss with 4 bullets. The real main character of the story is actually the Mafia rather than its eventual victim.

[Scrooge]

The second story was the one I mentioned that attracted my eyes when browsing the book.

 

 

Plot - We are looking at the Blood Brothers, country bumpkins with a mean streak who decide to pass themselves as hitch-hikers and then proceed to kill the unhappy volunteer for money. After a while though as the press recounts their exploits, no one is willing to take on any hitch-hikers and business is thin until they are picked up by a couple of out-of-staters, an uncle and niece combo and here's their fate -

 

 

Again, violence is evident in these pages.

 

One brother decides to marry by force the niece as she won't be able to testify against her husband. However, he decided to do that without warning his brother who understands right away that he's not protected and in anger turns against his brother. The niece takes advantage of that scuffle to escape, gets the cops and both end up dead, one killed by the angry brother, the other by the cops.

[Scrooge]

The third and final story is about a gang of three that lures girls into cars, steals their money and "abuses" them. As far as the nature of the abuse, look at this, the second page of the story, and judge yourself -

 

 

Eventually the commissioner has a detective groomed as a girl so (s)he can picked up which happens and the gang is arrested after committing 60 assaults!, 4 of which we see the victims in the comic.

 

All in all there is no mistaking that this was published PRE-CODE!

[rjpb]

Great stuff Scrooge - I think I saw the splash to the third story somewhere referencing it as a "rape" story - which no doubt it is. I love the art on "Blood Brothers" - the same illustrator did the classic "Cult of Killers" in issue #52 - anybody know who it is?

 

I'm going to have to keep an eye out for this issue - is it #44?

[adamstrange]

The second story was the one I mentioned that attracted my eyes when browsing the book.

 

 

Looks like Harry Anderson, who did work for Atlas.

 

Cult of Killers

 

 

Buscema cover, but not interior.

[Scrooge]

I'm going to have to keep an eye out for this issue - is it #44?

 

Actually it's # 46.

 

AS, was it Buscema on that first story?

[rjpb]

I'll have to look for more Harry Anderson work. Beautiful copy of #52 Adamstrange - why am I not surprised you have it.

 

I recommend Wanted #50-#52 to any pre-code crime fan - a nice mini-run for both story and covers, and relatively inexpensive as well.

[ajaxfarrell]

This is definitely an unnecessarily neglected thread so thanks for posting!I like the rope as well -- a very nice example of comic trompe l'oeil. WHA ?? trompe l'oeil ? .......

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Trompe-l'œil :French for "trick the eye" from tromper - to deceive and l'œil - the eye

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is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects really exist.

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Trompe l'oeil by Henry Fuseli (1750)

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[ajaxfarrell]

Hi Scrooge.....you've done a very good job of posting those covers and interiors. I know that is time consuming and I just wanted to say GOOD JOB, I'm sure others appreciate it as well.

[adamstrange]

I'm going to have to keep an eye out for this issue - is it #44?

 

Actually it's # 46.

 

AS, was it Buscema on that first story?

 

I don't think so. I see traces of more than one artist so I'm thinking we are looking at a lesser artist that swiped.

[Scrooge]

AS, was it Buscema on that first story?

 

I don't think so. I see traces of more than one artist so I'm thinking we are looking at a lesser artist that swiped.

 

I'm glad you said that about different hands on that story because I had the same feeling as the art changes from page to page.

[Scrooge]

What number Real Clue is that? I like the cover.

 

Here's one for sale on eBay.

[Weird Paper]

Here's a book that doesn't seem to crop up too often. Only two in the CGC census--this is the 9.0. An unbelievable Disbrow splash page, and the ECish Gun Happy.

[adamstrange]

Nice! That's not a book I recall seeing before.

[Weird Paper]

Nice! That's not a book I recall seeing before.

Gerber only shows pix of 1 and 5. It's published by Timor. Did they do anything else?

The Eclipse book "Teen-aged Dope Slaves and Reform School Girls" (1989) reprints "Gun Happy" and the one-pager, "The Deadly Needle".

"Gun Happy" is very much an EC rip-off, to the point where some panels look like they could be outright swipes of Jack Davis, Wally Wood and Jack Kamen.

The highlight of the book, though, is the incredible Disbrow splash page. I can't scan mine, 'cause I don't want to open the slab, but if anybody has a copy, it's worth showing.

[Scrooge]

Nice! That's not a book I recall seeing before.

Gerber only shows pix of 1 and 5. It's published by Timor. Did they do anything else?

 

They didn't publish much but they at least also had one Teen comics: Algie (ran 3 issues) and they also had a Western book: Blazing Western for 5 issues, one of which TSTQ posted elsewhere -

 

 

Those are the only books I can remember off-hand.

[Bonds25]

Hi Scrooge.....you've done a very good job of posting those covers and interiors. I know that is time consuming and I just wanted to say GOOD JOB, I'm sure others appreciate it as well.

 

Ditto!

[Jeffro.]

Here's a book that doesn't seem to crop up too often. Only two in the CGC census--this is the 9.0. An unbelievable Disbrow splash page, and the ECish Gun Happy.

 

Wow, that's pretty. I have a copy but it ain't anywhere near that good.

[Jeffro.]

 

 

This book is one of my personal grails.