Lev Gleason Cover Post

[dgillock]

Latest addition to my collection (from ebay):

 

 

Pretty happy with this book. Despite some spine stressing and some corner dings, it's really pretty clean and has the nicest gloss of any Gleason I've seen from the period. Took a little chance on a minimal description listing and a "non-comic seller", though there was a large FC scan. I came in right above GD Guide. Don't think I could have touched this copy for under $60 at a con. Sometimes things do work out with ebay.

[rjpb]

I'd say you did well. Except for #22,#24 and #33 ( and maybe a couple of others) the ebay value for this title seems to run 25-40% of guide, even in VF. It's a great title with lots of wild art and covers (at least in the early issues) and the above issues aside, it's pretty affordable as well.It must have been as popular as Gleason claims - seems there is always a few dozen issues on ebay at any one time.

[dgillock]

rjpb: I'd generally agree with your assessment, though I have found a bit more competition on some of the middle of the run issues (esp. the block with the Fuje painted covers) when they come up in nicer shape from established sellers.

 

Few more scans:

 

(some of the worst amateur resto you'll ever see, but at least I have a readable copy of the classic He-She story)

 

 

(Really would like to upgrade this one)

 

(Boy #18 has one of my favorite Biro covers of all time. Biro wasn't a great draftsman, but occassionally he could turn out something with a great amount of dynamic flair.)

 

Also, has anyone ever seen any Biro OA up for sale? Considering the quantity of covers he produced, you would think that something would have come to market.

[143ksk]

You know, I hate threads like this one Now I'm starting to think about collecting Gleason titles

[dgillock]

No, don't bother... they suck... smell bad too... they've also been known to eat any other comics they are stored near. If you have any Gleasons, please send them to me so that they can be properly contained (in my collection).

[rjpb]

That Boy #18 cover is great! I never noticed it in the Gerber, just goes to show that bigger images reveal new gems.

 

I hadn't checked out prices on the Fuje painted cover CDNP issues, but as they don't guide any higher than the surrounding issues, it doesn't surprise me that they would have more competition - they stand out among the later issues of the run. While there are a few cool covers in the middle of the run, for me, the early issues with no cover dia. are the best. It seems by the end of the run the covers had more word balloons than the average story page.

[dgillock]

Yeah, Biro was a real proponent of cover dialogue. From my observation, it seemed to start in 1946 on all the LG titles right around the time they shifted to the 68 page format (though the word ballons do should up before this on DDs starting with #25 in 1944, also the first DD cover not to feature Daredevil himself aside from the logo). It must have been a really conscious stylistic decision on Biro's part. By the late 40's, you have almost an entire story summary of the lead story covered in the dialogue on the cover. Makes for a cluttered cover, but I guess it is distinctive. I'd also say that the sheer word count in the interior of a later 40's/early 50's LG is probably higher than just about any other publisher. These books take a while to read (another reason I like them).]

[dgillock]

More pre-word balloon Boys:

 

 

 

 

[rjpb]

I recall reading that Boy #19 cover story on the web a few years back - I can't remeber where it was scanned. Definetly one of the more bizzare GA stories!

[dgillock]

Yeah, to recap the Boy #19 cover-story:

A guy of questionable repute has befriended a wealthy amputee. He decides to kill him (by rolling him in front of a subway train) when he discovers that he is the sole-inhereter in his will. Turns out the amputee was expecting something like this and he left a condition in his will that the scoundrel could only get the money if he had his leg amputated... Unbelievably, the guy finds a doctor to do the operation and he discovers how little joy the money brings him. One of his cronies eventually takes him out and C.B. needs to roll in and clean up the whole mess. Very strange morality tale indeed.

[adamstrange]

Yeah, to recap the Boy #19 cover-story:

A guy of questionable repute has befriended a wealthy amputee. He decides to kill him (by rolling him in front of a subway train) when he discovers that he is the sole-inhereter in his will. Turns out the amputee was expecting something like this and he left a condition in his will that the scoundrel could only get the money if he had his leg amputated... Unbelievably, the guy finds a doctor to do the operation and he discovers how little joy the money brings him. One of his cronies eventually takes him out and C.B. needs to roll in and clean up the whole mess. Very strange morality tale indeed.

 

Yowza!!! That is as bizarre as the cover!!!

[dgillock]

A few more Boys:

 

 

 

 

[The Black Hand ®]

Hey, nice books! How are Boy Comics for reading?

[dgillock]

I like them a lot. The stories tend to be a little more complicated than your typical good-guy smashes bad-guy GA superhero fair. Lots of character development and often interesting ethical/moral dilemas. One of my personal favorites is in issue #47 which is about a boxer who is losing his sight. He's been warned that if he continues fighting, he will most certainly go blind. In hopes of supporting his family and getting out of the boxing game for good, he bets all his savings on one last fight and gets back in the ring (after cheating on his eye-exam with the boxing commission). Crimebuster tries to stop him from making a mistake that might ruin his future.

 

Give one a try. Lower grade readers from issues 30 to 70 turn up all the time on ebay for under $10. The issues after #70 are fun, but the tone of the writing changed a bit to be a little more slap-stick (IMO).

[dgillock]

Changing gears for a moment and jumping ahead by a few years, I wanted to post some of the Crime Does Not Pays with Bob Fuje painted covers. #87 starts a 13 issue run of Chip Gardner PI, a hard-boiled detective charactrer and one of the few "series" characters featured in the title (the other really being the "story-hosts", Officer Common Sense and Mr.Crime):

 

 

(Anyone have a #88 they are looking to unload? )

 

 

 

[rjpb]

How do the Chip Gardner stories read. I'm a big fan of Pete Morisi's Johnny Dynamite as he was pretty hardboiled - even for pre-code crime - stories involving prostitutes, drug rackets, graphic violence, femme fatales, and justice from the barrell of a gun are the norm. More than once Johnny ends up dishing out retribution to a woman he's slept with earlier in the story ( while the sex is not shown - it is distinctly implied). I've wondered if any of the other pre-code P.I. series are as noirish as Johnny Dynamite.

[originalisbest]

One of my favorite GA covers - coveted a copy ever since seeing it in Denis Gifford's 1984 book on comics:

 

[adamstrange]

(Anyone have a #88 they are looking to unload? )

 

No. But this is what the MH copy would look like if it were for sale. Amazingly enough, it's also what it looks like if it wasn't for sale.

 

If my little grey cells are still working this late, the lead stories were written by Walter Gibson, writer of the Shadow. The covers were painted by Bob Fujitani (Fuje).

 

[dgillock]

How do the Chip Gardner stories read. I'm a big fan of Pete Morisi's Johnny Dynamite as he was pretty hardboiled - even for pre-code crime - stories involving prostitutes, drug rackets, graphic violence, femme fatales, and justice from the barrell of a gun are the norm. More than once Johnny ends up dishing out retribution to a woman he's slept with earlier in the story ( while the sex is not shown - it is distinctly implied). I've wondered if any of the other pre-code P.I. series are as noirish as Johnny Dynamite.

 

Not quite as hard-boiled as those... Keep in mind that by this point, LG was operated under the ACMP seal (a pre-CCA self-censorship code which was developed by Gleason himself).

 

Chip was constainly flirting with his secretary Wendy (and any other women who happened by) and there was plenty of shoot-em-up and fisticuffs, but nothing too over the top. Gardner was basically a down-on-his-luck, one collection-call away from the poorhouse PI who was forced to take any job that came his way. Of course anyone who reads crime stories can tell you where this leads him. Not incredibly heavy stuff, but well constructed and enjoyable reads.

[dgillock]

Just picked up a lot of 5 late-run Crime & Punishments on Ebay. Nice to get #71, #72, and #73 out of the way in one lot and also picked up upgrades for my #65 and #70. These late run issues are tough- these are the first copies of #71 and #72 that I've personally ever laid eyes on. Interestingly, #71 is about as brutal as any issue of this title. The first story "The Young Punks" involves a street gang who spends their time beating up citzens and policemen (including bashing one cop in the face with a rock, which is shown in close up). The second is a bizarre little yarn about an old lady who makes friends with the corpses she finds boarded up in the walls of her house (she serves them tea!). The third story, "The Human Reptile" is about a disgustingly fat mob-boss. Most of the story involves him eating huge amounts of food and smacking his underlings in the head. Pretty wild stuff. It seems like once Biro left, a lot of the restraint and social consciousness that LG had developed over the years went with him.

 

Of course, the next issue (#72) was the first with CCA approval and things are much more toned down.

 

 

 

 

and though I've had it for a while, #74 just to complete the run: