ww2 Worldwide WW2-Interwar - Comics, propaganda and more 4 4

[vaillant]

And then I have a huge number of loose numbers of the journal which started it all for me, Il Vittorioso, from 1937 to 1947.
Its unique feature (and gamble) was to decide to publish italian authors' strips only, since the beginning. Among the leading authors are Kurt Caesar (an author with an amazing life full of surprises) with his Romano (Italy's romantic nationalistic hero) Sebastiano Craveri with his delightful and deep "funny animals", la Famiglia Zoo, and Franco Caprioli, a master artist which has been among the leading influences of artists like Milo Manara, up to 1945, with Bonanno and Paparella's I Ragazzi di Piazza 500 ("The Boys of Piazza 500") a real italian "kid gang" (unusual in comics here) operating in the poorness of the streets of post-war Rome, between partisans and german soldiers, allied turned to enemies, and the already shown Benito Jacovitti with his amazing trio of kids, Pippo Pertica e Palla, fully immersed in the war climate itself with the story Ciak, and many others.
Here’s an assortment of pictures to show the variety:

 

 

[vaillant]

Let me know which thing inspires you more, and I will take pictures and list some issues.

[crassus]

On 4/13/2022 at 4:45 PM, vaillant said:

And then I have a huge number of loose numbers of the journal which started it all for me, Il Vittorioso, from 1937 to 1947.
Its unique feature (and gamble) was to decide to publish italian authors' strips only, since the beginning. Among the leading authors are Kurt Caesar (an author with an amazing life full of surprises) with his Romano (Italy's romantic nationalistic hero) Sebastiano Craveri with his delightful and deep "funny animals", la Famiglia Zoo, and Franco Caprioli, a master artist which has been among the leading influences of artists like Milo Manara, up to 1945, with Bonanno and Paparella's I Ragazzi di Piazza 500 ("The Boys of Piazza 500") a real italian "kid gang" (unusual in comics here) operating in the poorness of the streets of post-war Rome, between partisans and german soldiers, allied turned to enemies, and the already shown Benito Jacovitti with his amazing trio of kids, Pippo Pertica e Palla, fully immersed in the war climate itself with the story Ciak, and many others.
Here’s an assortment of pictures to show the variety:

Masterful thread Claudio, great material and commentary, can you clarify for me who this artist is, above? 

[vaillant]

While I wait to see if there are preferences for the journals, I will prepare a first round of invoices for the buyers so far (thanks much).

In the meantime, a   10% discount 
will be active for who already purchased items from the thread. Thank you!

[vaillant]

On 4/14/2022 at 5:01 PM, crassus said:

Masterful thread Claudio, great material and commentary, can you clarify for me who this artist is, above? 

Kurt Caesar has been one of the three leading artists/writers from the italian journal "Il Vittorioso".
An amazingly fascinating figure, he was german and had married a german woman which ran a small publishing house during the Weimar republic.
Since they did not like the climate of nazism, they moved to Switzerland around 1930 (while he was doing editorial illustrations for European agencies) and eventually established themselves as italian citizens.
At this point Kurt started to work for the main comics publications for children, for Mondadori and many others. At some point he was involved with A.V.E. (Anonima Veritas Editrice), one of the leading catholic publisher which had just launched — in 1937 — a journal produced by italian writers and artists alone. Caesar became one of the three "columns" of the journal, together with Sebastiano Craveri and Franco Caprioli.
When he was contacted, they asked him to create a "perfectly partriotic" italian action hero (but not formally expressing a fascist rethoric), and thus Romano was born, and his first adventure was set in the Spain divided by the civil war, before the beginning of WW2.
Caesar was uncomfortable with war and the nazism policies, but when the conflict came into full swing he was enlisted and had to go back to Germany. But he eventually went to serve the troups of General Erwin Rommel as an interpreter and field artist, remaining behind the lines and documenting the Africa campaign. The result was partially published in a 1942 illustrated volume where he also provided texts and translations (his interest in ethnography and ethnology turned this, more than a war report, into a fascinating documentation on the native populations). When he came back to Italy, his growing unease with how the war events unfolded, prompted him to join the italian resistance as an "undercover agent", and he even freed two young partisans from fascists which arrested them (I have had the blessing to meet and interview one of the two before he died in 2016).
And there is a lot more… went through the war events and lots of things are not easy to document. I had to stop my research after my parents death due to a lack of time/resources, but I sincerely hope to be able to continue.

And the interest, passionate response and purchases from this thread are an incentive and a great motivation for me. Thanks much everyone! 

[vaillant]

@crassus: Caesar’s most important stories and characters mostly have not been published in USA.
An exception are the first issues of Sky Blazers, which feature the first adventure of Will Sparrow (rechristened "Sky Pirates"), Italy’s proper very first "anti-hero", a villainous air pirate created for the italian Donald Duck journal (aimed at a more mature audience than "Topolino" and graphically created by Caesar). But I think it was not published in full. I do have issue 2. NFS.

Caesar then worked occasionally for american titles like Jungle Comics (in issues 117 and 118 he draws the "King of the Congo" feature), Rangers Comics and Wings Comics and later (among a million of other things) for the german market with the character of Perry Rhodan. Please, beware that many of the informations shared and published around the web are inexact and inaccurate, so take them with a grain of salt.

Information on "King of the Congo": 

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by vaillant

[vaillant]

The mad scientist and sorcerer Virus adventures were collected in comic book format (in Mondadori's Albi d'Oro run) straight after the war.
These are two issues of from my collection, issue 7 is of Mefistofele, a faustian adventure masterfully drawn by Rino Albertarelly on the italian Mickey Mouse journal.
NFS

[vaillant]

On 4/8/2022 at 10:53 PM, vaillant said:

Testimonianze No_8 (Asso di Spade No_14bis, 1952)
Copy C

This is part of a series of neo-nationalist magazines featuring heavy anti-American criticism from the post-war.
The covers feature original illustrations by Gino Boccasile which were used on propagandistic material during the war, notably the front cover is a famous Italian poster of the RSI period, with Italy in full-swing civil war. Mark Bryant wrote in his book, “World War II in Cartoons” (1989): «In Gino Boccasile's famous Italian poster depicting the cultural barbarism of the American troops, the black American sergeant, his features transformed nearly into a gorilla's face, grasps Greek art treasures, ludicrously under priced with animal savagery.»

There are two different versions of this publication, which was briefly seized when it came out, this is a copy with the "Fascicolo No_8" issue number tag.

Hard to grade these due to the paper, I’d say in the VGFN range or so.
Asking $49 / 44€

Pictures of inside pages:

 

I forgot to tell that Testimonianze #8 is still available as the buyer picked another copy that I had via PM.  

[vaillant]

I have another Samurai postcard — this one was sent to my own city (Modena)

Samurai postcard by Boccasile ("Postcard for the Armed Forces", 1942)

The "Samurai" postcard by the great illustrator Gino Boccasile, which could have easily been suitable as a comic book cover in the hypotetical case Japanese were doing comic book sized publications during the war… :-)
Circulated. Military Mail from the 16th division. Issued by the National Fascist Party, this one does not have a precise date stamp, but is dated December 9, 1942.

Asking 42$ / 38€  SOLD to IngelsFan

Edited April 14, 2022 by vaillant
SOLD

[vaillant]

Four Favorites #16 (Ace Comics, November 1944)

VG-/VG (slightly brittle, delicate along spine)

Usual crudeness and weirdness in the Magno & Dave and Unknown Soldier stories in this issue (scans from the Internet).
Louis Ferstadt cover. In order of appearance: "Magno and Davey, 'A Confusion of Terror'"; "Unknown Soldier"; "Lash Lightning, 'You Can't Tell a Book by Its Cover'" art by Louis Ferstadt; and "Captain Courageous". "Boot Hill Recruits" text story by Cliff Howe, reprinted in Super Mystery Comics Vol. 4 (1944) #6. 52 pages.

This copy is delicate as it has some brittleness, especially around the spine which caused a beginning of tearing on the upper part: pages however are supple and it can be read without harm, but with care.
Given this I would grade it as a VG-/VG even if it presents better.

I will add a back cover scan later on.

Asking $260 / 240€  SOLD via PM

Spoiler

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by vaillant
SOLD

[IngelsFan]

On 4/14/2022 at 1:38 PM, vaillant said:

I have another Samurai postcard — this one was sent to my own city (Modena)

Samurai postcard by Boccasile ("Postcard for the Armed Forces", 1942)

The "Samurai" postcard by the great illustrator Gino Boccasile, which could have easily been suitable as a comic book cover in the hypotetical case Japanese were doing comic book sized publications during the war… :-)
Circulated. Military Mail from the 16th division. Issued by the National Fascist Party, this one does not have a precise date stamp, but is dated December 9, 1942.

Asking 42$ / 38€

[vaillant]

On 4/14/2022 at 11:26 PM, IngelsFan said:

Thank you! 

 Also: The Four Favorites #16 has SOLD via PM.

[HistoryBuffalo]

Does anyone have or know of a comic that was taken overseas or bought overseas by a veteran and brought back? I think that would be an extraordinary find!

[vaillant]

On 4/19/2022 at 6:19 AM, SkoBuffs99 said:

Does anyone have or know of a comic that was taken overseas or bought overseas by a veteran and brought back? I think that would be an extraordinary find!

I guess in that case that it would be associated to a very personal story, right?

So maybe not for sale…

Once here it has been sold a GA Cap with a (post-war) German stamp: I would love to have it.

[vaillant]

 Since I did not find the time to prepare and list more items, the thread is still "on hold". 

With some buyers I have had an ongoing PM conversation, but since a buyer PMd me wondering (with good reason) if the sales thread was still active, the answer is «yes».

@Changer’s shipment is on its way already (via DHL Express, he should get it in short), I hope to bring @Comics-n-ERB’s package to the DHL forwarder tomorrow.
All of the others which purchased, please just let me know if you wish to wrap up the transaction and I will invoice ASAP.

[vaillant]

 Lacht Ihn Tot! and the Super-Mystery Comics sold via PM.

[vaillant]

While I wait, hoping to get back and list some more soon, here’s some Romano, determined with his girlfriend, Isa (an unusual example — at least for the time in Italy — of a faithful and at the same time emancipated woman, who follows her partner in all his vicissitudes, including war actions (we will also see her in the role of Red Cross nurse).

[Scrooge]

On 4/10/2022 at 5:46 PM, vaillant said:

For these they provided covers custom drawn by a French artist (I do not know the name), some of which are fascinating and of great impact.

The covers (Sciuscia) are by Pierre Frisano - Frisano, Pierre - Bibliographie, BD, photo, biographie (bedetheque.com)

 

Edited April 27, 2022 by Scrooge

[vaillant]

Il Vittorioso (A.V.E., 1942)
12 issues lot from the 1942 year run.

"Il Vittorioso" has been the starting point of my research. Published from 1937 up to 1966, the journal, conceived by the publishing division of the italian Catholic Action, had since its beginnings the aim to educate while entertaining.
For this reason, a lot of care was taken in producing comics of good quality, and the choice was to have them all produced by italian authors (as opposed to most journals which published excellent US syndicate strips material).

This lot includes almost all chapters (12 out of 15) of the gorgeously illustrated story “Il terreno minato” by Arnaldo De Amicis, set in the Sino-Japanese war theater, It also features (on the opening pages) chapters from Kurt Caesar’s Romano war-themed seventh and eighth episodes, "Il Siluro Umano" and "Caposaldo P", plus chapters from ongoing serials by the usual authors, Sebastiano Craveri, Silvani, Cassoni and that young talent of Benito Jacovitti with his "Pippo" which would "explode" a few years later.
Each issue has also a full page with war reportages with illustration and photos.

The journals are mostly lowgrade, trimmed (taken from a bound volume, usual at the time) except two which are untrimmed and in nice shape. A great opportunity to get a feeling of what was going on in these italian publications at the time at a fraction of market price (usually issues in good shape average between 8 and 15 Euro each).

Asking $55 / 52€

 

 

 

 

 

 

[vaillant]

USA in Wort und Bild #12 (1952)
 - Copy A
VF (slight rust on staples)

I have found a slightly nicer copy for the previous purchaser, so this copy is available once again.
I will add some picture of the insides if there is interest.

"USA in Wort und Bild" ("USA in words and pictures") was a DDR propagandistic magazine about supposed political, economic, moral, cultural and general social grievances in the USA and their effects on politics and life in West Germany. The editor-in-chief was the writer and journalist Alexander Georg Friedrich, which also directed the radio broadcast "Die Wahrheit über Amerika" ("The truth about America").
This issue has relevance for comics history as it contains an article titled "Das suße Gift" ("The sweet poison") about anti-communism as a means to corrupt youth, Topps and the comic books industry mentioning Fredric Wertham. Digest sized.

Asking $45 / 41€  SOLD to SOTIcollector

 

Edited May 7, 2022 by vaillant
SOLD