Comic books December 1952

Based on the TV and radio show of the same name, Big Town lasted 50 issues. This installment includes the following: "Nightmare Town!" (Pickpocket Frisky Gates steals an atomic explosive, spurring Steve Wilson into action); "Target of the Underworld!"; "Crime Sheet"; and "Whispering Doom!" (with Johnny Law). Scripts John Broome and Dave Wood, pencils by Manny Stallman and Irwin Hasen, inks by John Giunta and Bernard Sachs. Cover by Gil Kane and Sachs. Cover price $0.10.

Stories and art by John Martin and Clem Weisbecker. The Korea-set Bill Battle comics leaven the usual grim war stories with whimsical dark battlefield humor. Bill tries to find out how the enemy is getting tanks across the river, when the bridge has already been blown up. Two airmen struggle to survive in a raft after their bomber is shot down over open ocean. After Bill Battle is wounded by a stray shell, he refuses to cooperate with medics, telling them, "You're holdin' up my war!" Six Feet Under!; And Then the Bugle Blew!; Barrage; Eyes Right!; Strictly a Southpaw; Me? I Hate Fish! 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart GD 2.0 $15.00 View scan 1" Cumulative spine split.

"Harlem Globe Trotters--Clown Prince of Basketball" (art by Everett Raymond Kinstler; 12 pages), "A Tale of the Gringo Matadors" (art by Bernard Krigstein, 7 pages), "Mighty Mikan, Mr. Basketball," "The Heart of a Champion" (a boxing story about Harry Greb), "A Pair of Queens" (an ice skating story about Sonja Henie and Barbara Ann Scott), "Wrestling, TV's Pride and Joy," "The Lion Roars" (a story about Lou LIttle's 1933 Columbia football team), "The Man They Call the Rocket, Maurice Richard" (an ice hockey story), "Ray Robinson, 14-Karat Slugger" (a boxing story), "Forty-Nine Gates to Fame" (about Olympic skier Andrea Mead Lawrence), "You Pick the Winner, [Joe] Louis or [Jack] Dempsey in the All-Time Dream Fight" (a boxing story; art by Frank Giacoia), "Mile-a-Minute T.N.T." (about the 1920 Olympic U.S. bobsled team), and "The Pros vs. the Rah Rah Boys" (about Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns 1950 championship game versus the Los Angeles Rams and the 1940 college game between Purdue and Wisconsin), plus a two-page text story, "The Buckeye Bullet" (about Jesse Owens). Painted cover. Cover price $0.10.

Stories and art by Bob Powell, Abe Simon, Moe Marcus, Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio, and Al Eadeh. Former superhero comic Black Cat becomes a showcase for Harvey's unique brand of pre-Code horror. Unkillable monsters emerge from a mysterious hidden room. A man insists on living with the dead. A killer encounters a monstrous batlike beast. Also featuring a strange vintage ad: "Fly Like a Bird with Wings Made from the Original Sketch of Leonardo Da Vinci!" The Room of Mystery; Inferno; Ishtar and Tammuz; The Beast of Doom; Path To Death; Live Mans Funeral. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart CGC 5.5 $324.00 or Best Offer View scans Paper: Cream to off white Label #2056859001 Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout.

Cover by Jack Kirby. Art by George Roussos, Mort Meskin, Bill Walton, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Captain America creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby present their own contribution to the horror comics trend of the 1950s, featuring tales of ghosts and the paranormal. Issue # 19 on cover; listed as Vol. 3, issue #1 in indicia. A simpleton's magic gem reveals people's true nature. A man meets his fiancee's strange family, who live in a secluded mansion on Dead Man's Isle. A greenhouse worker creates a gigantic meat-eating plant, in a story reminiscent of the later film "Little Shop of Horrors." Sammy's Wonderful Glass!; Dead Man's Isle; The Monster; Return from the Grave; The Swindle; The Man Eater!; This'll Kill You! 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Auction Item: GD- 1.8 View scan 0 bids Time left: 6d 19h 23m 3.5" Cumulative spine split.

Add to cart GD+ 2.5 $31.00 View scans Oxidation and water damage.

Add to cart CGC 3.0 $99.00 View scans Paper: Off white to white Label #3802994019 Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout.

Cover by Reed Crandall. Featuring: The mysterious space missiles from "Beachhead on Asteroid X," a 7 page Blackhawk story drawn by Bill Ward (?); 10 page Blackhawk story "The Sea Devil" drawn by Bill Ward; 4 page Chop Chop story "The Missing Eyes of the Buddha" drawn by Paul Gustavson; 7 page Blackhawk story "The Red Tomorrow" drawn by Bill Ward; 1 page text story "Dangerous Assignment." 36 Pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Jesse James stars in "King of the Bandits!" (art by Everett Raymond Kinstler; 7 pages). Wild Bill Hickok stars in "Payoff in Lead!" Kit Carson stars in "Guns of Death!" (art by Geral McCann?; 6 pages). And "The Saga of Frank Carplin--Sixgun Killer!" (pencils by Larsen, inks by Alascia). Cover and inside front cover by Kinstler. Cover price $0.10.

36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart GD 2.0 $7.00

Art by Bob Powell, Dick Ayers and Ernie Bache. Edited by Raymond C. Krank. Cover by Dick Ayers and Ernie Bache. Teen cowboy adventures set in the 1950s, based on the popular radio program that ran from 1949 to 1955. Bobby and his friends Tex, Windy, and Irish face modern-day rustlers and other challenges of life on the ranch. Bobby investigates when wild animals start targeting cattle; Bobby joins the Boy Scouts; Windy Wales tells a tale of Paul Bunyan. The Wildcat Rustlers; Death Makes a Movie; Bobby Benson Boy Scout; Mosquito Expert. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart Good $6.60

Add to cart GD 2.0 $6.60

Add to cart Coverless $2.50 INCOMPLETE. Pieces torn from first page, slightly affects art and story.

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by Norman Maurer and Charles Biro. An anthology title from publisher Lev Gleason and his primary creator, Charles Biro, featuring teen hero Crimebuster and his nemesis Iron Jaw. Crimebuster tracks down a trio of con men who are playing the long con with phony money. The Rocketeers race to Pluto to forge a peace treaty with the Plutonians, but an unhinged member of the crew threatens to sabotage the mission. A redheaded waitress and her crooked boyfriend rob the guy who collects money from jukeboxes, a pretty penny in 1952. Crimebuster: Three Men On a Lie; Rocky X: Betrayal In Space; Little Wise Guys: Loot At the Lake; I Won't Be Caught. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Final issue of the series. "The Winged Griffin" and two untitled stories. Painted cover. 36 Pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Volume 1, Issue 1 - December, 1952. Men's interest digest with stories of war, science, and crime, as well as many full pages dedicated to tasteful pin-up photography. Softcover Digest, 5" x 7.5", 130 pages, B&W. Cover price $0.25.

Digest sized book full of humorous jokes and comic panels. Cover price $0.25.

Add to cart PR 0.5 $2.50 Interior is complete. Full length spine split. Centerfold detached. Piece missing on back cover.

Art by Mike Arens and others. Western adventure with movie cowboy Buck Jones fighting for justice on the frontier. Buck wants to know what happened to his old pal Clint. He soon discovers that the gunslinging cowhand Blackie Dawson is involved in Clint's disappearance. Buck and the sheriff investigate when a man is killed while volunteering for a trick-shot artist - but the performer can prove he didn't fire the shot. Painted cover may be the work of Nicholas Firfires. Buck Jones and the Treasure Map Thief; Buck Jones and the Trick-Shot Artist. Final issue of the series. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

48pgs Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $36.00 View scans

Stories by unknown. Art by unknown. Candy stars in: "Is it a Cinema?"; "Sticky Icky"; "Odd Appreciation"; "The Shakes"; and "Hearts and Flowers"! Plus: Will Bragg in an untitled story co-starring Effy Gissel, Mrs. Mahoulahan, Inspector Frank Flanagan and Killer Karnes. Also: Candy in 1-page text story "Top Man" co-starring Ted Dawson, Cornelia Clyde and Buck Woods. 32 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by C.C. Beck. Stories by Otto Binder, Howard Boughner and unknown. Art by C.C. Beck, Howard Boughner and unknown. Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) stars in: "Captain Marvel Battles the Red Crusher" by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck; "Spider's Doom" by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck (Dexter Knox appearance); and "Captain Marvel Fights Niatpac Levram!" by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck. Plus: Windy tale "The Fishing Dog" by Howard Boughner; Captain Kid in "Jinx Day"; and Jon Jarl in the 2-page text story "The Hawkmen" with script by Otto Binder (as Eando Binder). 36 Pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart GD 2.0 $99.00 View scan 3" Cumulative spine split.

Cover by Bud Thompson. Stories by Bill Woolfolk, Art Helfant and Howard Boughner. Art by Bud Thompson, Art Helfant, Howard Boughner, and Joe Certa. Superhero action with Freddy Freeman, who gains the same powers as his hero Captain Marvel, better known these days as Shazam. Captain Marvel Jr. discovers that a leading candidate for the US President is actually a reptilian space alien. The cover and the story "Vampira" put Captain Marvel Jr. squarely amid the USA's involvement in the Korean War. A time-traveling mad scientist from the year 2400 brings his futuristic weaponry to bear on the 20th century and Captain Marvel Jr. The Space Voters; Judge Smudge; Rubbernose Randolph; Kanvasback: Bughouse Blues; Crime On Time; Vampira, Queen of Terror; Big Bow and Little Arrow: Not So Batty; The Scientist From the Future. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Written by Phillip Mendoza - 28 Pages

Stories and art by Dave Tendlar and Bill Hudson. Numbering continues from Harvey Comics Hits #61, also considered Casper the Friendly Ghost #6. The well-meaning but misunderstood Paramount cartoon star begins his long association with Harvey Comics. Casper tries to help a lonely old lady find boarders for her extra rooms, but she's the only one who's not terrified of him. A lonely skunk relates to Casper's plight. Casper is immediately at odds with a mean-spirited dogcatcher. Casper the Friendly Ghost; The Unhaunted House; Ride 'Em Casper; Wily Fox: Hot Pie; The Whistling Whale; Captain and the Devil; A Friend In Need; Turtle Tale; Little Dutch Imp; Baby Huey; Buzzy the Crow; Baby Huey: The Hunters. 36 pages, four color. Cover price $0.10.

Volume 2, Issue 1 - December, 1952. Men's interest vintage magazine that dives deep into the history of Burlesque from it's roots to it's future. Issues include celebrity testimonials, jokes and LOTS of tasteful pin-up photography. Softcover Magazine, 8" x 11", 46 pages, B&W. Cover price $0.50.

Cartoons and jokes by readers and artists of the time. 5 1/2-in. x 6 1/2-in., 64 pages, Text,(with B&W Illustrations and photos) Cover price $0.35.

Monthly children's magazine with stories, crafts, puzzles, and games. 10.5" x 13.5", 56 pages, B&W Cover price $0.50.

Cover art by Matt Fox. The Screaming Skull, art by Harry Harrison. The Hand of Glory, art by Matt Fox; A mystical item is made from the hand of a dead thief that grants the user the ability to steal from anyone. What Is a Ghoul? text story. Pursued, art by Vic Carrabotta. Spider Hider. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $32.00 View scans Water damage. 1" cumulative spine split.

Add to cart GD/VG 3.0 $17.00 View scans .5" Spine split from bottom. Interior page tears.

Stories and art by Dave Berg, Carl Wessler, Klaus Nordling, Milt Story and Burton Geller. A 100-page giant of Christmas stories from Ziff-Davis. St. George meets a dragon whose main concern is affording presents for his nephews for Christmas. Handy Hoggy ventures into outer space to get a star for his Christmas tree. The Wolf tries to trick the Three Little Pigs by sending them a fake letter from Santa. And an activity page by future MAD artist Dave Berg, Let's Play Journey to Wonderland. Purvis the Pooch Visits Santa; Frankie the Fox: Christmas Spirit; Saint George and the Dragons; Slapsie and Maxie; Seven at One Blow; Algy Alligator Goes Visiting; Handy Hoggy's Christmas Star; The Wolf Who Didn't Believe in Santa Claus; Li'l Eskey and Big Moe; Jack and the Beanstalk; Prickly Porcupine Runs Away; Joe and Jennifer: The Wonderful Snowhouse; Christmas Dishes in Other Lands; Santa's Red Red Nose; Wacky Wizard; Shorty the Squirrel: Home Made; How to Draw Your Own Snowman; The Little Snowman Who Ran Away; Let's Play Journey to Wonderland; Twas the Night Before Christmas. 100 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.25.

Add to cart PR 0.5 $10.00 INCOMPLETE. Around half of pages missing, affects several features.

Stories and art by Dave Berg, Carl Wessler, Klaus Nordling, A. W. Nugent, Milt Story and Burton Geller. A 100-page giant of Christmas stories from St. John. St. George meets a dragon whose main concern is affording presents for his nephews for Christmas. Handy Hoggy ventures into outer space to get a star for his Christmas tree. The Wolf tries to trick the Three Little Pigs by sending them a fake letter from Santa. And an activity page and a back-cover illustration by future MAD artist Dave Berg. Little Boy Blue-in-the-Face; Purvis the Pooch Visits Santa; Frankie the Fox: Christmas Spirit; Saint George and the Dragons; Slapsie and Maxie; Seven at One Blow; Funland; Algy Alligator Goes Visiting; Handy Hoggy's Christmas Star; The Wolf Who Didn't Believe in Santa Claus; Li'l Eskey and Big Moe; Jack and the Beanstalk; Prickly Porcupine Runs Away; Joe and Jennifer: The Wonderful Snowhouse; Christmas Dishes in Other Lands; Santa's Red Red Nose; Wacky Wizard; Shorty the Squirrel: Home Made; How to Draw Your Own Snowman; The Little Snowman Who Ran Away; Let's Play Journey to Wonderland; Twas the Night Before Christmas; Mad About Mountains; Alice. 100 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.25.

Painted cover by Ernest Nordli. Stories by Don Segall. Art by Bob Jenney. The Cisco Kid rode the range as the Robin Hood of the Old West with his corpulent sidekick Pancho, earning a permanent place in 20th-century pop culture. Cisco and Pancho try to help Susan, who has inherited her uncle's Two-Circle-R ranch. But outlaws who want the Two-Circle-R scheme to force her to sell. While trying to stay out of the way, Pancho is targeted by the very horse thieves that Cisco is tracking. Plus fun facts about vaqueros and white-tail deer. Vaqueros Below the Rio Grande; The Secret of the Two-Circle-R; The Long Ropers; Warfare on the Range; Range Hazards. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG/FN 5.0 $11.00 View scan

Add to cart GD 2.0 $4.20

Painted cover by Ernest Nordli. Art by Bob Jenney. The Cisco Kid rode the range as the Robin Hood of the Old West with his corpulent sidekick Pancho, earning a permanent place in 20th-century pop culture. Cisco and Pancho find a dying man in the desert who sets them on the trail of Black Mike in Bootstrap. This leads them to the Grogan Gang, a train robbery, and Pancho trapped on a runaway caboose. While taking temporary shelter at the mission of El Refugio, Cisco and Pancho encounter the mysterious riders known as the Black Ghosts. Plus "fun" facts about The Gatling Gun. The Gatling Gun; Alias Ex-Jailbird; The Black Ghosts of El Refugio. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Issue 66 - Australian Edition. Circa early to mid 1950's. Reprints "David Balfour" in abridged form with new cover art. 6.5 x 8.5, color covers with b&w interior, 24 pages-all newsprint.

Add to cart VG+ 4.5 $9.20	Add to cart Very Good $5.00	Add to cart Very Good $8.40	Add to cart VG 4.0 $8.40 Centerfold detached at one staple.
Add to cart VG- 3.5 $4.49 Staple rust. Staple migration.	Add to cart VG- 3.5 $4.49 Staple rust with migration.	Add to cart GD+ 2.5 $3.30 Centerfold detached.	Add to cart GD+ 2.5 $3.30 Centerfold detached.
Add to cart GD+ 2.5 $3.30	Add to cart Good $2.80	Add to cart Good $2.80	Add to cart GD 2.0 $2.80 Centerfold detached at one staple.
Add to cart GD 2.0 $2.80 View scan Cover detached. Centerfold and next wrap detached at one staple	Add to cart GD- 1.8 $7.80	Add to cart GD- 1.8 $7.80 Staple rust with migration.Cover detached at one staple. Centerfold detached.	Add to cart GD- 1.8 $7.80
Add to cart FR/GD 1.5 $6.80	Add to cart FR/GD 1.5 $6.80

The White Company, 1st Printing, Painted Cover. (HRN 101, with 12/52 date). Into the midst of an adventure-seeking band of soldiers, known as The White Company, comes twenty-year-old Alleyne Edricson. For the first time, he steps out into the world of men, away from the protection of the monastery where he was raised. Neither serf nor nobleman, neither soldier nor farmer, the scholarly youth quickly learns the skills of knights in order to survive in a strange world of jousts, tourneys and fierce battles. Cover price $0.15.

Australian Edition. Reprints in black and white. Rocket Squadron logo. 7-in. x 10 3/4-in., 24 pages, black and white.

Add to cart VG+ 4.5 $55.00 View scan Cover oxidation. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by Bud Plant

Photo cover. In order of appearance: "Two Weeks with Love" reprinted in Real Love (1949-56 Ace) #76; "Out of Her Class"; "Uncertain Heart" reprinted in Love Experiences (1949) #38; and "Behind His Proposal" reprinted in Glamorous Romances (1949) #90. "For a More Glamorous You: The Art of Being Feminine, Your Most Glamorous Self, For Lovelier Legs..." text article reprinted as "Help Yourself to Allure..." in Love Experiences (1949) #18 and as "Glamorize Yourself..." in Glamorous Romances (1949) #79, partially reprinted from "For Beauty's Sake..." in Revealing Romances (1949) #5 and from "Glamorizing Yourself..." in Glamorous Romances (1949) #65, and partially reprinted in "The Charm Corner..." in Real Love (1949-56 Ace) #59, "Enhance Your Appearance..." in Ten Story Love Vol. 33 (1954) #3, and "Bring Out Your Best..." in Ten Story Love Vol. 36 (1955) #2. 36 pages. Full color. Cover price $0.10.

Volume 18, Issue 10 - December, 1952. 7" x 10", 130 pages, B&W. Cover price $0.25.

Art by Maurice Whitman and Pete Morisi. Tender tales of romance among the cowhands and roughnecks of the Old West. After a stagecoach mishap, a woman impersonates another to sneak onto a ranch. Stella Dawson realizes that her rodeo stablehands are horse thieves, and handsome Rick was the only one to warn her. A woman discovers one of her ranch hands is a deserter on the run from the Confederate army. The Ranch of Riddles; Love Rode In; Revenge on the Rebound; Send Back My Love; My Rebel Heart. Final issue of the series. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Bob Fujitani. Stories and art by Al Wenzel, C. L. Hartman, Hy Mankin, Carl Wessler and Charles Biro. A companion series to Crime Does Not Pay from the same publisher, slightly less violent and with more emphasis on police work. A convict fakes his own death to escape prison, so a cop goes undercover to track him down. Mobsters on motorcycles terrorize the town, in an early version of the "biker gang" stories of the later 1950s. In chapter 3 of the life of "Louie the Punk," Louie is targeted by the partner of one of his victims. The Big Haul; The 3,623 Hours of Louie the Punk!, Chapter III; Famous Last Words; The Mad Massacre of the Motorcycle Muggers. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Stories and art by Bill Ely and others. Tales of crime and mobsters, both true and fictional, a prime example of the genre that thrived in the years before the Comics Code. A gangster's personal hit man decides to expand his horizons when his artist son convinces him to diversify his client list. A spur-of-the-moment crime drives a chauffeur to distraction with guilt. Con men set out to swindle an aging French count by creating a phony heir. Live a Little Longer, Father...; The Call of the Ice; The Gypsy Rig; The Cinderella of La-Bas; Gismo of the Ballet. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by Fred Guardineer and Charles Biro. The title that launched the crime comics genre, Crime Does Not Pay was noted for its violent pre-Code content and lurid tales of underworld life. The story of notorious real-life gunman Pretty Boy Floyd. Mob boss Chris Ramsdell must face the music after one of his hoods shoots a senator's daughter. A tough DA is targeted by a gangster after he convicts his brother of murder. Also featuring a vintage ad for "Lev Gleason Comics picture trading cards." Pretty Boy Floyd, "Racketeer" Reward; Test Your Judgment!; Crime News Oddities; The End of the Underworld? 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

"Death Flips a Wheel," "The Vanishing Bandits," "The Singing Rat," and "Terror Twins." Two page text story, "Cash and Carry." Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Johnny Craig. Stories by Al Feldstein and Johnny Craig. Art by Johnny Craig, Jack Kamen, Graham Ingels, and Fred Peters. EC's New Trend crime title featured top-notch art and writing, barrier-pushing graphics and pre-Code violence. A writer seeks solitude for his writing, and also for the murder that he's planning. A condemned murderer escapes the courtroom, only to have justice catch up with him on the subway. A jewel thief picks the wrong house for his next crime, and witnessing a murder is only the start of his ordeal. Sweet Dreams!; The Perfect Place!; The Electric Chair; The Hangmans Noose; The Guillotine!; Private Performance! 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.