Auctions: comic books January 1954

Fantastic Fears (1953) 5 CGC 6.0

Paper: Off white

Label #4712909001

"My Coffin Must Wait"; Seth is informed that his wife Martha is dying; He vows to fulfill her last wish, driving her through a blizzard, defeating some bank robbers who want to hijack his car, and crashing through a police roadblock to reach town; Seth says he promised Martha she'd have her photograph taken one last time, and he gets Mr. Townsend to do it just before she dies. "Caught in the Graft"; Corrupt city official Sam is caught and sentenced to prison; Since he suffers from claustrophobia, Sam can't tolerate confinement; Working in the prison morgue, Sam learns the bodies are subsequently sent to the city morgue, a building constructed under his crooked supervision; Sam climbs into a coffin and escapes from prison. "Ghost Gift" text story; Dan finds his war comrade Don in Africa, now in possession of a valuable jewel mine. "Stretching Things," script by Bruce Hamilton, art by Steve Ditko; Dawson suffers from brittle bone syndrome, but Dr. Doyle invents "muiclac" to cure him; He discovers this makes him "elastic" and murders Doyle to keep his secret. "Escape from Hell!"; Criminal Richard Benton dies and goes to Hell; He's sentenced by Satan to drag a boulder around for eternity; Benton struggles to climb a mountain to freedom, plagued by demons and hindered by the boulder, only to learn "there is no escape from Hell!" "Temple of the Beast"; In Siam, American tourists Sam and Anne buy "the hand of Sivak," a local god; The vendor later buys it back from Sam but the hand comes alive and strangles him; Anne recovers the hand and mails it to the USA. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Haunted Thrills (1952) 13 GD 2.0

Staple added (not manufacturing). Water damage.

Stories and art by Carl Burgos and others. Pre-Code horror comics from Ajax-Farrell and their anonymous talents. A self-centered actor begins glimpsing a beautiful woman after an accident. A mad scientist wants to know which is stronger - love or hunger, featuring art by Human Torch creator Carl Burgos. A baboon develops a fatal attraction to a visiting prospector. Famous, oft-reprinted cover by an unknown artist. Experiment in Terror; Rendezvous with Doom; Death Do Us Part. 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Lovers' Lane (1949) 38 CGC 2.5

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4629793014

Cover by Fred Kida. Stories and art by Bill Woolfolk, Al Wenzel, Jay Scott Pike, Robert Martinott and Eloise Taylor. From the publisher of Crime Does Not Pay, Lover's Lane offered somewhat edgier, more lurid tales than other romance comics of the era. Penny, an orphan, is so desperate for love that soon she has a bad reputation with the boys. Redheaded ice skater Rusty secretly loves her coach Mike, but he's all business. German immigrant Greta arrives in the US to be with Hal, only to find he's met someone else. Also featuring a vintage ad for a Tom Corbett, Space Ranger "Invisible Helmet." Love Starved; Love on Ice; Trust Your Love; Girl Unwanted; Love Problems. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.