Beschreibung:

VG- (3.5). Spine stressed and rubbed, small nick to bottom spine, top spine bumped, small crease to bottom right corner of front cover, two 1/4" tears to covers and various small nicks, covers rumpled, penciled name to back cover ("Holly"). Off-white pages. Cover: Bill Fraccio. Art: Bill Fraccio?, A.C. Hollingworth, Hy Fleishman, John D'Agostino. CGC Census: Nine slabbed copies. GPAnalysis: Only two reported sales in any grade. A 3.5 sold for $150 in September 2019. This ish's cover blurb evokes EC's New Trend with almost every word: "A CRIME of SUSPENSE From The TOMB of HORROR!!" Under the covers, there's a story called "Rats Die By Gas!" in which an ex-soldier who was "in the poison gas division in the last war" goes on a crime spree, using a special gadget to deliver fatal doses of gas to his victims. It's an interesting story — by connecting the horrors of war with rising crime stats, "Rats Die By Gas!" draws a line between battlefield violence and the increasing lawlessness of postwar society. The connection between war and crime is unclear, but the connection between comic books and war is well-documented. Uncle Sam allotted generous paper rations to comics publishers during WWII, and granted prime rack space at military PXs for morale-building comic books. Comics were viewed as a boon for the nation's war effort, a benevolent form of propaganda. But when crime and horror themes replaced the patriotic motifs of WWII, comics began to resemble a dark and nihilistic form of propaganda, glamorizing lawlessness instead of the American way. Consignments welcome for PBA's Fall 2022 Comic Book sale. Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age and Silver Age comics, original art, vintage comic-related photos and ephemera sought. Send inquiries to [email protected] . A limited edition of 100 softcover and 6 hardcover catalogues are available. 140 pages, fully illustrated. Fun reference, great keepsake. Softcovers $40, dust-jacketed hardcover with limitation plate $200. To order, contact [email protected] .