Auctions: comic books in 'Pre-Code Horror', graded by CGC

Adventures into Darkness (1952) 11 CGC 3.0

Paper: Off white to white

Tape on interior cover.

Label #1287285002

In order of appearance: "Mission From the Grave" art by Mike Sekowsky; "Rider in the Storm" reprinted in Haunted Horror (2012 IDW) #4 and Haunted Horror: The Chilling Archives of Horror Comics HC (2013-2017 IDW) #2-1ST; "The Finger of Guilt" art by John Celardo, reprinted in Haunted Horror (2012 IDW) #16; "Trophies of Doom" art by Nick Cardy, reprinted in Seduction of the Innocent 3-D (1985) #2, Haunted Horror (2012 IDW) #8, and Haunted Horror: The Chilling Archives of Horror Comics HC (2013-2017 IDW) #3-1ST; "The Bride of Death" art by Jack Katz; and "The Bread of Madness". "Call of the Werewolf: Jody Had a Date with the Dentist, But a Nightmare Preceded It..." illustrated text story by Jim Hendryx. 36 pages. Full color. Cover price $0.10.

Adventures into Terror (1951 Atlas/Marvel) 13 CGC 4.5

Paper: Cream to off white

Label #4318716003

Cover pencils by Bill Everett. Don't Try to Outsmart the Devil!, script by Stan Lee; An evil man makes a bargain with Satan that his heart will never stop beating so that he will live forever, but Satan merely arranges it so that his heart continues to beat after his body has rotted away. The Visitor, pencils by George Roussos; A man is convinced that controlling visitors exist all around him and when he is confronted by mist he goes off his rocker. Sugar is--Death!, pencils by Hy Rosen. The Hands of Death, pencils by Don Perlin, inks by Abe Simon; A woman's car breaks down in an area where women have been strangled and since she is frightened she tries to take shelter in a nearby house. The Man Who Talked to Rats, pencils by Manny Stallman; A man comes across a man who talks to rats in an alley and makes a deal with him to kill his uncle so he will inherit his money. 36 pgs. Cover price $0.10.

Adventures Into Weird Worlds (1952-1954 Marvel/Atlas) 1 CGC 3.5

Paper: Off white

Label #4514119006

"The Walking Death," "The Mad Man," "The Terrible Tree," "The World That Vanished," and a two-page text story, "Die the Doll-Death!" Edited by Stan Lee. Cover by Joe Maneely. Stories by Russ Heath, Sol Brodsky, John Tartaglione, and George Tuska. These tales of horror, sci-fi, and suspense will take you on Adventures into Alien Worlds! 36 pages, full color. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Beware Terror Tales (1952 Fawcett) 3 CGC 4.5

Paper: White

Label #4735800004

Cover by Bernard Bailey. Stories and art by Sheldon Moldoff and Bob McCarthy. Classic pre-Code horror from St. John. Prospector Dusty murders a competitor for his gold, then is denied water in the desert by his victim's ghost. Killers Jocko and Squash mock Justice, until she appears to them in person. Dr. Carlton ill-advisedly experiments with "flatlining" himself. The Dry Doom; Voice in the Brain; The Haunting White Shadow; Deaths Round Trip. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Black Cat Mystery (1951-1963 Harvey) 36 CGC 3.5

Paper: Slightly britle

Label #4426064023

Cover by Warren Kremer. Stories and art by Bob Powell, Joe Certa, and Manny Stallman. Former superhero comic Black Cat becomes a showcase for Harvey's unique brand of pre-Code horror. A Frankenstein-like monster protects young Donnie from zombies at the cost of its own life. Treasure hunters encounter zombies in the Louisiana swamps. The last man on Earth, a horrible radioactive mutant, travels back in time to settle a score with the people of 1952. This issue was mentioned in the text of the anti-comics classic Seduction of the Innocent, pp. 270-271. Battle of the Monsters; Rotting Demons; Dimension Death; Deaths Garden; The Last Man Returns; Whip of Death!; Carnival of Death. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Black Cat Mystery (1951-1963 Harvey) 50 CGC 4.5

Paper: Cream to off white

Label #1074680005

Cover by Lee Elias. Stories and art by Bob Powell, Howard Nostrand, Manny Stallman, John Giunta Joe Certa, John Belfi, Sid Check and Frank Frazetta. Former superhero comic Black Cat becomes a showcase for Harvey's unique brand of pre-Code horror. A man is stealing corpses form the cemetery, and the townspeople want to know why. A dark spoof of the movie Mogambo, an experiment in the Mad-style humor that resulted in Harvey's short-lived comic Flip. A mysterious visitor to a small town has plans of revenge against the town elders, in a story with early inking assists by fantasy art legend Frank Frazetta. Notorious pre-Code cover by Lee Elias, showing a man's face and hands burning away, is one of the most famous of the era. The King Is Dead; The Artificial Sky; Occupation; Moe Gambo; White Heat; And Still Champion; Torture!; Here Today…. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Chamber of Chills (1951 Harvey) 4 (24) CGC 5.0

Paper: Cream to off white

Label #4728555010

Cover by Lee Elias. Stories and art by Bob Powell, Howard Nostrand, Marvil Epp, Pierce Rice, and Vic Donohue. Sometimes listed as Chamber of Chills (1951 Harvey) #4. Harvey Comics joins the parade of pre-Code horror comics pioneered by EC in the 1950s. A man swears revenge on the woman who left him at the altar. A stranger enters a town of the dead. Brothers plot to murder their wealthy aunt, but she's got dark powers on her side. The Lost Souls!; The Pale Light Of Death!; Two Ways To Die!; Book Of Vengeance; Ancient Lands Of Mystery!; The Perfect Crime; Weird Facts; The Fighting Corpse; Master of Evil; Pact With the Devil! Series continues, renumbered as Chamber of Chills (1952 Harvey) #5. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Chamber of Chills (1951 Harvey) 7 CGC 4.0

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4723167009

Cover by Al Avison. Stories and art by Bob Powell, Howard Nostrand, Abe Simon, Don Perlin, Manny Stallman, John Giunta and Joe Certa. Harvey Comics joins the parade of pre-Code horror comics pioneered by EC in the 1950s. The owner of a carnival tries to summon real monsters for his new exhibit. A cursed vase kills any plant placed in it, but disposing of it isn't so easy. A gambler makes a deal with the devil. Pit of the Damned!; Crawling Death; Garden of Horror; The Seal of Satan. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Chilling Tales (1952) 15 CGC 4.0

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4732720003

Cover by Matt Fox. Stories and art by Harry Harrison, Joe Galotti, Henry Kiefer and Vince Napoli. Tales of pre-Code horror from Youthful Magazines. A proud Medieval lord boasts that he loves hunting so much he would ride with the Devil himself, but the wrong person takes that literally. Cover art by noted artist Matt Fox, better known for his covers of pulp magazines such as Weird Tales. The Hounds of Hell; The Monster; Curse of the Tomb; Sacrifice. 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.