Crime Does Not Pay (1942-1955 Lev Gleason) comic books 1948-1950

Add to cart GD+ 2.5 $24.00 Centerfold detached.

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Ed Moore 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 Verne Miller and the Kansas City Massacre. A look at legendary Old West outlaw Jesse James, and the legends that grew after his death, making him a folk hero. A French tavern owner with a violent temper is accused of killing her workers, but when the killings continue after she's jailed, scientific investigation reveals the real culprit. Verne Miller; Jesse James: Good Guy or Bad Guy?; The Murderess Smoked Cigars; The Crooks Who Couldn't Get Together!; Was She a Monster?; Whodunnit. 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart FR 1.0 $21.00

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by Dan Barry, George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Bob Moore, Fred Kida, Bob Fujitani, Bert Bushell 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. Escaped convict Clay Fogelman tortures the hapless couple whose home he's using as a hideout. Johnny Socks Lazia rises to be the supreme gang boss in Kansas City of the late 1920s, in a story with early art by future "Flash Gordon" artist Dan Barry. A story that dares the reader to figure out which of four boarders in a boardinghouse killed the owner's beautiful daughter. Also featuring purported letters from mothers of children, approving the content of Crime Does Not Pay comics. Clay Fogelman, Meanest Man of Crime; The Rise and Fall of Johnny "Socks" Lazia, King of the Alky Rackets; On the Level; Killers' Payoff; The Electric Chair and the Murderess; This'll Kill You; Whodunnit: Who Murdered Beautiful Mary Lawson? 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart FR 1.0 $20.00

Add to cart GD 2.0 $40.00 View scan 1 1/2" spine split from bottom. Cover detached. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor.

Cover by George Tuska (credited as Charles Biro). Stories and art by George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Bob Fujitani, 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. British highwayman John Nevison earns the nickname Swift Nick after supposedly making a 200-mile trek to establish an alibi. Wild West gunfighter and outlaw Billy the Kid dies at age 21, but not before becoming a legend. A story that dares the reader to figure out who killed a millionaire. Frank Scarcini: The Betrayer of Pals -- Master of the Double-Cross!; William Nevinson, The Terror of the Roads!; William Bonney, Alias Billy the Kid; Murder Pays the Hangman; Leo Hall: The Man Without Conscience; Mercy; Honor; Human Decency; Whodunnit: Who Killed Millionaire Ellis Blackton? 52 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $56.00 View scans

Add to cart GD+ 2.5 $45.00

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by Dan Barry, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, 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. Mr. Crime narrates the tale of killer-for-hire Happy Malone, in a story with early art by future "Flash Gordon" artist Dan Barry. George Kelly, aka Machine Gun Kelly, kidnaps oil tycoon Charles Urschel for a $200,000 ransom. A story that dares the reader to figure out who murdered the Bodin farm family. They Called Him "Happy" Malone Because He Never Smiled!; On the Level; This'll Kill Ya!; Albert Judson; Machine-Gun Kelly; The Ghastly Clues; What's So Funny?; A True Crime Story Who Dunnit? 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart GD/VG 3.0 $27.00 View scans

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, 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. Sicilian siblings the Genna Brothers rule Chicago's Little Italy, until they come up against Capone's Chicago Outfit. The history of the Brady Gang that terrorized Maine, and their bloody finish. An insane killer becomes known as the Nebraska Fiend and kills more than a dozen people in the 1870s. The Savage Genna Brothers: Bootleggers; On the Level; The Ferocious Brady Gang; Don't Die Laughing; Dick Richards, A Two-Legged Rat If There Ever Was One!; Crazy Dan Zarella and His Stupid Stooge, Vincent Furo; Who Dunnit? 52 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG+ 4.5 $50.00 View scans Chew to back cover. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor.

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, Tony DiPreta, John Belfi 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. Mr. Crime narrates the tale of Hymie Nabosco, the holdup man whose penchant for pretty scents makes him easy for witnesses to identify. Fast-shooting showgirl Belle Shirley becomes a gambler and gunslinger in the Old West. A story that dares the reader to figure out the killer before a Mountie does in 1899 Canada. Little Hymie Nabosco; Belle Shirley, The Angel-Faced She-Devil; On the Level; This'll Kill Ya!; Marvin and Selma Burgess; Edward Corwin; Who Dunnit? Arctic Assassin. 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG+ 4.5 $115.00 View scans Only one staple (manufacturing).

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by Dan Barry, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, Tony DiPreta, Norman Maurer 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. Mr. Crime narrates the tale of John Ross, a phony magician who kills to conceal his cons, in a story with early art by future "Flash Gordon" artist Dan Barry. Tiger Harkness masterminds a daring prison escape by taking the entire parole board hostage, but none of them get far. A story that dares the reader to figure out the killer of gambler Eddie Dyke in 1934 New York. John Ross the Magician; "Tiger" Harkness; On the Level; This'll Kill Ya!; Our Police Hall of Fame; The Gruesome Foursome; Who Dunnit? Murder of Eddie Dyke. 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $18.00 View scan

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, Tony DiPreta 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. Mr. Crime narrates the tale of two-bit hood Peter Feflin, who wages war against another street gang on the rooftops of the New York tenements. Al Jennings becomes obsessed with getting the man he's convinced was responsible for sending him to prison. Mayhew and Johns, described in the story as "stir-mad, kill-mad morons," go on a spree of murder and robbery across the South. Also featuring vintage ads for "Amazing Life-Like Rubber Masks" and "Animated Lilliputiana." Two Gangs at War and Peter Feflin; Al Jennings, the Man Who Squealed on Himself!; How the Police Stopped the Murder Rampage of Dennis Mayhew and Everett Johns; This'll Kill Ya!; Our Police Hall of Fame; On The Level; Who Dunnit. 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG 4.0 $25.00 View scan Interior margin tears. Water spotting.

Add to cart GD/VG 3.0 $23.00

Add to cart FR/GD 1.5 $7.10

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, 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. Mr. Crime narrates the tale of Nick Durin, who convinces his brothers that they can take over the city's rackets if they join forces. Cops use a hidden microphone to get the goods on a killer named William Gaines (the name of the rival publisher of EC Comics). A story that dares the reader to figure out who killed two eccentric brothers in their own museum. The 5 Durin Brothers; Science vs. the Criminal; Clue in a Poker Hand!; Laugh These Off; This'll Kill Ya!; Our Police Hall of Fame; On The Level; Tony Krug and Pete Tatum; Who Dunnit. 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG+ 4.5 $37.00 View scans

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, Tony DiPreta, 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. Mr. Crime narrates the tale of illegal arms trafficker Vince Grey, and his showdown with police at a coal refinery. A look at the uses of black light in crime detection and police work in the 1940s. A story that dares the reader to figure out who killed a big-game hunter on the eve of his wedding announcement. Cover and first page feature a photo endorsement from Mary Sullivan, NYPD Women's Bureau Chief, approving of "this magazine as a good moral influence on our youth." Vince Grey; This'll Kill Ya; Out To Murder!; On The Level; Our Police Hall of Fame; Science vs. the Criminal; The Body in the Woods; Who Dunnit. 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart GD+ 2.5 $16.25 View scan Cover detached. Water damage.

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, Joseph Gaguardi 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. Mr. Crime narrates the tale of Johnny, who sees a golden opportunity when a hood drops a gun into his lap. Crime reporter Dave Stratton follows a lead from an art show into a two-fisted, gun-blazing adventure. A story that dares the reader to figure out who murdered a woman for a fortune in jewels. Foolish Johnny Wagner; I Was a Crime Reporter!; This'll Kill Ya; Thug-Uglies; On the Level; Our Police Hall of Fame; Invitation to Murderer!; Who Dunnit? 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $20.00 View scan Water damage.

Painted cover by Bob Fujitani. Stories and art by Bob Fujitani, George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, 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 introduction of tough private eye Chip Gardner, soon to be a regular feature in Crime Does Not Pay, includes a great cover by Bob Fujitani and a story possibly written by Walter Gibson, creator of The Shadow. Mr. Crime narrates the tale of extortionist couple Mr. and Mrs. Slade, who blackmail hapless people with their dark secrets. An ordinary citizen catches Joe Visco, who escapes prison by turning an inner tube into an improvised bomb. The Rock-a-Bye Baby Murder; Mr. and Mrs. Shakedown; This'll Kill Ya; The Case of Joe Visco and Box 777!; On the Level; Our Police Hall of Fame; How They Were Trapped!; Who Dunnit? 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart GD+ 2.5 $23.00 View scan Foxing. Soiling.

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $60.00 View scan Water damage. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by Bud Plant

Painted cover by Bob Fujitani. Stories and art by Bob Fujitani, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, Tony DiPreta, Carl Wessler 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. Tough private eye Chip Gardner tries to prove an accident in a steelworks was murder and winds up in a barrel, featuring a great cover by Bob Fujitani and a story possibly written by Walter Gibson, creator of The Shadow. A man leaping from a building flashes back on the events that led him there. A story that dares the reader to solve a murder at a costume party in the Mephisto Club during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Also featuring a vintage ad for the book "How to Get Along with Girls." Chip Gardner: The Payroll Bonus Murders; Fall Guy; On the Level; Our Police Hall of Fame; Rabbit's Foot; Who Dunnit?: The Death of the Grand Demon! 52 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG 4.0 $34.00 View scans 1" spine split from bottom of comic.

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $39.00 View scan Staples added (not manufacturing). Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by Bud Plant

Painted cover by Bob Fujitani. Stories and art by Bob Fujitani, Fred Guardineer, Tony DiPreta, Al McWilliams 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. Tough private eye Chip Gardner is hunted through the Florida swamps by a larceny and kidnapping gang, featuring a great cover by Bob Fujitani and a story possibly written by Walter Gibson, creator of The Shadow. An ex-con's search for the hidden loot from a robbery leads to a shootout in a carnival funhouse. A story that dares the reader to figure out who murdered an eccentric millionaire with a bomb hidden in a toy boat. Also featuring a vintage ad for the book "How to Get Along with Girls." Chip Gardner: The Ostrich Murder Case; Loot!; Laff It Off; Our Police Hall of Fame; Go Home and Wait for Death!; Who Dunnit?: Murder by Parcel Post! 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG 4.0 $34.00 View scans

Add to cart VG 4.0 $34.00 View scans

Painted cover by Bob Fujitani. Stories and art by Bob Fujitani, Fred Guardineer, Dick Rockwell, Carl Wessler, Jerry Fasano, Al Borth 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. Tough private eye Chip Gardner investigates corruption in a chain of beauty shops, featuring a great cover by Bob Fujitani and a story possibly written by Walter Gibson, creator of The Shadow. A killer acquires a family fortune by marrying and murdering each of three sisters, but he falls for the last one for real. A puppeteer is unable to stop his puppet's murderous rampage, in a truly strange story. Also featuring a vintage ad for the book "Learn to Dance the Jitterbug." Chip Gardner: Source of Evil: The Case of the Vanishing Beauty Shops; Death Is Mr. Chelsey; The Classroom Secret; Wrong Alibi; Melick's Puppet?; Who Dunnit?: Holiday Homicide! 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.