Auctions: comic books April 1964

Detective Comics (1937 1st Series) 326 GD+ 2.5

Cover detached at one staple. Water damage.

Cover art by Sheldon Moldoff. The Golden Rule public service announcement starring Bob Hope, script by Jack Schiff, art by Mort Drucker. "Captives of the Alien Zoo!" starring Batman and Robin, script by Dave Wood, pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Charles Paris; Batman and Robin are mistaken for two-legged animals by alien hunters, are captured and are placed on display in an alien zoo; The Dynamic Duo manage to escape the alien zoo and they are able to locate the authorities of the alien planet, who inform them that the hunters that captured them are in fact criminals who use exotic animals for their crimes; Batman and Robin help the authorities of this world to capture the criminals and later they are sent back to Earth on a special spaceship. Casey the Cop humor page by Henry Boltinoff. Four-Legged Sleuth article. "The Death of John Jones, Detective" starring John Jones Manhunter from Mars, script by Jack Miller, art by Joe Certa; A criminal steals the idol head of Diabolu unaware that once it's opened it will release an ancient evil at each full moon; Jones is apparently killed by the first monster. Manhunter vows to hunt down each monster until he finally finds the idol head. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Fantastic Four (1961 1st Series) 25 GD/VG 3.0

Centerfold coming detached at one staple. Cover oxidation.

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by George Roussos. The Hulk Vs. The Thing, script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by George Roussos [as G. Bell]; Hulk understands that Rick Jones has deserted him for the Avengers; He comes back to New York to get his revenge on the Avengers but the Fantastic Four are there to stop him; And the Thing is the only one with a chance to defeat him. Third Avengers cross-over; second Silver Age Captain America appearance. 36 pgs. $0.12. Cover price $0.12.

Marine War Heroes (1964) 2 VG+ 4.5

Cover by Dick Giordano. Stories and art by Bill Molno, Bill Fraccio, Charles Nicholas, Vince Alascia, and Jack Keller. Marine War Heroes features grim tales of life and death on the front, sometimes giving a character's death-date on the opening page of the story. Pfc. Randall takes on a battalion of tanks with a rocket launcher during the Korean War. Cpl. Hauge leads a machine-gun squad during the Battle of Okinawa. Cpl. Hardart can seemingly not be stopped by bullets as he wages a one-man war in Korea. The Tank Destroyer; Strength of a Nation; One Man Assault Wave; Spy Recruiter; Symbol of Freedom; All Men Are Enemies. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 119 GD+ 2.5

Cover detached at one staple.

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by George Roussos. "The Torch Goes Wild!", script by Stan Lee (plot, script) and Dick Ayers (plot, un-credited), art by Dick Ayers; A demagogue drums up public opinion against the Torch, as part of a communist plot against an American ally; The Torch regains the public trust by stopping him and using his own mind control devices to turn him to the American side; Cameos by Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. "Beyond the Purple Veil!", script by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (co-plot), art by Steve Ditko; Doctor Strange must rescue two thieves who unwittingly steal a magic gem from him and are trapped in a mystical dimension as a result. (There is no text story in this issue.) 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Tales of Suspense (1959) 52 PR 0.5

INCOMPLETE. Missing ad page, does not interrupt art or story. Cover detached. 4" cumulative spine split.

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Paul Reinman. First appearance of the Black Widow in "The Crimson Dynamo Strikes Again!", script by Stan Lee (plot) and Don Rico (as N. Korok), art by Don Heck; The Black Widow and Boris are sent to America to kill Anton Vanko, the Crimson Dynamo, for defecting to America; They are also tasked with killing both Iron Man and Tony Stark. The first half of "The Magician" text story. "The Seance!", script by Stan Lee (plot) and Larry Lieber, pencils by Larry Lieber, inks by Chic Stone; A fake medium uses special effects to simulate supernatural powers, but he is taken into the spirit world by real ghosts as punishment. "The Failure!", script by Stan Lee (plot) and Larry Lieber (script), pencils by Larry Lieber, inks by Paul Reinman; The Earth of the future is overwhelmingly materialistic, except for one idealistic young man and his lover; They are abducted by aliens, who have determined that he is the best suited to be absolute ruler of their empire. This issue includes a statement of ownership - average print run, 318,932; average paid circulation, 188,005. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.12.

Wonder Woman (1942 1st Series DC) 145 FN- 5.5

Cover pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike Esposito. The Golden Rule public service announcement starring Bob Hope, script by Jack Schiff, art by Bob Oksner. The Wonder Woman family (Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, Wonder Queen, and Wonder Tot) in an "impossible tale," "The Phantom Sea Beast!", script by Robert Kanigher, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike Esposito; Wonder Tot, Wonder Girl, and Queen Hippolyte all have dreams in which they encounter a monstrous, pink-shelled "Phantom Sea-Beast"; However, Wonder Woman has no such dream, and, when the Phantom Sea Beast appears for real and menaces her family, she is able to destroy it; But the Wonder Woman Family is drawn through time and caged by future zookeepers who were trying to get the Sea-Beast for their zoo, and now insist that the Wonder Woman Family take its place in their cage. Metal Men ad. Hawkman ad. Lois Lane and Justice League of America ad. Cave Carson ad. Bob Hope ad. 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.12.