Racket Squad in Action (1952) comic books 1954-1956

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $90.00 View scans Water damage. Chew.

Cover art by Frank Frollo and Vince Alascia. Stamp of Guilt, art by Frank Frollo and Vince Alascia. A Handful of Aces, pencils by Frank Frollo, inks by John Belfi. The Able Arsonist, art by Frank Frollo. When Two Thieves Meet, art by Frank Frollo and Vince Alascia. Door to Door Swindle, pencils by Stan Campbell, inks by John Belfi. The Stradivarius Swindle, pencils by Frank Frollo, inks by Vince Alascia. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Steve Ditko. Stories and art by Steve Ditko, Joe Shuster, Carl Memling, Frank Frollo, John Belfi and Sy Moskowitz. Pre-Code crime comics from Charlton, focusing on swindlers and con games. Gangsters hire a painter to make an ordinary horse look exactly like a million-dollar race horse, in a story with early art (and cover) by Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko. Swindlers pose as IRS agents to fleece a gambler, in a story with art most likely by Joe Shuster. (If so, that makes this the rare comic to contain art by the creators of both Superman and Spider-Man - if not in the same story.) Con artists employ a beautiful redheaded woman for "Operation Flash Bulb," getting pictures of conventioneers in embarrassing situations and then blackmailing them. Plus advice to the reader on avoiding con artists. Case of the Income Tax Frauds; Botticelli of the Bangtails; Not So Dumb; Photo Frame-Up; Paper Hangers of Death. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart FR 1.0 $650.00 or Best Offer View scans Cover detached. Hole punches. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by Mike'sRack

In all probability the most violent cover Steve Ditko ever did.

Cover by Steve Ditko. Stories and art by Bill Molno (credited as Joe Shuster), Carl Memling, Ray Osrin, and Chic Stone. Pre-Code crime comics from Charlton, focusing on swindlers and con games. In a particularly violent story, Wally and Doris have a swindle-and-robbery racket going, with Wally earning a reputation as a literal "lady killer." That is, until they cross the wrong woman - an undercover policewoman - in a story with some early action-girl art. Crooks pretend to be Soviet authorities to swindle Russian immigrants in America, in one of several stories this issue with art most likely by Bill Molno, ghosting for an ailing Joe Shuster. A couple is conned by phony stock-market advisors. Plus advice to the reader on avoiding con artists. Robbery by Appointment; The Ransom Swindle; Refund Artist; The Keys to Death; The Stock Market Swindlers; Fast Count; Protection Game; Fly-By-Night. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Joe Shuster and Ray Osrin. Stories and art by Joe Shuster, Bill Molno (also credited as Joe Shuster), Dick Giordano, Vince Alascia, Carl Memling, Ray Osrin, John Belfi and Chic Stone. Pre-Code crime comics from Charlton, focusing on swindlers and con games. Smooth customer Stockton Parkes runs a phony modeling agency, in a story with plentiful good-girl art. This is one of several stories this issue with art most likely by Bill Molno, ghosting for an ailing Joe Shuster (although other stories do appear to be Shuster's work). In another story, with grisly art by Superman co-creator Shuster, a strong-arm man threatens to pour acid on models' faces, but it's all an act using elaborate make-up. Business investors are conned by a fraudulent claim on uranium-rich land. Plus advice to the reader on avoiding con artists. Malignant Model Agency; Your Money or Your Face; Hot Ice; Tickets to Tragedy; The Case of the Crummy Corporation; A Case for the Police; The Basketball Scandals; Free Pick-Up. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart Fair $7.60

Cover by Dick Giordano. Stories and art by Carl Memling and Dick Giordano. Pre-Code crime comics from Charlton, focusing on swindlers and con games. Bunk Crawford and his cronies masquerade as frozen-food delivery men to swindle thousands of dollars in food from grocers and food customers. Gangsters murder a marijuana dealer and take over his "route" and his customers. The series starts to resemble more traditional pre-Code crime comics, with stories like the one about a gang planting rigged slot machines around town. Plus advice to the reader on avoiding con artists. The Big Freeze; Shakedown; The Captain Kidd Racket; Slot Machine Rackets; The Double-Talk Artists. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Dick Giordano. Stories and art by Carl Memling, Art Cappello and Dick Giordano. Pre-Code crime comics from Charlton, focusing on swindlers and con games. Gangsters try to pass stolen money with a phony counterfeiting racket, a sort of crime within a crime. Jerry employs his beautiful girlfriend Dot in a scheme to catch ordinary men in compromising photographs. Widow Arlene falls for a phony "lonely hearts" club. Plus advice to the reader on avoiding con artists. Look Them Over; Limited Edition; Blackmail; Double Trouble; The Two Buck Hype; Photo Finish; Beware of the Swami; No Bargain; The Lonely Hearts Racket; The Old Shell Game. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Dick Giordano. Stories and art by Dick Giordano, Vince Alascia, Al Tyler, John Belfi and Sal Trapani. Racket Squad's focus on swindlers and con games, rather than murder and mayhem, allowed it to survive the Comics Code longer than most Pre-Code crime comics. A gossip columnist, who works for a newspaper "so yellow that even its copy boys had jaundice," gets caught up in his employer's blackmail scheme. A cautionary tale for the reader on when to be wary, such as gambling with strangers on a train. A forger and a con man team up to swindle art collectors. First issue with the Comics Code seal on the cover. Kill That Item; Gamblers Wont Gamble; A True Crime Story; Art for Art Torgans Sake; Look at the Birdie; Sharp Salesman. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Dick Giordano and Vince Alascia. Stories and art by Dick Giordano, Vince Alascia, John Belfi and Maurice Whitman. Racket Squad's focus on swindlers and con games allowed it to survive the Comics Code longer than most Pre-Code crime comics. Harry's setup to process the charitable donations of wealthy families seems legit for years - but he's playing the "long con." Phony contractors sell shoddy patios to homeowners who didn't bother to read the fine print, leaving the Racket Squad looking for a legal loophole. Charles Ponzi is a con artist who specializes in the infamous swindle still known today as a Ponzi scheme. The Smoothest Spiel of Them All; Sure Well Build Your Patio; Its Costing You; Cut the Ace; Ponzi the Half Pint Swindler; Cleaning Up the Races. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Dick Giordano and Vince Alascia. Stories and art by Bill Molno, Sal Trapani, John Belfi and Chic Stone. Racket Squad's focus on swindlers and con games allowed it to survive the Comics Code longer than most Pre-Code crime comics. Ex-con Lester decides to "go straight" by switching to white-collar crime, specifically, insider trading. An "auto health plan" turns out to be just another swindle. Even the lanes are not safe, as crooked gamblers target bowling alleys. The Awful Waste; This Time Youll Play It Smart; Dont Be a Sucker; The Automobile Health Plan Racket; Hook Line and Sucker. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart Good $5.70

Cover by Dick Giordano and Vince Alascia. Stories and art by Bill Molno, Vince Alascia, Sal Trapani, and Chic Stone. Racket Squad's focus on swindlers and con games allowed it to survive the Comics Code longer than most Pre-Code crime comics. A gangster tries to convince an up-and-coming boxer to take a dive. Officer O'Malley goes undercover to catch a strong-arm artist whose "social club" is just a method for getting kickbacks. Ex-con Syd tries to swindle a catering service by spoiling their food, but unfortunately, the party they're catering at that moment is for the police Racket Squad. The Dive; The Kickback Club; Memory Machine; The Spoiler; Mr. Numbers; The Softest Touch. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart FR 1.0 $5.40

Cover by Dick Giordano and Vince Alascia. Stories and art by Dick Giordano, Dick Wood, Bill Molno, Bill Ely, Vince Alascia, Sal Trapani, and Chic Stone. Racket Squad's focus on swindlers and con games allowed it to survive the Comics Code longer than most Pre-Code crime comics. A jeweler hires a private eye to find out how his messenger keeps switching out precious gems for fakes. Cultured, well-spoken "Sir Thomas" specializes in fleecing wealthy marks. American tourists in France get swindled out of their passports. The Man Who Stole from Himself; The Fabulous Sir Thomas; The Shortchange Racket; Television Trouble; Passport to Trouble; The Portrait Racketeers; The Hot Watch Racket. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Bill Molno and Vince Alascia. Stories and art by Dick Giordano, Dick Wood, Bill Molno, Bill Ely, Vince Alascia, Sal Trapani, and Chic Stone. Racket Squad's focus on swindlers and con games allowed it to survive the Comics Code longer than most Pre-Code crime comics. An early look at auto "repo men" (before that was seen as a legit concern) portrays them as legal car thieves, working for shifty dealers with inflated repayment plans. The con man known as "The Silver Fox" specializes in emptying out houses while their owners are on vacation. A phony doctor swindles patients with unorthodox cures and lets them deal with the consequences. The Legal Auto Theft Racket; The Old Shell Game; Ill Steal Your Home; Hush-Hush; Medical Menace; The Swiss Watches. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Dick Giordano and Vince Alascia. Stories and art by Dick Giordano, Bill Molno, Vince Alascia, Charles Nicholas, and Jon D'Agostino. Racket Squad's focus on swindlers and con games allowed it to survive the Comics Code longer than most Pre-Code crime comics. When police crack down on pickpockets, "dip" Barney comes up with a new scheme involving a "third hand." (Although credited to Charles Nicholas, this story looks like it could be the work of future Superman artist Curt Swan.) A mechanic inflates auto-repair bills with unexpected charges, costing both his customer and the garage where he works dearly. Con men swindle people out of their life savings with promises of free "found" money. The Three-Handed Pickpocket; Overcharge; Lost Dog; Nothin for Somethin; Silver Sap; Missing Evidence. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Dick Giordano and Vince Alascia. Stories and art by Frank Frollo, Stan Kaye, Bill Molno, Vince Alascia, Charles Nicholas, and Sal Trapani. Racket Squad's focus on swindlers and con games allowed it to survive the Comics Code longer than most Pre-Code crime comics. A wealthy couple's surprise visitors claim to be out-of-town cousins, but are actually impostors casing the joint. A crooked art dealer sells collectors stolen art masterpieces that turn out to be forgeries. Orrin's "insurance" office is actually a front for a high-end blackmail operation. The Visitors; A List of Fools; The Fountain Pen Swindle; Truck Trap; Secret Success; The Engagement Racket; Double Take. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.