Comic books December 1952

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by Charles Biro, Norman Maurer, Claude Moore and William Overgard. This boys' adventure title was one of the comics that made publisher Lev Gleason a major player during the Golden Age. While helping a professor with his research, the Little Wise Guys get trapped in a plane's cargo hold with a jaguar. Dilly Duncan and his pals set out to stop two crooks after a blizzard paralyzes the town. The Little Wise Guys form a winning bobsled team, but a jealous competitor plots sabotage. Also featuring a vintage ad for Lev Gleason Comics Picture Trading Cards. Little Wise Guys: The Haunted Jungle; Dilly Duncan of Dorset High: Snowed Under; Crimebuster: A Case of Frostbite; Little Wise Guys: Lose, Or Else; Deny It If You Can. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Joseph Szokoli. Stories and art by Joseph Szokoli, Stephen Kirkel, Vince Colletta and Doug Wildey. Numbering continues from Youthful Romances (1949-52 Pix) #14. Tales of love and heartbreak, with a twist: in-story appearances by real-life musicians of the era. Bassist Danny loves singer Eve, but she thinks he's a coward, so he gets some help from real-life singer Art Lund, in a story with early art by Doug Wildey. Joyce loves Mike, but then an inspector from the Department of Weights and Measures accuses Mike of being a "short weight crook," a twist we haven't seen before. Plus a profile of Western star Dale Robertson. Cover features a photo of Art Lund. A Goal for Cupid; Art Lund; Dale Robertson; Love May Tip the Scales; Please Dont Love Me. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $19.00 View scan 3/4" Cumulative spine split.

Add to cart GD- 1.8 $9.60 View scan 3" spine chew.

Add to cart FR/GD 1.5 $8.40

Add to cart FR 1.0 $6.00

Droopy written by Barks. 100 Pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.25.

Canadian Edition. 35¢ Cover Price. Droopy written by Barks. 100 Pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.35.

Volume 6, Issue 5 - Winter, 1952. 6.75" x 9.75", 100 pages, B&W. Cover price $0.25.

Origin of Batman retold. Cover by Win Mortimer. Stories by unknown. Art by Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz, Stan Kaye, Leonard Starr, Ruben Moreira and unknown. A scientist named Dr. Sampson uses an amnesia gas on Batman, blotting out his memory of who he is, and Robin desperately tries everything in his power to restore it before Sampson's mob rules Gotham City in "How to Be the Batman!" with art by Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz and Stan Kaye. Plus: Pow-Wow Smith, Indian Lawman in "Mission with the Mounties!" with art by Leonard Starr; Robotman in "Robotman's Robot!"; and Impossible -- But True! tale "The Man with the Life Ray" (featuring Roy Raymond) with art by Ruben Moreira. Also: Casey the Cop 1-pager by Henry Boltinoff; 2-page text piece "Whistling Murder" by Jack Miller (as Joseph Macklin); and Private Pete 1-pager by Boltinoff. And: 1-page public service announcement "Superman Shows How UNICEF Spells Help for the Children of the World!" by Jack Schiff and Win Mortimer. 44 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Volume 50, Issue 2 - December, 1952. 6.75" x 9", 116 pages, B&W. Cover price $0.25.

Add to cart CGC 4.5 $1,300.00 View scans Paper: Cream to off white Label #4094078012

Cover by A.C. Hollingsworth. Art by Everett Raymond Kinstler, Norman Nodel, Vince Alascia, A.C. Hollingsworth and Charles Nicholas. Tales of pre-Code horror, curses, and vengeance from beyond the grave. A man decides to kill his wealthy uncle at a Central American waterfall, despite warnings of a curse on the location; A sailor on shore leave has a double identity as a gentleman jewel thief, but he runs afoul of a vengeful local deity. Also featuring a spooky contents page illustrated by Everett Raymond Kinstler on the inside front cover. Beware of the Undead!; The Mirror of Death!; Black Bart: Poetry in Lead!; Diary of Horror!; The Ghost's Curse!; The Phantom of Philip Hawks. 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover art by Joe Simon. "Dick Tracy and the Case of the Ice-Cold Killer," script by Chester Gould, art by Joe Simon (splash panel);Chester Gould; Sleet and her mother knock Sam unconscious and throw him off an overpass, where, unbeknownst to them, he lands in a dump truck full on sand; Sam manages to crawl into a basement where he is found and taken to the hospital by some of the Crimestoppers; Sleet and her mother are arrested and placed in adjacent cells. Calling All Sleuths activity page; Various questions about suicide, poison, fingerprints, safecracking. Booby Trap text story; Peter Nixon solves the murder of a girl's uncle. Sad Sack house ad. "Death Rides the El", script and art by Chester Gould; Sleet takes a job as a dishwasher as part of her effort to hide from the police; Twist, the cook, recognizes her from pictures in the newspaper and attempts to blackmail her; Sleet pushes him off the platform of the El and goes into hiding, not knowing that Twist has left a note for the police. Untitled Girl Friday story; A friend of Glenn's is accused of murdering his partner. "Circus of Death" text story; A circus performer is killed. Minit Mystery starring The Count; Boris solves the murder of a friend's maid. 36 Pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG/FN 5.0 $77.00 View scans Paper: Off white Water damage: Slight. Staple rust: Slight.

Volume 68, Issue 1 - December, 1952. 6.75" x 9", 116 pages, B&W. Cover price $0.25.

Edited by Richard E. Hughes. Art by Lynn Karp and others. ACG Comics presents classic slapstick and screwball comedy stories featuring attractive women pratfalling their way into and out of trouble. Denise and Dottie infiltrate the Rockettes to elude their financial troubles; Goofie Gertie gets in trouble with a traffic cop; An investment banker hires Moronica and soon regrets it. Broadway Babes; Kitty's Cat; Goofie Gertie; Man-Huntin Minnie of Delta Pu; Moronica; Brief... but Beautiful!; Buttons. 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart FR/GD 1.5 $199.95 or Best Offer View scans 4.5" spine split from bottom of comic. Cover detached. Cover oxidation. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by humble cow

The Thing That Killed, script by Bill Woolfolk, art by Art Gates; Johann Dupro creates artificial life called the Thing, and the tiny duo are called in to burn it. The Mink Coat Gig starring Torchy, art by Gill Fox. The Emerald Eye of Evil starring Doll Man, script by Bill Woolfolk, art by Art Gates; In Haiti, Darrel and Martha face a witch doctor and his hypnotic Emerald Eye of Evil. Satan's Sculptor starring Doll Man, script by Bill Woolfolk, art by Art Gates. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart CGC 6.5 $500.00 View scans Paper: Off white Slab: See item notes Inner well not fully sealed, book appears unaffected and secure. Label #0295880020

Stories, Art and Cover by Carl Barks. Donald Duck is featured in "Trick or Treat" (based on the 1952 Disney animated short), plus the back-up story "Hobblin' Goblins"! Also: 1-pagers "A Prank Above" and "Frightful Face"! And: Donald Duck mask activity page. 36 Pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Art by Fred Guardineer and Fred Meagher. Cover by Fred Guardineer. Sometimes listed as Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid #20. Western adventure based on the popular masked hero played in the movies by Charles Starrett. Steve and Muley buy an abandoned ranch, but it turns out cattle rustlers have taken up residence there; Dan Brand is captured by the British, so Tipi uses a Trojan Horse gambit to rescue him; Muley attracts the attention of outlaws when he thinks he's found gold. Smugglers Den; The Lady Shoots a Hot Iron!; The Trojan Horse; Fighting Man; Muley Pikes Big Gold Rush! 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart Very Good $26.00 View scans Paper: Off white Water damage: Slight. Staple rust: Slight.	Add to cart VG 4.0 $21.00 View scans Tape on interior cover.	Add to cart VG- 3.5 $25.50 View scans Paper: Cream to off white Front cover detached 15%. Back cover detached 15%. Water damage: Moderate. Staple rust: Slight.	Add to cart GD/VG 3.0 $14.00 View scans 3/4" Cumulative spine split.
Add to cart Good $11.00 View scans Paper: Cream to off white Front cover detached 15%. Back cover detached 10%. Water damage: Moderate.	Add to cart Fair $10.00 View scans Paper: Off white Front cover detached 60%. Back cover detached 90%. Water damage: Moderate. Staple rust: Slight.

"I am Tomorrow" feature story by Lester del Rey.

Vol. 3 #35 - Dec. 5, 1952. Contents include Dan Dare, P.C. 49, Riders of the Range, Eagle Cutaway centerfold, Luck of the Legion, Their Names Made Words, Strange Animal Adventures, Harris Tweed Extra Special Agent, Deep Sea Doctor. Plus text stories and articles. 10 1/2-in. x 13 1/2-in., 14 pages, B&W and full color.

Vol. 3 #36 - Dec. 12, 1952. Contents include Dan Dare, P.C. 49, Riders of the Range, Eagle Cutaway centerfold, Luck of the Legion, Their Names Made Words, Strange Animal Adventures, Harris Tweed Extra Special Agent, Deep Sea Doctor. Plus text stories and articles. 10 1/2-in. x 13 1/2-in., 14 pages, B&W and full color.

Vol. 3 #37 - Dec. 19, 1952. Contents include Dan Dare, P.C. 49, Riders of the Range, Eagle Cutaway centerfold, Luck of the Legion, Their Names Made Words, Strange Animal Adventures, Harris Tweed Extra Special Agent, Deep Sea Doctor. Plus text stories and articles. 10 1/2-in. x 13 1/2-in., 14 pages, B&W and full color.

Vol. 3 #38 - Dec. 24, 1952. Contents include Dan Dare, P.C. 49, Riders of the Range, Eagle Cutaway centerfold, Luck of the Legion, Their Names Made Words, Strange Animal Adventures, Harris Tweed Extra Special Agent, Man of Courage begins. Plus text stories and articles. 10 1/2-in. x 13 1/2-in., 14 pages, B&W and full color.

Add to cart PR 0.5 $149.95 or Best Offer View scan Restored (see item notes) Interior is complete. Full length spine split. RESTORATION. Color touch, amateur piece fill, incorrect back cover married. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by humble cow

Cover by Alvin C. Hollingsworth. Edited by Sol Cohen. Art by Alvin C. Hollingsworth, Harry Lazarus, Charles Nicholas, George Roussos and Everett Raymond Kinstler. Tales of horror from the era just before the Comics Code was introduced. A couple takes refuge in a haunted house, where they learn about the hidden treasure and the mad ghost of Uncle Ezra; A scientists assistant murders him for his new super-grow plant formula, but learns too late that it makes things grow anywhere; Statues in a wax museum come to life, and one has revenge on its mind. Great if inexplicable cover by Alvin C. Hollingsworth. Only the Dead Live Here!; Green Grows the Grass; World Below the Ground; Phantom of the Waxworks!; Castle of Terror! 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart Good $20.00 View scans Water damage: Moderate. Staple rust: Moderate.

Whole number 139. 6 1/2-in. x 9 1/4-in., 224 pages, B&W. Cover price $0.20.

Add to cart Fine $165.00 View scans

Volume 9, Issue 3 - December, 1952. Vintage men's interest magazine full of adult humor comics and tasteful pin-up pictorials. 8.5" x 11.5", 54 pages, B&W. -MATURE CONTENT- Cover price $0.25.

Add to cart FN/VF 7.0 $42.00 View scans Paper: Cream to off white Water damage: Slight. Staple rust: Slight.

Add to cart Very Good $11.00 View scans Paper: Cream to off white Staple rust. Foxing. Soiling. Water damage.

Add to cart Very Good $17.00 View scans Paper: Cream to off white

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $10.00 View scans Paper: Cream to off white Front cover detached 10%. Back cover detached 10%. Water damage: Moderate. Staple rust: Slight.

In this issue, three wonderful classics: "Skullface" reprint by Robert E. Howard, "The Homecoming" a short story by Ray Bradbury, and Killdozer!" A short story by Theodore Sturgeon.

Volume 14, Issue 1 - December, 1952. Cover by Lawrence Stevens. "Skullface" by Robert E. Howard and "The Homecoming" by Ray Bradbury, plus other science fiction and fantasy reprints by Theodore Sturgeon and A. E. D. Smith. Illustrations by Virgil Finlay, Lawrence Stevens, Hannes Bok. 6.75" x 9", 116 pages, B&W. Cover price $0.25.

Add to cart Good $43.00

Cover by Henry Kiefer. Stories and art by Fran Matera, Allen Saunders, Elmer Woggon, Matt Christopher, and Rodlow Willard. The long-running series that introduced "comic books" to the world, featuring reprints of comic strips. Tom Terriss, perhaps the least famous of the Famous Funnies, explores the Mysterious Chateau. Dickie Dare and Dan help Captain John Henry locate the island where his wife was stranded. Classic PSAs on attending church and being active in the kids' school. Tom Terriss the Vagabond Adventurer; Dickie Dare; Steve Roper; Stone of Magic; The Best Automobile Sticker of 1952; Parents: Visit Your Schools; Scorchy Smith. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover art by Graham Ingels. "Buckshot McQueen - King of the Road Agents," art by Graham Ingels; A brief account of the life of Buckshot McQueen. "Jackpot Jesse - The Denver Decoy," art by BIll Fraccio; A gambler turns outlaw and becomes the target of bounty hunters. "The Last of the Comanches" text story; An indian kills two buffalo with one arrow. "The Clanton Gang - Tombstone's Last Outlaws" ; A story about one of the encounters between Wyatt Earp and the Clantons. "Keech Bassett - Dealer in Death," art by Henry C. Kiefer; A brief account of the life of Keech Bassett. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Nov-Dec 1952. Science fiction and fantasy stories by "Mickey Spillane" (ghost written by H. Browne. , Richard Matheson, Chad Oliver, Dean Evans, Cornell Woolrich, Ivor Jorgensen, Ralph Robin, John Jakes, E.M. Forster, and Edgar Allan Poe. Virgil Finlay illustration. Wraparound cover by Barye W. Phillips. 5.5-in. x 7.75-in.; black and white with some spot color; 160 newsprint pages. Cover price $0.35.

Add to cart Very Good $8.00 View scans Paper: Off white Spine stress. Corner Damage. Denting. Edge damage. Scuffing. Soiling. Water damage.	Add to cart Very Good $13.00 View scans Paper: Off white Water damage: Slight. Staple rust: Slight.	Add to cart VG- 3.5 $7.80 View scans Paper: Cream to off white Front cover detached 5%. Back cover detached 5%. Water damage: Moderate. Staple rust: Moderate.	Add to cart GD+ 2.5 $7.00 View scans Paper: Off white Front cover detached 40%. Back cover detached 40%. Water damage: Slight. Staple rust: Moderate.
Add to cart Good $7.00 View scans Paper: Off white Back cover detached 30%. Water damage: Extensive. Staple rust: Slight.

December 1952. Cover by Robert Gibson Jones. Stories include "Revenge of the Robots" by Lawrence Chandler, "Eye of Medusa" by Charles Creighton, "Make Way for Your Corpse" by Milton Lesser, "Hell Is Up Above" by Stuart Faulkner. Illustrations by Ed Emsler, William Slade, Gaylord Welker, and Nobu Shimotanka. 7-in. x 10.-in.; black and white; 130 newsprint pages. Cover price $0.25.

Published by Capitol Stories (Charlton Publications) - Bedsheet Format Cover price $0.25.

Volume 5 - Issue 9, December 1952. Pulp magazine devoted to exploring the paranormal. This issue the True Story of St. nicholas, the Rocks From Nowhere, and a World Famed Astronomer Sees Flying Saucer! Softcover, 5 1/2-in. x 7 1/2-in., 130 page, Text (with B&W Illustrations and Photos). Cover price $0.35.

Photo cover features Robert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor. Story by Leo Dorfman, from the screenplay by Aeneas MacKenzie, Noel Langley and Marguerite Roberts. Art by Pete Costanza and Kurt Schaffenberger. Fawcett presents adaptations of popular movies of the 1950s in comics form. This issue is based on Ivanhoe, a 1952 MGM adventure film based, in turn, on the Walter Scott novel. Returning to England after the Crusades, Ivanhoe romances Rowena and becomes involved in the uprising against evil Prince John. When the struggle against John's forces escalates into violence, no less a personage than Robin Hood himself appears to join Ivanhoe in the conflict. Plus photo stills from the film. Final issue of the series. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Otto Messmer. Stories and art by Otto Messmer, Joe Oriolo and A. W. Nugent. Comics adventures of the popular, long-running cartoon character; this series often featured art by the two men most associated with Felix, Otto Messmer and Joe Oriolo. Felix goes to the circus. Kokey Koala realizes he's not as young as he used to be. Perpetually jobless Joe Blow decides to get an early start. Dreamboat; Kokey Koala; T.V. or Not T.V.; Reddy Robin; Flub; Joe Blow; Play Fun. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Maurice Whitman. Edited by J. F. Byrne and Jerry Iger. Stories and art by Pete Riss, Dick Giordano, Jay Disbrow, Eugene Hughes, and Ray Osrin. A combat-themed anthology from Fiction House that featured early work from many future comics legends (often uncredited) in the Eisner-Iger Shop. A soldier is assigned to rescue the guerrilla commander that he loves from Korean forces; Madam Zero seeks biological weapons in her final adventure; The life of David Farragut, the Civil War admiral who said "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" The Price of a Prisoner; Madam Zero; The Rivals; In Time of Need; Famous Fighters; Rip Carson. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Matt Baker. Stories and art by Gene Colan and others. Charlton's long-running series focused on the miliary exploits of the US Marines throughout the 20th century. In Korea, Leatherneck Jack and Monte must rescue two Allied soldiers after their plane is shot down over enemy lines, in a story with early art by future Marvel legend Gene Colan. Knowing he is soon to be transferred to a desk job, Sgt. Gale elects to make his last stand on a Korean battlefield. The other Marines hate Davey's guitar playing, until it proves to turn the tide when they are trapped on the battlefield. Cover by good-girl art legend Matt Baker. Leatherneck Jack: Danger Patrol; Tripoli Shores: Rapid-Fire Eviction; One-Man Army; Just an Old Leatherneck; Quips and Queries; Gag Bag; Davey's Guitar! 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Stories and art by Mike Roy, Sam Burlockoff, Jack Sparling, George Crenshaw and Art Helfant. Military comedy from Toby Press featuring ne'er-do-well US Marines Quigley and Beals. Quigley and Beals volunteer for corpsmen (medic) duty, so they can protect (and fight over) a curvaceous war correspondent. Q. and B. are assigned to guard a experimental rocket for the Navy. Plus a selection of one-page good-girl art pin-ups from various unsigned artists. Errand of Mercy; Flight of Fancy; King of Hearts; Battle Song; Gil's Gals. Final issue of the series. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Art by Louis Ravielli, Norman Nodel, Vincent Alascia and Rafael Astarita. Cover by Everett Raymond Kinstler. Tales of the U.S. Navys Underwater Demolition Team, popularly known as the frogmen. The frogmen race against their Communist counterparts to retrieve documents from a submerged plane wreck. Jim Hansen seeks the deadly spy known only as The Black Shark. Also featuring another great contents page illustrated by Louis Ravielli on the inside front cover. Operation Salvage; Killer Dark; Dawn Attack; Destroy Target X; The Black Shark. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Stories by John Mitchell, credited as John Starr. Art by Sam Savitt and Bob Lubbers. Cover by Maurice Whitman. Adventures of the Western hero, a white woman raised by the Dakota tribe. It appears the ghosts of Spanish conquistadores have returned, but Firehair suspects a trick; Tex Rainger and Jackie help a woman get her father's gold mine back; Firehair tries to prove a Dakota was framed for the robbery of the Yuma Bank. Wolves of the Overland Trail; The Half Buck Kid; Firehair; Tex Rainger. Final issue of the series; Firehair's adventures continued Rangers Comics (1941) #65. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

36 Pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG+ 4.5 $29.00 View scan	Add to cart Very Good $26.00 View scans	Add to cart Very Good $26.00 View scans Corner Damage. Creasing. Denting. Foxing. Scuffing. Soiling.	Add to cart Good $25.00 View scans Spine split from top of comic. Spine split from base of comic. Corner Damage. Creasing. Denting. Soiling. Water damage. Foxing.
Add to cart $72.00 View scans Foxing. Spine stress.

Volume 5, Issue 6 - December, 1952. Peter Driben painted cover. Vintage men's interest magazine full of pin-ups and glamour photos paired with humorous text stories and adult comic strips. 8" x 11.5", 54 pages, B&W. -MATURE CONTENT- Cover price $0.25.

Volume 2, Issue 12 - December 1952. Men's interest magazine featuring Athletes, True Crime, Starlets, and Pin-ups. 4-in. x 6-in., 64 pages, B&W Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart FN- 5.5 $130.00 View scans

Add to cart GD 2.0 $53.00 View scan Centerfold detached at one staple.

Cover by Ken Bald. Edited by Richard E. Hughes. Art by King Ward, Charles Nicholas and Jon Blummer. An anthology series featuring tales of fantasy, horror, and science fiction from legendary early independent comics publisher ACG. The strange story of a ghost army at the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican-American War; The genie released from an ancient box sets out to fulfill his thousand-year-old promise to destroy humankind; Honeymooners discover that the executed witches of Salem have left behind a fearsome curse. The Chest of Death; True Ghost Armies; The Haitian Puppet; Were-Spiders Doom; The Tomb of the Unseen; The Witch's Curse. 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Indicia title is "Walter Lantz WOODY WOODPECKER, No. 364." Cover art by Dan Gormley. Woody Woodpecker and the Man from Mars, pencils by Dick Hall, inks by Irene Little; After seeing a fiery meteor flash across the sky, Woody dreams that he and Tackhammer are kidnapped and taken to Mars. Woody's Ski Trip, pencils by Dick Hall, inks by Irene Little; Woody tricks his neighbor Tackhammer into taking him along on a vacation at a ski lodge. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Indicia title is "THE BROWNIES, No. 365." Cover art by Don Gunn. The Brownies Go to Town; Farmer Brown is going to town and the Brownies hitch a ride in the back of his pickup truck; In town they befriend a cat who gives them a ride back to the farm. The Brownies Rescue the Chubbies; While the Brownies are fishing, a "chubby" fish leaps out to the water to escape a muskie. The Brownies Have a Surprise; The Brownies find a charm bracelet; Later they are visited by Brownies who live near Mrs. Chipmunk's house. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Ralph Heimdahl. Stories by Don R. Christensen and various. Art by Tony Strobl, Phil de Lara, Fred Abranz and John Carey. Featuring the tales "Uncle Buckskin Comes to Town," "Gobble-Gobble Land" and "[Singing telegrams]," plus additional stories on the inside front and inside back covers, as well as the back cover. Starring Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Buckskin (Buck) Bunny (uncle of Bugs Bunny), Elmer Fudd and Petunia Pig! 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG+ 4.5 $77.00 View scans Water spotting.

Indicia title is "Edgar Rice Burroughs' JOHN CARTER OF MARS, No. 437." Cover art by Jesse Marsh. The Black Pirates of Omean, art by Jesse Marsh; After ten years away from Mars, John Carter is finally able to return and finds himself in the Valley Dor, where every Martian comes at the end of life; When savage plant men attack three Tharks. John is able to save one, who coincidently is an old friend, Tars Tarkas; John and Tars escape the plant men through a passage that leads them into the city of the Therns; There they rescue a slave girl, Thuvia, and learn the Therns are being raided by the Black Pirates of Omean, who have captured Dejah Thoris, John's wife on Barsoom; John takes over a pirate cruiser where Phaidor, the princess of Thern is held; After John defeats the pirate captain Xodar, the three go to the Temple of Issus deep under the South Pole of Mars. Illustration of John Carter and Dejah Thoris on back cover by Marsh. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.