A $3,000 COPY OF CREEPY NO. 1

Who would have believed it? My 35 cents got plunked down on the drug store counter back in 1964 for a copy of Creepy #1. This was some comic! Every story had a "shock" ending and was illustrated by guys that I knew were masters, even if I was a dedicated Kirby/Ditko/Romita kid at the time.

Suddenly, fifty years later appears a copy, nearly as pristine as the first day it was sold. Only this time it's sealed in a plastic clam shell case, never to be opened, like some Pharaoh's tomb. Well, if it is, it won't crumble to dust like Kharis, but it will certainly plummet in value. Forget the Kool-Aid, somebody must have knocked back the brew of all 9 tana leaves when the hammer dropped on their $2,990 bid back on May 2005. Despite the inflated value, Creepy #1 stands the test of time as the "First Magazine of Illustrated Horror"!

Here is the description that accompanies the lot: 

Creepy #1 Pacific Coast pedigree (Warren, 1964) CGC NM+ 9.6 Off-white pages. Warren Publishing's concept for its first full-length horror comic magazine was to fill its pages with the work of the best artists available. And hardly anyone would dispute that the goal was accomplished -- not only does the issue have what is believed to be the last comic book story Frank Frazetta ever produced, it has the work of Joe Orlando, Al Williamson, Reed Crandall, Angelo Torres, and Gray Morrow. Reportedly, Jack Davis was chosen to illustrate the first issue's cover to "soften the blow" a bit with a lighthearted image -- soon thereafter, more horrific covers ruled the day. This debut issue is also the first appearance of host character Uncle Creepy. This pedigree copy is the only 9.6, and the highest-graded copy overall, that CGC has certified for this issue to date. Overstreet 2005 NM- 9.2 value = $160. CGC census 1/05: 1 in 9.6, none higher. From the collection of Chris Bell.

CHARLTON'S MINI MONSTER EMPIRE

I have referred to the 20 or so issues of monster magazines produced by Charlton Publications in the early to mid 1960s as having a "rough charm". Over several decades, Charlton cranked out hundreds of comic book and magazine titles, among them two that are instantly recognizable by Monster Kids and other Monsterologists, MAD MONSTERS and HORROR MONSTERS.

Subsisting on a steady diet of publicity stills from AIP and Allied Artists, these two titles lasted for 10 issues each before either sales tanked or Charlton thought the Monster Craze was over and anticipated sales tanking.

The Lewis Wayne Gallery has put up for sale a group of Charlton monster magazines that have been CGC-slabbed (see my comments about this practice in yesterday's blog) and served up for consumption by any collector with a few bucks to spare. These are going for  $50 to $60 apiece, so they haven't quite reached the heights of collectability that some monster 'zines have.

Still, I like them. Always have since the days that I was a towheaded kid running across the street to my neighbor's house where we spent hours in his garage, pouring over his latest haul from the local liquor store magazine rack. Like the magazine that they were constantly trying to emulate, they weren't high art, but, dammit, they were fun!

MONSTERS ON A SLAB

Years after the last issue came off the printing press, Jim Warren's line of monster magazines remain a persistent presence on the collector's market. Last month, Heritage Auctions listed the titles shown here in one of their weekly sales.

A little irritating for people still interested in actually reading these things is the new normal of "look but don't touch", as they find a lot of higher grade copies are "slabbed" in a clear clam shell case. Conspiracy theorists will delight in the thought that slabbing collectibles is only an excuse to justify extreme prices. "Slabbers" like the CGC will tell you that its the only thing protecting your valuable pulp paper investment from the ravages of time.

In any case, it's nice to see that our favorite monster 'zines are still thought of as something -- at least, to have and to hold -- albeit separated by a thin sheet of plastic.

LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT PHOTOPLAY EDITION

Although the term was most likely coined, or at the least popularized for the genre by Forrest J Ackerman, the first monster movie "filmbooks" were not found in FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. Instead, literally thousands of hardbacks consisting of movie novelizations called PHOTOPLAY EDITIONS were published beginning circa 1912 and lasting through the 1930s.

The books, published by numerous imprints such as Grosset & Dunlap in the States and Reader's Library in the UK, were marketed and sold as movie tie-ins, usually to coincide with the film's release. Each contained a novel-length text story and included scene stills and production photographs to add to the "cinematic" experience. Not surprising, the most sought after editions are the ones that feature monster movies, such as DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, and, like pictured below, the lost Lon Chaney Sr. LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT.

It's hard to say whether or not that FAMOUS MONSTERS' very popular filmbooks were inspired from the PHOTOPLAY EDITIONS, but they bear a striking resemblance, despite their shorter form when compared to the novel-length versions.

The copy shown here is currently for sale on eBay for $575.

"[PHOTOPLAY EDITIONS]. RASK, MARIE COOLIDGE. London After Midnight. Illustrated with Scenes from the Motion Picture. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1928. First Edition. Photoplay edition, an original novel written and issued to coincide with the release of the silent Tod Browning directed film starring Lon Chaney Senior in the first American vampire film. London After Midnight is the most famous of all “lost films” - films which there is no known surviving print. Illustrated with photographs showing Chaney in his striking makeup and vampire costume. 8 illustrations. Some staining and aging to the original cloth, a very good copy in an excellent facsimile dust jacket."

 

KARLOFF/LUGOSI HOLLYWOOD STAMP BOOK

Up for auction a couple of years ago was a "Screen Stars Stamp Album" from 1947. At one time, stamp albums were very popular as a hobby. So popular, in fact, that even shrewd marketing moguls designed campaigns around stamp collecting with promotional gimmicks like "Blue Chip" and "S&H Green" stamps that were used to trade in for goods at particular supermarkets of the day. The album contains a few stars of interest to monster fans. albeit heavily caricatured as to be almost unrecognizable without the label.

Winning bid: $1,391.50.

 
"10.5x13" with 40 pages ©1947 Harlich Mfg. Co. and approved by the National Poster Stamp Society. Embossed cream cardboard covers with string binding has center illustration designed like a stamp with facsimile signatures around margins including Jimmy Stewart, Frank Sinatra, Roy Rogers, Bob Hope, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, Betty Grable, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, and more. Inside front cover has text for "Hollywood Starstamp Collectors" along with numbering system. A total of 25 packets were available to complete the series of 474 star stamps. Each of the numbered pages has a print design and text, most with facsimile signature of the appropriate star. Pages are divided into various series and include Starland, Star Quiz, Spotlight,Shootin' Star, Younger Set, Junior Set, Stage & Screen, Poster, Symphony of Stars, Stars of Note, International, and Academy Awards.Everyone and anyone who was involved in the movies or Hollywood appears to be represented here. Some of the myriad of stars include Raymond Massey as Abraham Lincoln, Spencer Tracy as Thomas Edison, Don Ameche as Alexander Graham Bell, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Henry Fonda, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Clark Gable, Robert Mitchum, Van Johnson, Alan Ladd, Burt Lancaster, Vincent Price, Ronald Reagan, Cesar Romero, Orson Welles, John Wayne, Robert Young, Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, Rosalyn Russell, Greer Garson, Merle Oberon, Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, Joe Kirkwood Jr. as Joe Palooka, The Andrews Sisters, Smiley Burnette, Trigger, Lassie, Gene Autry, William Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy), Johnny Mack-Brown, Gabby Hayes, Tim Holt, Allen Lane, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, Janet Leigh, Audie Murphy, Bobby Blake, Natalie Wood, Mickey Rooney, Shirley Temple, Roddy McDowell, Jackie Cooper, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Katharine Hepburn, Burgess Merideth, Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, Dorothy Lamour, Ginger Rogers, Yvonne DeCarlo, Jane Russell, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Xavier Cougat, Judy Garland, Jane Powell, Alice Faye and several stamps featuring star illustrations on face cards as if from a deck of cards. Included are: Boris Karloff (illustrated as Frankenstein), Bela Lugosi (as Dracula), Edward G. Robinson, Joe E. Brown, Jimmy Durante, Laurel & Hardy, Phil Silvers, Jack Benny, Harpo, Groucho and Chico Marx, Bob Hope, Eddie Cantor, Abbott & Costello and Harold Lloyd. An international series of stars from all over the world includes: Desi Arnaz, Glenn Ford, Sonja Henie, James Mason, Peter Lawford and Maureen O'Hara. Also included are Charlie Chaplin, Frank Sinatra, Laurence Olivier, Edgar Bergen, Wallace Beery, Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper, Hattie McDaniel (Gone With The Wind). Series included American Historical Characters, Star Land Series, World Famous Women, Star Quiz, Movie Quiz, Shootin’ Stars, Spotlight Series, New Faces In The Hollywood Spotlight/Stars Of Tomorrow, Younger Set, Junior Set, Stage & Screen Series, Hollywood Screen Stars, Poster Series, Symphony Of Stars, Maestros of the Movies, Stars of Note, Star Deck Series, International Series, Academy Award Series representing award winners of 1929-1946.

Center of front cover has a few lt. scuffs and faint moisture marks. Light bumps at corner tips. Inside pages are lightly but evenly tanned and upper top edge margin at right is missing a few small bits of paper in 2" area. Album is Fine overall with complete set of Exc. stamps. High quality with nice printing and wonderful images."

And here's something a little extra . . . 

 

CHECK PLEASE, MR. SERLING

Memorabilia collectors will go to great lengths to own the tiniest pieces from their favorite actor or actress's life. Seeming insignificant minutiae to the layman can be a veritable Holy Grail to a collector.

Case in point: offered by an auction house in 2011 was a signed check by Rod Serling. The Bank of America (San Vicente, Los Angeles branch) check, dated 7 JANUARY 1967, is made out to General Telephone Co. in the amount of $271.22 and clearly signed by Mr. Serling.

The auction closed with the item selling for $369.00, a bit more than the original amount of the check. Equally interesting to me is how much Serling's phone bill was. At almost $300 for a single month, that is a hefty sum in those days, making it quite obvious he spent a lot of time on phone calls to New York and other places afar.

MARS ATTACKS WALL STREET!

I was surprised to see a paper like THE WALL STREET JOURNAL run a spot on the MARS ATTACKS trading cards in yesterday's edition. What would be of interest about a series of kid's trading cards to a so-called "One-percenter", anyway?

I wasn't sure until I read that a mint set of the original series of the these cards goes for $25,000!

THE COLLECTO'RS WEB: FREEZE YOUR COOL!

The poster and collectible art found at Wolfgang's Vault online store is impressive. Among the movie posters for sale is a 22" x 28" serigraph of a modern showing of the 1927 PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, starring the greatest mon-star of all time, Lon Chaney, Sr.

The poster was created for a 40th Anniversary showing on October 27, 1967 at Old Dominion College in Norfolk, VA. Also on the bill was Buster Keaton's HAUNTED HOUSE.

In typical 60's fashion, the image is patterned after the poster art that was very popular during the Art Nouveau period of the 1890's. It is probably the only time Mary Philbin has ever been depicted topless in this (or any other) role.

This rare poster is selling for $1,115.00.

From Wolfgang's Vault: "Serigraphs are produced by applying layer after layer of ink on to the paper, one color at a time, until the piece is finished. The finished print is more brilliant in color and requires a much higher degree of work by the artist and the printer than do offset reproductions. The result is artwork of exceptional quality."

BUSTER KEATON IN "HAUNTED HOUSE"

RARE "CREATURE" NOVEL TO BE REPRINTED



The Bob Eggleton cover for the reprint
TPB edition from Dreamhaven Books.

 It is not uncommon to see novelizations of movies based on original stories appear around the time of their release. Nevertheless, it's hard to believe that back around 1954, there was even one published for THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. Oddly enough, only printed in Great Britain by Dragon Publications, London, the book today is so rare (extremely scarce according to other bibliophiles) that you will find it difficult to see one of the few offered for sale for under $2,000. The price goes up from there, to the current highest-paid price of $6,600!

Written by "Vargo Statten", this was the pen name of one John Russell Fearn (1908 - 1960), a British author who, writing under a number of pseudonyms, is commonly attributed the distinction of fueling the fire of science-fiction and pulp story popularity throughout England. He was also one of the first British writers to have his stories printed in the American pulps of the day.

According to WIKI, "Fearn was a prolific writer who wrote Westerns and crime fiction as well as science fiction. His writing appeared under numerous pseudonyms. He wrote series like Adam Quirke, Clayton Drew, Golden Amazon, and Herbert. At times these drew on the pulp traditions of Edgar Rice Burroughs. His work received praise for its vividness, but criticism, being deemed "unpolished"."

A view of the hardbound edition's spine.

As an attestation of the book's "pulp worthiness", the following is copy written on the hardback edition book jacket flap:

“This amazing story is based on the film of the same title by permission of Universal International Pictures.

This startling book is a masterpiece of tension and excitement. Innocence is at peril and a beast is at large . . . 

Simply fascinating from the beginning to the end.”


An example of the paperbound edition.



The 176-page book was released in both hardbound and paperbound editions. The hardbound copies obviously demand higher prices, and conditions run mostly in the "Good" range. After all, these were the popular novels of the day, and it's amazing that even a few are left in any condition.

It seems at least one became available for Dreamhaven Books in Minneapolis, Minnesota, because they are reprinting it in a new, trade paperback edition! Lucky for us, the much more affordable $20 book is due to go on sale next month.




From Amazon UK




From Amazon UK




From Amazon UK




Christi's Auction Copy



James Cahill Rare Books copy.



L.W. Currey, Inc. copy.




News item from Dreamhaven Books.




Dreamhaven Books title description.