ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #13 * 3.5 * Cannibal Killer *

Heading:
Author:
Title: ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS No. 13
Place Published:
Publisher:Standard [Indicia: Visual Editions, Inc.]
Date Published: March, 1954
Description:

VG- (3.5). Tape inside front cover at top staple, top staple replaced, some color nicks to spine and right edge, small rubbed spot to skull of skeleton on the left. Flat, clean, super glossy — if not for tape and staple replacement, would grade 5.0 Cream to off-white pages. Cover: Mike Sekowsky? Art: Mike Sekowsky, Gene Fawcette, Jack Sparling. Overstreet: "Cannibalism story cited by T.E. Murphy articles." CGC Census: Ten graded copies. GPAnalysis: No recorded sales in any grade. PBA sold an incomplete, raw .5 copy for $120 in October 2021.

"Standard breaks another horror comic taboo in 'Feast of the Ghouls' in the penultimate ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS, issue #13. Dennis Meadows is a London gourmet who has tasted every food in the world. He's sick of everything [until] he discovers a particularly new and exotic delicacy.... This cannibalism story... is about as extreme as Standard gets." — George Suarez, Tales To Terrible To Tell #7. 1992-93, p. 36.

Anti-comics editorialist T.E. Murphy found this mag's cannibalism story hard to swallow: "One cannot emphasize too strongly in these comics the role of cannibalism — the most deeply rooted of all human taboos. When we cannot be appalled by cannibalism, spelled out to the last bloody detail, what can shock us? ...The prize goes to a crime comic called 'The Feast of the Ghouls.' This concerns a man who, while he neither eats nor drinks during the day, grows fatter and more porcine all the time as a result of his nocturnal activity. Periodically the police are dismayed to find human bodies partially eaten as though by a wild animal." — T.E. Murphy, "For the Kiddies to Read," Reader's Digest, June 1954.

A deluxe limited edition of 12 hardcover catalogues is available, in addition to a small number of softcovers. 400 lots, fully illustrated. Fun reference, great keepsake. Softcover $40, deluxe hardcover with dust jacket and limitation plate $200. Eight of the 12 hardcovers are pre-ordered and the rest will go quickly, so reserve yours now. To order, contact ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Consignments welcome for PBA's Spring 2022 Comic Book sale. Top prices for Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age, Silver Age, original art and ephemera. Find out why PBA is the new fan-fave of comics auctioneers. "This is some of the best commentary I've yet seen on the quality of the content of comic books... Priceless." — R. Crumb. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com.