ALL-FAMOUS CRIME #4 * 3.0 * L.B. Cole Cover * Lesson of

Heading:
Author:
Title: ALL-FAMOUS CRIME No. 4 [1st Issue]
Place Published:
Publisher:Star [Indicia: Star Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: February, 1952
Description:

G/VG (3.0). Spine roll, small nick at spine crown, staple rust with a touch of rust migration to cover and centerfold, top edge of front cover faded, rubbing to skyscrapers on right of front cover, creased nick to bottom right corner of front cover, large dampspot to back cover not affecting pages, rubberstamped distributor's mark ("A DEC 26") to "M" in "CRIME." Cream to off-white pages. Cover: L.B. Cole. Art: Art Gates, Jay Disbrow, uncredited others. GPAnalysis: Only two reported sales in any grade. A 3.0 sold for $145 in June 2020.

An underappreciated effort by pre-Code cover king L.B. Cole, featuring cops blasting bank bandits with hot lead. One doomed bandit spouts a censored expletive ("The dirty @x!!#"), an open invitation for kids to supply their own cuss words. Cole used color as an integral part of his compositions (he called this his "poster effect"); note how the yellow bands in the sky echo the curved yellow steps of the bank and the wide yellow band of the road, creating an almost hallucinatory effect.

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.