BEWARE #11 * 3.5 * Pulling a FASS One * Pre-Code

Heading:
Author:
Title: BEWARE No. 11
Place Published:
Publisher:Trojan [Indicia: Trojan Magazines, Inc.]
Date Published: September, 1954
Description:

VG- (3.5). Small chips along bottom edge of front cover at corner, staples a bit pulled, small color rub near 2nd "E" in "BEWARE," small paper losses at top spine (insect chew?). White to off-white pages. Cover: Myron Fass. Art: Art Gates, Marty Elkin?, Leo Morey, Jay Disbrow. GPAnalysis: A 3.5 sold for $552 in November 2021.

Myron Fass caricatured himself on this mag's cover as a horror comics artist being menaced by the terrors he's conjured from his imagination. Fass is said to have been a crude, exploitative and paranoid character, who eventually started carrying a gun everywhere, even to the office, fearful of unseen enemies. Fass's depiction of himself as a frenzied victim of his own fancies — "NO! NO! You are not real! I only drew you from my imagination. Go away!" — hints at the demons that would eventually overwhelm his psyche.

Under the covers, there's a weird yarn in which a mad scientist concocts a reanimating serum from the blood of murdered hoboes: "A man uses the blood and fluids of bums to make an embalming solution that makes corpses seem alive and in the peak of health." — William Schoell, The Horror Comics: Fiends, Freaks and Fantastic Creatures, 1940s-1980s. McFarland: 2014, p. 133.

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.