BEWARE TERROR TALES #3 * 4.0 * The Riddle of Jokerface

Author:
Title: BEWARE TERROR TALES No. 3
Place Published:
Publisher:Fawcett [Indicia: Fawcett Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: September, 1952
Description: VG (4.0). Mild spine stress, miswrap with excess white at spine, a few nicks and fine edge creases, corners soft, small dampstains to top and bottom edges of covers, distributor's rubberstamp ("JUN 11 1952") to the big yellow moon. Cream to light tan pages.

Credits: Cover: Bernard Baily. Art: Shelly Moldoff, Bob McCarty, "Jokerface."

GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 3.5 sold for $137 in 1/23; a 4.5 sold for $285 in 3/23. PBA sold a raw 4.0 for $156 in 2/22.The Riddle of Jokerface: One yarn in this mag is drawn by an enigmatic hack known only as "Jokerface." Jokerface drew a scant four stories for various Fawcett titles before vanishing into the void. Was he a slumming up-and-comer paying dues while trying to break into the commercial arts, using a pseudonym to shield his rep from the stigma of comics? A rummy earning booze bread for his next bender? An office boy pressed into service to help meet deadlines? It's said that in the pre-Code comics biz, pretty much any slob who could hold a brush could hustle an art gig: "You could be a genius, you could be a nobody, a little kid from Brooklyn like me, or some kind of nut. The doors were open to any and all." – Joe Kubert, quoted in David Hadju's The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America. FSG: 2008, p. 22.______________________________________________________________

A limited edition of ten hardcover catalogues is available, in addition to a few dozen softcovers. Fun reference, great keepsake, fully illustrated, chockablock with obscure facts, gags, bon mots. Softcovers are $40, deluxe hardcovers with dust jackets and limitation plates are $200. These books always go fast so don't delay. To order, contact ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Consignments welcome for PBA's Summer 2024 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 funnybook fiends. "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.

Coming Soon: The DC Universe Collection Part 3: The Golden Age (August 2024) and Weird Tales and Amazing Stories: The PBA Pulp Sale (September 2024). Contact ivan@pbagalleries.com to get on the notifications list.