HAUNTED THRILLS 5 * CGC 2.5 * Fatal SCALPEL * Classic

Heading:
Author:
Title: HAUNTED THRILLS No. 5
Place Published:
Publisher:Ajax-Farrell [Indicia: Farrell Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: January, 1953
Description:

CGC certified: Good+ (2.5). Off-white to white pages. Cover, scripts and art provided by the Iger Studio. Ruth Roche, editor. Overstreet: "Classic skull cover." GPAnalysis: A 2.5 sold for $189 in April 2017. More recently, a 1.5 sold for $408 in July 2020 and a 3.0 sold for $1320 in October 2020.

This mag represents a rare instance in which a classic cover is overshadowed by an interior illustration. "Fatal Scalpel" is notorious amongst pre-Code cognoscenti for its over-the-top splash panel, depicting a demented doctor about to carve a woman's face to ribbons with his surgical steel blade. The image rivals the covers of Mister Mystery #12 (hot-poker-to-eyeball) and Crime Does Not Pay #24 (lady's-head-set-on-fire) for sheer transgressive verve.

"[Haunted Thrills] #5, in addition to a superb cover depicting a giant skull with ghouls emerging from its cavities, contains... the especially noteworthy Fatal Scalpel. This vicious tale is about a drunken plastic surgeon who finally gets his more-than-just desserts for botching operations!" — George Suarez, Tales To Terrible To Tell #4. NEC: 1991-92: pp. 27-28.

A limited edition of 150 softcover and 15 hardcover catalogues is available. 400 lots, fully illustrated. Fun reference, great keepsake. Softcover $30, deluxe hardcover with dust jacket and limitation plate $200. Ten of the 15 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 December 2021 Comic Book sale. Top prices for Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age, Silver Age, original art and ephemera. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com.