HORRIFIC #6 * 4.0 * Bowling Ball of DOOM * Slut-Shaming
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Author:
Title: HORRIFIC No. 6
Place Published:
Publisher:Comic Media [Indicia: Harwell Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: July, 1953
Description:
VG (4.0). Light spine stress, ¼" split at top spine, shallow chip to front cover near base of spine, bottom staple slightly pulled. Off-white pages, edges cream. Nice copy; if not for the small chip would be 5.0 or better. Cover: Don Heck. Art: Marty Elkin, Alberta Tewks, Don Heck (one page). GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 3.5 sold for $405 in August 2020; a 4.5 sold for $514 in August 2021.
In Marty Elkin's "Night Owl," a housewife leaves her hubby and kids alone night after night to pursue her bowling obsession. Her disgruntled hubby, fed up with frozen dinners, chops off her head and uses it as a bowling ball. The "human head bowling ball" motif was used at least two other times in pre-Code horror mags: see "How Green Was My Alley" (Tales from the Crypt #36) and "The Hunter and the Hunted" (Mysterious Adventures #15). Strangely enough, all three stories were published within a month of each other, suggesting serendipity rather than swiping.
Meanwhile, in Alberta Tewks's "Death," an actor impersonates his brother in order to bang his bro's babe. When she finds out the truth, he slut shames her: "Stop snivelling, you little tramp! Be glad I bothered with you at all!" Ms. Tewks got her start lettering for Timely before becoming a reliable penciler of romance and horror stories for several pre-Code publishers. She signed her name as "Al Tewks" or just "Tewks" in order to conceal her gender in a male-dominated industry. Curiously, a surprising number of her stories feature violent and unsavory sexual scenarios: "Alberta's art is solid, if unremarkable. But I'm fascinated by the aura of extreme violence I found in the romance stories she did... [two of which] deal explicitly with rape." — "Cartoonists Make Better Lovers," Destination Nightmare blog, November 15, 2013.
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.
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Heading:
Author:
Title: HORRIFIC No. 6
Place Published:
Publisher:Comic Media [Indicia: Harwell Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: July, 1953
Description:
VG (4.0). Light spine stress, ¼" split at top spine, shallow chip to front cover near base of spine, bottom staple slightly pulled. Off-white pages, edges cream. Nice copy; if not for the small chip would be 5.0 or better. Cover: Don Heck. Art: Marty Elkin, Alberta Tewks, Don Heck (one page). GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 3.5 sold for $405 in August 2020; a 4.5 sold for $514 in August 2021.
In Marty Elkin's "Night Owl," a housewife leaves her hubby and kids alone night after night to pursue her bowling obsession. Her disgruntled hubby, fed up with frozen dinners, chops off her head and uses it as a bowling ball. The "human head bowling ball" motif was used at least two other times in pre-Code horror mags: see "How Green Was My Alley" (Tales from the Crypt #36) and "The Hunter and the Hunted" (Mysterious Adventures #15). Strangely enough, all three stories were published within a month of each other, suggesting serendipity rather than swiping.
Meanwhile, in Alberta Tewks's "Death," an actor impersonates his brother in order to bang his bro's babe. When she finds out the truth, he slut shames her: "Stop snivelling, you little tramp! Be glad I bothered with you at all!" Ms. Tewks got her start lettering for Timely before becoming a reliable penciler of romance and horror stories for several pre-Code publishers. She signed her name as "Al Tewks" or just "Tewks" in order to conceal her gender in a male-dominated industry. Curiously, a surprising number of her stories feature violent and unsavory sexual scenarios: "Alberta's art is solid, if unremarkable. But I'm fascinated by the aura of extreme violence I found in the romance stories she did... [two of which] deal explicitly with rape." — "Cartoonists Make Better Lovers," Destination Nightmare blog, November 15, 2013.
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.
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