MARVEL TALES #135 * CGC 4.5 * Post-Code Perils

Heading:
Author:
Title: MARVEL TALES No. 135
Place Published:
Publisher:Atlas [Indicia: Marvel Comics Inc.]
Date Published: June, 1955
Description:

CGC certified: VG+ (4.5). Off-white to white pages. Cover: Sol Brodsky (Carl Burgos inks?). No script credits. Art: Mort Drucker, Dick Ayres, Ed Winiarski, John Tartaglione. GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 6.0 copy sold for $190 in January 2021.

What the "L"? The newly-minted stamp of the censorious Comics Code Authority nearly obliterates the "L" in "Marvel." Meanwhile, a newshound tells his dictaphone that all is well in the world, while outside his window a sea serpent "rocks the boat" of post-Code complacency. Having deep-sixed the scourge of horror comics, Americans may have anticipated a period of domestic tranquility.

Atlas's rival EC mocked these hopes in a sarcastic editorial published several months earlier: "With comic magazine censorship now a fact, we at E.C. look forward to an immediate drop in the crime and juvenile delinquency rate of the United States. We trust there will be fewer robberies, fewer murders, and fewer rapes!" No such luck — despite the Comics Code cleanup, American crime rates continued to rise until they began declining in the 1980s (ironically, just in time for another moral panic, this time relating to the violent and sexual content of rock, pop and rap songs and videos). EC fan Billy Idol's response to critics conveyed an indignation familiar to any Fan-Addict: "People give me hell about it — they say my videos are full of violence and sex. Well, the whole world is! I don't know what world they're living in — I'm living in the real one."

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.