MARVEL TALES #94 * CGC 2.5 * Satan's Spectacles

Heading:
Author:
Title: MARVEL TALES No. 94
Place Published:
Publisher:Atlas [Indicia: Marvel Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: November, 1949
Description:

CGC certified: Good+ (2.5). Off-white pages. Cover: Possible Sol Brodsky pencils and Bill Everett inks. Art: Bill Everett, Dick Briefer, Gene Colan. GPAnalysis: A 2.5 sold for $237 in 2019. Only one reported sale since 2019.

One of Atlas's first horror comics, debuting on newsstands at about the same as EC's Crypt of Terror. Bill Everett's story, "Spectacles of Doom," features a lowlife lothario who gets new eyeglasses from Satan himself (what could go wrong?). The satanic specs make hags look like hotties and hotties look like hags, resulting in an epic case of wedding night jitters.

Speaking of satanic specs, not many comic fans realize that the X-Ray Specs advertised in zillions of old funnybooks have a history more appalling than any pre-Code horror mag. Along with Sea Monkeys, X-Ray Specs were the brainchild of Herbert von Braunhut, a penny-ante inventor with ties to neo-Nazi organizations. Braunhut is said to have used earnings from his inventions to supply guns to a branch of the KKK, and he was a regular presence at Aryan Brotherhood meetings. Despite being Jewish by birth, Braunhut repudiated his origins, adding the Teutonic-sounding "von" to his name as a sort of disguise. See "The Sea Monkeys and the White Supremacist," Los Angeles Times, October 1, 2000.

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.