Heading:
Author:
Title: MAD No. 1
Place Published:
Publisher:EC [Indicia: Educational Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: October-November, 1952
Description:

CGC certified: VF- (7.5). Off-white to white pages. Cover: Harvey Kurtzman. Scripts: H. Kurtzman. Art: Will Elder, Wally Wood, Jack Davis, H. Kurtzman, John Severin. GPAnalysis: A 7.5 sold for $3699 in February 2021.

Potrezebie is the Mother of Invention: Harvey Kurtzman was miffed that Al Feldstein made lots more loot than he did, despite the grueling effort Kurtzman put into writing and editing his two EC mags, compared to Feldstein's relative ease at cranking out stories for the seven titles he edited. Bill Gaines suggested a money-making solution: EC would launch a new title for Kurtzman to edit, thus boosting his pay by 50%. The result was sheer MADness.

"Kurtzman came back with a proposal for a satire magazine, one that would lampoon the comics themselves.... Kurtzman brought his small crew of artists, with whom he had been working on his war titles for a year and a half, to the project.... The look and writing were wild, a combination of the outrageousness and violence of Tex Avery's animated cartoons with the polyethnic dialogue and logic of George Herriman's Krazy Kat." — Maria Reidelbach, Completely MAD: A History of the Comic Book and Magazine. Little, Brown: 1991, pp. 20-21.

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 [email protected].

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 [email protected].

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We have a full service shipping department to ensure proper packing and safe delivery of purchases at reasonable cost. We are specialists at packing and shipping books and works on paper. All lots purchased by the same client are combined for shipping in order to keep the cost as economical as possible. Our preferred method for domestic shipments is UPS Ground but we can also ship via FedEx or USPS. For international orders we select the most appropriate carrier depending on the value and weight of the items purchased. We are happy to accommodate special arrangements by request.

Invoices are sent out the day following the auction and include a $10 handling fee plus actual shipping and insurance charges.

Shipping estimates can be obtained directly from the lot details page for each item or by contacting William Taylor at [email protected] prior to the auction.

by PBA Galleries Auctions & Appraisers
October 28, 2021 11:00 AM PDT
605 Addison St
Berkeley, CA, US 94710

PBA Galleries Auctions & Appraisers

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000