Heading:
Author:
Title: MODERN LOVE No. 1
Place Published:
Publisher:EC [Indicia: Tiny Tot Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: June-July, 1949
Description:

CGC certified: VG (4.0). Cream to off-white pages. Cover: Al Feldstein. Plots and scripts: Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein. Art: Al Feldstein (2 stories), Graham Ingels. CGC Census: 12 Blue Label copies. GPAnalysis: Only three reported sales in any grade, the most recent being a 4.0 sold for $336 in 2018.

The most revealing smooches in this romance rag come from Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein, who find themselves kissing keister in their "Your Newsdealer Is Your Friend" house ad ("Golly, kids! Just look at the mess you're making of that magazine rack. That's not very fair to Mr. Newsdealer! ...After all, kids, Mr. Newsdealer is your friend!").

Bill Gaines had a bum deal with distributor Leader News that greatly hampered EC's ability to make money. As Gaines explained in a Comics Journal interview, "We had the weakest distributor and got the lowest price of anybody.... While DC was getting five and three-quarters cents for a 10¢ comic, we were getting five and a half.... Those quarter-cents make a tremendous difference when you add up all the comics you sell. That's a lot of money we didn't get and we had to exist without."

EC's lousy distribution deal made it hard to compete with publishers with more favorable arrangements. Consequently, getting prominent shelf space was vital to help offset this handicap. Perhaps Gaines and Feldstein hoped their ass-kissing ad would buy them better space on the nation's newsstands? "We had to try a little harder because we were getting a little bit less." — Bill Gaines interview, Tales of Terror: The EC Companion, p. 183.

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

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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