Heading:
Author:
Title: WEIRD FANTASY No. 16
Place Published:
Publisher:EC [Indicia: I.C. Publishing Co., Inc.]
Date Published: November-December, 1952
Description:

CGC certified: VG/Fine (5.0). Off-white to white pages. Cover: Al Feldstein. Plots and scripts: Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein. Art: Joe Orlando (2 stories), Al Williamson, Jack Kamen. GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade since 2015. A 3.5 copy sold for $348 in May 2021 and a 5.5 copy sold for $265 in October 2020.

Space aliens gawp in horror as Mars and Venus clobber the Earth. The alien alphabet on the spacecraft's control panel looks a bit like Hebrew (there seems to be a chet, a gimel, and something close to a tsadeh). Fan-Addicts were accustomed to getting a bit of Yiddish mixed into their EC mags, along with Polish ("potrezebie") and quasi-Italianate neologisms like "squa tront" and "spa fon" (Bill Gaines: "Well, of course, 'spa fon' is a little bit of Italian. What's the expression, 'spa-fon gool?'" —Squa Tront #8).

There was a definite Jewish inflection to EC's humor and social conscience, and it's been observed that there may have been an anti-Semitic subtext to the anti-comics crusade. It should be noted, however, that Dr. Wertham (née Friedrich Ignatz Wertheimer) was himself Jewish and an avowed anti-fascist, a fact that informed his anti-comics critique ("I think Hitler was a beginner compared to the comic-book industry. They get the children much younger.")

Dan Schlissel, a member of the Facebook EC Fan-Addict Club, recently pointed out in conversation that "In Judaism there is a concept called 'tikkun olam,' which literally means 'repairing the world.' It's come to mean seeking social justice, and this was before social justice became something people fought over online. We both know that William Gaines and Al Feldstein were raised Jewish, regardless of later beliefs. My feeling is that the preachies [EC's stories of racial and social injustice] came straight from this seed that was planted in their upbringing.... They were doing this from 1950-1956, when doing such things was a brave act, and not the norm."

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