Heading:
Author:
Title: WITCHCRAFT No. 6
Place Published:
Publisher:Avon [Indicia: Avon Periodicals, Inc.]
Date Published: March, 1953
Description:

CGC certified: VG (4.0). Off-white pages. Cover: A.C. Hollingsworth. Art: Everett Raymond Kinstler (contents page only), Norman Nodel, Harry Lazarus, A.C. Hollingsworth, Gene Fawcette. Final issue. GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 5.0 sold for $600 in March 2021.

Black Magic: A.C. Hollingworth's cover depicts a man's face morphing into a bone-white skull, as the blurb box promises to deliver "African Horror!" to petrified readers. Hollingworth, one of the few black men working in the comics industry of the 1950s, left comics after the Comics Code clampdown and pursued a career as a fine arts painter. He achieved some acclaim when he was featured in Ebony magazine in 1971 for his painting of an African Christ ("I have always felt that Christ was a Black man").

Outside of the occasional Shock SuspenStory, African-Americans were seldom glimpsed in pre-Code comics (African natives, witch doctors, and voodoo men were far more commonly seen). The majority of Dr. Wertham's case-study subjects were black kids, a fact he omitted from Seduction of the Innocent, perhaps fearing that white readers wouldn't share his concerns about the psychological effects of comic books on black kids.

"As for black people living in America, one would have little idea from these comics books that there were any. The very black kids reading these comics were invisible in them." — Jim Trombetta, The Horror! The Horror! Comics the Government Didn't Want You to Read! Abrams: 2010, p. 247.

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