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Title: TIJUANA BIBLES: Lot of 20 COMIC STRIP-Themed Eight-Pagers
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Date Published: c.1930s-1950s
Description:

Lot of 20 Tijuana bibles, mostly featuring comic characters getting it on, including: Fritzi Ritz, Popeye, Sappo (who'd have guessed Popeye's topper was a bottom?), Blondie, Li'l Abner, Betty Boop, Dick Tracy (who, upon inspecting a gal's privates with his magnifying glass, proclaims: "Hmm, no fingerprints or sores, I guess you're a good risk... this is more exciting than capturing Flatop!"), Rex Morgan M.D., Joe Palooka, Steve Canyon, Moon Mullins, Andy Gump, Jiggs, etc. Generally VG to Fine.

"No one, of course, can say with certitude what the print runs were, but estimates range into the millions, since these illicit items could be bootlegged by anyone with access to a small printing press (or even, for some editions, mimeograph or rubber-stamp equipment). There don't seem to be records of publishers or artists being prosecuted, though shipments and salesmen were occasionally seized. It's not clear if these publications were Mom-and-Pop operations or actually controlled by organized crime." – Art Spiegelman, "Those Dirty Little Comics." Tijuana Bibles: Art and Wit in America's Forbidden Funnies, 1930s-1950s. Simon and Schuster: 1997: p. 6.

Enjoying the Sale? Order a fully-illustrated softcover catalogue for 30 bucks. Only about 100 copies were printed and they're going fast. To reserve a copy, contact PBA's Director of Comics: ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Consign to PBA Galleries. Our comic sales average a 98% sell-through rate, our prices realized are top-of-the-market, and our research-intensive catalogues are the best in the business. Seeking Silver Age Marvel, Golden Age superheroes, and pre-Code horror. Contact ivan@pbagalleries.com.