Author:
Title: SHOCK SUSPENSTORIES No. 13 * With Original Mailing Envelope
Place Published:
Publisher:EC [Indicia: Tiny Tot Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: February, March, 1954
Description: Fine- (5.5). 1/2" split with tiny partial chip to bottom spine, tiny chip to bottom right corner of both front and back covers, tiny tear and a few fox marks to edge of back cover, small corner crease, slight miscut with excess white at bottom edge of front cover. Cream pages, edges tanning.

Credits: Plots and scripts: Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein. Art: Jack Kamen, Wally Wood, Reed Crandall, Frank Frazetta art. Kamen cover. Frank Frazetta's only solo story for EC. With original subscription mailing envelope, postmarked and in fine or better condition.

GPAnalysis: A 5.5 sold for $322 in 8/23.Pushing the Envelope: Featuring Frank Frazetta's only solo EC story, "Squeeze Play," in which an a louse chucks his pregnant girlfriend off a roller coaster, then drowns when a gaggle of beach gals drag him into deep waters, unaware that he can't swim. Frazetta modeled the killer's appearance after his own, and included a sly visual aside for sharp-eyed Fan-Addicts: one panel features a guy who looks a bit like Roy Krenkel wearing an EC t-shirt.

Hardly any EC merchandise was produced in the 1950s, and the first EC-emblem t-shirt didn't appear until 1972, when a company called Cheez Louize made a handful for limited distribution at the fabled '72 EC Fan-Addict Convention. Aside from the Fan-Addict Club membership premiums and the GhouLunatic photos that were promoted in house ads, pretty much the only contemporaneous EC ephemera items are vintage EC stationery and original EC subscription envelopes. This copy of Shock SuspenStories #13 is accompanied by its original subscription envelope, addressed to "Kenny Dobro / 3907 Pershing Ave. / Parma 29, Ohio." The printed return address is topped by a bold EC emblem, and the original contents are noted in pencil, presumably by young Mr. Dobro himself: "SS No. 13."______________________________________________________________

A limited edition of ten hardcover catalogues is available, in addition to a few dozen softcovers. Fun reference, great keepsake, fully illustrated, chockablock with obscure facts, gags, bon mots. Softcovers are $40, deluxe hardcovers with dust jackets and limitation plates are $200. These books always go fast so don't delay. To order, contact ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Consignments welcome for PBA's Summer 2024 Comic Book sale. Top prices for Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age, Silver Age, original art and ephemera. Find out why PBA is the new fan-fave of funnybook fiends. "This is some of the best commentary I've yet seen on the quality of the content of comic books... Priceless." – R. Crumb. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Coming Soon: The DC Universe Collection Part 3: The Golden Age (August 2024) and Weird Tales and Amazing Stories: The PBA Pulp Sale (September 2024). Contact ivan@pbagalleries.com to get on the notifications list.