EC (Indicia: "L.L. Publishing Co., Inc."). April-May, 1954. Good/VG (3.0). Spine stress, moderate edgewear, 1" split at top spine, 2" split at bottom spine, tiny bit of schmutz to man's back on front cover, tiny chip to back cover, small spot of schmutz to back cover. Rubberstamped distributor's mark to back cover ("5 2 10"). Johnny Craig cover. Three Craig scripts and one possibly by Jack Oleck. Art by Craig, Davis, Krigstein, Ingels.

"In my worry, I had visited this room of enchantment, and as the aromatic vapors stupefied my senses, my imagination was given its freedom..." – Chen Chu Yang.

"'Pipe Dream' is the urban fable of an Asian man whose opium dreams turn into disastrous prophecies. Here Krigstein's Eastern-influenced art is filtered through a dark realism, shifting from drug-induced languor to bursts of violence, ending softly on a note of resignation. Another seamless merging of story and art, it is one of EC's defining moments." – Greg Sadowski, B. Krigstein Volume One (1919-1955).

A limited edition of 100 softcover and 15 hardcover catalogues are available. Over 200 pages, fully illustrated. Fun reference, great keepsake. Softcovers $40, dust-jacketed hardcover with limitation plate $200. To order, contact ivan@pbagalleries.com or call 415-989-2665

R. Crumb says, "I found [PBA's catalogue] so interesting that I am saving it for the texts that accompany the comics which were put up for auction. This is some of the best commentary I've yet seen on the quality of the content of comic books. I especially enjoyed the reviews of the post-war horror comics. Great. Priceless."

Consignments welcome for PBA's Spring 2021 Comic Book sale. Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age and Silver Age comics, original art and ephemera sought. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com or call 415-989-2665