Beschreibung:

CRIME SUSPENSTORIES No. 26 Author: Place: Publisher: Date: Description: EC (Indicia: "L.L. Publishing Co., Inc."). December, 1954-January, 1955. Good/VG (3.0). Spine stress, small folded tear at spine crown, 1/4" x 1/3" chip to bottom corner of front cover, a few tiny chips to back cover. Staples a bit pilled. A few small damp spots visible on inside front and back covers. Off-white pages. Jack Kamen cover. Scripts by Carl Wessler and, possibly, Jack Oleck. Art by Jack Kamen (two stories), Joe Orlando, Reed Crandall. Hidden trace of "Master Race": "It had often been speculated among EC collectors that this 'falling from a subway platform' cover meant that Krigstein's classic 'Master Race' (Impact #1, March-April 1955) was originally intended for this issue. Compare this cover to the events depicted at the top of page eight of 'Master Race.' After being assigned the story, Krigstein asked to increase the page count, and he re-arranged the panels on the pre-lettered pages of 'Master Race,' which caused the publication to be pushed back. When Geissman asked Feldstein if the cover to Crime SuspenStories #26 was originally intended for Impact #1, he replied: 'Correct! It was the 6-pager for this issue and had to be replaced!'" —Grant Geissman, Tales of Terror: The EC Companion. 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 visit: https://www.pbagalleries.com/content/comics/. 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. Lot Amendments Condition: Item number: 324009