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Like a couple of different Golden Age publishers, Fox Feature Syndicate titles generally verged into horror effectively earlier than the late-Forties period which is usually thought of to mark the starting of the Pre-Code Horror period. Such points, notably ones with good horror covers, can have crossover enchantment amongst each Pre-Code Horror and superhero collectors. Mystery Men Comics #30 with its spectacular Blue Beetle horror cowl by the underappreciated Roland Patenaude is one such Fox Feature Syndicate comedian that has been on the rise amongst collectors in current occasions — should you can handle to seek out one. But there is a Mystery Men Comics #30 (Fox, 1942) CGC VG+ 4.5 Off-white to white pages amongst the full run of 31 points of the Mystery Men Comics title up for public sale in the 2022 December 1 Fox Comics Showcase Auction #40214 at Heritage Auctions.
Patenaude’s cowl for this challenge is for the characteristic story, “The Holiday of Death”, which begins with a skeletal personification of Death and his acolytes (as depicted on the cowl) rising up from the underworld to terrify the residents of a selected block in the metropolis. After loads of motion which incorporates Blue Beetle and the personification of Death partaking in a fistfight, Blue Beetle descends into this underworld himself to get to the backside of this seemingly supernatural thriller. A cautious look at Patenaude’s cowl reveals a clue as to what’s actually happening in this story.
A backup story that includes the short-lived Fox character the Wraith has much more horrific overtones than that Blue Beetle story. Clearly impressed by DC Comics’ the Spectre, the Wraith was the spirit of a useless policeman who appeared solely in Mystery Men Comics #27-31. In this challenge, criminals rob the grave the place the Wraith’s physique was buried to make use of it in a scheme to frighten their meant goal utilizing a mechanical methodology of reanimating his corpse. The Wraith briefly repossesses his personal useless physique to place a cease to this horrible plan.
Like many Fox Feature Syndicate comedian books of this era, CGC census numbers for Mystery Men Comics #30 are tiny, with solely 5 unrestored listings in the census as of this writing. What’s extra, it seems that no copies have traded arms at public public sale in the previous 5 years, and the CGC 9.4 Edgar Church / Mile High copy could be the solely higher-graded copy to commerce arms at public public sale in the previous 20 years. That helps clarify the curiosity in this Mystery Men Comics #30 (Fox, 1942) CGC VG+ 4.5 Off-white to white pages copy amongst the full run of 31 points of the Mystery Men Comics title up for public sale in the 2022 December 1 Fox Comics Showcase Auction #40214 at Heritage Auctions. If you have by no means bid at Heritage Auctions earlier than, you may get additional info, you’ll be able to try their FAQ on the bidding course of and associated issues.
Mystery Men Comics #30 (Fox, 1942) CGC VG+ 4.5 Off-white to white pages. One of 5 unrestored copies licensed by CGC to this point. One of solely three unrestored copies we have encountered, and the first we have seen in virtually 5 years. Overstreet 2022 VG 4.0 worth = $322. CGC census 11/22: 2 in 4.5, 1 greater.
CGC Grader Notes:
stain left prime of again cowl
two items of tape inside cowl
foxing to cowl
mild tears to cowl
reasonable creasing to cowl
reasonable scuff inside entrance cowl
small backbone cut up backside of backboneView the certification for CGC Certification ID 2709418001.
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