|
“Allen Hardy Associates, Inc… needs the unusual, says the August 1953 edition of Writer’s Digest. “Artists and writers who haven’t got a hackneyed strategy to comics. “Art Director Jerry Feldman says, “If you bought it — you get it.” Better identified right this moment as Comic Media, Allen Hardy Associates did certainly have an uncommon and deceptively refined strategy to comedian books throughout its temporary lifespan. The writer is remembered for its stand-out and infamous horror and romance output, in addition to the character Johnny Dynamite. One of its most notorious covers amongst classic horror comedian e book collectors was printed on Horrific #1 in 1952, and Jerry Feldman received precisely what he was wanting for with each that picture and the story behind it. There’s a Horrific #1 (Comic Media, 1952) CGC GD/VG 3.0 Off-white pages up for public sale within the 2022 October 27 – 28 Halloween Pre-Code Horror and Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40207 at Heritage Auctions.
Comic Media was based by former Harvey Comics circulation supervisor Allen Hardy, whose major artists Don Heck and Pete Morosi had additionally come from the Harvey Comics manufacturing division. While a quantity of Comic Media’s most noteworthy horror covers have been completed by Heck, the artist of the duvet of Horrific #1 is unknown. It is presumed to have originated from the Iger Shop, and the 2 inside tales upon which it’s based mostly are additionally presumed to have come from that very same comedian manufacturing studio. The story “Iron Doom” incorporates ghoulish figures who’re similar to the conductor and musicians on this cowl.
But Horrific #1‘s cowl picture is based totally on the inside story “The Dancer of Death”. This story is a creepy twist on the Danse Macabre or Dance of Death idea, by which persons are escorted dancing to their graves by a personification of loss of life (sometimes depicted as a skeletal determine). In the case of this comedian e book story, the dancer of loss of life is a ballerina who kills her dance associate and lover throughout a dance. Art director Feldman could have been intrigued by this idea, as when the Horrific‘s title was modified to Terrific for what was to be its remaining launch in situation #14, the idea was revisited once more with a ballet theme in “Dance of Death” by Rudy Palais. Horrific #1‘s “The Dancer of Death” story has some very basic similarities to the Gore Vidal crime thriller Death within the Fifth Position, which might have hit bookstores in 1952 across the time that the comedian e book story was being created.
According to Heck, writer Allen Hardy got here to a tragic finish. “Allen was an alcoholic. He was a member of AA but he went off the wagon. While he was in this way, I could not leave him,” Heck was quoted in later years. “I stayed until I cleaned up the stuff for Allen Hardy who, by that time, couldn’t do anything. He had to go back for treatment. Not too long after that he died. I heard the story he was smoking a cigarette and it dropped and he burned himself to death. I liked him! He was a good guy as far as I was concerned.”
This is a tough comedian to get in something above low grade. But there is a nicely-presenting Horrific #1 (Comic Media, 1952) CGC GD/VG 3.0 Off-white pages up for public sale within the 2022 October 27 – 28 Halloween Pre-Code Horror and Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40207 at Heritage Auctions. If you have by no means bid at Heritage Auctions earlier than, you may get additional info, you may try their FAQ on the bidding course of and associated issues.
Affiliates of Bleeding Cool purchase from and/or consign to Heritage Auctions.
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Discussion about this post