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Is there a general consensus for # of pre-codes made from 1938-1954?
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Started by VAZ,

9 posts in this topic

VAZ

VAZ

Posted
Posted

I've looked all over the internet. I really couldn't find the answer. I'm looking for an approximate number of pre-code comics from the crime/horror/sci-fi/jungle genres that came out from 1938-1954. Nothing superhero related just the indy runs from companies like EC, Farrell, Star, Planet, Fiction House, Avon, Key, Timely, Harvey etc.  Would it be possible to put together a complete collection? Are there any known to exist? Thanks, Victor  

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Scrooge

Scrooge

Posted
Posted

Start with this list. Cut off anything post 1954 and you should have most (if not all, though POV was thorough) of what you're looking to get at (thumbsu

 

Povertyrow's Precode Horror Checklist        
Publisher Title Issue Began Ended Notes
EC 3-D Tales From the Crypt of Terror 2 Spr 1954 1 issue only  
Standard Adventures Into Darkness 5_14 Aug_1952 Jun_1954  
Atlas Adventures Into Terror 43_44, 3_31 Nov_1950 May_1954  
ACG Adventures into the Unknown 1_61 Fall 1948 Nov_1954  
Atlas Adventures Into Weird Worlds 1_30 Jan_1952 Jun_1954  
St John All Picture Adventures 1 Nov_1952 1 issue only Rebound 25 cent Giant
Ziff-Davis Amazing Adventures 1_5 1950 Nov_1951  
Atlas Amazing Detective cases 11_14 Mar_1952 Sep_1952  
St John Amazing Ghost Stories 14_16 Oct_1954 Feb_1955  
Atlas Amazing Mysteries 32_33 May_1949 Jul_1949  
Atlas Astonishing 3_37 Apr_1951 Feb_1955  
Ace Baffling Mysteries 5_24 Nov_1951 Jan_1955  
Youthful Beware 10_12 Jun_1952 Oct_1952  
Trojan Beware 13_16, 5_14 Jan_1953 Mar_1955  
Fawcett Beware Terror Tales 1_8 May_1952 Jul_1953  
Ace Beyond, The 1_30 Nov_1950 Jan_1955  
Harvey Black Cat Mystery 30_53 Aug_1951 Dec_1954  
Prize Black Magic 1_33 Oct_1950 Dec_1954  
Star Blue Bolt Weird Tales 111_119 Nov_1951 Jun_1953  
Atlas Captain America's Weird Tales 74_75 Oct_1949 Feb_1950  
Ace Challenge Of The Unknown 6 Sep_1950 1 issue only  
Harvey Chamber Of Chills 21_24, 5_26 Jun_1951 Dec_1954  
Youthful Chilling Tales 13_17 Dec_1952 Oct_1953  
Avon City Of The Living Dead 1_shot 1952 1 issue only  
ACG Clutching Hand 1 Jul_1954 1 issue only  
EC Crypt Of terror 17_19 Apr_1950 Sep_1950  
Story Dark Mysteries 1_22 Jun_1951 Mar_1955 Story was AKA Master, Merit, Ribage
Avon Diary Of Horror 1_shot Dec_1952 1 issue only  
Avon Eerie 1_17 May_1951 Sep_1954  
Avon Eerie 1 Jun_191947 1 issue only  
Ziff-Davis Eerie Adventures 1 Wint 1953 1 issue only  
Youthful Fantastic 8_9 Feb_1952 May_1952  
Ajax-Farrell Fantastic Comics 10_11 Nov_1954 Feb_1955  
Ajax-Farrell Fantastic fears 7_8, 3_9 May_1953 Oct_1954  
Standard Fantastic Worlds 5_7 Sep_1952 Jun_1953  
Fox Feature Presentation 5 Apr_1950 1 issue only Full Length Black Tarantula. Reprinted in Startling Terror 11
Story Fight Against Crime 1_21 May_1951 Sep_1954  
ACG Forbidden Worlds 1_34 Jul_1951 Nov_1954  
Prize Frankenstein 18_33 Mar_1952 Sep_1954  
Fiction House Ghost Comics 1_11 1951 1954  
Star Ghostly Weird Stories 120_124 Sep_1953 Sep_1954  
Ace Hand Of Fate 8_25, 25_26 Dec_1951 Mar_1955 #25:11/54&12/54. Gerber=25/25a. 26 may not exist
EC Haunt Of Fear 15_17, 4_28 May_1950 Dec_1954  
Ajax-Farrell Haunted Thrills 1_18 Jun_1952 Feb_1955  
Comic Media Horrific 1_13 Sep_1952 Sep_1954  
Premier Horror From The Tomb 1 Sep_1954 1 issue only  
DC House Of Mystery 1_35 Dec_1951 Feb_1955  
St John House of Terror 3-D 1 Oct_1953 1 issue only  
Quality Intrigue 1 Jan_1955 1 issue only  
Superior Journey Into Fear 1_21 May_1951 Sep_1954  
Atlas Journey Into Mystery 1_22 Jun_1952 Feb_1955  
Atlas Journey Into Unknown Worlds 36_38, 4_33 Sep_1950 Feb_1955  
Standard Lost Worlds 5_6 Oct_1952 Dec_1952  
Atlas Marvel Tales 93_131 Aug_1949 Feb_1955  
Atlas Menace 1_11 Mar_1953 May_1954  
Atlas Men's Adventures 21_26 May_1952 Mar_1954  
Gilmore Mister Mystery 1_19 Sep_1951 Oct_1954 Gilmore:AKA Aragon, Key, Stanmor, Media
Superior Mysteries Weird and Strange 1_11 May_1953 Jan_1955  
Story Mysterious Adventures 1_23 Mar_1951 Dec_1954  
Premier Mysterious Stories 2 Dec_1954 1 issue only  
Atlas Mystery Tales 1_26 Mar_1952 Feb_1955  
Atlas Mystic 1_36 Mar_1951 Mar_1955  
Avon Night Of Mystery 1_shot 1953 1 issue only  
St John Nightmare 10_13 Dec_1953 Aug_1954  
St John Nightmare 3 Oct_1953 1 issue only 1 issue - contd from Ziff Davis' Nightmare
Ziff-Davis Nightmare 1_2 Sum 1952 Fall 1952  
ACG Out Of The Night 1_17 Feb_1952 Aug_1953  
Standard Out Of The Shadows 5_14 Jul_72 Aug_1953  
Avon Phantom Witch Doctor 1_shot 1952 1 issue only  
Toby Purple Claw 1_3 Jan_1953 May_1953 Toby was AKA Minoan
DC Sensation Comics 107_109 Dec_1951 Jun_1952 Horror begins
DC Sensation Mystery 110_116 Jul_1952 Aug_1953 cont'd from Sensation 109
ACG Skeleton Hand 1_6 Oct_1952 Jul_1953  
Atlas Spellbound 1_23 Mar_1952 Jun_1954  
Star Spook 22_29 Jan_1953 Jul_1954  
Star Startling Terror Tales 10_14, 4_11 May_1952 Sep_1954  
Ajax-Farrell Strange Fantasy 2, 2_15 Aug_1952 Nov_1954 first iss #2, then 2nd #2 immediately followed. #6 has both horror interior and non-horror interior.
Superior Strange Mysteries 1_21 Sep_1951 Jan_1955  
Fawcett Strange Stories From Another World 2_5 Aug_1952 Feb_1953 Continues Unknown World #1
Charlton Strange Suspense Stories 16_22 Jan_1954 Nov_1954 Charlton AKA Capitol
Fawcett Strange Suspense Stories 1_5 Jun_1952 Feb_1953  
Atlas Strange Tales 1_34 Jun_1951 Feb_1955  
St John Strange Terrors 1_7 Jun_1952 Mar_1953  
Atlas Suspense 1_29 Dec_1949 Apr_1953  
EC Tales From The Crypt 20_46 Oct_1950 Mar_1955 Continues Crypt Of terror
Toby Tales Of Horror 1_13 Jun_1952 Oct_1954  
Toby Tales Of Terror 1 1952 1 issue only violated EC's copyright on Tales Of Terror Annual
EC Tales of terror Annual 1_3 1951 1953  
Comic Media Terrific 14 Dec_1954 1 issue only classic head cvr
Avon The Dead Who Walk 1_shot 1952 1 issue only  
Fiction House The Monster 1_2 1953 1953  
Charlton Thing! 1_17 Feb_1952 Nov_1954  
Charlton This Is Suspense 23 Feb_1955 1 issue only  
Fawcett This Magazine Is Haunted 1_14 Oct_1951 Dec_1953 Continues as Charlton's TMIH 15-21
Charlton This Magazine Is Haunted 15_21 Mar_1954 Nov_1954 Title revived from Fawcett #1-14
Harvey Thrills Of Tomorrow 17_18 Oct_1954 Dec_1954  
Harvey Tomb of Terror 1_16 Jun_1951 Jul_1954  
Sterling Tormented, The 1_2 Jul_1954 Sep_1954  
Atlas Uncanny Tales 1_28 Jun_1952 Jan_1955  
Fawcett Unknown World 1 Jun_1952 1 issue only Continues into Strange Stories From Another World
Standard Unseen 5_15 Jun_1952 Jul_1954  
EC Vault Of Horror 12_40 Apr_1950 Jan_1955  
Atlas Venus 12_19 Feb_1951 Apr_1952  
Ajax-Farrell Voodoo 1_19 May_1952 Feb_1955  
Ajax-Farrell Voodoo Annual  1 1952 1 issue only  
Quality Web Of Evil 1_21 Nov_1952 Dec_1954  
Ace Web of Mystery 1_27 Feb_1951 Nov_1954  
PL Weird Adventures 1_3 May_1951 Oct_1951 XL Publishing for #1
Ziff-Davis Weird Adventures 10 Jul_1951 1 issue only  
Gilmore Weird Chills 1_3 Jul_1954 Nov_1954  
St John Weird Horrors 1_9 Jun_1952 Oct_1953  
Gilmore Weird Mysteries 1_12 Oct_1952 Sep_1954  
Gilmore Weird Tales of the Future 1_8 Mar_1952 Jul_1953  
Comic Media Weird Terror 1_13 Sep_1952 Sep_1954  
Ziff-Davis Weird Thrillers 1_5 Sep_1951 Nov_1952  
Avon Witchcraft 1_6 Mar_1952 Jan_1953  
Harvey Witches Tales 1_28 Jan_1951 Dec_1954  
Fawcett Worlds Beyond 1 Nov_1951 1 issue only  
Fawcett Worlds of Fear 2_10 Jan_1952 Jun_1953 Continues Worlds Beyond #1
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adamstrange

adamstrange

Posted
Posted

Tales too Terrible to Tell includes a list along with their criteria.  They illustrate why certain issues/titles made it or were cut.

There are gray areas as horror impacted other genre's and people will differ on which hybrid genre issues to include.

Generally speaking, there are between 1250 and 1500 pre-code horror books.

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 8/18/2017 at 12:00 PM, Scrooge said:

Start with this list. Cut off anything post 1954 and you should have most (if not all, though POV was thorough) of what you're looking to get at (thumbsu

         

Sorry to be so late but an understandable misconception. Please do NOT cut of anything post 1955 from my list! Those are just the publication dates in the indicia. Such comic book dates are notoriously inaccurate, which is why we love arrival stamps so much to help clear up some debates on which book came first.  Notice nothing is after March 1955. If you look at an image of every 1955 title in the list you will see that indeed none of them bear the code stamp and, even though dated 1955, are indeed pre-code books!! 

Sincerely

Povertyrow

Edited by PovertyRow
misspelled "though" as "tough" Yeesh, even now!
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fifties

fifties

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, PovertyRow said:

Sorry to be so late but an understandable misconception. Please do NOT cut of anything post 1955 from my list! Those are just the publication dates in the indicia. Such comic book dates are notoriously inaccurate, which is why we love arrival stamps so much to help clear up some debates on which book came first.  Notice nothing is after March 1955. If you look at an image of every 1955 title in the list you will see that indeed none of them bear the code stamp and, even though dated 1955, are indeed pre-code books!! 

Sincerely

Povertyrow

Well, the OP stated Crime/Horror/SciFi, so that would seem to include the June 1955 issue of Weird Science Fantasy, sans the code stamp.

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Electricmastro

Electricmastro

Posted
Posted

Sci-fi anthology series:

Planet Comics (1940)

Superworld Comics (1940)

Amazing Adventures (1950)

Weird Science (1950)

Out of This World (1950)

Strange Adventures (1950)

Unknown Worlds (1950)

Strange Worlds (1950)

Mystery in Space (1951)

Space Action (1952)

Space Adventures (1952)

Fantastic Worlds (1952)

Lost Worlds (1952)

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Electricmastro

Electricmastro

Posted
Posted

Crime anthology series:

Crime Does Not Pay (1942)

Real Clue Crime Stories (1947)

Wanted Comics (1947)

Justice (1947)

Justice Traps the Guilty (1947)

Official True Crime Cases Comics (1947)

Almanac of Crime (1948)

Murder Incorporated (1948)

Authentic Police Cases (1948)

Gangsters Can’t Win (1948)

Underworld (1948)

Crime Must Pay the Penalty (1948)

Public Enemies (1948)

Exposed (1948)

Crime and Punishment (1948)

Law Against Crime (1948)

Lawbreakers Always Lose (1948)

War Against Crime (1948)

Crimefighters (1948)

True Crime Comics (1948)

Crimes by Women (1948)

Famous Crimes (1948)

Crime Patrol (1948)

Pay-Off (1948)

Women Outlaws (1948)

Criminals on the Run (1948)

Guns Against Gangsters (1948)

Crime Detective Comics (1948)

The Perfect Crime (1949)

Thrilling Crime Cases (1950)

Inside Crime (1950)

March of Crime (1950)

Crime Cases Comics (1950)

Crime Incorporated (1950)

Crime SuspenStories (1950)

Crime Must Lose (1950)

Crime Exposed (1950)

Crime Fighting Detective (1950)

Crime Smashers (1950)

Crime and Justice (1951)

Lawbreakers (1951)

Crime Can’t Win (1951)

Men Against Crime (1951)

All-Famous Crime (1951)

Fight Against Crime (1951)

Police Line-Up (1951)

Prison Break! (1951)

Down with Crime (1951)

Gangsters and Gunmolls (1951)

Murderous Gangsters (1951)

Famous Gangsters (1951)

Crime Clinic (1951)

All True All Famous Police Cases (1952)

Fugitives from Justice (1952)

Crime Files (1952)

Gang World (1952)

Underworld Crime (1952)

Crime Mysteries (1952)

Racket Squad in Action (1952)

Parole Breakers (1952)

Sensational Police Cases (1954)

Crime Detector (1954)

Police Action (1954)

Police Trap (1954)

Trapped! (1954)

Fight Against the Guilty (1954)

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