Tri-Color Brian Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 L. b. Cole was kinda good at drawing skulls... 956Ref 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayman Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 On 5/29/2020 at 11:29 PM, fifties said: How does one find them? I entered "icon", and then "icon cover" in the search, and several thousand threads came up, mostly in the sales forum. @fifties here is a link to past top PCH books. Linky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze johnny Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 4 hours ago, Tri-ColorBrian said: L. b. Cole was kinda good at drawing skulls... “L.B. Skull” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze johnny Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 (edited) On 5/30/2020 at 2:37 PM, rjpb said: As buttock mentions, this has long been a top-ranked classic cover of the genre. The grotesque image of the man's face and fingers rotting away from radium exposure has made it the most sought after Harvey horror book since at least the early 1990s. That doesn't mean you have to like it, I find plenty of "classic covers" to be overrated, in the PCH as well as other genres, but there are books with a decades long history of demand, and BCM #50 is one of them. There has been a recent elevation of many of the more run-of-the-mill covers that just a few years ago didn't get any special consideration, but thanks to a combination of GGA, skeletons, and creepy or odd settings, have become in demand. Perceived relative scarcity appears to play a role, though that can change when prices bring copies out of hiding. I'll admit to sometimes being perplexed as to why one cover with those collectible elements that make for an interesting, but not historically high demand cover, will sell for around a grand in 5.0 condition, and another for around $250, often from the same publisher. I'm not sure many of these more recent PCH classics will have the legs some of the old favorites have, though with mid-grade copies of many of the perennial classics covers routinely hitting the mid four figures, the newcomers may continue to look like bargains at only $1000 or so. One thing that I’ve always wondered about the cover the BCM 50 is what kind of dummy would pick up something with the word “Radium” clearly written on it, easy to see, and smoke it? Edited June 1, 2020 by bronze johnny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jayman Posted June 1, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted June 1, 2020 This was always a favorite of mine. Kind of sums up “horror” to me. ThothAmon, IngelsFan, vaultkeeper and 2 others 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze johnny Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 On 5/30/2020 at 1:27 PM, Robot Man said: A lot of talk about books that are "iconic" or "classic". To me, an "iconic" cover is one that defines a genre quickly. There are many examples that I don't feel like getting into. A "classic" cover is one that over a long period of time has been proven to be desirable or sought after. Then there are the rest. Back in the day, most of them were fairly available and actually fairly cheap. Most PCH, Crime and Sci-Fi books were dollar books with notable exceptions such as ECs. PCH has always appealed to me. Maybe it's the "forbidden fruit" aspect. Or the fact that these were sitting right up front on the newstand to grab your attention. I wasn't around to buy them then. Perhaps Marty or fifties can chime in on this. Given the opportunity to grab a random superhero book or a PCH book, I would always gravitate to the "dark side". I'm not a sick person, I don't enjoy slasher movies or worship the devil, it's just that morbid fascination I guess. I own thousands of comics. I by far own the most horror and crime books. Just what I still like the most I guess. Now days, especially with the higher prices, people are looking for that next "classic" cover to pimp and make money on. Due to CGC, we live in a very cover centric world. Many, never look inside. I like raw books that I can thumb through, read and enjoy. Condition is important sure, but just owning these books is far more important to me. I can always upgrade if I feel I need to. For the most part, a lot of my show customers gravitate to these quickly. Mostly, I suspect due to the interest and rising prices. A lot of "flippers" who really don't care about them but just can't wait to post them on IG or Ebay, make a couple quick bucks and move on to the next one. I do have customers though who actually read, and enjoy the stuff. Most aren't too concerned about condition and big dollars but are fans of the medium. (they always get the better deals)... And a lot of these books are personal. What is "classic" to me might not be to you. The grade or price they sell for is not relevant. Here is a random shot I took one time of books someone asked me about. Only because he mentioned these issues specificaly. Some of my MANY favorites and some not quite so much. Some, I would consider "iconic", some "classic" and some are just cool. I suspect that if we took a poll on just these specific ones, were would get a lot of different answers as to which fell into each of these three categories. One thing I know for sure, if I wanted to sell them, I would laugh all the way to the bank... Having these altogether in one photo is a work of art in and of itself! ThothAmon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Darth Corgi Posted June 1, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted June 1, 2020 My Top 25 with explanations: https://bleedingcool.com/comics/recent-updates/the-terrible-25-of-pre-code-comic-book-horror/ Originally these were posted on here in the Undead Thread. Eventually I followed it up with a Twisted 25! Horror and the Supernatural Fantasy are ever green genres that can be appreciated as stand alone issues without having to rely on backstories. It’s exciting knowing that anything can happen in these tales. I’ve also known other artists who consider this genre as a springboard of inspiration to other creative endeavors. IngelsFan, Keys_Collector, jimjum12 and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post fifties Posted June 1, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted June 1, 2020 I liked most of L.B. Cole's covers. Here are two you don't see too often. The lead story in #59 is connected to the cover, and is itself a horror story. 956Ref, Jayman, Tri-Color Brian and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Bat Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 6 minutes ago, Darth Corgi said: My Top 25 with explanations: https://bleedingcool.com/comics/recent-updates/the-terrible-25-of-pre-code-comic-book-horror/ Originally these were posted on here in the Undead Thread. Eventually I followed it up with a Twisted 25! Horror and the Supernatural Fantasy are ever green genres that can be appreciated as stand alone issues without having to rely on backstories. It’s exciting knowing that anything can happen in these tales. I’ve also known other artists who consider this genre as a springboard of inspiration to other creative endeavors. Great read- thanks for the Cameron tip, gotta do a deep dive into my Ace's. Still waiting for a nice green Horrific 3! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngelsFan Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 One reason why there might be the perception that PCH is cooling is the flooding of low grade, overpriced copies on eBay. When you see the same book sit stagnant for week after week it can lead you to believe that there has been a downward market shift. In reality, it is someone fishing with dynamite, trying to find that impulse buyer that just “has to have it now”, and doesn’t mind sitting on the book until they do. Conversely, there are books that I personally have been looking for for decades in grade with few copies ever surfacing (CoC 24, ToT 16 and TMIH 16 spring to mind). Most books are easily attainable in vg or lower (if you are willing to pay the $$$). Finding them in 7.0 or better is...challenging. Jayman, jimjum12 and Keys_Collector 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hap Hazard Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 1 hour ago, IngelsFan said: One reason why there might be the perception that PCH is cooling is the flooding of low grade, overpriced copies on eBay. When you see the same book sit stagnant for week after week it can lead you to believe that there has been a downward market shift. In reality, it is someone fishing with dynamite, trying to find that impulse buyer that just “has to have it now”, and doesn’t mind sitting on the book until they do. Conversely, there are books that I personally have been looking for for decades in grade with few copies ever surfacing (CoC 24, ToT 16 and TMIH 16 spring to mind). Most books are easily attainable in vg or lower (if you are willing to pay the $$$). Finding them in 7.0 or better is...challenging. Finding these above a 7.0 may take some time. IngelsFan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngelsFan Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 1 hour ago, Hap Hazard said: Finding these above a 7.0 may take some time. I finally got lucky with ToT 16 but I’ve only found the other two issues around vg. The Tomb of Terror (in 9.0) was acquired only after making a pretty crazy offer once I found someone with a copy in their collection. People just don’t sell high grade copies of these that often...it can be frustrating, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifties Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 5 hours ago, IngelsFan said: Conversely, there are books that I personally have been looking for for decades in grade with few copies ever surfacing (CoC 24, ToT 16 and TMIH 16 spring to mind). Most books are easily attainable in vg or lower (if you are willing to pay the $$$). Finding them in 7.0 or better is...challenging. Are you kidding? Where can I find the titles you mentioned in any grade right now? Sources please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngelsFan Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 3 minutes ago, fifties said: Are you kidding? Where can I find the titles you mentioned in any grade right now? Sources please. There are multiple copies of ToT 16 and TMIH 16 on eBay and one copy of CoC 24 on eBay right now, all exorbitantly priced. That’s why I have the caveat in my previous statement about willingness to pay the $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayman Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 Picked up way before this book gained notice... IngelsFan, fifties and jimjum12 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayman Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 And another lovely underwater PCH book that I don’t see often for sale. fifties, IngelsFan and Tri-Color Brian 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X_Phile Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 9 minutes ago, Jayman said: And another lovely underwater PCH book that I don’t see often for sale. A couple of nice ones, Jayman! jimjum12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post IngelsFan Posted June 2, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted June 2, 2020 This was the one I mentioned earlier, and the reason I was so badly searching for a copy. ThothAmon, Jayman, fifties and 4 others 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
956Ref Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 20 hours ago, fifties said: I liked most of L.B. Cole's covers. Here are two you don't see too often. The lead story in #59 is connected to the cover, and is itself a horror story. I agree that these are two covers, but for example there was just a sales thread last week that had a beautiful 4.5 Shocking Mystery Cases 51 and it sat there for over a week. The price was reasonable based off other recent sales and ebay asking prices. But no one jumped on it...If I had an extra grand laying around I would have considered it, but I don't so I just watched lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifties Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 1 hour ago, 956Ref said: I agree that these are two covers, but for example there was just a sales thread last week that had a beautiful 4.5 Shocking Mystery Cases 51 and it sat there for over a week. The price was reasonable based off other recent sales and ebay asking prices. But no one jumped on it...If I had an extra grand laying around I would have considered it, but I don't so I just watched lol. You and everyone else watched, because this issue in the VG range just ain't worth a grand, normally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
