American Update: The Bute Collection: Pre-Code Horror Fest: Black Cat Mystery
*Horror 1940-1959: Also from the Bute Collection this week, three pre-code horror thrillers from Harvey. Black Cat started out in 1946 as a super-heroine comic, before later becoming Black Cat Western, then Black Cat Mystery, ending its life in the early 60s with Giant reprints of the original titular character. Here we are concerned with the pre-code horror phase, with three well-executed horror anthologies with vivid colour covers.
PICTURED: BLACK CAT MYSTERY:
#38 VG/FN £260 Pre-code. A very nice copy with Lee Elias cover. Tight and flat with good staples, unmarked cover image. Slight corner blunting, particularly bottom right, small nick out base spine, off-white pages with slight tan at margin edges. Presents very well. SOLD
#48 GD/VG £165 Pre-code. Lee Elias cover. Worn spine with some central tears, small chip out bottom left. Small spine split at top, with tiny hole a couple of cms in along the top edge. Edge wear and small creasing breaking colour along bottom edge and right corner, but image undamaged. Off white pages, bottom staple partially loosening.
#49 VG- £240 Pre-code. Classic ‘eaten by rats’ cover with lurid colour. Corner blunting, slight nicks top and bottom spine and right edge, Minor edge and spine wear, except for a couple of 2-3 cm chips our bottom edge (see scan). Cover image clean and vivid, good staples, off-white pages. SOLD