American Comics Update: Pre-Code Horror Fest: Phantom Stranger #5 1953
*DC: As rare as hen’s teeth! In 30+ years of flogging comics, we’ve only ever had a couple of issues of the first series of Phantom Stranger through our hands before. In 1952, he appeared from nowhere, without explanation or origin to be DC’s mysterious omniscient and omnipotent being of mystery. Despite numerous theories in the DCU, no concrete information has ever been revealed about his true nature. Edited by Whitney Ellsworth, and created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, this series had the finest creators of the time working on it in a number of horror/supernatural stories. Here we get scripts by John Broome and Henry Kuttner with pencils by Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson, John Giunta and Jerry Grandenetti. Whilst perhaps not as Pre-Code horrifically as the fare of other less polished publishers, the Phantom Stranger made up for that in the quality of substance and style of his stories. This low grade copy has covers that are cleanly detached and separated, with a reasonably strong cover image and some non-prominent colour-breaking creases towards right edge and in bottom right corner. Page quality is a nice, supple and non-brittle off-white and staples are firm at centrefold.
PICTURED: PHANTOM STRANGER #5 PR/FA £115 SOLD