*EC: While technically, generally not strictly horror comics, EC’s Crime SuspenStories was certainly horrific, featuring as it often did gruesome deaths of betrayed spouses or untrustworthy friends, and this selection definitely belongs in the ‘horror zone’, including as it does two of the most notorious cover images – issue #20’s ‘hanging’ cover, and #22’s ‘severed head’ cover, which caused the publisher to infamously go into meltdown during a Congressional investigation. Containing tightly-plotted twist-ending shockers illustrated by Craig, Kamen, Wood, Ingels, Crandall and others, these are outstanding examples of their genre. This range runs from #19 to #27, in grades ranging from Poor to GD+. #19 GD- has a colour touch top cover, is off the upper staple, and has tape residue at spine; #20 GD+ has a glued spine; #21 PR has loose centrefold, colour touch, tape and cover repairs, as well as whiteout on the logo; #22 PR has heavy colour recolouring, whiteout on the logo, has been restapled, and has generally extreme wear; #23 FA has taped & restapled cover, with heavy colour touch; #24 PR/FA has a taped spine, and a large piece of the front cover ‘patched’; #25 GD+ has a glued spine; #26 PR has covers detached and insect damage at right edge: and #27, the final issue, PR/FA, has cover colour touches, interior staining and a glued spine. And yes, #22 may seem a hefty price for a Poor copy, but this iconic issue usually reaches $1000 plus in even the lowest grades at auction!
PICTURED: CRIME SUSPENSTORIES
#19 GD- £50
#20 GD+ £200
#22 PR £350
#23 FA £50
#25 GD+ £70