Beware #16 CGC Universal 6.5
Before the Creature was terrorizing people from his lagoon, Beware featured two fish men creatures terrorizing a woman by the water! This cover by William Zeller pays homage to Spicy Magazine's February 1941 cover, which features a blonde woman in a bikini being terrorized by similar creatures.
This is a beautiful, brightly colored cover that absolutely stands out in any collection. This CGC blue label 6.5 features Cream to Off-White pages, and would be perfect for any pre-code horror collector. The last sale for a similar example was June of 2022, when a copy sold for $1,320.
Gato Preto #41 CGC Universal 3.5
International versions of pre-code horror are arguably some of the toughest books to find. This issue of Gato Preto #41 from Brazil translates roughly to Black Cat in English, and many people associate black cats with horror.
This copy has stores from EC Comics Vault of Horror #32. These are difficult to locate online, so finding an appropriate price is not viable at this time. As this is a book you truly do not see every day, this could go for a few hundred, or it could be overlooked entirely.
Parole Breakers #2 Ungraded
This femme fatale cover immediately caught my eye. The dark haired woman against a yellow background absolutely pops, even with the paper loss on the cover. This painted cover has also been used for Sinister Errand by Peter Cheyney, and Unfaithful by John Baxter-- both of which are Avon books.
Unlike Parole Breakers and Sinister Errand, the woman is clutching a piece of paper on the Unfaithful cover. This book is ungraded, and Heritage notes it as being in Very Good condition. While there are no comparable graded copies, a CGC blue label 6.0 has a one-year average of $276.
Amazing Ghost Stories #14 CGC Universal 3.0
It might be a universal truth that people were into lagoon creatures in the early 1950s. I'm not one to complain. The legendary Matt Baker drew this beautiful cover, complete with 5 swamp-dwelling creatures, a woman in peril, and a man trying to save the day. This comic just screams Pre-Code horror! This issue contains six stories, including an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum.
This issue also contains a story titled The Devil from the Deep, which focuses on a mermaid who discovers their taste for human flesh -- and the men who captured her.
This CGC blue label 3.0 has Off-White pages and presents extremely well. The current fair market value for this book is $1,100. By comparison, a CGC blue label 9.2 last sold for $25,200 in January 2022. Prices on this book are steadily climbing, so if you've been looking for a copy, I would grab this one.
