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Author:
Title: MISTER MYSTERY No. 9
Place Published:
Publisher:Stanley Morse [Indicia: Aragon Magazines, Inc.]
Date Published: January, 1953
Description:

Fair/Good (1.5). Spine stress, top spine chipped, 1/4" split at bottom spine, a few small splits to mid-spine (up to 1/4"), subscription crease, creases to spine area and corners of covers, small chip to back cover at top staple, 3/4" x 1/4" crumpled internal tear near top edge of back cover, top staple only (as issued: there are no bottom staple holes), staple pulled. Cream to off-white pages. Cover: Werner Roth? Art: Tony Mortellaro, Ed Smalle, Charles Stern, Eugene Hughes. GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 2.5 sold for $130 in February 2021.

"Issue #9 introduces a Mister Mystery letter column. Gillmor was one of the few pre-Code horror publishers to institute this kind of interaction with the company's readership. In Mr. Mystery's Morgue, the horror host engages in the EC-style banter with his publisher, as well as introducing in passing the new companion magazine WEIRD MYSTERIES, with its own host, the Ghoul Teacher. The three letters which appear are only snippets and of no interest here. As you will see shortly, what IS interesting about Gillmor letter columns is that the company did not shy away from running very critical comments from readers — some of the 'How come your comics stink so bad compared to EC?!' variety." — Tales To Terrible To Tell #9. NEC: 1993, p. 17.

Contrary to Suarez's statement, we wouldn't say the lettercol snippets printed in this rag are entirely inconsequential. One reader writes "How about some more horror in your stories... make them a little more gruesome," to which Mr. Mystery replies, "You mean chopping guys up and storing them in refrigerators and stuff like that?" Sure enough, this mag's publication date of January 1953 comes just before mid-1953, when Gillmor and other publishers (including EC) began ratcheting up the horror in a frenzied game of newsstand one-upmanship that comics historian David Hadju called "an upward spiral of gruesomeness."

Consignments welcome for PBA's Fall 2022 Comic Book sale. Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age and Silver Age comics, original art, vintage comic-related photos and ephemera sought. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com.