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Author:
Title: HAUNT OF FEAR Nos. 4 and 5 * Lot of Two Comic Books
Place Published:
Publisher:EC [Indicia: Fables Publishing Co., Inc.]
Date Published: 1950-1951
Description:

• 
  #4: Fair/Good (1.5). Superficially looks VG- (3.5), with a chip to the right edge of the front cover and matching nicks to the first two pages, but TWO EXTRA STAPLES have been added to the spine, and there's a small TAPE REPAIR to the bottom corner of the inside front cover. Also, there are transverse tears to the spine, a "4" marked in ink atop the sidebar, and another "4" marked in ink to the left of the "F" in "FEAR." Cream pages, light tan edges. GPAnalysis: A 1.5 sold for $307 in 9/22.


• 
  #5: Good+ (2.5). Staples a bit pulled, TAPE REINFORCEMENT to spine ends, corners, and vertical edges of inside covers, top corner of front cover chipped, a few creases. Cream pages, light tan edges. GPAnalysis: A 2.5 sold for 45 crummy bucks in 1/19, and a 3.0 somehow fetched $370 in 5/22 – go figger.

Covers: Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig. Plots and scripts: Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein. Art: Graham Ingels, Jack Kamen, Jack Davis, Wally Wood, Johnny Craig.

Wally Wood's "Man from the Grave" (Haunt #4) captures the perfectionistic drive that propelled Wood to greatness while undermining his health. The story features an artist who paints himself to death, only to rise from the grave to create more masterpieces: "I could not stay away...from my work! Got to... work and... keep on... working! Forever and ever... to work and paint! Even though I smell of the charnel-house and the grave!"

31 years after drawing this this story, a depressed, debilitated and nearly-blind Wood killed himself with a .44 caliber gunshot wound to the head. Bhob Stewart eulogized the artist in language that recalls "Man from the Grave": "Wood lived to work, and he did so obsessively, on and on into the night – night after night, month after month, year after year – until the prospect of doing no work loomed before him."

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