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Author:
Title: CUENTOS DE BRUJAS No. 36 * Mexican WITCHES TALES No. 18
Place Published:
Publisher:La Prensa
Date Published: September, 1954
Description:

CGC certified: VG- (3.5). Brittle pages. Mexican version of Witches Tales #18 (Harvey, 1953). Color interiors. Stories translated into Spanish. Cover: Lee Elias. Art: Howard Nostrand, Abe Simon, Warren Kremer. CGC Census: 2 graded copies. GPAnalysis: No reported sales in any grade.

Features a Spanish-translation version of Howard Nostrand's "Walpurgis!," drawn by Nostrand in a style that combines aspects of EC superstars Jack Davis and Wally Wood. Though it's tempting to dismiss Nostrand as a copycat, his seamless synthesis of divergent styles is an impressive feat.

"For much of his career the artist Howard Nostrand was often written off as the 'King of the Swipes.' A reputation that under recent scrutiny turns out to be both unfair and untrue.... He wore his influences very close to the surface of his work but he didn't swipe, he synthesised." – Jasper Park, "Who The F*** Is Howard Nostrand?," Thisishorror.co.uk, February 28, 2013.



Questions about swipes, homages, rip-offs, and flat-out piracy loom large in the context of Internationals. There's a tendency for those not under the rapturous thrall of the category to be somewhat puzzled by it all. With no reference books and few reliable online sources to guide International collectors, the dearth of data leaves newbies flying blind. It's a state of affairs not unlike the early days of comics fandom, pre-Overstreet, when collectors operated in a near vacuum of information, piecing it all together as they went along.

Enjoying the Sale? Order a fully-illustrated softcover catalogue for 30 bucks. Only about 100 copies were printed and they're going fast. To reserve a copy, contact PBA's Director of Comics: ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Consign to PBA Galleries. Our comic sales average a 98% sell-through rate, our prices realized are top-of-the-market, and our research-intensive catalogues are the best in the business. Seeking Silver Age Marvel, Golden Age superheroes, and pre-Code horror. Contact ivan@pbagalleries.com.