Author:
Title: CRIME SUSPENSTORIES No. 15
Place Published:
Publisher:EC [Indicia: L. L. Publishing Co. Inc.]
Date Published: February-March, 1953
Description: CGC certified: VG/Fine (5.0). White pages. Grader notes: Light spine stress lines to cover; moderate creasing to cover; moderate staining to cover; very light tears to cover.

CGC Census: 124 graded copies (117 Universal, 1 Signature, 6 Restored).

GPAnalysis: A 5.0 sold for $475 in 7/23.

Credits: Cover: Johnny Craig. Scripts: Johnny Craig, Ray Bradbury, Al Feldstein, and Bill Gaines. Art: Johnny Craig, Jack Kamen, George Evans, Graham Ingels. Feldstein's text piece, "The EC Caper," features appearances by Feldstein, Gaines, Marie Severin, Jerry Dee and Ruby Kast.Craig's Gay Caper: Solid ish, boasting George Evans's first Crime SuspenStories contribution, a nicely-done Jack Kamen adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "The Screaming Woman," and a classic Johnny Craig love triangle with what some consider to be a homoerotic subtext.

"Craig's 'When the Cat's Away...' has an undeniable homosexual undercurrent – Jay seems more upset by the betrayal of his pal Dick (at whose home Jay likes to sleep over) than that of his wife Emma... The climax of the story is, after all, Gay... er, Jay... shooting Dick (no comment).... Craig, incidentally, denies the undeniable: 'I do not have a copy of CSS #15 so 'Cat's Away' is vague in my mind. I do know that in the 1950s homosexuality was taboo and hardly ever in the minds of anyone, and in none of my stories was it ever a factor, subtle or otherwise.'" – Max Allan Collins, Crime SuspenStories Vol. 3. Russ Cochran: 1983.______________________________________________________________

A limited edition of ten hardcover catalogues is available, in addition to a few dozen softcovers. Fun reference, great keepsake, fully illustrated, chockablock with obscure facts, gags, bon mots. Softcovers are $40, deluxe hardcovers with dust jackets and limitation plates are $200. These books always go fast so don't delay. To order, contact ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Consignments welcome for PBA's Summer 2024 Comic Book sale. Top prices for Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age, Silver Age, original art and ephemera. Find out why PBA is the new fan-fave of funnybook fiends. "This is some of the best commentary I've yet seen on the quality of the content of comic books... Priceless." – R. Crumb. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Coming Soon: The DC Universe Collection Part 3: The Golden Age (August 2024) and Weird Tales and Amazing Stories: The PBA Pulp Sale (September 2024). Contact ivan@pbagalleries.com to get on the notifications list.