Author:
Title: WEIRD FANTASY No. 17
Place Published:
Publisher:EC [Indicia: I. C. Publishing Co. Inc.]
Date Published: January-February, 1953
Description: CGC certified: Fine- (5.5). Off-white to white pages. Grader notes: Light creasing to cover; moderate staining to cover; very light soiling on cover.

CGC Census: 118 graded copies (109 Universal, 4 Signature, 5 Restored).

GPAnalysis: A 5.5 sold for $375 in 2/21; a 5.0 sold for $459 in 2/23.

Credits: Cover: Al Feldstein. Scripts: Bill Gaines, Al Feldstein, and Ray Bradbury. Art: Joe Orlando, Bill Elder, Al Williamson, Roy Krenkel, Wally Wood. Overstreet: "Feldstein dinosaur cover; classic sci-fi story 'The Aliens'."Squa Tront! Spa Fon! And On and On: Space aliens land on a fragment of Earth shortly after an atomic war has destroyed the planet. The sole human artifact that the aliens discover is a copy of Weird Fantasy #17, featuring a story titled "The Aliens!," in which space aliens land on a fragment of Earth shortly after an atomic war has destroyed the planet, and discover a copy of Weird Fantasy #17...

"'The Aliens' in issue #17 is a let's-have-some-fun conundrum that Feldstein occasionally produced when he got tired of writing straight science fiction and decided to include a change of pace. And no doubt Williamson was delighted to have a story in which there were no human faces to draw (then one of his few artistic weaknesses). This tale has become famous in EC lore as the one that made Feldstein's two alien expletives veritable in-joke trademarks for EC science fiction – 'SQUA TRONT!' and 'SPA FON!' These extraterrestrial equivalents of 'Good Lord!' and 'My God!' became so well known they were used as the titles of two handsomely-produced EC fan magazines in the 1960s and '70s." – Doug Menville, Weird Fantasy Vol. 3. Russ Cochran: 1980.______________________________________________________________

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.