EC (Indicia: "Educational Comics, Inc."). Fine/VF (7.0). Very light spine wear, tiny creased nick at base of spine (1mm), very faint spiderweb crease at top right cover – barely visible, almost invisible short tear to spine between "E" and "I" in "VEIN." ¼x½" chip to margin of one page. Cream pages with edges quite tan but still supple. Cover by Kurtzman and Picasso. Kurtzman scripts ("Will Elder had considerable input on the stories of this issue" -Geissman, Tales of Terror: The EC Companion), Will Elder art.

Special ART Issue. Kurtzman fêtes, roasts Elder in a mixed-media masterpiece that's a viable contender for best ten cent comic book ever published. Struggling to meet a deadline, Kurtzman and Elder created a crazy patchwork of mockery, personal history, and doctored photos unlike anything anybody had seen before.

"My first experience with EC comics was when I was fairly young. My dad gave me a dime to go into the drug store and buy a comic. Oh Boy! I went in and looked over various titles until I came to one that really grabbed my attention, MAD. It was the issue with the life story of Will Elder. There was something unusual about the format of this book. The strange use of 'doctored' photographs mixed with weird art struck me as rebellious and anti-establishment. It gave me a disorienting effect. I immediately bought this amazing comic and hurried back to show my dad. I was really excited. As my father leafed through the pages he grew bewildered and said, 'I think you better take this back.' He was disturbed. 'Take it back and pick out one that's funny, or a Superman.' 'Aw gee dad, do I hafta?' 'Yes son.' From that day on I said to myself, I too shall be a MAD artist." – Rick Griffin, Blab! #1.

A limited edition of 100 softcover and 15 hardcover catalogues are available. Over 200 pages, fully illustrated. Fun reference, great keepsake. Softcovers $40, dust-jacketed hardcover with limitation plate $200. To order, contact ivan@pbagalleries.com or call 415-989-2665

R. Crumb says, "I found [PBA's catalogue] so interesting that I am saving it for the texts that accompany the comics which were put up for auction. This is some of the best commentary I've yet seen on the quality of the content of comic books. I especially enjoyed the reviews of the post-war horror comics. Great. Priceless."

Consignments welcome for PBA's Spring 2021 Comic Book sale. Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age and Silver Age comics, original art and ephemera sought. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com or call 415-989-2665