EC (Indicia: "Tiny Tot Comics, Inc."). June-July, 1955. Fine (6.0). Nice copy. Spine slightly lifted but not rolled, slight bump to bottom spine, bit of dusty soil to spine near top staple. Faint corner crease. Off-white pages. Photo-collage cover by Al Feldstein. Scripts by Jack Mendelsohn. Art by Will Elder, Jack Davis, Joe Orlando, Wally Wood. 1st Code-approved issue. EC ace Thommy Burns points out that "visual clues to Code non-approval are on every page," with numerous blank spaces indicating where objectionable content was censored. Bill Gaines remarked that "Panic had a hell of a job going through the Association. We had to emasculate it."

Al Feldstein's "Comicfidential" cover mocks the '50s scandal sheet Confidential and takes a dig at influential gossip hound Walter Winchell. According to EC historian Thommy Burns, "This was pretty gutsy in the immediate wake of the McCarthy era. Winchell was an outspoken supporter of McCarthy, who was rumored to have underworld connections, and had made a career out of gossip peddling often specifically designed to destroy personal and political enemies. One of those enemies happened to be EC's then-business manager, Lyle Stuart. Gaines was very taken with Stuart and arranged for Stuart's Exposé tabloid to keep offices at 225 Lafayette Street [EC's business address]. Not incidentally, the second issue of Exposé contained a scathing overview of scandals both old and new involving Winchell. Winchell hit back at Stuart in the pages of Confidential (Stuart eventually won a libel suit against the magazine). That EC would go after Winchell on a Panic cover is entirely appropriate, and more than a little historically interesting!" – From a 2017 EC Fan-Addict Club Facebook post.

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