This week Heritage’s weekly auction holds over five hundred listings. Among them are two hundred plus lots are from the Silver Age of comics. Inside the listings are several large groups of Action Comics, a couple of nice groups of Wendy from Harvey and a fifteen issue group of a rather esoteric title from Charlton called Unusual Tales. There is also a wide selection of other titles as well as original art, magazines and memoribilia.
Charlton Comics began in 1946 and lasted until 1985. Unlike everyone else who published comics at the time, Charlton controlled all aspects of their publishing. From writing to art and on until the final step of distributing their own books, Charlton did it all. The company wasn’t limited to a single genre either. They covered a wide spectrum of books from Sci-Fi to Superhero and when the occasion called, they published Westerns as well as Horror and Romance.
While the company wasn’t known for their generosity with a check, they still attracted some well known writers and artists. Primary among them is the legendary Steve Ditko. He had been with Charlton for a short while in the early fifties only to return in 1966 after he began to feel uncomfortable working at Marvel. Many collectors know his sixties work for the company on The Question, Peacemaker and Captain Atom, but early in his career, Ditko had done some outstanding work in horror.
During his first run at Charlton, Ditko created some memorable art work for the title Unusual Tales. At the time the books in this lot were published, 1958-1964, Horror had hit its peak in the American consciousness and had just attracted a lot of attention. Everyone from educators and parents to the media and Senate was against comics at the time. These issues are a perfect example of why comics attracted that attention and what happened after they did. Not all the titles in the lot hold Ditko's work, but many of them do.
Another highlight in this week’s event is the classic Gold Key title Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. The lot listed holds eight titles (with two duplicates) and an average grade of VF/NM. In recent years many collectors have found a new appreciation for the quality of the painted covers featured on Gold Key and Dell Titles. Also, a good TV-related title, and Voyage is among the best, never goes out of style!
There are some great CGC titles in this week's event. Harvey collectors are going to want to take note of the listing for Little Lotta in Foodland #4 CGC 9.6. This Giant Harvey has a square-bound spine and considering how hard it is to find one without stress or a big crack in that spine, this CGC 9.6 is a find. According to the CGC Census there are only two other copies graded this high and none higher.
You can find out more by visiting www.ha.com. The Auction begins to close on Sunday night, January 30.
