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Carl Burgos does Pre-Code Horror in Haunted Thrills #13, at Auction

It's a shame that the cover artist of Haunted Thrills #13 is unknown because the skeletal in-your-face symbol of death on this PCH classic is driving the petrified couple in the backseat of that car straight to Hell.  Throw in some equally creepy interior stories like "Death Do Us Part" featuring a supernatural baboon and a story by Human Torch creator Carl Burgos called "Experiment in Terror", and you've got the makings of a Pre-Code Horror classic which was published just in time before the moral panic whipped up by Fredric Wertham and a Senate Subcommittee ended the fun and virtually shut down the horror comics genre.  A PCH thriller that combines a creepy skull cover with equally bizarre interior stories, there's a Haunted Thrills #13 (Farrell, 1954) CBCS VG/FN 5.0 Off-white to white pages up for auction in Thursday's 2021 November 4 The Black Cat Collection and Pre-Code Horror Showcase Auction #40183 at Heritage Auctions.

Pre-Code Horror in Haunted Thrills #13.
Pre-Code Horror in Haunted Thrills #13.

But the interior tale "Rendezvous with Doom" might be the stand-out of the issue, because it provides something that not all PCH comics do — the story behind the cover.  In this psychologically spooky little drama, a man who has everything ends up becoming obsessed with a woman he seemingly cannot have.  He chases her as her car plummets over the side of a cliff, but still he can't find her.  Ultimately, he discovers that he has been pursuing Death herself.  It's a well-crafted story by creators unknown that is worthy of that spectacular cover.  Judging by its CGC Census numbers, Haunted Thrills #13 is even tougher than many classic PCH comics, but there's a Haunted Thrills #13 (Farrell, 1954) CBCS VG/FN 5.0 Off-white to white pages up for auction in Thurday's 2021 November 4 The Black Cat Collection and Pre-Code Horror Showcase Auction #40183 at Heritage Auctions.

Haunted Thrills #13 (Farrell, 1954)
Haunted Thrills #13 (Farrell, 1954)

Haunted Thrills #13 (Farrell, 1954) CBCS VG/FN 5.0 Off-white to white pages. Carl Burgos art. Overstreet 2021 VG 4.0 value = $96; FN 6.0 value = $144.

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Mark SeifertAbout Mark Seifert

Co-founder and Creative director of Bleeding Cool parent company Avatar Press. Bleeding Cool Managing Editor, tech and data wrangler. Machine Learning hobbyist. Vintage paper addict.
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