Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: pre-code horror, true crime

Exposed #2 and the Case of the Giggling Killer, up for Auction

D.S. Publishing's Exposed True Crime Cases contained some cold-blooded material even by the standards of the pre-Code era.

Published Sun, 16 Apr 2023 12:23:08 -0500

by Mark Seifert

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The Exposed title from D.S. Publishing lasted nine issues from 1948 to 1949 and contained a mix of high-profile murderers from throughout true crime history that often tended towards the brutal end of the true-crime comic book spectrum. Interestingly, two issues of the series caught Fredric Wertham's attention in Seduction of the Innocent with what he interpreted as "how to commit crime" diagrams. A short but memorable crime comic series that was part of a publishing line known for such titles, the series gets off to a cold-blooded start in the first two issues, particularly with issue #2's The Case of the Giggling Killer. There's a high grade pedigree copy of Exposed #2 River City Pedigree (D.S. Publishing, 1948) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the 2023 April 16-18 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122316 at Heritage Auctions.

Exposed #2 Pedigree (D.S. Publishing, 1948).

Exposed #2 includes one of the most gruesome and notorious stories in the series with "The Case of the Giggling Killer," about a boy who grew up a psychopath torturing animals and progressed to brutal murders. It's as brutal of a Pre-Code true crime comic book story as you're ever going to read. This one does not appear to be based on any particular historical true crime figure and is likely an amalgam of historic crime cases.

Founded by Richard Davis, D.S. Publishing began life in 1940 with the company name Dance Forum, Inc, as the publisher of Dance Magazine. A short time later, the company was renamed D.S. Publishing after the last names of Davis and then-partner A. Walter Socolow. D.S. Publishing put out a wide range of magazines throughout the 1940s, including Song Parade and Song Leader, "song sheet" magazines that reprinted lyrics of popular songs of the time, Tune-In, which covered the radio industry, and Silhouette, a fashion magazine. The company got into the comic book business in late 1947 with Jeff Jordan, U.S. Agent. With crime comics on the rise at the time in the wake of the success of titles such as Lev Gleason's Crime Does Not Pay, D.S. Publishing is best remembered today for a short-lived but extensive crime comic book line including titles like Gangsters Can't Win, Outlaws, Public Enemies, Pay-Off, Underworld, and Exposed.

The River City comic book pedigree is a collection predominantly consisting of horror and sci-fi comics from the 1950s, with an estimated 4,000 books in total. However, confirming the exact number is challenging, as the collection was sold to various individuals and was not initially identified as a pedigree. A significant portion of the collection was acquired by vintage dealer Brian Peets from A-1 Comics, who showcased them at the 1998 Wondercon convention. Stored in a California shed, most of the copies feature a grease pencil distributor mark on their covers.

There's a high grade pedigree copy of Exposed #2 River City Pedigree (D.S. Publishing, 1948) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the 2023 April 16-18 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122316 at Heritage Auctions. If you've never bid at Heritage Auctions before, you can get further information, you can check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.