Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Avon Periodicals, golden age, Jack Kamen

Jack Kamen on the Comic Debut of Avon's The Saint, Up for Auction

Published Mon, 11 Jul 2022 13:02:10 -0500

Simon Templar, better known as the Saint, was the creation of author Leslie Charteris, who wrote numerous novels and short stories featuring his signature character 1928-1963. Charteris collaborated with other authors for some time afterward. The Saint has also been a multimedia star over a number of decades, inspiring film, television, radio, comic strips, and comic books featuring the character. Avon Publications released 12 issues of its The Saint comic book 1947-1952, featuring a stand-out group of artists including Jack Kamen, Alex Blum, Allen Ulmer, and possibly Matt Baker among others. An underappreciated series long in demand by serious collectors for its good girl art covers and stories, there are several issues of Avon's The Saint series including The Saint #1 (Avon, 1947) CGC FN+ 6.5 Off-white pages with its Jack Kamen cover up for auction in the 2022 July 10-11 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122228 at Heritage Auctions.

The fourth book in the series, Knight Templar, explains his origin this way: "His godfathers and his godmothers, at his baptism, had bestowed upon him the name of Simon Templar; but that coincidence of initials was not the only reason for the nickname by which he was far more widely known. One day, the story of how he came by that nickname may be told: it is a good story, in its way, though it goes back to the days when the Saint was nineteen, and almost as respectable as he looked. But the name had stuck. It was inevitable that it should stick, for obviously it had been destined to him from the beginning."

The Saint #1 (Avon, 1947) CGC FN+ 6.5 Off-white pages. Classic "good girl" bondage cover and art by Jack Kamen. Overstreet 2021 FN 6.0 value = $465; VF 8.0 value = $992. CGC census 6/22: 2 in 6.5, 23 higher.

The Saint #5 (Avon, 1949) CGC NM 9.4 Off-white to white pages. Walter Johnson cover. Ann Brewster art. Overstreet 2021 NM- 9.2 value = $775. CGC census 6/22: 2 in 9.4, 2 higher.

The Saint #11 (Avon, 1951) CGC VF- 7.5 Off-white to white pages. Painted cover. Overstreet 2021 VF 8.0 value = $214. CGC census 6/22: 3 in 7.5, 3 higher.

The Saint #12 (Avon, 1952) CGC VF- 7.5 White pages. Painted cover (Avon paperback #123). One of five copies certified by CGC to date, and the fourth we've encountered. Overstreet 2021 VF 8.0 value = $228. CGC census 6/22: 1 in 7.5, 3 higher.