Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Matt Baker, St. John Publications

Matt Baker's Rare Giant Comics Editions #15, up for Auction

Matt Baker covers always have a story to tell, but the cover of Giant Comics Editions #15 contains a complete romance story arc.

Much more often than not, Matt Baker's covers for St. John Publications were reflective of one of the interior stories of the issue in question, and even when they weren't, the mismatch can often be traced to an editorial mix-up.  But on St. John's giant editions, such coordination was sometimes impossible since those issues were often rebound remaindered material that could vary even under the same issue number.  It's hard not to wonder what Baker's cover assignments from his editor looked like in those cases.  Could he simply do anything he wanted?  Is that the circumstance that created, for example, Giant Comics Editions #12, which is widely considered the most iconic romance comic book cover ever created?

Every Matt Baker romance cover has a story to tell, but the cover of Giant Comics Editions #15 is a little bit different than most.  Perhaps not wanting to leave the reader hanging with a cover that might have very little to do with the interior stories, Baker or his editor (Marion McDermott?) chose to tell a complete romance story arc with the carefully placed background panels on this cover.  The unnamed beautiful blonde featured here wins a beauty contest, leaves her hometown sweetheart to seek fame and fortune, falls in love with another man, gets betrayed by that man, and returns home to her true love — all in the space of six panels.

Giant Comics Editions was the formal title for a series of 18 rebound remaindered St. John comic books that was published 1948-1950.  Issues in this series generally included 100 to 132 pages and were priced at 25 cents.  They included a variety of material that had been published by St. John, from romance to newspaper strip reprints to Terry-Toons.  Nine of the 18 covers of the series were based on newspaper strip material or Mighty Mouse.  Two of them were photo covers.

Six of the remaining seven covers featured Matt Baker artwork.  Five featured new, original artwork, while the sixth was a montage of previously-run interior panel art mostly by Baker. Giant Comics Editions #6 and #13 featuring Baker covers are also available in this auction.  This title was not the only giant squarebound editions that St. John published.  The publisher used this format on around 50 releases overall, with several others including All-Picture All-True Love Story #1 and Pictorial Romances #20 featuring Baker covers.  When a St. John giant edition was part of another regular ongoing series, it sometimes contained new material.

The Overstreet Price Guide currently has Giant Comics Editions #15 at #3 on their Top Ten Romance Comics list, and even so, this one is somehow underrated. CGC 6.5 is the highest entry on the CGC census, so these essentially never change hands in high grade.  But this is a nicely presenting CGC VG- 3.5 Off-white to white pages copy of Giant Comics Editions #15 (St. John, 1950) up for auction in the 2024 July 18 The Matt Baker Comics Showcase Auction #40267 at Heritage Auctions.

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