Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: golden age, pre-code horror

The Elusive Pre-Code Horror of Mysteries #1, Up for Auction

While the 1953 Superior Comics title Mysteries may be a true mystery to some collectors, this PCH title is well worth your time.

Published Tue, 01 Oct 2024 22:32:10 -0500

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Thu, 31 Oct 2024 20:59:57 -0500

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The incredibly obscure Mysteries Pre-Code Horror series is very tough to get, even by PCH standards. Its publisher Superior Publications was a Canadian company that reprinted a wide range of material from U.S. publishers but also created original material for distribution in both the U.S. and Canada. Mysteries was one of these original material titles, although very little is known about the writers and artists who created these stories. Despite this, Mysteries #1 contains some truly bizarre and creepy material, particularly the story "The Stolen Brain" in this issue. An obscure PCH series launch with a classic cover, there's a Mysteries #1 (Superior Comics, 1953) CGC VG 4.0 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the 2023 March 5-6 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122310 at Heritage Auctions.

Mysteries lasted for 11 issues from 1953 to early 1955, likely killed when publisher Superior saw the writing on the wall with the approach of the Comics Code. While Superior had initially been a member of the Association of Comics Magazine Publishers (a precursor to the Comics Magazine Association of America), when ACMP General Council Henry Edward Schultz testified before the Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in 1954, he said, "Superior Comics, I believe, gave up business, although I really don't know."

Superior had not quite given up as soon as Schultz believed, however. The company continued a handful of non-horror titles into 1955/1956. Curiously, there are no Comics Code seals on any of these issues, even those appearing up to 18 months after the Code seal had been virtually universally put into use by U.S. publishers (with the notable exception of Dell). One might be tempted to think that these were a handful of Canada-only publications. However, American News Company distributed late-era Superior comics, and it's hard to imagine a title like U.S. Fighting Air Force was not meant for distribution in the United States. It's an interesting historical anomaly.

Surprisingly little is known about the creators involved in this series, except that a writer credited as John Martin created the text stories for several issues, as he did for other Superior horror titles. Jay Disbrow and Iger Studio may have been involved in some artwork for the series. Despite this lack of info, the prevalence of skull or skeleton-themed covers have made the series a favorite of Pre-Code Horror collectors ever since, with the cover of Mystery #1 being a great example. An obscure but noteworthy Pre-Code Horror series debut with a classic cover, there's a Mysteries #1 (Superior Comics, 1953) CGC VG 4.0 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the 2023 March 5-6 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122310 at Heritage Auctions.

Mysteries #1 (Superior Comics, 1953) CGC VG 4.0 Off-white to white pages. Skull cover. All horror stories. Overstreet 2022 VG 4.0 value = $258. CGC census 2/23: 3 in 4.0, 12 higher.