Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: fawcett, pre-code horror
The Eyes Have it on Fawcett's Worlds of Fear #10, Up for Auction
Legendary and prolific painter Norman Saunders (1907 – 1989) is best remembered for his pulp magazine covers for a variety of publishers, but he also painted over 100 comic book covers, primarily for publishers Fawcett and Ziff-Davis. His cover for Fawcett's Worlds of Fear #10 is one of the best-known of his comic book covers, featuring a wonderfully bizarre scene of a background full of staring eyeballs, and a screaming man who has none. This horrific scene has been the focus of Pre-Code Horror collectors for decades, and there's a Worlds of Fear #10 (Fawcett Publications, 1953) CGC FN 6.0 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the 2022 October 27 – 28 Halloween Pre-Code Horror and Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40207 at Heritage Auctions.
Saunders' cover for Worlds of Fear #10 is based on the interior story The Eyes in His Hand drawn by artist Maurice Gutwirth. In the story, a man is accidentally blinded during a boxing match and ends up murdering his opponent, stealing his eyes, and paying students of the occult to transform them into eyes that he could see with. The expected chaos ensues during the story, as the victim ultimately gets his revenge in the end.
Worlds of Fear #10 has been on Pre-Code Horror comic book collectors' radar for quite a while, and it is a sought-after issue from the peak of that era. The classic painted cover by Norman Saunders, coupled with the macabre subject matter has resulted in an issue that's always in demand, and there's a Worlds of Fear #10 (Fawcett Publications, 1953) CGC FN 6.0 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the 2022 October 27 – 28 Halloween Pre-Code Horror and Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40207 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.
Worlds of Fear #10 (Fawcett Publications, 1953) CGC FN 6.0 Off-white to white pages. The "classic" painted cover is by Norman Saunders. Eyes-ripped-out cover and story. Sheldon Moldoff art. Overstreet 2022 FN 6.0 value = $813. CGC census 10/22: 4 in 6.0, 8 higher.
CGC Grader Notes:
light wear all edges back cover
light wear spine breaks color
light, multiple crease full bottom of front cover breaks color
stain left bottom of back cover