Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Chesler, Punch Comics

The Iconically Weird Horror of Chesler's Punch Comics, Up for Auction

Published Sun, 31 Oct 2021 10:32:10 -0500

We've talked about the weird, wonderful, and often horrific world of the comic books from publisher Harry "A" Chesler a few times here recently, particularly the Dynamic Comics issues featuring Dr. Doom, and those wild Gus Ricca covers among others. But much of the rest of the Chesler line was equally amazing, and the Punch Comics series was one of the best of those. This is a tough-to-get series with Chesler's hallmark shock and awe covers by the likes of Ricca, Charles Sultan, and Paul Gattuso and interiors by Jack Cole, George Tuska, and others as well. There's a rare chance to get 7 issues of Punch Comics up for auction in the 2021 October 31-November 1 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122144 at Heritage Auctions.

The Punch Comics series started out as a fairly typical war-era hero adventure series, but the cover and interior artwork of Ricca and Gattuso in particular soon gave the series a horrific edge. Gattuso's covers for #13 and #19 in particular among the stand-outs of the series. Gattuso drew comics for a wide range of Golden Age publishers, but his Chesler work was used as an example of cruelty in comic books by Fredric Wertham in the book Seduction of the Innocent. An underappreciated series with unrestrained covers and interiors to match, there's are 7 issues of Punch Comics up for auction in the 2021 October 31-November 1 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122144 at Heritage Auctions.

Punch Comics #1 Trimmed (Chesler, 1941) CGC Apparent GD/VG 3.0 Moderate (C-3) Off-white pages. Charles Sultan art. Mr. E. Sky Chief, Kitty Kelly, Hale the Magician, and Unholy 3 begin. CGC notes, "Restoration includes: color touch, reinforced. (All 3 Edges Trimmed.) Tape on interior cover & interior. Staples removed. 5 extra staples added, not manufacturing." Overstreet 2021 GD 2.0 value = $258.

Punch Comics #10 (Chesler, 1944) CGC VG- 3.5 Cream to off-white pages. Jack Cole art. Overstreet 2021 VG 4.0 value = $180. CGC census 10/21: 2 in 3.5, 9 higher.

Punch Comics #11 (Chesler, 1944) CBCS VG+ 4.5 Off-white pages. Skull cover. Jack Cole and Charles Sultan art. Reprints the first appearance of the Sky Chief. Other characters include Master Key and Little Nemo. Overstreet 2021 VG 4.0 value = $206.

Punch Comics #13 (Chesler, 1945) CGC GD- 1.8 Cream to off-white pages. Features Rocketman, Master Key, and Johnny On the Spot. Graveyard cover with Chesler artists listed on tombstone. CGC notes, "Tape on cover." Overstreet 2021 GD 2.0 value = $123. CGC census 10/21: 1 in 1.8, 19 higher.

Punch Comics #15 (Chesler, 1945) CGC GD/VG 3.0 Off-white to white pages. Paul Gattuso cover and art. Overstreet 2021 GD 2.0 value = $84; VG 4.0 value = $168. CGC census 10/21: 1 in 3.0, 10 higher.

Punch Comics #18 (Chesler, 1946) CBCS VG 4.0 Light tan to off-white pages. Gerber rates this issue a "7" ("scarce") in its Scarcity Index. Paul Gattuso bondage cover. Overstreet 2021 VG 4.0 value = $174.

Punch Comics #19 (Chesler, 1946) CGC VG+ 4.5 Dark tan to off-white pages. "Classic" cover by Paul Gattuso. Overstreet 2021 VG 4.0 value = $336. CGC census 10/21: 2 in 4.5, 11 higher.