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

The Pre-Code Horror of Farrell's Haunted Thrills #11, at Auction

Haunted Thrills was one of the most succesful of Farrell Publications' Pre-Code Horror series, featuring artwork from Iger Studio.

Farrell Publications published some 321 issues of 62 titles from 1951-1958, which is to say that most Farrell series were short lived.  The company put out a wide range of genres from romance to war comics, but might be best remembered for their Pre-Code Horror line and their underappreciated mid-1950s superhero line which included former Fox Feature Syndicate titles like The Flame, Samson and Phantom Lady.  Robert Farrell had gotten his start working for Victor Fox, and like Fox, often worked with Iger Studio.  Haunted Thrills and Voodoo were the most successful of Farrell's horror line, but while Voodoo transformed into the jungle adventure Vooda, when the Comics Code approached, there was no saving Haunted Thrills. A notorious Pre-Code Horror title, there's a copy of the most notorious issue of that series, Haunted Thrills #11 (Farrell, 1953) Condition: VG is up for auction in the 2024 June 23-25 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122426 at Heritage Auctions.

"Out of the Grave," a story of revenge against torturers in a Nazi concentration camp in Haunted Thrills #11, is an often-cited example of the horror material that can be found in the series.  One of the most chilling Pre-Code Horror comic book stories you'll ever run across, the saga centers around a Nazi colonel forcing a cobbler to make a pair of boots under unimaginably horrific circumstances.  The cover of this issue may be vaguely inspired by the text story "The Stranger in the Sky," about an actress interacting with dangerous forces beyond her knowledge.  Aside from Iger Studio's Jerry Iger as art editor and Ruth Roche as editor, the art and writing credits for this issue are unknown.

A notorious Pre-Code Horror crime comic title, there's a Haunted Thrills #11 (Farrell, 1953) Condition: VG is up for auction in the 2024 June 23-25 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122426 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.

Haunted Thrills #11 (Farrell, 1953) Condition: VG. Nazi death camp story. Skull cover. Contains a hanging panel. Ink splotches on cover. Overstreet 2023 VG 4.0 value = $362.

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