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The Saint & the End of Lev Gleason's Silver Streak Comics, at Auction

Published Sun, 14 Aug 2022 01:03:10 -0500

Publisher Lev Gleason apparently had a lot riding on the appearance of The Saint in the company's early-days flagship title Silver Streak Comics. In an editorial in issue #20 of that series, he noted, "I have spared no expense to give you the very best. We lead off in this issue with The Saint by Leslie Charteris. As far as we know this is the most expensive feature ever to appear in a comic magazine. Written by Leslie Charteris himself, The Saint comes to you right out of the movies — to perform here exclusively his terrific adventures and clever detective work that have made him world famous."

Gleason's expensive gamble didn't pay off. The Saint had started in Silver Streak Comics #18, and three issues later (and one issue after Gleason had boasted about how much he was paying Charteris to get The Saint in comics) the title was dead — to be replaced by a completely different and even more legendary title that picked up its numbering two months later with Crime Does Not Pay #22. What happened? Those final issues and their context tell an interesting story, and you can get three of those The Saint issues of Silver Streak Comics as well as a bunch of the rest of the series up for auction in the 2022 August 14-15 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122233 at Heritage Auctions.

Silver Streak Comics #18 (Lev Gleason, 1942)

Like many Golden Age comic book anthologies, Silver Streak Comics featured a scattershot variety of characters right from the start. The series is best known for its early covers and features of villain character The Claw and then the debut of the Golden Age Daredevil in Silver Streak Comics #6. That combination and its blatant wartime propaganda was quickly spun off into one of the most notorious WWII propaganda comics of all — Daredevil Battles Hitler, which served as the launch of Daredevil Comics. Established in his own series, Daredevil disappeared from the covers of Silver Streak Comics, and by the time of the debut of The Saint in Silver Streak Comics #18, Daredevil had vanished from the title's story lineup as well.

Despite apparently having spent a fortune to get The Saint into Silver Streak Comics, Lev Gleason didn't demonstrate a lot of tangible faith in the property. The character's debut in issue #18 features the only true The Saint cover for the title. Issue #19 features a humorous Dickie Dean cover that stands in sharp contrast with the tone of the rest of the covers of the series. Ned of the Navy makes his first and only cover appearance on issue #20. Unusually for the title, the cover of issue #21 is simply the start of The Saint comic panel story that continues on page one. The inside front cover contains a plea from Gleason to readers to write in to tell him which Silver Streak Comics feature they like best, and which comic book from any publisher they like best as well. Gleason seemed to be looking for a direction for Silver Streak Comics, but he didn't find it. The title promptly disappeared with that final issue, to be replaced by Crime Does Not Pay. Meanwhile, Boy Comics featuring the young superhero Crimebuster had joined Daredevil Comics in the Lev Gleason lineup. Silver Streak Comics was briefly revived for two issues in 1946.

Silver Streak Comics #18-21 was not the first appearance of The Saint in comic books, nor was it the last. The character had actually appeared in the DC Comics 1939 release Movie Comics #2, in a short adaptation of the film The Saint Strikes Back that featured a combination of art and cutouts from movie stills to create a comic story. More famously, Avon Publications released a short-lived The Saint comic book series beginning in 1947. There is evidence from that era that Charteris was an exacting licensor. He was critical of the Avon material in the early going, and the evidence suggests the publisher struggled to produce comic book covers that Charteris liked. Charteris was a harsh critic of The Saint comic strip artist Lew Schwartz in the developmental stage of the strip as well. The lack of more real The Saint covers on this Silver Streak Comics run and the character's 4-issue lifespan in the title may suggest Lev Gleason faced similar issues on the property.

Then again, when Boy Comics #4 hit the newsstands the month after the final issue of Silver Streak Comics, it contained a contest encouraging readers to push newsdealers to promote Lev Gleason titles Boy Comics, Daredevil Comics, and Silver Streak Comics. Boy Comics and Daredevil Comics would go on to have successful runs, but it was apparently too late for Silver Streak Comics. The final issues of a historically important series that features The Saint, you can get three of those The Saint issues of Silver Streak Comics as well as a bunch of the rest of the series up for auction in the 2022 August 14-15 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122233 at Heritage Auctions.

Silver Streak Comics #18 (Lev Gleason, 1942) Condition: VG. Leslie Charteris' classic gentleman rogue Simon "The Saint" Templar makes his comic book debut in this issue. Bernie Klein handles the cover, featuring our hero busting up a party of Nazis who decide to drop in for a visit. There is glue repair to the inner cover, and to the centerfold. The copy has a spine roll. Overstreet 2022 VG 4.0 value = $310.

Silver Streak Comics #20 (Lev Gleason, 1942) Condition: VG/FN. Rising Sun cover. Bill Everett art. The Saint appearance. Overstreet 2022 VG 4.0 value = $154; FN 6.0 value = $231.

Silver Streak Comics #21 (Lev Gleason, 1942) Condition: VG. The Saint cover and story. Hitler cover appearance. Glue repair to cover and spine. Overstreet 2022 VG 4.0 value = $212.