This post continues the content of risqué covers begun for my entry the previous day (Risqué Covers from Yesteryear). There I was looking at Golden Age covers that pushed the limits of good taste and featured risqué themes. In this post, controversial superhero covers.
Nothing can push the price of a Golden Age comic higher than a controversial cover.
The perfect example of this is the August 27, 2015 sale of Suspense Comics #3 (April 1944) with its “Nazi/Bondage/Horror/War hybrid” cover by Alex Schomburg which sold in 9.0 grade in a Heritage Auction for a staggering $173, 275.00 (see here). Usually, the highest sales on Golden Age titles are the more well-known superhero titles. So, what happens when Golden Age superheroes get controversial?
This post will focus on risqué covers aimed at children who wanted to read about their favorite heroes and ended up with controversial scenarios that may have led their parents and, eventually, the US government to start worrying about comics.
Marvel Mystery Comics #28 (February 1942) – Bondage Cover with Human Torch
Like other genres, Golden Age superhero comics produced their fair share of risqué covers. Even Timely comics, the Golden Age version of Marvel before there was Marvel, put out its fair share of bondage covers. While Wonder Woman might haven the record for the most bondage scenes (see below), a lot of Golden Age covers featured buxom women tied up by dastardly rogues. This issue of Marvel Mystery Comics features just such a scene, luckily for the helpless lass, kidnapped by a Satanic KKK leader and his army of goblins (!), Bill Everett’s Human Torch is on the way. The creative team at work on this comic also includes: Alex Schomburg, Carl Burgos, Bill Everett, Jack Kirby, David Walters, Al Fagaly, Bob Oksner, and Ed Robbins. MMC #28 has a total of 46 copies on the CGC census. In the most recent sale, a ComicLink auction of a 5.0 copy on 02/27/2019, sold for $2, 125.00.
Wonder Woman #24 (July 1947) – Dominatrix-like Villain puts Wonder Woman in Bondage
As created by William Marston, everyone knows that Golden Age Wonder Woman was the queen of kinky panels. Scenes of bondage actually pervaded her Golden Age stories. For example, the following images,
were pretty much common place in GA Wonder Woman comics.
At one point it was determined that there were more bondage panels per issue of Golden Age Wonder Woman than any other comic. Moreover, her comic covers also occasionally featured risqué and gratuitous bondage scenes. A perfect example is the cover of Wonder Woman issue #24. Golden Age bondage at its ‘in your face’ best. Wonder Woman is here tied up by a villainous who looks like a dominatrix with a red cape. Hey kids, Comics! On 04/01/2019 a ComicLink auction of a 6.0 copy of WW #4 sold for $425.00. The highest known sale was for a 9.2 on 06/10/2016 which sold for $2, 381.00.
Mystic Comics #2 (November 1944) – Bondage, Torture Cover by Syd Shores
Among the now forgotten super-heroes first launched in the Mystic Comics title are: The Blazing Skull, the Destroyer (not Draxx but created by Stan Lee) and Thomas Halloway aka the Angel who is featured on the cover of issue #2. This isn’t a prototype for the X-Men character, rather the Golden Age Angel was an acrobat and costumed detective. Timely Comics gives us here not only the Angel but a controversial bondage cover with a ghoul like monster holding a hypodermic needle to the head of a tightly tied down damsel. Only 27 copies on the CGC census of this Golden Age book, the last sale a 9.2 sold for $2,990.00, but that was back in 03/06/2003. The most recent sale was on 12/09/2018 of a 3.0 and that sold for $1,440.00.
Doll Man #37 (December 1951) - Doll Girl in Bondage on Cover
Possibly a Gill Fox cover, sometimes credits for Golden Age titles are hard to find, but the Doll Man was a hero in the vein of the Atom and Ant-Man. Here we get not only the Doll Man and the first appearance of Doll Girl (I’m guessing she’s the diminutive heroine in bondage on the cover), but – yes - bondage. Also another Ghoul faced villain. Was there a Zombie epidemic in the late 40s? With only 15 copies on the CGC census, this issue of Doll Man still manages to sell for much higher than other issues in the run, I wonder why? A year ago, on 06/03/2018, a 5.5 certified copy sold on Heritage Auction for $776.75. Small hero, big price!
The list above is just the tip of the ice-berg. Before the Comics Code got rid of them, there were plenty more controversial covers in the superhero genre.
