Monster Comics

[Hepcat]

Huh?! What else could it be? Tales from the Crypt is the very definition of a monster comic!

[horrorhunter]

Yep, EC was pretty much the Mother Of All Monster/Horror Comics, and Tales From The Crypt was the flagship title. They technically weren't the first, but they were the most influential.

[Hepcat]

Here's another from the Bronze Age:

[Hepcat]

Here are scans of the first six issues of Jack Kirby's Demon title:

[Flower]

Like the Demons ... never saw them before .. very bright!

[vayapues]

As a monster fan, encountering this neat Kubert cover on a preview page in a 1961 DC Superman comic stuck in my craw for years. (Sorry, can't seem to post the image.)


http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Brave_and_the_Bold_Vol_1_34

[Hepcat]

Here's a scan of my copy:

[Hepcat]

Here are scans of five of my Swamp Thing comics:

[Wicked Lester]

Great stuff Hep.

[Flower]

Swamp Thing #1 seems to be missing ... 

[horrorhunter]

Swamp Thing #1 seems to be missing ... 

Ooh, Ooh! Here's my Swamp Thing #1:


..and my House Of Secrets #92 ta boot:


I bought that Swamp Thing #1 (VFN-) from Bob Overstreet back in 1976 for $5, and I bought the HOS #92 (FN) (1st appearance of Swamp Thing) at a little comic book store in Brunswick, Ga. in 1978 for $6. Best 11 bucks I ever spent. 

[Hepcat]

The House of Secrets 92 issue is crazy popular with collectors both because it's either a prequel to or the first appearance of Swamp Thing plus Bernie Wrightson's first comic work. As a result it really commands the bucks which has always deterred me from getting a copy.

[Wich2]

[horrorhunter]

The House of Secrets 92 issue is crazy popular with collectors both because it's either a prequel to or the first appearance of Swamp Thing plus Bernie Wrightson's first comic work. As a result it really commands the bucks which has always deterred me from getting a copy.

Yeah, HOS 92 has always been that way, very high demand with relatively low supply. I occasionally check eBay for Bernie Wrightson items and I noticed that HOS 92s were consistently selling for surprisingly high prices, and not just BIN asking prices but auction selling prices, like $600-$800 in the VFN range and $250-$300 in the FN range. That first Swamp Thing story was meant to be just another short horror tale but received so much praise DC made it into the series. Some of the story elements were changed for the series, but the popularity of the Swamp Thing character and Bernie Wrightson cemented HOS 92 as a comic collector's grail.

Bernie's first pro work was in House Of Mystery #179. I just grabbed a quick internet image below. My copy of that issue is only in mid-grade.


http://pencilink.blogspot.com/2008/02/house-of-mystery-179-neal-adams-art.html

[Hepcat]

Yeah, HOS 92 has always been that way, very high demand with relatively low supply. I occasionally check eBay for Bernie Wrightson items and I noticed that HOS 92s were consistently selling for surprisingly high prices....

But that's just it. It's a fairly plentiful comic. You can always find several listings, as opposed to comics for which you can seldom find any listings. What makes it command the prices it does is simply very high demand for the reasons you've given.