Lot 381
Phantom Lady #17 CGC 2.5 Bondage Cover by Matt Baker (Fox, 1947) Cream to Pink Pages
Northern Collection: From The Vault | CB26004
Auction: 6 November, 12:00 GMT
Description
Phantom Lady #17 CGC 2.5 Bondage Cover by Matt Baker (Fox, 1947).
We are pleased to bring to auction one of the most iconic pre-code comics, Phantom Lady #17! This cover by Matt Baker featured in ‘Seduction of the Innocent’ by Dr. Fredric Wertham (1954), who described the cover as “a sadist's dream”. And this is a dreamy Golden Age Comic. Iconically called ‘good girl art. ‘Seduction of the Innocent’ helped trigger the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency and the creation of the Comics Code Authority, that changed comics in the 1950s. Some historians debate whether this code was the start of the Silver Age in comics. There are only 133 CGC graded copies of this comic on the census. To add further significance to this comic, Matt Baker was one of the first African-American artists to find success in the comics industry. Alongside creating iconic art, Baker created one of the first graphic novels despite this term not existing at the time; ’It Rhymes with Lust' (1950).
Now, onto the comic itself. The classic bondage cover art by Matt Baker. This comic features two stories starring Phantom Lady (Sandra Knight) with art by Matt Baker: "The Soda Mint Killer!" and “The Stinging Whip!". In the first story, Sandra discovers that a protection racket is bullying a friend of hers, and eventually kills her because she won't pay, Sandra decides to take them head-on. "The Stinging Whip!", Don calls up Sandra and invites her out to the Grand Fairgrounds Track to introduce her to a new racehorse he has purchased. His jockey is killed, however, when he refuses to throw the race, so Don gets Sandra to ride Sugar Girl instead! 36 pgs, full colour. Cover price $0.10.
CGC Cert: #4719085002
Grader Notes: writing full top of front cover, multiple crease cover, tape pull bottom of back cover, front cover, detached bottom staple, writing center of back cover and cream to pink pages.
