Pocket Comics #1 Values

Publisher: Harvey, 1941

About Pocket Comics #1

The first issue of the first Harvey title. It features the origin and first appearance of the Black Cat, Cadet Blakey (the Spirit of '76), the Red Blazer, the Phantom, Sphinx, and the Zebra. Phantom Ranger, British Agent #99, Spin Hawkins, and Satan, Lord of Evil appear for the first time and begin story series. Joe Simon cover and art. Pocket size digest (5.25" x 7.25") containing 100 pages.

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COVER DETAILS

Characters: The Spirit of '76

Pencils: Joe Simon

Inks: Joe Simon

Notes: Art previously tentatively attributed to Bob Powell, but Joe Simon's autobiography "My Life In Comics" states that he drew the covers, and Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. agrees.

STORY DETAILS

(10 Stories)

Characters: Private Air Cadet Jim Brady; Lieutenant Patricia Randall (nurse); Satan (villain, introduction, mad dictator of the underworld); Adolf Hitler (villain); un-named members of Satan's gang (villains, introduction for all, many die)

Synopsis: Satan makes the mistake of trying to sabotage Camp Porter in his mad campaign to undermine the U.S. program to defend democracy.

Pages: 12.000

Script: Otto Binder [as Eando Binder] (signed)

Pencils: Pierce Rice

Inks: Arturo Cazeneuve ?; Louis Cazeneuve ?

Notes: Ppencils credit from Craig Delich and Bill Black 2012-12-13. Ink credits from Bill Black.

Characters: The Red Blazer [Jack Dawson] (introduction, origin); Kagah (Martian, assistant to Dr. Morgan, death); Dr. Morgan (scientist, inventor of a space cruiser); Doc Breenan (villain)

Synopsis: Jack comes upon an aged man burying someone and discovers that the man is Dr. Morgan, a scientist who invented the space cruiser and flew to Mars in 1901. Morgan slips Jack a drink, causing the young man to pass out. He is taken to the Heaviside layer by the scientist, where astro-pyro rays advanced the young man's evolutionary stage. He returns to Earth to battle criminals who are looting cities and murdering residents.

Pages: 12.000

Pencils: Al Avison [as A. Avison] (signed)

Inks: Al Avison [as A. Avison] (signed)

Characters: Spirit of '76 [Gary Blakely] (introduction and origin); Major Ralston (Gary's grandfather); Captain Blakely (Gary's father); Tubby (cadet friend of Gary's); Captain Hoch (villain); the Nazis (villains)

Synopsis: Gary is attending West Point, but his family tradition of serving in the military spurs him on to action before he graduates, and what better way than taking on Luftwaffe Captain Hoch, whose "Khaki Shirts" are planning to dynamite West Point.

Pages: 12.000

Script: ? [as Major Ralston]

Pencils: Edd Ashe

Inks: Edd Ashe

Reprints: Green Hornet Comics (Harvey, 1942 series) #7 (7) (June 1942)

Notes: Original art at at Lewis Wayne Gallery.

Characters: Black Cat [Linda Turner] (introduction and origin); Rick Horne (introduction); Garboil (villain, introduction)

Pages: 12.000

Script: Alfred Harvey

Pencils: Barbara Hall

Inks: Barbara Hall

Reprints: Speed Comics (Harvey, 1941 series) #17 (April 1942)

Notes: Art credits from Tina Robbins' interview of Hall as given on the Comixscholars-L listserve on 30 April 2014.

Characters: The Phantom Sphinx [General Amron] (introduction, origin); Dr. Salle (scientist, introduction); Nancy Taylor (American reporter); Red Norton (villain, bandit, death); Suliman the Terrible (villain, transformed into a camel)

Synopsis: Dr. Salle and his companions discover a long lost tomb that contains the remains of General Amron, who was put into a hypnotic sleep by his father some 6000 years before. However, a notorious bandit named Norton kills all the explorers, reads Salle's notes, and revives the mummy using the Star Sirius, a pebble. Rising from his long sleep, the mummy, heeding the words of his father, becomes the Phantom Sphinx and avenges the wrongs that have been done.

Pages: 12.000

Pencils: Pierce Rice

Inks: Louis Cazeneuve

Notes: Inks credit from penciled note on margin of original art of page 1. Images of original art can be viewed at Heritage Auctions website. www.HA.com

Characters: British Agent 99 [Alan Douglas, aka Hal Payne as an American reporter] (introduction, origin, former Hollywood star); General Douglas (flashback, Alan's father, death); Sultana Zaida; Chuck; Herr Karl Vern (villain); Fritz (villain); Heinrich (villain, Vern's chauffeur); the Nazis (villains)

Synopsis: Traveling to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, on his first assignment, in the disguise of an American reporter, Agent 99 saves a young girl from the Nazis and tells her that he is in Yugoslavia to protect her from Gestapo agents.

Pages: 12.000

Script: ? [as William Churchill, Jr. (byline)]

Pencils: Arturo Cazeneuve

Inks: Arturo Cazeneuve

Notes: Art credits from Bill Black.

Title: John Doyle Convicted of Murder

Characters: The Zebra [John Doyle] (introduction, origin); Mary Sewell (Doyle's girlfriend); Happy Mike (villain, political boss); Slug (villain)

Synopsis: Sentenced to death for murder because of the actions of politicians protecting the real culprit, John Doyle escapes from prison to track down the murderer, and discovers that his girl friend has been kidnapped by criminals who believe she knows more about the actual murderer than she should.

Pages: 12.000

Script: ? [as "Ellery King"] (signed)

Pencils: Pierce Rice

Inks: Arthur Cazeneuve; Louis Cazeneuve ?

Reprints: Green Hornet Comics (Harvey, 1942 series) #7 (7) (June 1942)

Notes: Bill Black reports that Louis Cazeneuve also did inks on this story, although the Who's Who doesn't list Louis having worked on this strip.

Data Courtesy of Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license

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CGC Census Report*

Grade	NG	PG	CVR	0.5	1.0	1.5	1.8	2.0	2.5	3.0	3.5	4.0	4.5	5.0	5.5	6.0	6.5	7.0	7.5	8.0	8.5	9.0	9.2	9.4	9.6	9.8	9.9	10.0	Total
Universal	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	2	4	2	5	0	0	2	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	23
Qualified	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Signature Series	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
CGCxJSA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Restored	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Total	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	2	4	2	5	0	0	2	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	25

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