![](\"http:\/\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/61b1Oe3Y7OL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg\"){kind=icon}
<\/a><\/p>\nAction! Mystery! Thrills!: Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age 1933-45<\/span><\/a> Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n 176 classic covers unfurled in full-sized glory!<\/p>\n When we contemplate a memorable old comic book, the first thing that comes to mind is its cover, and that was no accident. Publishers realized fairly quickly that if they spent a little extra to hire a good cover artist, they could fill the insides with mediocrity and still make a sizable profit \u2014 that all it took was a striking cover to entice thousands of kids to fork over their dimes. <\/p>\n Even today, covers drive the collectors\u2019 market. Apart from number-one issues and first appearances, the strength of a comic book\u2019s cover is the first consideration in determining its value. Indeed, it is now common practice to entomb the book between slabs of sealed plastic \u2014 with only the cover visible \u2014 as if the interior pages\u2019 sole purpose was to provide a place to secure the staples. <\/p>\n In order to locate the best possible examples, collectors from around the world have been enlisted to share their rare and valuable comic books. The scores of cover artists represented include Carl Barks, Charles Biro, Dick Briefer, L.B. Cole, Jack Cole, Reed Crandall, Will Eisner, Bill Everett, Lou Fine, Walt Kelly, Jack Kirby, Mac Raboy, and Alex Schomburg. Every comic book genre will be explored, from superhero to detective to Western to funny animal. <\/p>\n Majestic, iconic, chaotic, or downright weird, a classic comic book cover has an undeniable appeal, and Action! Mystery! Thrills!<\/span> celebrates in spades this unique cultural icon. The covers will be printed full-sized on glossy paper to most faithfully replicate the originals, and arranged chronologically to give the reader a sense of the sweeping trends and stylistic developments throughout the medium\u2019s first decade, as inexorable waves of dazzling imagery battled monthly for newsstand attention. 240 pages of full-color comics.<\/p>\n Two of Sadowski\u2019s previous Golden Age compilations (Setting the Standard: Comics by Alex Toth 1952-1954<\/span><\/a> and Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s<\/span><\/a>) made my annual Nexus Graphica best of year lists.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Echoes of Betrayal: Paladin\u2019s Legacy<\/span><\/a> Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n The action continues fast and furious in this third installment of Elizabeth Moon\u2019s celebrated return to the fantasy world of the paladin Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter. This award-winning author has firsthand military experience and an imagination that knows no bounds. Combine those qualities with an ability to craft flesh-and-blood characters, and the result is the kind of speculative fiction that engages both heart and mind.<\/p>\n All is not well in the Eight Kingdoms. In Lyonya, King Kieri is about to celebrate marriage to his beloved, the half-elf Arian. But uncanny whispers from the spirits of his ancestors continue to warn of treachery and murder. A finger of suspicion has been pointed toward his grandmother, the queen of the Ladysforest elves, and that suspicion has only intensified with time and the Lady\u2019s inexplicable behavior. Clearly, she is hiding something. But what? And why?<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in Tsaia, the young king Mikeli must grapple with unrest among his own nobility over his controversial decision to grant the title and estates of a traitorous magelord to a Verrakaien who not only possesses the forbidden magic but is a woman besides: Dorrin, once one of Kieri\u2019s most trusted captains. When renegade Verrakaien attack two of Dorrin\u2019s squires, suspicion and prejudice combine to place Dorrin\u2019s life at risk\u2014and the king\u2019s claim to the throne in peril.<\/p>\n But even greater danger is looming. The wild offspring of a dragon are on the loose, sowing death and destruction and upsetting the ancient balance of power between dragonkind, humans, elves, and gnomes. A collision seems inevitable. Yet when it comes, it will be utterly unexpected\u2014and all the more devastating for it.<\/p>\n \n Inner Sanctum: Tales of Horror, Mystery and Suspense<\/span><\/a> Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n The Inner Sanctum<\/span> is one of the most fondly remembered mystery and horror radio shows from the 1940s\u2014it is brought to life here with striking illustrations that re-create four chilling tales. In “The Horla,” a man is haunted by a mysterious, grotesque being that only he can see. At first, the being seeks to enslave the man, but in the end it turns out the being is actually out to destroy him. “Death of a Doll” tells the tale of a reporter who is investigating the identity and death of an unidentified female corpse. Throughout his investigation, he carries her doll with him and, instead of \u201cmama,\u201d the doll continually cries out \u201cKara Nana,\u201d another name for the devil. “The Undead” follows a young woman as she discovers a 10-year-old obituary for her living husband. Terrified, she goes to his tomb to investigate. The last story in the collection, “Alive in the Grave,” follows a man who may have unwittingly consigned another man to being buried alive.<\/p>\n Books received 2\/1\/12<\/a> was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let\u2019s take a quick look to see what\u2019s arrived at the Geek Compound. Action! Mystery! Thrills!: Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age 1933-45 Edited by Greg Sadowski Foreword by Ty Templeton Cover by Alex Schomburg Promo copy: 176 classic … Continue reading
\nEdited by Greg Sadowski
\nForeword by Ty Templeton
\nCover by Alex Schomburg<\/span><\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51teAD-hhWL._SL500_AA300_.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nby Elizabeth Moon
\nCover by Paul Youll<\/span><\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51Dbll-RKsL._SL500_AA300_.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nby Ernie Col\u00f3n<\/span><\/p>\n