{"product_id":"crime-suspenstories-17-cgc-3-0-1953-classic-suicide-cover-ec-comics-ray-bradbury-adaptation","title":"Crime SuspenStories #17 CGC 3.0 (1953) – Classic Suicide Cover | EC Comics | Ray Bradbury Adaptation","description":"\u003ch2\u003eCrime SuspenStories #17 — CGC 3.0, The Johnny Craig Suicide Cover\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA powerful and iconic Pre-Code crime comic from the legendary \u003cstrong\u003eEC Comics\u003c\/strong\u003e line. This issue features the famous \u003cstrong\u003eJohnny Craig suicide cover\u003c\/strong\u003e — widely regarded as one of the most memorable and controversial covers of the EC crime era and one of the most reproduced images in comics history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEC Comics pushed boundaries in the early 1950s with mature storytelling and striking artwork, and \u003cem\u003eCrime SuspenStories\u003c\/em\u003e became one of the publisher's most celebrated titles. The line's confrontational covers — this one chief among them — became central evidence in the 1954 Senate hearings that gave rise to the Comics Code Authority.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe book also includes a \u003cstrong\u003eRay Bradbury story adaptation\u003c\/strong\u003e, layering literary credibility onto a book already loaded with significance. Encapsulated by CGC at \u003cstrong\u003e3.0 with Cream to Off-White pages\u003c\/strong\u003e — a respectable presentable copy of a 70-year-old paper artifact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eKey Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle: Crime SuspenStories\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIssue: #17\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublisher: EC Comics\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublication Date: June–July 1953\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGrade: CGC 3.0\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePage Quality: Cream to Off-White\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEra: Pre-Code Golden Age\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCover Artist: Johnny Craig\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy It Matters\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Classic Johnny Craig suicide cover.\u003c\/strong\u003e One of the most reproduced — and most debated — cover images in the history of American comics.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA Pre-Code artifact.\u003c\/strong\u003e Published in 1953, EC's mature crime line was central to the 1954 Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency that produced the Comics Code Authority — fundamentally rewriting what comics could publish for decades.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIncludes a Ray Bradbury story adaptation.\u003c\/strong\u003e Literary credibility from one of the 20th century's most important short-fiction writers, layered onto an already loaded book.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAn EC creator roll-call.\u003c\/strong\u003e Stories by William Gaines and Al Feldstein; cover and lead art by Johnny Craig; interior work by Jack Kamen, Bill Elder and Al Williamson — a credit list most modern books never come close to assembling.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCream to Off-White pages on a 70+ year-old book.\u003c\/strong\u003e Most surviving 1953 EC copies grade with worse page quality due to newsprint chemistry. This copy sits on the better side of that distribution.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCreators\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStories: Al Feldstein, William Gaines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCover \u0026amp; Art: Johnny Craig\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInterior Art: Jack Kamen, Bill Elder, Al Williamson\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdaptation: Ray Bradbury story\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA creator credit list that doubles as a hall-of-fame index. \u003cstrong\u003eWilliam Gaines\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eAl Feldstein\u003c\/strong\u003e built EC into the most respected publisher of the era. \u003cstrong\u003eJohnny Craig\u003c\/strong\u003e is the artist behind the cover that defined the line's legacy. \u003cstrong\u003eBill Elder\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eAl Williamson\u003c\/strong\u003e went on to become two of the most influential illustrators in American comics. \u003cstrong\u003eRay Bradbury\u003c\/strong\u003e needs no introduction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCollector Notes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEC Comics remain some of the most respected publications of the Golden Age, famous for their mature storytelling and legendary artists. \u003cem\u003eCrime SuspenStories\u003c\/em\u003e is one of the publisher's flagship crime titles and is highly sought after among EC collectors. This issue's \u003cstrong\u003edramatic suicide cover by Johnny Craig is one of the most recognisable images from the EC crime line\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePre-Code EC books are valued primarily on cover significance, creator line-up and publisher prestige — the classic \"blue-chip Golden Age\" criteria. Once a copy of this issue lands in a serious EC or horror\/crime collection, it tends not to come back to market for years at a time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCGC 3.0 with Cream to Off-White pages is a fully presentable, slabbed copy at a meaningfully more accessible price than mid- and high-grade examples — which trade in the multiple-thousands when they surface at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eShipping\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour CGC slab is carefully packaged using slab-specific inner protection and a rigid outer box, then shipped insured to keep the case intact in transit. Golden Age slabs of this profile travel in extra protective layering for the value involved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUK Dispatch: Within 24 hours\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInternational: Tracked + signed\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInsurance: Included on slabs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"EC Comics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53028252713227,"sku":null,"price":675.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0740\/5790\/8491\/files\/aaa0037.jpg?v=1775402107","url":"https:\/\/redsterscomics.com\/products\/crime-suspenstories-17-cgc-3-0-1953-classic-suicide-cover-ec-comics-ray-bradbury-adaptation","provider":"Redsters Comics","version":"1.0","type":"link"}