stuff :: Atomic Age

Lee Elias Black Cat 49 Cover

Artist: Lee Elias (All)

29 Comments - 2,461 Views - 8 Likes

Additional Images:

published

Previous Item:
Williamson/ Torres Crime Illustrated 3, 1956

Artwork Details

Title:	Lee Elias Black Cat 49 Cover
Artist:	Lee Elias (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	2,461
Likes on CAF:	8 9
Favorited on CAF:	1
Comments:	29
Added to Site:	12/3/2009
Comic Art Archive:

Description

This precode horror cover was muddied up by a clumsy coloring job, so the published comic doesn't have the same impact. Lots of construction went into this. The bulb & radiance effect is on one board with the whole main drawing cut out and pasted on top. The hand seems to have been cut out and repositioned or redrawn. White lines in the background are scratched in, not painted.

Purchased from Mike Burkey. Did you ever own this page? I'd like to hear about it, where you got it and who you let it go to.

Social/Sharing

About the Owner

	Aaron N. ( 6 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	November 2009
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Lars Teglbjaerg
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/11/2009

Without having seen this comic at the newsstand, I still think that it would have stood out from the rest of the horror comics. Brilliant execution by Lee Elias. Interestingly enough, Ben Samuels has just posted a pre-Code Harvey horror story titled "Clean As A Whistle".

Timothy Finney
Member Since 2006

Posted on 12/12/2009

I agree with Lars, this is an exceptional cover. Lee's chiaroscuro is weirdly repelling yet beautiful.

steve staszower
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/13/2009

An outstanding pre-Code cover. The radiance effect is brilliantly executed. Thanks for sharing!

Black Adler
Member Since 2005

Posted on 1/18/2010

Fantastic Elias example - this great artist is so underrated... Welcome to the CAF !!

Dan Ripoll
Member Since 2003

Posted on 4/5/2010

This is great.....creepy, horrific, yet not over the top gory. Elias is such a legend for other genres, I like that this is an exceptional horror piece.

Dan M
Member Since 2007

Posted on 6/10/2010

awesome piece!

Mark Yanko
Member Since 2009

Posted on 6/29/2010

Outstandingly pre-Code brrrrr-rrrr!!!! Bet this is amazing in person.

Roger K.
Member Since 2005
Forum Moderator

Posted on 8/25/2010

If I'd ever owned it, I'd still have it. This one's a keeper! Great page!

Jeff Singh
Member Since 2004

Posted on 11/1/2010

superb image. the lighting is so dramatic and adds to the horror. imagine walking into a dark room and hearing strange noices and flipping a light switch and this is what you see.

frank x townsondecker
Member Since 2006

Posted on 12/29/2012

INCREDIBLE!!!

comicinkking. com
Member Since 2004

Posted on 7/5/2013

If memory serves, this sold at Heritage a number of years ago and I thought hard about going for it. Don't think it went for all the much and I am too lazy to check before I tyoe this... :)

comicinkking. com
Member Since 2004

Posted on 7/5/2013

comicinkking. com wrote:

If memory serves, this sold at Heritage a number of years ago and I thought hard about going for it. Don't think it went for all the much and I am too lazy to check before I tyoe this... :)

Okay, 2004 and much more than I thought...

Vincent Zurzolo
Member Since 2005

Posted on 7/5/2013

What an amazing cover. Alias' use of contrasting lights and dark are amazing. Possibly one of his best covers. Congrats!

Dino Mauricio
Member Since 2009

Posted on 1/9/2014

Mesmerizing and haunting all the same! Congrats.

John Whitlock
Member Since 2016

Posted on 5/25/2017

ay caramba!! this is incredible. Aside from cheaply glued word bubble stats, i actually love when pages are comped together like this.

Terry Doyle
Member Since 2004

Posted on 7/26/2017

Outstanding!

Tom Coker
Member Since 2005

Posted on 11/10/2017

Man, I love this cover! Really great example by this way too under-celebrated artist

Harry M
Member Since 2006

Posted on 11/24/2017

I am more familiar with Elias romance work for Harvey, but this is a spectacular horror cover!

Bill J
Member Since 2009

Posted on 7/2/2019

Brilliant! Love this cover! Elias is so underrated. Great pick-up!

Harry M
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 4/23/2020

Okay I know I have already left a comment. But having come back for another look, I felt compeled to post this. Lee Elias was a great artist, but IMO this is the most horrific cover he ever did. Congrats and thanks for sharing.

Steven Filosa
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 5/10/2020

The covers to Pre-Code Harvey books were great, and this is a prime example!!

Congrats.

Benno Rothschild
Member Since 2003

2 - Posted on 10/12/2020

They dont really make Horror covers much better than this one Aaron. Great score!

John Livesay
Member Since 2009

Posted on 11/14/2020

Benno Rothschild wrote:

They dont really make Horror covers much better than this one Aaron. Great score!�

Ditto!

Phill R
Member Since 2010

1 - Posted on 12/5/2020

I've had this favorited for years, but somehow never commented. Great cover! I agree, it looks much different (and better!) in pencil and ink before coloring.

Mark Howland
Member Since 2004

Posted on 5/11/2021

Now that's a cover! Appropriately horrific!

Peter Sullivan
Member Since 2006

Posted on 3/18/2024

They found him as clean as a whistle. Now I know who to hire as cleaners of body and home.

Steven Dilworth
Member Since 2012

Posted on 1/9/2025

Peter Sullivan wrote:

They found him as clean as a whistle. Now I know who to hire as cleaners of body and home.

Hygiene is very important. This baby would have passed the code, no problem. Lee Elias was a great artist. What a great, creepy classic!

Kavi H
Member Since 2018

Posted on 9/4/2024

incredible Elias cover piece, congrats!

Tom Coker
Member Since 2005

Posted on 1/11/2025

This is an awesome Elias cover! One of my favorites of those from those wonderful 50s Harvey horror books.

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