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off-white pages; Sl (C-1) small amount of color touch, small amount of glue, right edge trimmed
classic Human Torch/Sub-Mariner/Capt. America; Alex Schomburg cover


All Select Comics #1 came out in 1943 as the inevitable all-star title after Timely Publishing had crammed their heroes into every comic they possibly could. Of course, legendary Golden Age artist Alex Schomburg was also brought in to work Timely's top heroes into another battle-crazed WWII cover. The book was an instant success with Captain America, Human Torch, and Sub-Mariner under one banner. This first issue's cover also launched Schomburg's long stint as the magazine's sole cover artist through the next-to-last issue in 1945.

There's plenty of Golden Age greatness in the stories, too, featuring the headlining heroes in particularly brutal battles. Captain America takes on The Vulture (and casually dooms all his henchmen) in "The Case of the Mystery of the Human Bats." Prince Namor doesn't leave any survivors while protecting the crown jewels in "The Sub-Mariner Battles the Bloody Baron." The Human Torch battles a Nazi spy in "Corner The Clutching Claw," but only after a few thousand Americans are dying of food poisoning. Things aren't much better when the Black Widow goes after a con man in "Blood Money," but at least she uses her Satanic powers to undo the damage he does to a kid!