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Auction History Result 3b0143 SPY SMASHER pressbook 1942 great art of Whiz Comics super hero, ultra rare first release! Date Sold 10/25/2022 Sold For: Login or Register to see sold price. An Original Vintage Theatrical Movie Pressbook (pb; measures 12" x 18" [30 x 46 cm]; 14 pages) (Learn More) Spy Smasher, the 1942 William Witney patriotic superhero fighting-the-Nazis-undercover-in-America World War II (WWII) action adventure serial ("Suggested by the character Spy Smasher, appearing in WHIZ COMICS magazine, copyright by Fawcett Publications, Inc. 1940-1941-1942"; "A Republic Serial in 12 Chapters") starring Kane Richmond (in a dual role, both in the title role as Alan Armstrong, aka Spy Smasher, and his twin brother Jack Armstrong!), Sam Flint, Marguerite Chapman, Hans Schumm, and Tristram Coffin. Note that Spy Smasher's origin was suspiciously similar to that of The Lone Ranger, in that he was reported killed, and then he decided to fight the Nazis, and he thought it better to remain hidden behind a mask, so the Nazis could not take reprisals against his friends and family (which was especially important since he had a twin brother!). Note that Republic Pictures had tried to make a deal with DC Comics to make serials of Superman and Batman in 1940, but they could not agree on a deal, and in fact a lawsuit resulted. So instead they made a deal with Whiz Comics and made "The Adventures of Captain Marvel" in 1941, and this serial "Spy Smasher" in 1942 (and DC Comics signed with Columbia Pictures in 1943, and made their Batman and Superman serials there!). Many fans of serials consider this serial to be among the handful of finest serial movies ever made, if not the best! NOTE: Click on linked names to see a biography. Important Added Info: Note that we have only previously auctioned one example of this 1942 first release pressbook, and it sold for $884! Note that there is an almost exact reprint of this pressbook that has often been mistakenly sold as original (it was done in the 1970s by Jack Mathis, and was intended as a tribute). However, the pressbook we are offering here is absolutely the original from 1942! It has a slightly different cover from the original, and it has a "tipped-in" full-color herald, while the recreation has an image of the herald printed on that page, and there are other differences between the two as well. Note that we have provided an image of the front and back covers of this pressbook (if the back cover is not the poster page, we photographed the interior poster page), and of course, the winner of this auction will receive the entire single pressbook we are auctioning (plus any supplements or heralds described above)! Also note that this pressbook is complete and uncut! Given that theater owners received pressbooks partly in order to create their newspaper advertising, and quite frequently cut them up for that purpose, it is rare to find a pressbook that IS complete and uncut! Condition: fair to good, NO CUTS. The pressbook is complete and uncut. There were tears and small paper loss on the third, fourth, and fifth pages of this pressbook. Someone put tape over those areas many years ago, and the tape has yellowed and some of the tape is no longer present. It affects the images of the comic books and the special one-sheet and also the top of the tipped-in herald. Otherwise, the pressbook is in pretty nice condition, but bear in mind the above significant defects before bidding on this extremely rare pressbook. Learn More about condition grades 
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