THE FLAME #3 — CGC 5.5 (FN-)
Ajax-Farrell Publications · May 1955 · Off-White to White Pages
CGC Certification #1563513004

FINAL ISSUE of the run, with Ken Battefield art and a Cold War sabotage cover, in a CGC Universal (blue label) holder. No restoration and no defects noted on the label.

Last issue

CGC has notated "Last issue" directly on the label. The Flame ended here at #3 — Ajax-Farrell's short-lived 1950s revival of the Golden Age Fox Feature hero ran three issues and stopped. Final-issue books are a defined collecting target, and the label designation means a buyer doesn't have to take a seller's word for it.

Cold War sabotage cover

The Flame — red bodysuit with a flaming-torch chest emblem, blue cape and gauntlets, yellow trunks with an "F" buckle — looms over a knot of terrified men on an industrial waterfront while oil tanks burn behind him and a bridge span crosses the background. His balloon:

"THIS IS A DAY YOU AGENTS WON'T FORGET IN A HURRY… THINK I'LL DECLARE IT THE FLAME'S FIELD DAY!"

Look at the figure in the lower left — the blue jacket carries a hammer-and-sickle insignia on the shoulder. These are Communist saboteurs, and anti-communist / Cold War covers are their own actively collected sub-genre of Atomic Age comics. Combined with the burning refinery, it's a strong, unambiguous example.

Also on the cover: the Comics Code Authority seal — a May 1955 book, right at the start of the Code era. "In this issue — TRAFFIC and TIDE!" Ten cents.

Credits

• Art: Ken Battefield (credited on the CGC label)

Why Ajax-Farrell is hard to find

Ajax-Farrell was a small publisher that folded in 1956. Print runs were modest, distribution was uneven, and survival rates are low — their titles do not turn up in quantity in any grade. Off-White to White pages with no defect notations, as here, is the exception rather than the rule.

Back cover bonus

Full-page American Seed Company premium ad out of Lancaster, PA (printed sideways) — "I'll Give You a Wrist Watch, Archery Set, Flash Camera or any of 70 BIG PRIZES." Sell packets of American Seeds and earn a Gralett Wrist Watch, an Acro Flash Camera, a Chemcraft Chemistry Set, an Air Champ Radio Kit, a full-size pup tent, a microscope outfit, a Cowboy Jr. Guitar, or Daisy's Deluxe "Big Bang" Training Rifle. Classic mid-fifties mail-order premium copy.

Condition notes

• CGC 5.5 (FN-) with Off-White to White page quality
• No restoration; no defect notations on the CGC label
• Colors are strong — the red logo and costume pop hard against the green sky, and the Battefield linework is crisp
• Wear consistent with the grade: spine wear, edge and corner wear, light creasing, and tanning to the back cover
• Please review photos closely; they show the actual book being sold

Shipping

Ships fully protected: slab bagged, corner-protected, and boxed with rigid backing in a double-walled carton. Insured with tracking. Questions welcome.