Classics Illustrated #73, The Black Tulip, published in July 1950 by Gilberton, is a 48-page Golden Age comic book adapting Alexandre Dumas's classic historical novel. It features a line-drawing cover and interior art by Alex Blum, with adaptation work by Ken Fitch. This issue had only a single U.S. printing (identified by Highest ReOrder Number HRN 75) and was never reprinted in the original American series.

  • Setting: 17th-century Netherlands during "Tulip mania" and political turmoil.
  • Plot: Follows Cornelius van Baerle, a man falsely accused of treason.
  • Conflict: While imprisoned, he attempts to grow a mythical, prize-winning black tulip to claim a massive reward and national fame, facing betrayal and romance along the way.