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Phantom Lady

Fox // August 1947 - April 1949
Issue count: 11

Fox's PHANTOM LADY was both a superhero book and a "Good Girl" book! Sure, she fought crime, but she did it wearing almost nothing! The industry put the kibosh on these titles around 1949. Phantom Lady is considered the most collectible!

Phantom Lady

The first phenomenon that was an indication of the loosening of sexual mores in America, which would reach a cultural head in the 1960’s, had its roots in World War II with the advent of the “Pin-Up.” The idea was that “our fighting men” found comfort in postable photos of either popular starlets dressed provocatively, for the time, or drawings of of a more racier nature depicting partially nude idealized images of flirty, come-hither-type of beauties; there was not a lot of contact with actual women in the barracks, ships and camps of our fighting forces…

After the war, the spirit of pin-up culture endured and eventually infiltrated other mediums; for the first time since the 30’s, for example, when the Hayes Code was adopted by the motion picture industry which put restrictions on the depiction of overtly sexually dressed women and suggestive dialogue, was relaxed as Film Noir and neo-realism became the trend in movies. Tight sweaters and double-entendre were abound in the films of the late 40’s to late 50’s.

Comic Books were no exception. Real Crime and Detective comics often had sexually-aggressive women characters that were not averse to freely lounging around in semi-see-through negligees, or conversely, being bound or tied-up in torn clothing by some bad-guy. The jungle comic asserted wide popularity also, as a spate of “jungle-queen”-types of characters also started appearing from nearly every publisher; these were ready made to feature scantily clad babes wearing not much more than some kind of two-piece bikinis, that were invariably constructed out of wild animal skins.

Although Fox’s premiere title for titilation in the late 40’s was All-Top Comics, with their jungle characters Rulah and Jo-Jo as highlights, the book also co-featured a costumed superheroine, Phantom Lady, at a time when the initial superhero craze had waned - the difference with Phantom Lady was that she was equal parts crimefighter AND sex-symbol, her costume being analagous to a very cleavage-revealing one-piece bathing suit which would look more in line with something seen on, say, Charlie’s Angels in the 1970’s!

Needless to say, this was hot-stuff on the comic book stands when the title was first issued in 1947!  And to top it all off, the bulk of her stories in Fox’s 11 issue run were drawn by perhaps the most famous and best “Good Girl” artist Matt Baker. Baker’s clean lines and informed understanding of the female figure are both realistic and idealized at the same time. And he was also a fantastic storyteller, too; he was a talented architect of appealing sequential artwork.

Sure, Phantom Lady was exploitative, but she was also one of the only female characters primarily written by a woman, Ruth Roche, who often wrote under the pseudonym Gregory Page - presumably because her male audience was thought to not be accepting of a woman writing such a provocative character in a male-dominated field (akin to early 20th century Danish novelist Karen Dinesen, who wrote under the name Isak Dinesen...there are countless other examples throughout literary history…).

While just a back-up in All-Top, Phantom Lady’s own title was very generous, often containing three PL stories, and not much filler.

Phantom Lady was revived in the mid 50’s, with a four issue run by publisher Ajax/Farrell, but it was much more tame, and the artwork was of definitively lesser-quality.

It is the 11 issues produced by Fox, which ran for less than two years, that have that highly masterful artwork of Matt Baker which are the big-money books in the collectors market...

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Key Art: Comic Book Price Guide

Issue #13

What's Phantom Lady #13 worth in 2024?

A GD 2.0 copy of Phantom Lady #13 has a value of $600 up from $500 in 2017. FN 6.0 copies of this comic sell for nearly $3,000 today. The highest graded copy to ever sell was a 9.0 that had a price of $25,000 in 2019.

Why is this comic book valuable?

Phantom Lady #13 is an interesting title for collectors. Starting at #13 is an odd move for a first issue, but the Phantom Lady run picks up from Wotalife Comics #12. Prior to this, Phantom Lady hadn’t been seen in comics since Police Comics #23.

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$725 $1,350 $2,750 $6,000 $25,000 $25,500

Sell Phantom Lady #13

Issue #14

What's Phantom Lady #14 worth in 2024?

GD 2.0 copies of Phantom Lady #14 have seen their price climb up to over $600 in the last few years. FN 6.0 would sell for $800 in 2015, but today can go as high as $2,000. The highest graded copy to ever sell was a 9.4 that had a value of $7,764 in 2016.

Why is this comic book valuable?

Phantom Lady #14 was published by the now defunct Fox Features Syndicate comic company founded by Victor A. Fox. This issue continues the adventures of Phantom Lady written by Ruth Roche and illustrated by Matt Baker.

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$675 $1,325 $825 $2,625 $7,775 $7,768

Sell Phantom Lady #14

Issue #15

What's Phantom Lady #15 worth in 2024?

A GD 2.0 copy of Phantom Lady #15 would sell for $150 in 2003 and is closer to $300 today. FN 6.0 copies of this comic have a value of $1,800 up from $700 in 2003. The highest graded copy to ever sell was a 9.6 Edgar Church (Mile High) pedigree that sold for $8,300 in 2012.

Why is this comic book valuable?

Phantom Lady #15 features the first appearance of Phantom Lady villain, Doctor Crime. This issue is also known for having writer Ruth Roche credited as Gregory Page.

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$250 $825 $1,800 $1,950 $14,700 $14,700

Sell Phantom Lady #15

Issue #16

What's Phantom Lady #16 worth in 2024?

GD 2.0 copies of Phantom Lady #16 could sell for around $200 in 2010 and today have a value closer to $600. FN 6.0 copies of this comic had a price of $700 in 2017 and are closer to $900 today. The highest graded copy to ever sell was a 9.6 that sold for $16,700 in 2019.

Why is this comic book valuable?

Phantom Lady #16 features an innovative story where the Phantom Lady narrates her own True Crime story. This issue also features another instance of Ruth Roche being credited as Gregory Page and Joe Logan.

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$150 $1,400 $1,000 $1,925 $3,575 $16,700

Sell Phantom Lady #16

Issue #17

What's Phantom Lady #17 worth in 2024?

Talk about a blockbuster: a NM 9.4 sold for $121,000 in 2019! A FN+ 6.0 went for about $3,000 in 2005, and now has a value around $11,000. That's an increase of nearly 300%! GD 2.0 saw similar growth, going from $1,500 in 2005 to its current price of $4,000

Why is this comic book valuable?

The cover for this issue was made famous by Dr. Fredric Wertham's 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent. Dr. Wertham used the cover art as an example of comic books "corrupting America's youth".

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$1,700 $7,200 $13,500 $15,525 $121,000 $121,000

Sell Phantom Lady #17

Issue #18

What's Phantom Lady #18 worth in 2024?

A GD 2.0 graded copy of Phantom Lady #18 could sell for $600 in 2016 and has a value closer to $800 today. FN 6.0 graded copies of this comic had a price of $600 in 2012, but today can sell for over $1,000. The highest graded copy to ever sell was a 9.4 that sold for $6,407 in 2015.

Why is this comic book valuable?

Phantom Lady #18 features another story where Phantom Lady saves the day using her signature Black-Light Ray. This is another classic Fox Features Syndicate comic written by Ruth Roche and illustrated by Matt Baker.

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$550 $1,100 $2,200 $4,550 $15,000 $10,650

Sell Phantom Lady #18

Issue #19

What's Phantom Lady #19 worth in 2024?

GD 2.0 copies of Phantom Lady #19 could expect to sell for $100 in 2003, but today command a price closer to $700. FN 6.0 copies of this comic had a value of $1,500 in 2016, but today can sell for over $2,000. The highest graded copy of this comic to ever sell was a 9.0 with a value of $2,990 that sold in 2002.

Why is this comic book valuable?

Phantom Lady #19 features another story where writer Ruth Roche was credited as Gregory Page. This classic Fox Features Syndicate comic continues the adventures of Phantom Lady, illustrated by Matt Baker, and includes her iconic, crime-stopping Black-Light Ray.

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$200 $400 $800 $1,600 $6,000 $4,000

Sell Phantom Lady #19

Issue #20

What's Phantom Lady #20 worth in 2024?

A GD 2.0 graded copy of Phantom Lady #20 has a price closer to $800 today. FN 6.0 copies of this comic could sell for just $400 in 2005, but today can expect a value of over $3,000. The highest graded copy to ever sell was an 8.5 that sold for $1,438 in 2002.

Why is this comic book valuable?

Phantom Lady #20 features a fan favorite Phantom Lady story “Ace of Spades” and another story starring Willy Vogel, The Gray Phantom. This issue was written, and properly credited to, Ruth Roche and illustrated by Matt Baker.

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$250 $450 $875 $1,600 $5,500 $3,750

Sell Phantom Lady #20

Issue #21

What's Phantom Lady #21 worth in 2024?

A GD 2.0 copy of Phantom Lady #21 can sell for $500 today. FN 6.0 copies of this comic have a price of $400 in 2014, but today sell for over $1,000. The highest graded copy to ever sell was a 9.2 that sold for $6,800 in 2012.

Why is this comic book valuable?

Phantom Lady #21 is another classic Fox Features Syndicate comic starring Phantom Lady. This comic was written by Ruth Roche and illustrated by Matt Baker. This issue features the first appearance of The Chessman, the Phantom Lady’s in-universe Algernon Blackwood.

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$500 $300 $450 $7,250 $6,800 $7,250

Sell Phantom Lady #21

Issue #22

What's Phantom Lady #22 worth in 2024?

GD 2.0 copies of Phantom Lady #22 had a price of around $100 in 2009, but can sell for more than $1,000 today. FN 6.0 copies have had a value in the thousands for the last few years and are only climbing. The highest graded copy to ever sell was a 9.6 that had a price of $20,600 in 2019.

Why is this comic book valuable?

Phantom Lady #22 changes up its creative team with the departure of Matt Baker in the previous issue and Jack Kamen taking over for illustrations on issue #22. Ruth Roche is still writer for this story which continues the adventures of Phantom Lady. Issue #22 is known for its cover art and the signature “Crime Never Pays” badge.

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$600 $1,200 $2,100 $4,000 $15,000 $20,600

Sell Phantom Lady #22

Issue #23

What's Phantom Lady #23 worth in 2024?

GD 2.0 copies of Phantom Lady #23 had a price of $300 in 2009, but today can sell closer to $2,000. FN 6.0 copies of the final Phantom Lady comic have a value of over $3,000. The highest graded copy to ever sell was a 9.2 that sold for $33,600 in 2019.

Why is this comic book valuable?

Phantom Lady #23 will be the final issue for this run of comics staring Phantom Lady. After #23, the series continues on as “My Love Secret.” Ruth Roche writes this classic Fox Features Syndicate comic. The story continues the adventures of Phantom Lady who would later be revived by DC Comics.

Price Guide Report

GD 2.0 VG 4.0 FN 6.0 VF 8.0 NM 9.4 RECORD SALE!
$700 $1,500 $3,000 $6,000 $22,500 $14,340

Sell Phantom Lady #23