Friday, August 24, 2012

FANTASTIC COMICS "Gravestone for Gratis"

We'll all end up in a graveyard eventually...
... so it's appropriate that we end our week of terror with a visit to one in this never-reprinted tale!
Interesting how what they called a "ghoul" back then would be considered a "zombie" today!
This terror-tale from Ajax/Farrell's Fantastic Comics #11 (1954) is an "Iger Studio" product, but the artist (or artists) is/are unknown.
The writer is probably series editor Ruth Roche.
Join us next week as we present another tale your grandparents didn't want your parents to see!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

STRANGE FANTASY "Meet Me in the Tomb"

Sadistic criminals, double-crossing gun molls, and zombies...
...now that's entertainment for the kiddies!
This terror-tale from Strange Fantasy #14 (1954) is credited in numerous databases as "Iger Studio", rather than any one artist.
Understandable, since you can see a host of styles (and swipes) from page to page, and even panel to panel!
The writer is probably Ruth Roche.
Join us tomorrow as we present another tale your grandparents didn't want your parents to see!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

HORROR FROM THE TOMB "Absent-Minded Professor"

This 1954 comic series was so gruesome, it lasted only a single issue...
...but what an issue it was, as this never-reprinted tale, featuring their host character The Gravedigger, shows!
In late 1953, Premier Magazines entered the comic book field with seven titles, each in a different genre (romance, Western, crime, etc.), including Horror from the Tomb.
Unfortunately, the comic book "witch hunt" was in full swing and, in little over a year, Premier (along with almost 2/3rds of the industry) had ceased operations.
Horror from the Tomb changed it's name to Mysterious Stories with #2 and ran for five more toned-down issues under the Comics Code Authority, but the end was inevitable...
The writer is unknown, but the artists appear to be Mike Sekowsky and Frank Giacoia.
Join us tomorrow as we present another tale your grandparents didn't want your parents to see!
Comic Collectibles Store
featuring the cover from the one (and only) issue of
Horror from the Tomb!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

TALES OF HORROR "Slasher"

You think nerds are a recent phenomenon?
Well, here's a story from Toby Press' Tales of Horror #8 (1953) that proves you wrong!
This cutting-edge classic was penciled by Bill Molno and inked by Rocke Mastroserio.
The weird writer is unknown.
Join us tomorrow as we present another tale your grandparents didn't want your parents to see!

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Monday, August 20, 2012

FANTASTIC "Dinosaur in Grandfather's Barn"

You know how kids are always "seeing monsters" in closets, garages and/or barns?
Well, maybe you should listen to them once in a while...
This tale from Youthful's Fantastic #8 (1952) is illustrated by long-time comic artist Henry Kiefer, a fine arts-trained illustrator who's best known for his work on Classics Illustrated.
The writer is unknown.
BTW, despite being #8, this is actually the first issue of Fantastic.
Before this, it was Captain Science!
(And the lead tale in this issue was the last Captain Science story.)

Join us tomorrow as we present another tale your grandparents didn't want your parents to see!
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Thursday, August 16, 2012

MYSTERIOUS ADVENTURES "Terror of the Vampires Kiss"

Noted sci-fi author Harry Harrison passed away this week...
...but, did you know he was also a comic book artist in the 1950s, during the height of the horror comics craze?
Best-known for his humorous Stainless Steel Rat series, Harrison covered every genre from horror to romance to war to sci-fi primarily penciling, but also inking, editing, even writing a few tales during his almost decade-long comics career (1947-1955).
Harrison penciled this tale from Mysterious Adventures #8 (1952) and Ernie Bache inked it.
Harry may have written the story as well, but there's no way to verify it.

But this didn't end Harry's involvement with comics...
Harrison became the writer for the Flash Gordon newspaper strip from 1958-1964.
Some of Harry's prose novels were adapted into comics form, but Harrison didn't write or illustrate them...
The Stainless Steel Rat series was adapted into a comic series for British publisher Eagle Comics 2000 AD & Tornado anthology title starting in 1985, and later reprinted as both a comic mini-series and graphic novel.
BILL the Galactic Hero was adapted into a three-issue mini-series by Topps Comics in 1994.

Join us next week as we present another tale your grandparents didn't want your parents to see!

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Thursday, August 2, 2012

WEIRD TALES OF THE FUTURE "Flight into the Future"

"Jobs were scarce after the Great Atom Bomb War..."
They wrote that in 1952!
We haven't had an atomic war...yet.
But jobs are scarce in 2012!
The inimitable illustration style of Basil Wolverton just oozes from every panel of this tawdry tale from Key Publications' anthology Weird Tales of the Future #2 (1952).
And, the odds are he wrote the story as well.
Wotta guy!

Join us next week as we present another tale your grandparents didn't want your parents to see!