WEB OF HORROR "Santa's Claws"

Besides traversing the Earth distributing gifts, Kris Kringle protected the innocent...

...from threats both real and imagined!

Story and art for this tale from Major Magazines' Web of Horror #3 (1970) was Frank Brunner, who would go on to major successes in sf/fantasy including acclaimed runs on the comics Dr Strange and Man-Thing, and the 1990s X-Men animated series.

BTW, the spider-like host of the book was named (what else?) "Webster"!

We'll be back in 2013 with more stuff your grandparents didn't want your parents to read...

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year!

CHAMBER OF CHILLS "HeartLine"

Next time you hear someone say "you're breaking my heart", it might be literal...

...as this tale from near the end of the reign of horror comics aptly demonstrates!

Oddly, though most listings describe "HeartLine" as the "cover" story for this issue, the cover by Lee Elias doesn't show any elements or characters from the tale!

Though the caption refers to the story,  there's no blonde, and both the woman and the man are decomposing!

(It's still a cool-ghoul cover, though!)

While the scripter of this truly heart-rending story from Harvey's Chamber of Chills #23(1954) is unknown, pencils are by Manny Stallman and inks by John Giunta.

It's never been reprinted...until now, in the pages of IDW's horror anthology Haunted Horror #2, now at your local comic book shop.

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

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BEYOND "DoomSmoke"

When they say "smoking is bad for your health"...

...I don't think this is quite what they have in mind!

While the scripter of this anti-smoking (and anti-murder) diatribe from Ace's The Beyond #29 (1954) is unknown, the art is by Ken Rice.

It's never been reprinted...until now, in the pages of IDW's horror anthology Haunted Horror #2, now at your local comic book shop.

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

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EERIE: Dracula "Conclusion"

When Last We Left Our Vampire...

Dracula has made Lucy Seward a vampire!
Dr Van Helsing arrives, too late to save the poor girl, but not too late to send her tormented soul to the afterlife by staking her thru the heart.
Now, his attention turns to her master...Count Dracula!

Though there were a number of Frankenstein tales in the Golden Age, including Dick Briefer's long-running series, there were only a couple of appearances by our favorite vampire (usually a cameo) before this story in 1953!
The trend continued until the late 1960s when Dracula became a supporting character in the b/w Vampirella magazine.
In 1972, when the Comics Code was revised to allow vampires and other "traditional" monsters, the Count reappeared not only in short stories, but a long-running series from Marvel highlighted by moody art by Gene Colan.

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EERIE: Dracula "Part 3"

When Last We Left Our Vampire...

Dracula traveled to England, where he made Lucy Seward his newest victim.

Meanwhile, Lucy's best friend, Mina Murray received news that her fiance Jonathan Harker had been hospitalized.

Rushing to Budapest, she discovers he is speedily recovering, and the two are married that day!

To be concluded...tomorrow!

In case you're wondering why we haven't listed credits for this tale, it's because there aren't any!

We have no idea who the writer and artist(s) are since the art isn't signed and the records for Avon Comics are apparently no longer extant.

However, the art is very well-designed with both clear storytelling and detailed rendering, if slightly-stiff, much in the Reed Crandall / Murphy Anderson school.

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EERIE: Dracula "Part 2"

When Last We Left Our Vampire...

Real estate agent Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania to arrange the purchase of a London townhouse by a rich, reclusive nobleman...Count Dracula.

When he is molested by the count's wives, Harker discovers that they (and Dracula) are vampires, and that he is helpless to stop them!

Meanwhile, in England, Harker's fiance, Mina, worries...

But, will they have a honeymoon...or a funeral?

Be here Monday to find out!

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EERIE: Dracula "Part 1"

Did you know that Classics Illustrated did Frankenstein, but not Dracula?

However, there was a relatively-faithful adaptation of the original Bram Stoker novel, published several years after the Classic Comics version of Mary Shelley's tale (which we ran in our "brother" blog Hero Histories™) appeared in the mid-1940s!
It was published in Avon Comics' Eerie #12 (1953), and was the only book-length story to appear in the title!
To the best of our knowledge, the story has never been reprinted, probably due to it's length.

What shall Johnathan Harker do?

Join us tomorrow for the frightening answer!
BTW, it's Bram Stoker's 165th birthday!
Fangs for the memories, Bram!
And here's a birthday present from Bram:
Project Gutenberg's e-text of the original novel in a variety of formats!

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