Tell a Tale of Terror TWICE #1! SUSPENSE DETECTIVE "Short Step to Oblivion"

With the recent revelation that Fredric Wertham lied about comics' effects on kids...

...it seems appropriate to take a look at how his far-reaching deception altered pop culture as we know it!

BTW, most people (myself included) felt that Wertham exaggerated his claims, but altering/modifying evidence to validate his theories went over the line.

This pre-Comics Code tale appeared in Fawcett's Suspense Detective #1 (1952), illustrated by George Evans, but the writer is uncredited.

It seems to be a straightforward tale of mistaken identity and justice served with some violence mixed in, but nothing over-the-top, right?

Not according to the Comics Code Authority!

Tomorrow, check out our "brother" blog Crime & Punishment™ on Friday to see how the Code altered this story, which they considered too violent!

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

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WORLDS OF FEAR "Death for a Death"

We've all squashed an insect or spider at one point or another...

...but what happens when the insects and arachnids decide to fight back...from beyond the grave?

Sadly, both the writer aand artist(s) for this tale from Fawcett's Worlds of Fear #6 (1952) are unknown.

Surprisingly, this story had never been reprinted before it's recent re-appearance in the new IDW anthology Haunted Horror!

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THIS MAGAZINE IS HAUNTED "Constant Eye"

From the company that brought you the Golden Age Captain Marvel...

...came this almost EC Comics-level series hosted by Dr Death!

Many fans don't realize Fawcett Comics also did horror comics almost on a par with EC's gruesome classics.

Beware: Terror Tales, This Magazine is Haunted, Worlds Beyond/Worlds of Fear, Strange Suspense Stories, and Unknown Worlds/Strange Stories from Another World anthologies featured art by legends Bob Powell, Bernard Bailey, Mike Sekowsky, and Sheldon Moldoff, among others.

When the titles were acquired by Charlton Comics after Fawcett ceased operations in 1954, few stories in inventory were usable without major revisions since Charlton was now following the Comics Code.

As a result, though they had the rights to do so, Charlton didn't reprint the vast majority of the stories, and the few they did had major changes to conform to the new standards.

(We've presented examples of such changes HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.)

This particular tale from This Magazine is Haunted #4 (1952) was illustrated by the co-creator of The Spectre, Bernard Bailey.

"Constant Eye" has only been reprinted twice, once in the 1980s, and currently, in IDW's Haunted Horror anthology.

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

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UNKNOWN WORLD "Serpent Queen"

Wertham wrote "In ordinary comic books there are pictures for children who know how to look."

While you gaze at this magnificently-rendered splash page, ask yourself "What is the significance of a leashed one-eyed snake in this panel?"

(You'll know by the end of the tale...)

The writer of this never-reprinted tale from the one-shot anthology Unknown World #1 (1952) is unknown, but the illos are by little-known artist Bob McCarty, who did over a hundred stories in the 1950s, but rarely, if ever, signed them!

BTW, though this title was a one-shot, the numbering continued with a new title: Strange Stories from Another World, for four more issues (#2 to #5).

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

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