Harvey HORRORS Black Cat MYSTERY Pre-code Comic Book series vol 1 August 1951

Harvey HORRORS Black Cat MYSTERY Pre-code Comic Book series vol 1 no 30 August 1951 – PART ONE

harvey-horrors-black-cat-mystery-30
Harvey Horrors presents the Black Cat Mystery series of pre-code horror comics in volume 1 from PS Artbooks. This Volume covers issues 30 through 34 and today we are going to be looking at issue number 30 from August of 1951.
Watch the original video here.

Black Cat Origins

Before it became Black Cat Mystery it was simply called Black Cat the darling of comics. Why you ask? In the 1940s, Black Cat was a masked female crime fighter living in Hollywood California and that series was very popular for years. It lasted issues 1 through 29 and in 1951 as every other publisher was turning to horror, crime, and science fiction so was Harvey.
The transition from Black Cat darling of the comics to Black Cat mystery Comics. With Black Cat Comics number 29 they had already started transitioning into the Black Cat mystery horror comics.

Note the header “Strange Tales of fear and Terror,” Black Cat with Mystery comics in small type below it. And of course the image depicting Black Cat all tied up. Yes another classic Black Cat bondage cover with a threatening witch taunting her.

First Man on Mars sci-fi horror movie

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Black Cat Action Becomes Horror

We have an introduction by Peter Crowder of PS art books. Harvey Horrors presents strangest Tales of fear and Terror – Black Cat mystery volume 2. This is prepping everybody for volume two which was about to come out and of course there are five volumes in all.

On the right this is the cover to issue number 30 August of 1951 and you will see that indeed Black cat, our female crime fighter is still on the cover but she’s now being menaced by these mutant creatures including this one insect-like creature which inexplicably has a human head.

This is the last time we see Black Cat on the cover of Black Cat mystery. The cover is by Lee Elias who also drew a lot of the Black Cat comics in the 1940s. Here are some rather amusing ads for cute animal comic books from Harvey. Rags rabbit, little Max, Chick Young’s Daisy and her Pups.

Black Cat Speaks

black cat speaksOn the index page the Black Cat speaks. “That’s right all of you lovers of Terror packed weird and exciting Adventure! Black Cat reaches a new high in Mystery and horror. You’ll be seeing me in stories more thrilling and more terrifying than ever before.”
“I won’t appear in all of the amazing accounts myself but each one of them is a story I want you to share with me because I found it exciting. Chills will race up and down your spine as you read these strange unbelievable Tales of fear and Terror! Your imaginations will be fired by the snarling monsters, blood thirsty Ghouls, and brutal mind-buckling criminals. The book is all new! All different! Every page is colorfully crammed with dripping suspenseful episodes that will thrill you. Join me in my new book Black Cat mystery!”
We have the various tales that are in this issue number 30. The Thing from the Grave, No Werewolf must kill, Gateway to Death.

Roadmaster Bike Ad

Here is another ad: “Ride Roadmaster, the only bike with bumpers!” That’s Roadie Roadmaster. A very sharp looking bike. 1951, folks, you know when bikes and cars actually had style.

END PART ONE – Watch the original video here.

Jim Steranko COMIXSCENE 3-ALL HORROR Comics Issue-March 1973 Supergraphics-PART ONE

Jim Steranko COMIXSCENE 3-ALL HORROR Comics Issue-March 1973 Supergraphics-PART ONE

comixscene 3 horror comics issueJim Steranko’s Comix Scene issue number three, March 1973, the all horror issue.  Comixscene was Jim Steranko’s publication through Supergraphics and it lasted six issues from 1972 to 1973 before becoming Mediascene.   Mediascene picked up with issue number seven in 1973 and went until 1979. In 1980, Steranko launched Preview Magazine. Preview ran from 1980 to 1994.
Watch the original video.

Contents of Comixscene Number Three

Comixscene #3 showcases the faces of fear from the thrilling 30s to the scary 70s.  Werewolves, monsters, vampires, ghouls, zombies, the unliving and the undead. The horror characters and comics of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I’ll wait to greet you on the pages inside. Plus more news, reviews, and articles than ever before! Special feature: Frogs – a nightmarish Parable told an exciting new comic format.
Steranko creates his first story in three years. A way-out experiment in form and content equal to an eight-page comic story. Enjoy!

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Jim Steranko Introduction to Comixscene 3

Comixscene was definitely much more text oriented than Mediascene which we will be looking at in future episodes. That being said, the info inside is invaluable. In the editorial, Steranko begins by saying, “Take a good look around you and you’ll have to agree with this: horror comics are here to stay. The same trend that surfaced in the 1950s and 1960s has manifested itself again. This time more firmly entrenched in all popular media than ever.”

Comixscene contents

On the right side of the page, we have future histories of comics planned and a list of Super Graphics products you can order. On the right hand column are all staranko’s books including the History of Comics number two, a fantastic Steranko encyclopedia of superheroes.
Get all three books for seven dollars and fifty cents, folks!

Horror Comics and Comix on the Newsstand

Horror on the newsstand! We’re looking at Marvel, DC, and Indie Comics that had hit the newsstands in early 1973. I love that he starts off with an image of Richard Corbin’s FANTAGOR and he talks about it. It’s very interesting because the magazine is called Comixscene with an X and there’s always that talk of what’s the difference between Comics c-o-m-i-c-s versus comic c-o-m-i-x.

The Difference Between Comics and Comix

richard-corbenI think Richard Corbin sums it up very well in this quote. “There are all kinds of differences between the regular comics and the underground Comics. The first underground horror books were tongue-in-cheek parodies of old EC’S. Even now, most of the stories have a humorous intent. The most obvious differences to the Casual Observer are that the undergrounds are mostly black and white.

The artwork is sometimes amateurish and there is an emphasis on everything that is forbidden to the regular Comics. The Underground stories are usually creations of an individual and can be good or bad but are usually uneven. The overgrounds are assembly line efforts and are not good or bad but always even.”

Horror Comics in the Spotlight

Let’s take a look at some issues. As I said Fantagor, you have Swamp Thing on the scene, Vault of Evil, Werewolf by Night. I believe that is issue number six of Tomb of Dracula introduces Blade the Vampire Slayer. DC is on the scene with House of Mystery and House of Secrets and then of course we have Marvel with Supernatural Thrillers Issue 4 and issue number five which feature the Living Mummy.

Cultism versus Consumerism

bill-everettThere is a nice little obituary on the great Bill Everett by Steranko. Some book reviews here. Cheap Thrills an informal history of Pulp magazines by Ron Goulart. The golden days of fanzines. You have to love it. They mention Graphic story World which was very hot. Funny World was another really high-end fanzine.

Next is a very interesting article by Byron Priest called Cultism versus Consumerism. “The analysis in this article is based upon an association with the comics industry. It is not meant to be construed as the result of methodical research. Where do you buy your Comics? A candy store? All right, where else? A drugstore? Fine. A supermarket? Okay. Now let’s change just one word in our question. Where do you buy your comics with an X? The answers change too a head shop, a record store, and of course, through the mail. Comics and Comix. The difference is much more than just two letters and more than just the presence or absence of censorship. It’s a whole concept of cultism versus consumerism.

Comics and Comix Production and Distribution

The limited run Comics as opposed to the mass-produced superbooks of Madison Avenue. Comics are produced in the hundreds of thousands. Few Comix Reach This level. The companies behind the comix are growing ambitious and enterprising yet commercially impotent. There are many such Publishers currently in the business. Ripoff press, Apex, Print mint, La comics, and the crop comic works as well as a large number of Easy Come Easy Go outfits who spring up periodically. Unfortunately for these young entrepreneurs their main business Outlet continues to be mail order oriented. Small head shops from Boston to Milwaukee to Los Angeles send in requests for certain amounts of certain titles or large quantities of an entire line of comics and receive their order in the mail. With the Advent of Skull, Young Lust and Fantagor comix, undergrounds are moving towards some regularity in the frequency of publication but as a whole they are still sporadically released.”
Watch the original video.

END PART ONE
Thank you for reading and be sure to bookmark Ghost Clinic for more horror comics articles and videos!

Black Cat Mystery Number 31 Pre-code Harvey HORROR Comic Book August 1951

Black Cat Mystery Number 31 Pre-code Harvey HORROR Comic Book from August 1951.

Black Cat Mystery volume one from PS Artbooks contains issues 30 – 34. This article covers pre-code Harvey horror comic book Black Cat Mystery Number 31 from August 1951.
Watch the original Black Cat Mystery #31 video.

black cat mystery 31Cover art by Al Avison, interior art by Rudy Palais, Manny Stallman, and others. Features the stories The Tapping Doom, The Sea Witch of Sandy Hook, Bloody Red Rose, and more.
Black Cat Mystery Vol. One now on sale. 

Black Cat Mystery becomes a HORROR Comic

Black Cat Mystery Comics 29 with The Black Cat still on the cover
Black Cat Mystery Comics 29

Issue number 31 of Black Cat Mystery from  October of 1951 officially puts the comic book in the horror genre.  As it says on the cover, “The strangest Tales of fear and Terror.” The cover art is attributed to Al Avison. Inside front cover has an advertisement for Harvey’s “War is Hell.” Grim true Tales of our fighting men! Blasting action! Blood and Guts!
The Black Cat speaks but there is no image of Black Cat anymore. They’re gradually erasing her from the book. Here is the text. “Well you lovers of Terror packed weird and exciting Adventure! The new all different black cat mystery Comics is just what you asked for. We are gratified by your response to this new thrill book! In this issue there appears especially written for those who can take it, stories of the unknown, of fear, of revenge, webbing the pages into a tight-knit of horror are strands of mystery and terror! You will be entertained by a witch that can command ghosts, a thousand-year-old monster, and a cane that glows in the night and lights the way for death! Before You impatiently turn to the first story, read some of the letters you our readers have sent.”

Letters to the Editor

These are letters to the editor of Black Cat Mystery apparently about the previous issue, number 30.
“Weird! The stories in Black Cat are so weird that way after I read them I can feel my spine tingle when I think of them. Your book is not just another horror book, it’s the best I’ve ever read! I can’t wait for it to come out!”
“Chair gripping! The New Black Cat is so full of mystery and adventure that reading it is a chair gripping experience!”

Contents of Black Cat Mystery #31

black cat mystery 31 storiesTable of contents in this issue of Black Cat Mystery #31 include Tapping Doom, The sea witch of Sandy Hook, Blood red rose, and The sleep walking killer.
Another classic advertisement. Valuable ballpoint pen personalized with your name inscribed in 22 karat gold, only 25 cents plus one rapper from Peter Paul’s Almond Joy or Mounds.” From 1951, it’s a candy bar that has endured.
We start off this issue with bloody red rose art by Rudy Palais. I love these Stark color separations and the two-tone coloring. Here is a one-page Horror Story called “The Thing.”
and a coupon for eight brand new Walt Disney comic books all for 15 cents and one Wheaties box top! Next up we have The Tapping Doom with art by Manny stallman. Once again, great colors on this and the reproductions by PS art books are really quite good.
The third story in Black Cat Mystery 31 is “The Sea Witch of Sandy Hook” with art by Rudy Palais. To finish it off, we have another tale rendered by Palais titled “The Sleepwalking Killer.”

Full page subscription ad for Black Cat Mystery Comics

To polish things off, we have a full page ad to subscribe to Black Cat mystery comics and we can see that black cat herself is still hanging on at least for one more ad.
“You’ll want to keep a complete set of my exciting magazines! Terror-packed, exciting, weird! Yes now you can join the roster of regular readers who have each issue of black cat mystery Comics sent to their homes as soon as it’s off the press! Each issue hits a new high and spine tingling suspense and high riding action! Special introductory offer: 12 issues for a dollar!”
On the back cover we’ve got a nice one-page ad featuring Phil Rizzuto for “Wheaties, The Breakfast of Champions.”
This concludes our look at Black Cat Mystery issue number 31. next time we’ll take a look at issues 32, 33, and 34 of this volume. Please bookmark ghostclinic.com for more pre-code horror comic book articles.

Watch the original Black Cat Mystery #31 video.

Bare Bones Magazine 2021-Web Terror Tales Spicy Caroline Munro

Bare Bones Magazine 2021 Featuring Web Terror Tales And Spicy Caroline Munro Ads

Today we are looking at Bare Bones quarterly issue number six spring of 2021 published by Cimarron Street books.
Click here to watch the original Bare Bones Magazine Video.

bare-bones-magazine-web terror tales caroline munro

Bare Bones Magazine Content

On the cover it states “Bare Bones magazine: unearthing vintage forgotten and overlooked horror, mystery, sci-fi, Western, and weird in film, paperbacks, Comics, Pulp Fiction, and video.”
In the table of contents we have “The overlooked Library” by Don Diamassa and Moon of the Wolf by Matthew Bradley.  The annotated guide to Web Terror stories by Peter Infantino and a British horror Anthology Series by David a Sutton.  Then get ready for the spicy Caroline Munro Lamb’s Navy rum campaign by John Scolari and digging into crime digests by Richard Krauss.
S. Craig Zahler rounds things out with 10 quick takes including a look at Lovecraft fiction.
On page 75 we have the Outer Limits on home video by Craig Beam and on page 91 “Sleaze Alley” followed by R and D by David Xiao.

Web Terror Stories Pulp Digest

web-terror-storiesA great article by Peter Infantino called “Mistress of the putrefying Lash: the complete and unedited look at the sleazy world of web Terror stories.” Not only does Infantino go issue by issue but he breaks down the issues with all of the stories Within which is fantastic. Web Terror Stories was a 1960’s pulp digest and men’s adventure magazine published by Candar Publishing company, featuring many scantilly clad damsels in distress. The pulp digest began as Saturn, a science-fiction magazine, became Web Detective Stories, then upped the ante with stories tinged with bondage and S&M in Web Terror Stories.
Next up we have the “Pipes of pan and its dark voices” horror Anthology Series in Britain by David a Sutton.

Spicy Caroline Munro Ads

caroline-munro-lambs-rumCaroline Munro joins the Lamb’s Navy! An in-depth report on Caroline Munro’s various spicy ads for Lamb’s rum written by John Scolari very well done very in-depth with a ton of photos of course they are in black and white but for the most part they’re well reproduced.

Lovecraft and The Outer Limits

Craig Zahler contributes to this issue with 10 quick takes reviews of various books including the Doom that came to Sarnath and Other Stories by H.P Lovecraft.
“I am controlling transmission.” Collecting the Outer Limits on home video by Craig Beam. There is a nice ad for The Outer Limits on VHS for only 19.95. This is a very in-depth article covering the outer limits home video VHS offerings. They also present some color images from the outer limits Home Video Collection.

Classic Sleaze Alley Paperback Covers

Sleaze Alley reviews by Peter Infantino and great great covers here which are appropriately sleazy including the illustration for “Sin Cult” by Bruno Descasari.
On page 99 we have David Schow with a very interesting article about the Twilight Zone magazine which ran for 60 issues from 1981 to 1989.
In the back of the book we have the Bios page for all of the contributors in this issue.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at Bare Bones issue number six for spring of 2021. I highly recommend Bare Bones magazine, it is very well done. If you’re interested in the subject of unearthing vintage forgotten and overlooked horror, mystery, sci-fi, Western, and weird film paperbacks, Comics, Pulp Fiction, and video, you should really check out Bare Bones Magazine.
Watch the original Bare Bones Magazine Video.

Pre-code HORROR and Sci-fi Comics From WEIRD MYSTERIES Volume One – Pt Two

WEIRD MYSTERIES Pre-code Horror and Sci-fi Comics Volume One – PART TWO
The interesting thing about Weird Mysteries number one from 1952 is that all the stories in the issue were reprinted in Weird Tales of the Future number eight in 1953.  We’re looking at volume one of Weird Mysteries from PS Artbooks.

Watch the original video.

weird mysteries horror comicsWeird Mysteries Number One Contents

The first story called “High Voltage” drawn by Hy Fleischman and “The Planet Eaters” with art by Frank Frollo was also eventually reprinted in the 1953 issue of Weird Tales of the Future number eight. A Stone’s Throw from Eternity with art by Loffredo and The Spirits from Outer Space with art by Walter Palais and Mike Esposito doing the inks.
Nice ad here for Harvey Horrors. You can go to harveyhorrors.com PS art books. I’ve got several of their reprints of the Harvey volumes in soft cover.
This brings us to Weird Mysteries number two with one of my favorite Weird Mysteries covers by the fantastic Bernard Bailey, a phantasmagorical cover for this December of 1952 issue.
Artist Hy Fleischman returns and we also have Basil Wolverton art with the awesome Robot Woman. There is also Turnabout by Charles Stern, First Come First Served by Tony Mortellaro and Ordeal by Wax By Charles Stern.
Hey kids! Get your fifty Combat Action plastic toys for a dollar! And you get a free six inch long die cut shooting Cannon!

Basil Wolverton’s Robot Woman

weird tales of future 3Robot Woman by Basil Wolverton is such a great story. It’s a classic you’ve probably seen reprinted in various publications. The story revolves around a scientist who is hideous and he Longs for a woman that will be able to tolerate his hideous appearance. He makes a robot woman. “I’ve done it! I’ve created a woman of my own!” But of course some unfortunate drawbacks occur as the robot woman becomes very very enamored with her creator and he starts getting pissed off. He smacks the robot and ends up knocking her into a vat of acid. The next time he sees her she is completely melting and she says “You are the only man I could ever love!” He screams “Don’t come near me, you’re burned, you’re horrible!” Then a thief shows up to rob the place and he goes into the basement and discovers the woman. He says, “Get me the hell out of here!” All the while she’s saying “This is the only man I could ever love, you leave him alone or I kill!” The end. I love this Wolverton art, such a great story by a great artist who did some fantastic pre-code.

More Stories in Volume One Issue Two

There are a few other stories in volume one, issue two worth a read including “Turnabout” about astronauts who encounter giant ants on another planet as well as artist Tony Mortellaro’s “First Come, First Served.”
You can find these Weird Mysteries reprints by PS Artbooks on Amazon, their website, or Ebay.
Thanks for reading. You can watch the original video here.

Ghostly Weird Stories Pre-code Sci-Fi and HORROR Comics Volume One

L.B. Cole’s Ghostly Weird Stories Pre-code Sci-Fi and HORROR Comics Volume One

ghostly weird stories pre-code horror comics vol oneToday we look at all five issues of the classic L.B. Cole – Star Publications Pre-code HORROR and SCI-FI Comic book “Ghostly Weird Stories Volume One” from PS Artbooks which is available in VG condition.
Ghostly Weird Stories features pre-code horror comic book covers by artist extraordinaire L.B. Cole with interior art by Jay Disbrow, Jack Kamen, Lee Loeb, and others. These precode horror comic books were originally published from September, 1953 to Sept. 1954.
Watch the original video.
All five issues were published between September of 1953 and September of 1954. Issue number 123 with a great LB Cole cover and a beautiful two-page spread Jay Disbrow who did all of the Interior art of the cover stories the first issue of ghostly weird. Issue number 120 September of 1953 with another fabulous LB Cole cover. These are sought after and always red hot in the comic book market.

Night Monster by Jay Disbrow

Jay Disbrow’s Night Monster splash page that also serves as the two page spread on the front inside cover of the volume.  Night Monster also appears in my new book SPLASH OF HORROR on sale now. 

I love Disbrow’s style in the pre-code sci-fi and horror comics era.  Comic book  artists who got into the late 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s underground comic scene were heavily influenced by the pre-code comic book artists including Jay Disbrow.
Here is another classic pre-code story “The Mummy’s Hand.” Keep in mind that some of these artists are simply unknown. If you check out the Comics Database you will see that their identities are few and far between. We do know that Disbrow did interior art, LB Cole drew the covers and Jack Kamen drew stories in some issues.
Here is a one page story called The Vengeful Phantom by Jay Disbrow. The Garden of horror is drawn by Lee Loeb. I love this Splash page. His characters are suitably deranged. Here’s another fabulous LB Cole cover for Ghostly Weird Stories number 121.  The Case of the Shrunken Heads has a very underground comics vibe to it.

Death Ship L.B. Cole Cover and Jay Disbrow Art

One of my favorite L.B. Cole covers of all time is called “Death Ship” and naturally Jay disbrow does interior art for it. I love the splash page. It’s about astronauts on the planet of death. “Face of death” is another nice splash page in this issue.
death ship lb cole ghostly weird stories
Death Pirate appears in the last issue of Ghostly Weird Stories from September of 1954.  You can imagine you’re walking down the street you see this on a comic book rack or newsstand. I’d pick this up in a second and of course Jay Disbrow comes in with the cover story called “Homecoming” with an excellent splash page to begin the story.

Summary of Ghostly Weird Stories

Ghostly Weird Stories volume one reprints from PS Artbooks is highly recommended. The reproductions are generally very good and the presentation is first class.
You can buy this volume of Ghostly Weird Stories on sale. 

ECLIPSE Pre-Code HORROR Comic Book Series SEDUCTION Of The INNOCENT

eclipse seduction of the innocent issue 6SEDUCTION Of The INNOCENT Pre-Code HORROR Comic Book Series from Eclipse Comics 1985.
Watch the original companion video here.

In the mid-1980’s, Eclipse Comics began publishing a series of pre-code horror comic book reprints called Seduction of the Innocent. The title was taken from the infamous book by Dr. Frederick Wertham, a sad old man who led the charge against comic books in the 1950s. The stories in the Eclipse series were taken from standard comics pre-code titles that included Adventures into Darkness, Out of the Shadows, The Unseen, and Fantastic Worlds.
I don’t believe that any of these Standard comics titles were used in the congressional hearings that helped usher in the dreaded 1955 Comics Code Authority but it is an absolute fact that Standard had some top-notch artists of the day.
Six issues of seduction of the innocent are gorgeous full-color reproductions of great stories from the classic pre-code comic books. Two issues are 3-D reproductions wherein original non-3d stories were given the 3d treatment with mixed results.

Jim Vadeboncouer Introductions

In each issue there is a segment called The Horror, the History by Jim Vadeboncouer, a well-known authority in the realm of pre-code comics who sadly left this mortal coil in 2023. His book on the life of Everett Raymond Kinsler who drew comics for avon in the pre-code era is highly recommended.
Seduction of the Innocent Comic Book Covers
eclipse seduction of the innocent reed crandallThe covers of the non-3d issues is a mixed bag. Issue number one with cover art by Reed Crandall taken from the interior story is great. Issue number two with the cover taken from fantastic worlds number five art by Murphy Anderson is very tame for a Seduction of the Innocent cover. Issue number three has a cool panel from the story Werewolf by Mort Meskin and George Roussos from Out of the Shadows number 14. Issue number four has an interesting Alex Toth cover and issue number five cover by Alex Toth is a fine classic crime cover. Issue number six rounds out the whole affair with you guessed it, another Alex Toth cover, perhaps my favorite of the bunch called “Look into the Eyes of Death.”

3-D Comic Book Covers

eclipse seduction of the innocent 3d dave stevensThe 3D issues are kind of a toss-up. Eclipse had the excellent idea of getting two stellar artists to do the covers. The spicy Dave “Rocketeer” Stevens cover for number one is fantastic and I wish that was in 3d! Issue two features a great Bernie “Swamp Thing” Wrightson cover. I highly recommend these issues for the covers alone because in reality the covers are better than the 3-D attempts inside. The problem is they took ordinary pre-code horror stories and processed them for 3D using modern 3-d processing techniques. Some of it works, some of it doesn’t.

Joe Kubert 3-D House of Terror

They may have drawn their inspiration from the fantastic 3d pre-code horror comic book titled “3D House of Terror” published by Saint John in 1953 featuring a surprisingly tame cover by Joe Kubert.
3d-house-of-terror joe kubertThe 3d stories inside more than make up for the lack of cover “wow.” interior art by kubert and enrico bagnoli the first story drawn by Kubert called “Picture of Evil” has an intense splash page that is amazingly three-dimensional. According to comics.org this is the only story that was done for the issue or should i say not previously published elsewhere.

1950’s 3-D Comics Vs. Modern 3-D Comics

The other stories were originally published in Saint John’s Weird Horrors and Strange Terrors comic books, however, they are still better looking 3D than the Eclipse 3d series. It is possible that the kind of 3d printing technique used in the 1950s was superior after all 3d was very popular during that period in both comics and movies so it is likely that the folks doing it were on top of their game that being said i still recommend the 3d seduction of the innocent comics from Eclipse and I consider the one through six non-3d reprints essential for the pre-code horror fans. Trust me, you’ll be oggling that Dave Stevens cover for more than a few minutes.

This concludes part four of this series. Watch the original Eclipse Seduction of the Innocent video. Thanks for reading and watching!

TALES Too TERRIBLE To TELL! Pre-code Horror Comic Book Stories and History from NEC

TALES Too TERRIBLE To TELL!  Pre-code Horror Comic Book Reprints, stories and history from New England Comics.
You can watch the original Tales Too Terrible To Tell video here.

The 1980s and 90s saw a resurgence of pre-code horror comic book reprints from a variety of small publishers. Today we look at NEC: New England Comics and Tales too Terrible to Tell. These are some of my favorite reprints for a variety of reasons.

Pre-code Reprint Quality

Tales too terrible to tell published all interior reprints in black and white which can be a turn off for some pre-code comics fans, however, the reprints in the issues i have are clean and sharp making the reading very enjoyable. More importantly, the crew of tales too terrible to tell led by editor George Suarez, art director Bob Polio, assistant editor Larry Boyd and research assistant Billy Devine made this publication much more than just a collection of pre-code horror comic book stories reprinted and thrown into a magazine.

A History of Pre-code Horror Comics

Inside each issue is a wealth of information about the comics artists writers and publishers making Tales too terrible to tell a must have for any pre-code horror comics enthusiast. Beside the reprinted comic book stories each issue has a section called Terrorology that dives into the nuts and bolts of pre-code publishers titles and artists. Suarez also published a companion magazine called Terrorology specifically designed to be an informative guide to pre-code comics. You can get many of these on ebay.

Horror Comic Book Covers

Additionally. Tales to terrible to tell features a gallery of classic horror covers in each issue showing the cover and talking about the artist with cool details about the particular issue. There is also a letters to the tombs section in the back of each issue with correspondence from fans which can be very entertaining.

Pre-code Horror Meets SWAMP THING

tales-too-terrible to tell BisetteI have issues one through eight and while most of the issues of Tales too terrible to tell have color reprints of great pre-code covers on their respective covers, issue number one and three have exclusive covers by the great Steve “swamp thing” Bissette. issue number one with the gloriously ghoulish zombie flesh rip-a-rama cover by Bissette was a specially numbered limited edition you can still get on ebay for around 20 bucks or so. Just make sure it’s the limited edition. A few years later they re-released issue number one without the Bissette cover and in its place the Jack Katz shrunken head cover originally published in issue number eight of Out of the Shadows in 1953.

Ben Edlund’s THE TICK

As a kind of strange extra, many of the issues feature early stories from ben edlund’s the Tick. NEC comics carried the Tick for a while so i imagine it was a kind of cross-promotional idea and apparently Mr. Edlund was a fan and supporter of the Tales too terrible to tell project. In summary if you are a true fan of pre-code horror comics you should get your claws on a set of tales too terrible to tell immediately. Highly recommended.
Watch this original video on the Horror Mike Channel.
This concludes part 3 of the series. As always, please like and subscribe. Thank you.

Pre-code HORROR and SCI-FI Comic Book Reprints from Eerie Pubs and Stanley Morse

Most pre-code horror and sci-fi comic books are in the public domain so it is no surprise that there are many reprints starting with Eerie publications in the 1960’s and continuing on today with stellar publishers like Yoe Books and PS Artbooks. There are a few things that constitute a decent pre-code horror comics reprint depending on what you’re looking for.

This article is taken from the original Video on Pre-code HORROR and SCI-FI Comic Book Reprints.

eerie pubs pre-code horror comic book reprintsSOURCE MATERIAL

The better the original source material and care taken to reproduce the most accurate image possible. The higher quality reprint you will have. Color reprints are much trickier thus you have fewer publishing in full color with the majority being simple black and white reprints.
I first discovered reprints of pre-code comics when i was a kid and I happened to find some magazines from Eerie publications in a store one day. At the time I didn’t realize magazines like Weird, Horror tales (pictured), and Tales of Voodoo were simply reprints or redos of all of those pre-code comics from the 1950s.

PUBLISHER MYRON FASS

Myron Fass ran eerie publications and he himself drew comics and did covers for 1950s publishing houses like Toby contributing to titles such as Tales of horror and covers of issues like Beware (pictured) drawn by Fass depicting himself being attacked by monsters. So the fact that Myron Fass figured out a way to milk those pre-code tales for many more years is not surprising. It was many years later that i realized that what Eerie publications had done so I ended up collecting more to get those reprints.
The redrawn pre-code stories in Eerie publications were often quite good as foss employed many talented south american artists to churn out the pages. Overall, one might think of Eerie publications as a kind of click bait operation. The incredibly gory covers of vampires attacking a scantily clad woman while being skewed through the heart by a crazy looking werewolf never showed up as stories in the magazines themselves but if you want to up your gore game I highly recommend getting at least a few magazines from Eerie publications for the decent black and white reprints and the insanely over-the-top violent monster covers. Ebay and a few other sellers have them running anywhere from 10 bucks to perhaps a few hundred dollars for the rarest issues in great shape.

JAMES WARREN VS. MYRON FASS

And now a tasty little anecdote in 1965.  Myron Fass (pictured) ended up calling his horror comics publishing company Eerie publications after James Warren publishing beat him to the name.
myron fass eerie pubsHis original idea was to call his first magazine “Eerie” but Warren struck at the midnight hour and released an ash-can version of Eerie magazine beating Fass to the punch and securing the name Eerie for his own title. The ash can version of Eerie number one which is simply a black and white staple-bound quick print can be found on ebay or other collector’s sites and seem to range between 800 and 1500 dollars. This is why the first full-fledged issue of Eerie to hit the stands was issue number two. The good news is that you can get a photocopy of erie number one on Ebay for around 10 to 15 dollars.
It is interesting to note that around this time, early to late 1960’s, a UK publisher called Super Comics also published pre-code reprints in comic book form. For example, they published Eerie tales number 12 which was a reprint of Avon periodicals Erie number one from 1951.

precode horror comics reprintsStanley Morse

One of the more famous or perhaps infamous pre-code players back in the day with titles like Mister Mystery and Weird Tales of the Future, was Stanley Morse.
Morse jumped into the pre-code reprint game in the late 60s with SHOCK and Chilling Tales of Horror magazine (pictured) in 1968. Stanley publications had other pre-code reprint titles like Ghoul Tales and Stark Terror. In the case of Stanley morris, he literally reprinted the original stories including some of the original covers.
For example, Shock number one has the cover of Weird Chills number one which was originally done by the great Bernard Bailey although many of their covers were done by modern artists. A lot of these are available online, particularly on ebay and are not very expensive, running between 10 to 50 dollars depending on condition.
In the next part of this series, we dive into latter day reprints from the 1990s and on.

Watch this Pre-code HORROR and SCI-FI Comic Book Reprints video on Horror Mike’s Channel.

Mysteries Weird And Strange Six – March 1954 Superior Comics pre-code horror comics

precode horror comics mysteries weird and strange
horror comic books precode golden age

Mysteries Weird and Strange Number Six – March 1954 Superior Comics pre-code horror comics.  Full video here.
We look at the classic precode horror comic book Mysteries weird and Strange number six published in September 1954 by the Canadian company Superior Publishers limited.
From 1947 to 1956, Superior publishing produced dozens of different comic book titles and a total of 443 issues during that 9-year period. Their pre-code horror titles included strange Mysteries, Mysteries weird and strange, and journey into fear. Most of the art in these titles were done by Jerry iger’s famous Iger shop which consisted of such artists as Jay disbrow, Matt Baker, Ken Batefield, Robert Webb, and writer editor Ruth Roach among others.
Iger shop worked as a factory producing perhaps a dozen comic books a month for various Publishers and other titles such as Haunted Thrills, Voodoo, Mysterious Adventures, Strange Fantasy, Fantastic Fears, and more. Typically, no specific artist is credited with a story because many artists worked on specific things related to a story in a factory like setting.
We begin with Mysteries Weird and Strange number six from March 1954.  The copy I have is coverless but complete so we can take a good look at all the stories.  All of these synopsis are taken from Comic Book Plus, a great website you need to check out for fantastic digital reproduction of these precode horror comics.
Howling Horror.  Synopsis: on a trip to the mountains writer Adam hunt makes the acquaintance of lonely Vicky barow something is uncanny about her because she keeps dogs with men’s names.
Next up, Swamp Vengeance. Synopsis: trouble in the bayous! Jake karna kills a man for some precious animal pelts but is blackmailed by eyewitness Bell. Karna murders her too by throwing her to the alligators. Belle however returns as a vengeful ghost.
Then we have a text story called The Kill which is two pages long. Synopsis: a sentenced man sneaks back into the courthouse to stab the judge who punished him. The judge’s chair comes to life and crushes the evildoer.
The next tale is Evil Disguise. Synopsis: Sam wants to give his friend Tom a scare. He asks him to come to the cemetery where he’s ordered some actors to appear in costume. The men are confronted with real fiends from the grave!
Death Rehearsal. Synopsis: Peter Edison wants to commit the perfect crime with the help of his attorney Tom Ferris. He plans a murder scenario for his philandering wife but does he know that Ferris is the man that his wife is seeing?
And that wraps up Mysteries weird and strange number six. In part two we will look at strange Mysteries number Seven from September 1954.  You can see the entire video here.