Black Cat Mystery # 37 July 1952 Cover by Warren Kremer
Another pre-comics code horror comic cover for your viewing pleasure. This time from Harvey Comics. There is an entire lost world of vintage comics out there which is known to historians as Pre-Code Horror: an unregulated era from the late 40s to the early 50s before the industry was forced to self-censor with the Comics Code Authority. More to come just in time for Halloween!
OK, one last very early comic I owned -- the LP-sized Golden Records issue reprinting Journey Into Mystery #83.
Pencils: Jack Kirby Inks: Joe Sinnott
The original issue was from August 1962, but apparently this Golden Records version was first published in 1966. I also still own the Avengers #4 LP/issue (return of Cap). I'm sure these were in stores years after that, but these two issues probably fell sometime in the early range of my recently completed countdown, meaning they were yet another way that comic books helped me learn to read prior to starting school. I certainly listened to these incessently, following along with the LP.
I still have both comics and both LP's--that's my actual copy below -- though I currently have no way to play the LP's, and I doubt they would still be playable in any case.
Later, I owned many of the 45-sized Power Records, too, though I no longer have any of those. It's still fun to listen to these on the various websites that have them posted.
Weird Wonder Tales #20 January 1977 Cover by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott
HALLOWEEN IS 5 DAYS AWAY!
What a creative team! This reprint collection was edited by Roger Stern with stories by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, John Tartaglione, Steve Ditko, and Mort Drucker.
Even had a Hostess Fruit Pies ad with the Hulk, art by Dave Cockrum.
1977 opened with Kirby adding a new title to his roster in Black Panther, a bimonthly. Now he was up to three monthlies—Cap, 2001, and Eternals—and one bimonthly. He was also the regular cover artist on Avengers, Fantastic Four, Defenders, Invaders, Iron Man, Marvel’s Greatest Comics, and Thor—not to mention short runs on several others. But all his cover-only assignments would end that summer. Here’s one of his best that year, Defenders #43 (Jan. 1977), inked by Al Milgrom.
In anticipation of Halloween, here's the cover I have on my custom calendar for October 2017 -- this is a scan of the rag that is my actual copy from childhood....
Loved all three of these stories as a kid -- A mummy story and an alien invasion story, both with art by Kirby/Ayers, and a sea creature story with art by Manfred Sommer. (All stories Lee or maybe Lieber, per GCD.) Fun stuff!
Monsters on the Prowl #12 (August 1971) Pencils: Jack Kirby; Marie Severin (alterations) Inks: George Klein; Marie Severin (alterations) (per GCD)
Here’s the original cover for comparison: Journey into Mystery #61 (Oct. 1960), inked by George Klein. For the Prowl cover, they lowered the Gomdulla’s right arm, redrew the eyes to make them blank and more covered, and moved the word balloons. They also made the inks heavier and the colors darker to provide more of a sense of menace, and added a ceiling to the room. I think the alterations are a marked improvement to the effectiveness of the cover, except for maybe the lowering of the arm. The face is much more scary looking, the ceiling adds to the sense of being trapped by the monster, and the heavier inking and darker coloring definitely intensify the sense of danger. It’s just a shame they had to cover up Klein’s lovely inking of Gomdulla in the process.
World's Finest #139 February 1964 Cover by Curt Swan
I don't think that’s Curt Swan. It's most likely Dick Dillin inked by Sheldon Moldoff. And I'm surprised editorial let that S shield go through—not on model for the time.
World's Finest #139 February 1964 Cover by Curt Swan Dick Dillin & Sheldon Moldoff
I don't think that’s Curt Swan. It's most likely Dick Dillin inked by Sheldon Moldoff. And I'm surprised editorial let that S shield go through—not on model for the time
World's Finest #139 February 1964 Cover by Curt Swan Dick Dillin & Sheldon Moldoff
I don't think that’s Curt Swan. It's most likely Dick Dillin inked by Sheldon Moldoff. And I'm surprised editorial let that S shield go through—not on model for the time
Thanks for the correction, Eric!
No worries. Swan did become the regular cover artist on the book two issues later, and he had that gig for a while. It was that S shield that drew my attention, though. The DC offices were sticklers about that kind of thing, and I'm confident Swan would never have drawn it off-model.
Today’s haunted wedding cover is provided by the great George Wilson. Wilson never drew interiors, but he painted hundreds of covers for Western Publishing (owner of the Dell and Gold Key imprints) from the ’50s and into the ’70s. He also did a ton of paperback covers—mostly romance and western, but also the Hardy Boys mysteries I read as a kid. So here’s Grimm’s Ghost Stories #5 (Aug. 1972).
Today’s haunted wedding is a pre-Code book from Standard Comics, The Unseen #13 (Feb. 1954), penciled by Alex Toth (he may have inked it too, but it could be Mike Peppe, who inked a lot of Toth’s work during that time).
Today’s haunted wedding is a pre-Code book from Standard Comics, The Unseen #13 (Feb. 1954), penciled by Alex Toth (he may have inked it too, but it could be Mike Peppe, who inked a lot of Toth’s work during that time).
Last haunted wedding cover, this time going with the most classic of horror couples, Frankenstein’s Monster and his Bride! The Monster of Frankenstein #2 (Mar. 1973) by Mike Ploog.
Just in time for the "witching hour" of Halloween, here are my final wedding/horror-themed covers for the season, presented chronologically. =======================================
The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves #4 November, 1967 Cover by Rocke Mastroserio
House of Secrets (Vol 1) #95 January, 1972 Cover by Nick Cardy
Comments
July 1952
Cover by Warren Kremer
Another pre-comics code horror comic cover for your viewing pleasure. This time from Harvey Comics. There is an entire lost world of vintage comics out there which is known to historians as Pre-Code Horror: an unregulated era from the late 40s to the early 50s before the industry was forced to self-censor with the Comics Code Authority. More to come just in time for Halloween!
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
The original issue was from August 1962, but apparently this Golden Records version was first published in 1966. I also still own the Avengers #4 LP/issue (return of Cap). I'm sure these were in stores years after that, but these two issues probably fell sometime in the early range of my recently completed countdown, meaning they were yet another way that comic books helped me learn to read prior to starting school. I certainly listened to these incessently, following along with the LP.
I still have both comics and both LP's--that's my actual copy below -- though I currently have no way to play the LP's, and I doubt they would still be playable in any case.
Later, I owned many of the 45-sized Power Records, too, though I no longer have any of those. It's still fun to listen to these on the various websites that have them posted.
January 1977
Cover by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott
HALLOWEEN IS 5 DAYS AWAY!
What a creative team! This reprint collection was edited by Roger Stern with stories by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, John Tartaglione, Steve Ditko, and Mort Drucker.
Even had a Hostess Fruit Pies ad with the Hulk, art by Dave Cockrum.
Loved all three of these stories as a kid -- A mummy story and an alien invasion story, both with art by Kirby/Ayers, and a sea creature story with art by Manfred Sommer. (All stories Lee or maybe Lieber, per GCD.) Fun stuff!
Monsters on the Prowl #12 (August 1971)
Pencils: Jack Kirby; Marie Severin (alterations)
Inks: George Klein; Marie Severin (alterations)
(per GCD)
Lois Lane #108
February 1971
Cover by Dick Giordano
And for the curious, here are a handful of the several more wedding themed covers from this same title!
Is this spooky, or what?
World's Finest #139
February 1964
Cover by Curt Swan Dick Dillin & Sheldon Moldoff
A stretch I know, but MAD was a comic at one point.
This says Monster Comics on the cover, so I'm counting it.
The scary thing here is that people keep forgetting that Betty Boop is supposed to be like 14.
=======================================
The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves #4
November, 1967
Cover by Rocke Mastroserio
House of Secrets (Vol 1) #95
January, 1972
Cover by Nick Cardy
Witching Hour (Vol 1) #67
January, 1977
Cover by Ernie Chan
Ghosts (Vol 1) #63
April, 1978
Cover by Luis Dominguez