“The Catoonist’s Calamity” by Bill Everett from Venus no.15 from pre-Marvel Timely. This Golden Age classic of an artist’s fevered dream showcases Everett’s imagination and rendering skills. Timely’s Venus is one of the more unusual titles in comic history, evolving through each wave of comic fads from Teenage humor to sci-fi, from romance to horror. … Read More “The Cartoonist’s Calamity” from Venus no.15
“Tower of Death” splash page from Venus no.17, Dec 1951 from pre-Marvel Atlas (indicia says Leading Comic Corp). Art by Bill Everett. This is a unique tale in a typical setting: a haunted old castle on the moorlands of England. One of the things that make this unique is the limited narration. The narrator never… Read More “The Tower of Death” Venus no.15
“Terror Beneath the Tides” Art by “Ace” Baker. Another astounding cover from March 1952, this one from Baffling no. 7 from Ace Magazines. The title story inside by Mike Sekowsky is almost as good as the cover. Keep in mind, this work was created in late 1951 while Universal’s Creature from the Black Lagoon was… Read More Baffling Mysteries 7, 1952
Chamber of Chills no. 23, May 1954 from Harvey Horror has the infamous French Kiss from Beyond the Grave cover by either Warren Kremer or Lee Elias. The ever-present woman in red has a look of terror on her face as the corpse leans in for a little sugar. She tears his rotted clothes along with… Read More Chamber of Chills 23, 1954 from Harvey
Chamber of Chills no.13, Oct 1952 from Harvey. Cover by Al Avison, once working in the Simon-Kirby studio on Captain America and then replacing the duo as lead Penciler on the top Timely/Marvel series. “The Man in the Hood” by Bob Powell is a period piece during the Reign of Terror in 1793-1794 France, “The… Read More Chamber of Chills 13, 1952 from Harvey
Feb 1955 cover date, by pre-Marvel Atlas. Art by Stan Lee’s go-to staff artists Sol Brodsky and Carl Burgos. Burgos created the Original Human Torch for Marvel Comics 1. Last Pre-code Horror With the Comics Code looming, the editorial impact is already seen on this last pre-code issue. The cover blurb states “Five Fingers… Each… Read More Marvel Tales 131, last pre-code horror
As if Marvel superb Werewolf By Night Omnibus wasn’t stuffed to the gills (fangs?) with werewolf stories, thefanaticfour decided to give you our own extras, posting two original werewolf tales from the pre-code pre-Marvel Atlas era. From Dead of Night #4, June 1974 comes this excellent John Romita cover (possibly penciled and inked). The original… Read More First Pre-code Werewolf Story by Don Heck
Bonus post of the original Werewolf By Night story from pre-Code pre-Marvel Atlas… Read More The Original Werewolf By Night Story
Underrated Pre-code Horror from Atlas Era Strange Tales Volume Two collects Strange Tales 11-20 from the Atlas Era, cover dates October 1952-July 1953. Includes a fantastic 6-page introduction by Dr. Michael J Vassallo. Each issue includes 4 or 5 stories from some of the best artists in the business during the atomic age. I’ll give… Read More Strange Tales Volume 2: Atlas Era Marvel Masterworks
The Fanatic Four 