{"id":14,"date":"2016-06-27T09:08:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-27T07:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/?page_id=14"},"modified":"2016-11-23T15:40:10","modified_gmt":"2016-11-23T14:40:10","slug":"web-of-evil","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/?page_id=14","title":{"rendered":"Web Of Evil"},"content":{"rendered":"

WEB OF EVIL<\/strong><\/p>\n

21 issues + 1 issue of INTRIGUE<\/h3>\n

Chronological listing of all issues \u2013 with comments and annotations. We mention date of publication, cover motive and cover artist (if identified).
\nEvery issue has been indexed on the Grand Comics Database<\/a> \u2013 the link will show you all available data,<\/em> including cover shots and story descriptions.<\/em><\/p>\n

Just click the underlined issue labeling.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #1 <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

November 1952<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Couple in small motorboat is scared by giant, ghost-like head of a crone) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?<\/p>\n

\"Web1cover\"\u201cGhosts of Doom\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Phantom Freaks\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cCustodian of the Dead\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

\u201cRehearsal for Death\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

What a wacky cover. The cover painting does correspond<\/strong> very nicely to the lead story, \u201cGhosts of Doom\u201d (a masterpiece of wackiness<\/strong> in itself).
\nZombies and a giant crocodile populate the eerie Everglades. Gangsters arrive from Miami with a kidnap victim \u2013 looking for a hide-out. Soon the parties will be battling each other\u2026<\/p>\n

The crude artwork by a mystery artist (as it will often be the case with this company) enhances the \u201cbaddie\u201d charm of Quality\u2019s first expedition into horror. Story is posted HERE <\/a>on my (alas, German) website about pre-code horror in general. Story’s still in English, though…<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Phantom Freaks\u201d grips you with three pages of shock value<\/strong> (Violence! Outlandish creatures!), but simmers down to a comedy ending. Posted this on FIFTIES HORROR<\/a> as well.\"ColeCrypt\"<\/p>\n

\u201cCustodian of the Dead\u201d presents us the great Jack Cole as horror artist<\/strong>. The plot about a grave-robbing undertaker is robbed from (still very much living, at the time) EC masterminds<\/strong> Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein who used to assign \u201cGhastly\u201d Graham Ingels to draw these tales.<\/p>\n

I am probably being unfair; the story\u2019s composed of TWO or THREE other ones. I\u2019m positive there\u2019s an EC story about rats attacking an intruder who fell into a cave. But can\u2019t find it at the moment.
\nHowever, the ending<\/strong> of this story out of MYSTERIOUS ADVENTURES #3 (from August 1951, by Story\/Master Comics) sounds exactly<\/strong> like the last pages of \u201cCustodian\u201d. I quote the synopsis for \u201cReturn from the Dead!<\/a>\u201d:
\nThe coalminers Tom and Matty fight over the same woman, Ruth. Tom tries to slay Matty and leaves him to perish in an abandoned mine shaft. Some time later, however, Tom is trapped in a cave-in and comes across the mortal remains of his rival Matty. The skeleton holds him down while rats close in on Tom<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Is Cole paying homage to EC\u2019s host, the Crypt Keeper, in this first panel on page 3? See detail to your right…<\/p>\n

Again, QUALITY HORROR does not shy away from \u201cgraphic\u201d depictions of criminal offenses. See for yourself the horrid tooth extraction from page 2:<\/p>\n

\"GoldTeeth\"<\/p>\n

See \u201cCustodian of the Dead<\/a>\u201d posted on Karswell\u2019s seminal horror blog!<\/p>\n

\u201cRehearsal for Death\u201d proves to be a run-of-the-mill envious actor story. Understudy Fenton demands his chance on stage and murders leading man Worthington. Worthington\u2019s ghost, however, returns for a night-long rehearsal of Hamlet\u2019s death scene<\/strong>. Fenton dies of exhaustion. He has rehearsed himself to death.
\nThose three last pages on stage get tedious and are a pain in Shakespeare\u2019s neck<\/strong> to illustrate. I suspect the same writer here as in \u201cPhantom Freaks\u201d, because the evil character is coined as being \u201cvenomous\u201d in both stories.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a wrap for QUALITY HORROR\u2019S\u00a0 first issue \u2013 and we count 3 mystery artists<\/strong> out of 4, a frightening bottom line. But Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. and I looked long and hard \u2013 and we don\u2019t know! But this is as clueless as we get. We could identify some illustrators in later issues\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #2<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

January 1953<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Ghostly executioner threatening frightened man from behind) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?<\/p>\n

\"Web2cover\"\u201cHangman\u2019s Horror\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

\u201cGhost Ship\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cMake-Up for Death\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Corpse that Wouldn\u2019t Die!\u201d\u00a0 (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

And we get Cole twice<\/strong> in this issue (and twice a mystery contribution)\u2026<\/p>\n

The splash to \u201cHangman\u2019s Horror\u201d is the most drastic<\/strong> (and most close-up) comic book depiction of a hanging. Ever.<\/strong> Alongside Johnny Craig\u2019s cover for CRIME SUSPENSTORIES #20. Which came out a year later and may have been inspired by Cole\u2019s shocking panel.
\nCole elongates the neck of his victim in a funny way \u2013 as if he\u2019s hanging his own creation Plastic Man! The bloodshot eyes are a terrifying bonus<\/strong>, too. Cole did a lot to enrage comic book censors<\/strong>.
\n(That infamous injury-to-the-eye panel from the crime story „Murder, Morphine and Me<\/a>“ was his work as well…)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"HangingGallery\"<\/p>\n

Story is quite simple. Innocent man Jeb Daws is framed for murder and hanged. His ghost stalks the streets and brings to townspeople to avenge the true killer. First a mob brutally slays<\/strong> the first of the henchmen; the others die in a fire respectively under a horse\u2019s hooves. The story is posted<\/a> on the aptly named blog SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT.<\/p>\n

\u201cGhost Ship\u201d follows in very much the same vein as the last story: Rival tug boat captains Hook Larson and Blackjack Grant go head to head in a small port. Grant eliminates the competition by ramming down Larson’s ship. But on the anniversary of the foul deed, a ghost ship pulls into port and a hooked spectre takes revenge.
\nIs this Quality\u2019s take on horror? Killer ghosts?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMake-Up for Death\u201d \u2013 is that a horror or a crime story? Theater make-up artist<\/strong> Karl Rageese murders three actors who talked bad about him \u2013 and perishes in the same fire he layed to kill his last victim. The good Karl is said to have died \u201cin the poor house\u201d and does rise from a grave (on page 2). But nowhere do they tell us if he\u2019s really dead (he doesn\u2019t look like a zombie, you know). Or did he just hide in the earth<\/strong> for some time \u2013 to make a dramatic appearance? Drama queen!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"KarlRising\"<\/p>\n

Whole story on Karswell\u2019s blog HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Corpse that Wouldn\u2019t Die!\u201d\u00a0 is to be found on the blog<\/a> of cartoonist Terry Beatty, SCARY TERRY\u2019S WORLD and is another Cole horror classic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Which was eventually reprinted in Quality\u2019s last horror book, the 1955 INTRIGUE #1. And in the 2013 \u201cZombies\u201d anthology published by Yoe Books in their wonderful CHILLING ARCHIVES OF HORROR COMICS<\/strong>. If you should be a stranger to Craig Yoe\u2019s reprint operation, please click immediately on his website<\/a> and get an overview of his unrivaled products…<\/em><\/p>\n

On with the story. \u201cThe Corpse that Wouldn\u2019t Die!\u201d – Two men trapped in an eerie house, beleaguered by a monstrous zombie<\/strong>. Will they find the magic spell in time to send the fiend back to his grave? There\u2019s suspense galore in this tale. But somehow the story doesn\u2019t take off. It\u2019s held back by the art of Jack Cole. In my humble opinion. I don\u2019t think Cole\u2019s the perfect man to illustrate horror<\/strong>.
\nHis funny roots are always manifest. Look at this row of panels \u2013 this could be a Bill Elder spoof<\/strong> on horror like he did for the early issues of MAD. Cole\u2019s exaggeration in use of light and camera teeters on the brink of ridicule.<\/p>\n

\"Funny\"<\/p>\n

Imagine this story drawn by Bob Powell, Manny Stallman, Lou Cameron, Joe Sinnott\u2026 Cole is defusing the horror<\/strong> in here!<\/p>\n

By the way, have you noticed that QUALITY HORROR is different<\/strong> horror? They won\u2019t fob you off with a simple \u201cAarrggh!\u201d like any other publisher \u2013 they exclusively<\/strong> serve you the much more refined \u201cAggrraa!\u201d<\/strong>. Sounds way more horrible, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\"Aggrraa1\"<\/p>\n

It is probably save to say (after only two issues) that like CHARLTON HORROR Quality goes for the gross<\/strong>.
\nCole doesn\u2019t shy away from depicting violence. Good lord! Or in the words of another victim:<\/p>\n

\"Aggrraa2\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #3<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

March 1953<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Strongman lifting sacrificial victim in front of multi-armed idol) \u2013 Jack Cole ? + Chuck Cuidera ?<\/p>\n

\"Web3cover\"\u201cThe Killer from Saturn\u201d (Jack Cole ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cVengeance of the Red Ghost\u201d (Leo Morey + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cGoddess of Murder\u201d (Jack Cole ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Beast from Beyond\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

Something truly horrifying<\/strong> will happen in this issue:
\nThe introduction of the ratio-twist<\/strong> into WEB OF EVIL!
\nThe two stories possibly drawn by Jack Cole will knock the socks off your synapses.
\n\u201cThe Killer from Saturn\u201d and \u201cGoddess of Murder\u201d are riveting horror yarns<\/strong> \u2013 until that final page. Both stories come up with an explanation so ludicrous and improbable it had me screaming
\n\u201cAggrraa!\u201d<\/strong> in my reading armchair!
\nSee for yourself; you\u2019ll find both tales posted on FIFTIES HORROR \u2013 follow the underlined markings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Killer from Saturn<\/a>\u201d may be the pre-code horror story with the highest body count<\/strong> of all.
\n12 (!) people die in these pages; and they were slaughtered (spoiler!) by a meek civil servant who donned armor and walked on stilts?! I don\u2019t buy that for a second, but thusly it is written\u2026<\/p>\n

\"KillerFromSaturnDetail\"

3 out of 12 unhappy victims…<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cVengeance of the Red Ghost\u201d features a ratio-twist as well. Susan Maynard only faked her death<\/strong> and plays the avenging ghost coming back from the grave. I\u2019ll give it some points for portraying a homicidal woman. Story is posted <\/a>on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoddess of Murder<\/a>\u201d is a frightening terror tale about a monstrous four-armed goddess<\/strong> demanding human sacrifices. The ratio-twist solution (in the second-to-last panel) is so outrageously construed you\u2019ll shake your head in sad disbelief<\/strong>. The cheek!<\/p>\n

\"BetterlookAway\"

What can be the rational explanation for this murderous behavior? Well, you have to read the story to find out\u2026<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe Beast from Beyond\u201d is another embarrassing affair \u2013 and a next ratio-twist. So it\u2019s an issue with no real horror<\/strong>. But certainly feels that way. A hunting company from the city enters the woods and finds no moose, but a dragon-like monster<\/strong>! When all of the campers disappear one by one, the police come investigating. They confront the monster with high-powered rifles and grenades. The beast collapses and reveals\u2026 hold on to your seats, please\u2026 a gang of mobsters<\/strong> operating the monster mechanically from inside!<\/p>\n

\"mechanicalmonster\"<\/p>\n

How idiotic<\/strong> is that? QUALITY HORROR is striving for the apex of foolishness<\/strong>. That beats everything you ever may have read before, right?<\/p>\n

Bad news about a hefty WEB #3: All stories are ratio-twisted!<\/strong>
\nThis will (thank god or the devil) change radically with the next issue!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #4<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

May 1953<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (People fleeing from attacking dinosaur-like monster before a full moon) \u2013 Jack Cole + Chuck Cuidera ?<\/p>\n

\"Web4Cover\"\u201cMonster of the Mist\u201d (Jack Cole + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cCrime Circus\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cSatan\u2019s Spectacles\u201d (Sam Citron ? + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cDance of Death\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

Jack Cole has been attributed with the artwork for \u201cMonster of the Mist\u201d, but looking again at this\u2026 I have grave doubts. Rough pencil layouts, at best.
\nAfter a false<\/strong> mechanical monster<\/strong> in the last issue, we now get a real one<\/strong> \u2013 Huzzah!<\/p>\n

Marine biologist Dr. Mornay discovers a giant sea serpent<\/strong> and keeps it close to study the creature. Mornay feeds the beast with sheep, but only teaches it a lust for blood<\/strong>. Mornay\u2019s son and his fianc\u00e9e arrive and help him prepare a deadly bait.
\nWell, I don\u2019t want to spoil too much, but the monster swallows a TNT-spiced sheep and goes out in quite an involuntarily comical explosion:<\/p>\n

\"MonsterExplosion\"<\/p>\n

If you decide to wanna see more, story is posted<\/a> on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrime Circus\u201d sounds like a crime story\u2026
\nbut is a morale tale in which FATE<\/strong> (looking like a boyish unkempt ghost with a cape, for chrissakes!) intercepts the efforts of the criminals.
\nAn ensemble of circus artistes decides to make some big money and operates as a gang of criminals. Masterminded by the \u201cmidget\u201d Lilliput they rob and steal. But ghost-like Fate steps in and sabotages their heists. In the end the last remaining members kill off each other.
\nCrude stuff. A strange and sorry story which keeps you guessing why fate looks like this<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\"GhostlyFate\"<\/p>\n

Oh, gosh! What a misery the next story is: \u201cSatan\u2019s Spectacles\u201d is utter rubbish<\/strong>.
\nThe devil sets a trap for optometrist<\/strong> Harry Lenz. In disguise he lets him have magic glasses which reveal the thoughts of others. At a moment\u2019s notice, Lenz goes for a life of crime and high finance. Years later Satan comes to collects his dues. Surprisingly not Lenz\u2019 soul, but just his eyesight<\/strong>.
\nWhat? His bloody eyesight is the only price<\/strong> to pay?!
\nTime I start praying<\/strong> to Satan\u2026<\/p>\n

\"DevilsDue\"<\/p>\n

Quality writers have obviously reached the end of the line<\/strong> concerning their wits<\/strong>. This is most feeble material (and only issue #4!).
\nMaybe they got inspiration from two other (great!) optometrician\u2019s stories. I am talking, of course, about \u201cColorama<\/a>\u201d (by Bob Powell in Harvey\u2019s BLACK CAT MYSTERY #45) and \u201cThe Sorcerer\u2019s Spectacles<\/a>\u201d from Ace\u2019s HAND OF FATE #17.
\nAnd I am dead wrong! \u201cColorama\u201d was inspired by \u201cSatan\u2019s Spectacles\u201d (which was published three months previously)! Powell left out the devil, but his story describes a crazy journey into blindness.
\n<\/em>The Ace \u201cSpectacles\u201d story appeared the same time as Quality\u2019s\u2026 hmmm. I wonder if the same author is behind these two\u2026 hmm, again.<\/p>\n

\u201cDance of Death\u201d is posted<\/a> on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

Do I recommend a read? Please do. It\u2019s a straight supernatural revenge story<\/strong> with enjoyable artwork (by unknown illustrator). Giving you a teaser illo here:<\/p>\n

\"deadmarch\"<\/p>\n

Good news about a so-so WEB #4: Not one ratio-twisted story!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #5<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

July 1953<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Laughing man being electrocuted in the chair) \u2013 Jack Cole + Chuck Cuidera ?<\/p>\n

\"Web5Cover\"\u201cThe Man Who Died Twice\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

\u201cLaughter from Hell\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Vengeful Curse\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Corpse That Wouldn\u2019t Hide\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

That\u2019s probably Jack Cole contributing to the \u201cshocking\u201d cover of this issue; and one of the few pre-code horror title pages to remember it is! The man in the chair is laughing<\/strong>?! Most weird!<\/p>\n

(Whilst the February 1952 issue of EC\u2019s SHOCK SUSPENSTORIES only hints at the depiction of a man being \u201cfried\u201d in the electric chair, Quality\u2019s July 1953 issue of WEB OF EVIL doesn\u2019t shy away from pointing the camera at the action…)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Aggrraa3\"

If you like what you see in this picture, please go back to issue #2!<\/p><\/div>\n

The corresponding title story<\/strong> is to be found on the blog<\/a> of cartoonist Terry Beatty, SCARY TERRY\u2019S WORLD. What\u2019s it about? \u201cThe Man Who Died Twice\u201d makes no sense<\/strong> at all! Lester Paley is framed for a murder he did not commit. He dies in the electric chair<\/strong>, but it\u2019s all a set-up. He is only stunned by the electricity and proclaimed dead by a bribed doctor.
\nThe criminal undertaker<\/strong> Anson claims his body and \u201crevives\u201d Paley in his laboratory. He is made to believe that he can only continue living by taking Anson\u2019s drugs. Anson commands Paley to kill the judge. Paley, however, comes to his senses, realizes that Anson framed him in the first place and takes revenge.
\nDid you understand this plot? Everything goes smooth for evil mastermind Anson. And what does he do? He keeps the person he\u2019s framed alive to run some meaningless errands<\/strong>. WTF?! Insipid hogwash! Agggrraaa!!!!<\/p>\n

The wonderful Aggrrraaa!, by the way, only made its way into WEB OF EVIL #2<\/strong>. Too bad.
\nNo more Agggrrraaaa!<\/strong> Will give you another pic from that ish (see right). We mourn!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Worse: \u201cThe Man Who Died Twice\u201d is no horror, it\u2019s a crime<\/strong> story. This story is commented<\/strong> extensively, too, on the blog \u201cCole\u2019s Comics\u201d. See HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One year later, by the way, a still fledgling Steve Ditko<\/strong> copied Cole\u2019s chair \u2013 but made it into a grim version<\/strong>. His cover for Charlton\u2019s STRANGE SUSPENSE STORIES #19 packs quite a whallop.<\/p>\n

\"ElectricDitko\"<\/p>\n

Artist Charles Nicholas joins<\/strong> the QUALITY HORROR fold with \u201cLaughter from Hell\u201d, a story that sounds more like horror. And again it\u2019s not. Next crime story<\/strong>, don\u2019t even know why it\u2019s called \u201cLaughter from Hell\u201d.
\nOld and wealthy John Grome won\u2019t part with his money, so his unfaithful wife Della joins family lawyer Loring in a fiendish plot<\/strong>. With the help of rubber masks and party tricks they try to drive Grome insane<\/strong>. But Grome sees through their machinations, pretends to have gone mad and sets up a deadly trap for the crooked couple.<\/p>\n

\"groundLenses\"

Enough to send anyone over the top, innit? \u201cFiendishly ground lenses\u201d make you see TWO lawyers instead of just the one\u2026<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe Vengeful Curse\u201d finally can be counted as a (mild) horror story. First three pages are surprisingly FUN, because they are told in fast-paced dialogue and tell us all there is to be told.
\nThe adventurer<\/strong> Andrew Craven hunts for a hidden treasure in the mountains. After salvaging the gold, he kills his partner Dave Burk and buries him on the spot. Burk swears revenge from beyond the grave<\/strong> and Craven is being haunted by accidents and Burk\u2019s eerie laughter.
\nFirst QUALITY HORROR story we chose to post in our \u201cStories\u201d section! Click HERE<\/a> to read.<\/p>\n

\"FaveColeSplashGallery\"

Two wonderful dynamic Cole splash pages. Both illustrations have the same composition, yet are subtly different: The focus on the left lies on the monster\u2019s attack force; on the right the attention centers on the terrified man in the foreground.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe Corpse That Wouldn\u2019t Hide\u201d is \u2013 like the last story \u2013 a crime\/horror hybrid.<\/strong>
\nWalter Mains lives on the allowance of his wife, the successful chemical inventor<\/strong> Anna Mains. They both make their lives a living hell. One day Walter can\u2019t stand it anymore, strangles Anna to death and plans to burn her in the house and make it look like she was smoking in bed.
\nThis story succeeded in entertaining me, too. The twist is quite inventive<\/strong> and very ironic \u2013 and we get some grisly action<\/strong> scenes like these three panels:<\/p>\n

\"choke\"<\/a>
\nSecond QUALITY HORROR story we chose to post in our \u201cStories\u201d section! Click on the teaser tier above to read.<\/p>\n

Jesus, WEB OF EVIL lurches through its run like a ship in a hurricane. One issue is pure horror, next is fake horror with a ratio-twist, next features mostly crime stories.<\/strong> Hardly a concept at work here, folks!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #6<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

September 1953<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Man machine-gunning greenish monster ghoul rising between tombstones) \u2013 Jack Cole + Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web6Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cOrgy of Death\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Man Who Saw Doom\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Spectre\u2019s Face\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe House Where Horror Lived\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

Another strange cover \u2013 and shockingly amateurish, although a composition by Cole.
\nThe proportions<\/strong> of the graphic elements (man, ghoul, tombstones) are off-scale<\/strong>. The colors don\u2019t add up to something striking. The weakest cover of WEB\u2019s run. But weird it is, o yes, mommy.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrgy of Death\u201d is a tedious adventure yarn climaxing in the eruption of a volcano<\/strong>, by all means. Greedy Dr. Morgan discovers the remnants of a Phoenician cult on a remote island.
\nHe\u2019s willing to sacrifice his niece<\/strong> Lela and his pilot Alan to get his hands on the lost treasure of Moloch. A lot of talk and imprisonment and planning and more talk ensue (Who\u2019s in command here, folks?) until the earth starts to quake.
\nStory is posted <\/a>on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.
\nThis story is commented<\/strong> extensively, too, on the blog \u201cCole\u2019s Comics\u201d. See HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Man Who Saw Doom\u201d is a horror story about a magic ring<\/strong> which reveals imminent death. The Hindu mystic<\/strong> Arnar lets John Durrand wear a death-foreseeing magic ring. If John encounters a person with a blank face, that person is going to die in the next minute. The visions drive Durrand almost insane. He passes the ring on to a jeweler.
\nAnd that is the ENDING of that story. He passes the ring on to a jeweler.<\/strong> Nothing more. Now the jeweler sees blank faces. The blankest of them is MINE.
\nSecond story in this issue that seeps, oozes and trickles through my fingers \u2013 turning pages in search of a tale worth-while. Dammit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Spectre\u2019s Face\u201d feels like the work of copycats, too. Mob gunman Barker Crane retires from his killing career<\/strong> and aims for a life of respectability. Whenever Crane has his picture taken, the photograph will reveal a ghostly rotting zombie looming behind him.<\/p>\n

\"FaceAgain\"<\/p>\n

Crane now tries to find the man in the picture. A former victim whom he wants to confront. Crane does not succeed and \u2013 demoralized and worn out \u2013 turns himself in to the police. Apart from the credulity of the plot so far, now comes a fantastic ratio-twist<\/strong> (straight outta DC HORROR).<\/p>\n

\"FaceAgain2\"<\/p>\n

It was all a clever set-up, was it now? I know it\u2019s impossible to pull off. You know it\u2019s impossible to pull off. They do it anyway.<\/strong> And they add (last panel) a twist to annul the twist before: The photo of Crane dying in the electric chair sports a looming ghost behind him as well! That\u2019s gotta be another one of them helpful citizens, right?<\/p>\n

You can \u201cenjoy\u201d, if you still dare, \u201cThe Spectre\u2019s Face<\/a>\u201d on COLE\u2019S COMICS<\/strong>!
\nYes, there is a wonderful blog about Jack Cole<\/strong> (blog was active from 2009-14). The website can be searched for stories by year (from 1936 to 1963) or topics (like features and magazine contributions) and also by themes (even \u201cDeath and Morbidity\u201d and \u201cSuicide\u201d).
\nI did not find a \u201chorror\u201d category and \u201cThe Spectre\u2019s Face\u201d plus one story from WEB #11 seem to be the only ones presented on COLE\u2019S COMICS<\/a>. But have a look anyway!\"HouseWhereHorror1\"<\/p>\n

Coming back shortly to \u201cThe Spectre\u2019s Face\u201d: The story with the camera taking ghost photographs<\/strong> crossed my desk at least once before. This is what I can think of: \u201cThe Clinging Phantom<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a really INVENTIVE horror story from Harvey\u2019s WITCHES TALES #5 (1951), posted on my German website FIFTIES HORROR.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe House Where Horror Lived\u201d \u2013 Aaaaah. That must be the offices of publishing companies like EC, Harvey or even Charlton in those days \u2013 where they gave a f\u2026 about pre-code horror! But, surprise, this tale did entertain me. It\u2019s simple as hell, but I love the crudish artwork<\/strong> and the droll things happening on the last three pages.
\nJohn Carlton, ‚The Bravest Man Alive‘, and his man-servant, Drake, spend a night in a haunted house. Drake, however, rigged the place to teach Carlton a lesson in fear<\/strong>. The terror proves to be too stark for Carlton who drops dead from fright.
\nStory does not end there, however!
\nAlthough the existing scan of that book is only low-res quality and of small data volume, I posted \u201cThe House Where Horror Lived<\/a>\u201d in our \u201cStories\u201d section. Tried to enhance it some by applying high-definition photoshop tricks. It\u2019s absolutely readable, but won\u2019t stand much magnifying.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #7<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

October 1953<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Arms shoot out of an opened box and strangle a man) \u2013 Jack Cole + Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web7cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ship of Lost Souls\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cHideout in Hell\u201d (Bob McCarty + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Strangling Hands\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Man Who Cheated Death\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL changes into from bi-monthly into monthly<\/strong> frequency!<\/p>\n

That cover brings back fond memories of other covers with \u201cmysterious boxes\u201d \u2013 and of a story about cut-off arms going on a strangling spree. Let me see\u2026
\nQuality is obviously copying<\/strong> again, but it\u2019s a fun title page and the best<\/strong> of all the (lame and cheesy) mystery-box covers<\/strong>. The guy opening that box is only getting what he deserves \u2013 for he has been warned by the inscription \u201cSevered Arms of Jean the Strangler\u201d. Teehee.<\/p>\n

\"BoxGallery\"<\/p>\n

Well, let\u2019s open that Pandora\u2019s box calling itself WEB OF EVIL #7 \u2013 and reach deep inside: \u201cThe Ship of Lost Souls\u201d is a fine example for what\u2019s wrong with QUALITY HORROR<\/strong>. Too little is happening in these overlong 9 pages!
\nThe gambling ship \u201cHades\u201d (whotta name for a ship anyway!) capsizes and dozens of passengers inside are killed. The ship\u2019s owner, Harry Cain, is responsible for this tragedy, because his ship was not ballasted the right way. Two newspaper reporters, who were allegedly killed on-board, have survived and stage a scoop. Posing as ghosts<\/strong> they kidnap Cain, bring him aboard the \u201cHades\u201d and make him confess his deadly negligence. As Cain whips out a gun, another tidal wave rolls in and takes Cain down to the bottom of the sea.
\nWritten down like that, it doesn\u2019t sound too bad, but trust me \u2013 it is redundant, redundant, redundant. Point taken?<\/p>\n

We come to \u201cHideout in Hell\u201d, a first (and last!) contribution by artist Bob McCarty<\/strong> (a mainstay of FAWCETT HORROR). His artwork here is drowned under the inks of a Quality brush swinger. Hardly recognizable. It\u2019s a crime story with a faint touch of the macabre:
\nThe Bexer gang robs a bank and goes into hiding. They quarrel over the loot and two of them shoot each other. When the police come searching the woods, Bexer crawls into the compound where the bodies are stored. His phobia of corpses<\/strong> drives him insane.
\nNice touch here is the character of the \u201cdim-witted\u201d henchman, Simple Simon. He proves not to be that dim-witted in the end. Not that bad, but not good enough to earn a post with me. As the story\u2019s nowhere posted, I show you the finale:<\/p>\n

\"HideoutHell\"<\/p>\n

Ah, the ’sport of throatbursting‘<\/strong> is featured in \u201cThe Strangling Hands\u201d, another fine and most brutal piece of Jack Cole art<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\"throatbursting\"<\/p>\n

Collector Noram comes into possession of the severed arms<\/strong> of Jean D\u2019Arst, the infamous French strangler<\/strong>. The arms are rumored to be cursed and to have killed all of their current owners. Noram, however, is strangled by his greedy nephew Don. When the police don\u2019t buy the story of a curse, Don runs \u2013 but is strangled by the bodiless arms.
\nThe other grisly depictions of throatbursting are shown only as shadow plays upon the walls. Hmmm. Story is posted<\/a> in our \u201cStories\u201d section.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Man Who Cheated Death<\/a>\u201d is a second story about electric chairs<\/strong>! The main character of the story lands on the chair \u2013 and sits there laughing. This would have been a more fitting tale for the WEB #5 cover. Well, they seem to have a thing with electricity\u2026
\n\"BlackhawkSerial\"
\nPage 5 features an in-house gag: a movie canopy announces the film \u201cAdventures of Blackhawk\u201d<\/strong>.
\nFirst I thought this was a joke, but there really was a 1952 film series BLACKHAWK (15 episodes starring Quality Comics\u2019 most successful characters).
\nSee it described on Wikipedia HERE<\/a>. For an episode guide and more stills click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sorry for the diversion. Where were we? Ah, right.
\nPlease have a seat in that uncomfy ELECTRIC CHAIR.<\/strong>
\nOur story begins with maniacal senior John Blane, just turned 70 years of age and obsessed with wanting to live forever<\/strong>. One of the researchers in his laboratories comes up with a liquid which will grant eternal life. Blane drinks down the potion after having murdered his employee who was unwilling to part with it. He is quickly sentenced to die in the electric chair, but can\u2019t be killed<\/strong>. The immortal Blane is locked away, but escapes and commits a bank robbery.
\nWhat happens next, won\u2019t be spoilered by us, but can be found<\/a> in our \u201cStories\u201d section.<\/p>\n

Quality writers in this issue succeed to give us a decent mixed bag of horrors<\/strong>. It\u2019s all more or less run-of-the-mill, but presented in a fairly entertaining way. If they would dare to come up with something of their own, there still might be hope for QUALITY HORROR.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #8<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

November 1953<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Man in foreground is frightened by spectre looming above houses) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web8Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cCreature of Doom\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cFlaming Vengeance\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath Prowls the Streets\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

\u201cValley of Horror\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

All four stories of this issue are posted on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.
\nClick on underlined titles to read.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cCreature of Doom<\/a>\u201d has its moments; the first five pages are refreshingly snappy<\/strong>. The anonymous artwork sadly fails to make this a highlight of QUALITY HORROR.
\nNuclear scientist Paul Allen<\/strong> is left to die on the site of an atom bomb test<\/strong>. His treacherous colleague Serb works for \u201cthe reds\u201d and plans on leaving the country with Allen\u2019s wife Gena. Allen watches helplessly in spectral form. Then he musters his last strength, returns to his broken body and attacks his killers as a nuclear zombie<\/strong>.
\nBut have a look at the splash: This is supposed to be an ATOM BOMB explosion, but looks like fireworks gone haywire<\/strong>. Wally Wood will show you what an atomic explosion looks like (cf. his splash from TWO-FISTED TALES #33)!<\/p>\n

\"AtomBombs\"<\/p>\n

\u201cFlaming Vengeance<\/a>\u201d sports a twist I\u2019ve read before: Greedy landlord Cal Arnum burns down his own tenement block<\/strong> to cash in on the insurance. The loss of dozens of lives mean doesn\u2019t bother his conscience for a second. Arnum then takes a drug to fake his own death. Instead of being brought to the family tomb, however, Arnum is cremated. Ha! Serves you right.
\nI remember a nice IGER HORROR yarn from STRANGE FANTASY #8 (published at the same time!). A man falls into a locked-in-state of existence and has to witness his own autopsy and burial! Should you be interested in reading this one, click on: \u201cCry from the Coffin<\/a>\u201d.
\nAh, well, being buried alive<\/strong> is one of man\u2019s primal fears. Being cremated alive is just a variation\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath Prowls the Streets<\/a>\u201d is a straight detective-mystery story! Famous, but retired investigator Emmett Dru takes on one last case. A homicidal maniac<\/strong> is spreading terror throughout the city. Dru finds the killer\u2019s hide-out and confronts him.
\nStory drags along like most of these detective-mysteries do, but picks up on the last two pages and offers a nice twist. A showdown in a carnival<\/strong> \u201cHouse of Mirrors\u201d (obviously inspired by Orson Welles\u2019 1947 \u201cLady from Shanghai\u201d) leads to a stunning surprise.<\/p>\n

\"LadyMirrors\"<\/p>\n

\u201cValley of Horror<\/a>\u201d is an often reprinted Jack Cole classic<\/strong>. Fun story. Straight action horror. The honeymooners Betty and Jim take a short-cut by night in their car \u2013 and land in a city of the damned dead<\/strong>. They fight their way out, knocking down skeletons and such\u2026<\/p>\n

\"BonyNightmares\"<\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #8 is an okay issue. Worth the dime in its time.<\/strong>
\nAre they catching on? Will they improve further?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #9<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

December 1953<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Kong-like ape leaving path of destruction in city and frightening two policemen in the foreground) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web9Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cA Pact with the Devil\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Subterranean Beast\u201d (Chuck Cuidera ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cKiller from Beyond\u201d (Jack Cole)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Monster in Flesh\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

Whoa! A big terrifying GORILLA<\/strong> with an attitude on the cover of this issue!
\nPerfect opportunity to bore you with some trivia<\/strong> from comics history. Ahem. Here goes.
\nIn early 1951 DC Comics put a gorilla motif on their STRANGE ADVENTURES #8.
\nAllegedly, this sold so well that DC produced a series of gorilla covers<\/strong>\u00a0 – with full intent.<\/p>\n

In the words of DC editor Julius Schwartz (to be found in the amazing encyclopedia \u201cComics Between the Panels<\/a>\u201d): \u201cEvery time I had a gorilla cover, it had wonderful sales. Finally, every editor wanted to use a gorilla cover, so [publisher] Donenfeld said no more than on gorilla cover a month.\u201d<\/em>
\nThere.<\/p>\n

\"Gorilla1\"If you wanna go ape some more, please read LethargicLad\u2019s blog about \u201cGorilla Cover Comics<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t shake the impression that Quality is copying DC a lot!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA Pact with the Devil\u201d crashes out of the box with a stunning splash! I love devil stories!
\nSuicidal John Masters enters into a pact with the devil<\/strong> and gets ten golden years of wealth and fortune. When his time is up, Masters tries to run. But Satan and his minions follow suit on his heels and drive him to suicide.
\nStory is posted<\/a> on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Subterranean Beast\u201d proves to be utterly feeble. It\u2019s like the action parts of the movie \u201cKing Kong\u201d<\/strong> on six pages. This is no good. The strange artwork (inked by Chuck Cuidera?) depicting a seemingly size-changing gorilla<\/strong> does not help, either.
\nI now wonder if it could be Chuck Winter beneath those Quality inks\u2026 (databank tells me that Charles \u201cChuck\u201d Winter DID work for Quality from 1949-1952)\u2026 Huh!
\nThat would be a Chuck-Chuck-collaboration. Maybe that\u2019s what triggered my thought.<\/p>\n

The story: Allan Mills discovers a monstrous monkey<\/strong> captivated between rocks in a cave.
\nBy feeding the beast, Mills tries to command him. The ape shows more interest in Mills\u2019 girlfriend Ruth. Freed by an earthquake, the beast searches for Ruth, but is used by Mills to run amok<\/strong> in the nearby village. The crazed Mills hits Ruth and the giant gorilla-creature takes him underground into the bowels of the earth.<\/p>\n

\"ApeAction\"<\/p>\n

\u201cKiller from Beyond<\/a>\u201d is a horror-crime hybrid story. Thief and killer Benny Renz is ratted out to the police by his partner, Simon Fox. Fox and his girlfriend Lili buy the Renz home and tear it down looking for the hidden loot<\/strong>. The ghost of Renz has a laugh as the quarrelsome couple kill each other. Foreseeable, but enjoyable. Story is posted on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Monster in Flesh\u201d is one of those ugliest-man<\/strong>-alive stories! KEN SHANNON #7 featured the same topic, but in here the main character undergoes a transformation. Antol Meers is shunned by society for his ugliness. One day he can\u2019t take it anymore and beats up beautiful people<\/strong>. He gets a prison sentence and encounters a therapist who believes in change. Meers enjoys plastic surgery and becomes a society dandy<\/strong>. His soul, however, remains evil. Meers continues to commit crimes.
\nI did post \u201cThe Monster in Flesh<\/a>\u201d in the \u201cStories\u201d section. Great cheesy splash, nice touches here and there, though nothing thrilling. Click the cheese splash to read!<\/p>\n

\"FleshMonster\"<\/a>I\u2019ll try a listing for the topic UGLIEST MAN<\/strong> (three of them are even called this way, and they were published right one after another):
\n\u201cVengeance from a Restless Grave\u201d in HAND OF FATE #9 (February 1952)
\n\u201cHeritage of Horror\u201d in WITCHCRAFT #1 (March 1952)
\n\u201cReign of Terror\u201d in ASTONISHING #11 (April 1952)
\n\u201cThe Repulsive Dwarf\u201d in STARTLING TERROR TALES #10 (May 1952)
\n\u201cThe Ugliest Man in the World\u201d in TALES OF HORROR #1 (June 1952)
\n\u201cThe Ugliest Man in the World\u201d in KEN SHANNON #7 (October 1952)
\n\u201cThe Ugliest Man in the World\u201d in OUT OF THE SHADOWS #7 (January 1953)
\n\u201cDon\u2019t Let Me Kill\u201d in WHO\u2019S NEXT #5 (January 1953)
\n\u201cThe Man Who Changed\u201d in UNCANNY TALES #6 (March 1953)
\n\u201cThe New Look\u201d in JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #11 (August 1953)
\n\u201cThe Face of Horror\u201d in MENACE #8 (October 1953)
\n\u201cThe Beast Within\u201d in UNSEEN #12 (November 1953)
\n\u201cThese, My Hands of Doom\u201d in THE BEYOND #24 (January 1954)
\n\u201cThe Diary of a Nightmare\u201d in HOUSE OF MYSTERY #32 (November 1954)
\nI suspect there are some more. If you know one, please drop a letter through the electric mail (mail@fifties-horror.de<\/a>).<\/p>\n

One has to admit that QUALITY jumped very early on the UGLY bandwagon<\/strong>. In FEATURES COMICS #67 they had Doll Man battle another \u201cThe Ugliest Man in the World\u201d in the spring of 1943!
\nOnly Archie\u2019s PEP COMICS #23 were undercutting that date with their own \u201cThe Ugliest Man in the World\u201d story! Older readers remember fondly: it was January 1942 when Hangman met his nemesis, the maniacal (and nameless) circus freak \u201cUgliest Man in the World\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Hangman2\"<\/p>\n

Enough digressed? Looked at a mirror lately? Can we continue?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #10<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

January 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Ghost frightening couple in ship\u2019s cabin) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web10Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath\u2019s Highway\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cavern of the Damned\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Brain that Wouldn\u2019t Die\u201d (Jack Cole + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Spectre of Fate\u201d (Chuck Cuidera ?)<\/p>\n

First lead story to be drawn by Charles Nicholas!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDeath\u2019s Highway<\/a>\u201d is an over-lengthy tale with no twist. You see the end coming from page 4 (of 9) on!
\nTorpo and Randy, two hitmen for the mob<\/strong>, crash their car on the way to the next job. They stay miraculously unharmed and encounter their former victims. It dawns upon them that they have died and have to face a court of justice beyond the grave.
\nStory is posted on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

Looking again at the mystery artwork pages of \u201cThe Cavern of the Damned\u201d I get a Rocco Mastroserio vibe. Tch. We\u2019ll never know. Apart from that, \u201cThe Cavern of the Damned\u201d is the oldest science fiction story<\/strong>, told for the umpteenth time! Herr im Himmel!
\nIn an underwater cave explorer Lloyd Ramsey discovers human-like aliens with a third eye who plan on taking over the planet<\/strong>. Thousands of them have already infiltrated key positions on earth by hiding their third eye! Can you imagine?! Jeez.<\/p>\n

\"StrangeMist\"<\/p>\n

I stopped reading here. Story plods along exactly like you think it does.<\/p>\n

So, whassup with \u201cThe Brain that Wouldn\u2019t Die<\/a>\u201d? Why don\u2019t\u2019cha, brain, huh? Cause it\u2019s being kept alive! Creepy, yes?
\nCriminal mastermind<\/strong> Benny \u201cThe Brain\u201d Bronson goes to the electric chair, but Dr. Andre Renard steals his head from out of the grave and manages to revive the brain<\/strong>. The brain then commands the doctor to execute his revenge. So Renard starts killing Bronson\u2019s treacherous colleagues and the judge who convicted him.
\nStory is posted on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\"MadMan\"<\/p>\n

This story is commented extensively, too, on the blog \u201cCole\u2019s Comics\u201d. See HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I am quite positive to have read a story like this before. For example: \u201cThe Corpse Who Killed\u201d from HAUNTED THRILLS #7 (March 1953),
\n„The Resurrected Head“ from WORLDS OF FEAR #4 (May 1952) or \u201cThe Stolen Brain\u201d from MYSTERIES WEIRD AND STRANGE #1 (May 1953).
\nQuality writers again shy away from own ideas.\"SpectreFate1\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

But the artwork (Cole) is not bad \u2013 and the sheer plot inanity<\/strong> (talking brain, stupid doctor, moronic planning) makes up for a fun read<\/strong>. One of those so-bad-it\u2019s-good-again affairs\u2026
\nFeatures a crass final panel, in which the brain is flung away like story logic before!<\/p>\n

Artwork\u2019s crude in \u201cThe Spectre of Fate\u201d; a better job would have enhanced it surely.
\nEric Marston unwillingly is a stowaway on the cruise liner \u201cQueen Ann\u201d and witnesses the ship\u2019s sinking after a collision with an iceberg<\/strong>. He survives, however, because fate did not let him die. An emissary of fate appears to him and declares him to be his successor. Marston is doomed to act as a \u201cspectre of death\u201d for the rest of his days.
\nThat, too, is nothing new, but contains an interesting sequence wherein Marston and fate character Mr. Leer are walking on water \u2013 while people are frantically drowning right next to them. Since we are presenting so few Quality stories, you can find this one in our upload section.
\nAgain, click on the miniature splash to your right …<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #11<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

February 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (A ghoul approaches a grave from which green hands are rising) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web11Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Moulder of Doom\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

\u201cBuried Alive\u201d (Sheldon Moldoff ? + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Monster They Couldn\u2019t Kill\u201d (Jack Cole + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Face from Hell\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

That is one helluva hands-rising-outta-grave<\/strong> cover motif!<\/p>\n

Last issue with credited Cole art!<\/strong> Sandwiched between two Charles Nicholas contributions and a surprise appearance by good ol\u2019 Shelly Moldoff. But first things first.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Moulder of Doom<\/a>\u201d is a story about sculptors. Every horror company has to do at least one story about mad artists<\/strong> chipping stones. Horror or BUST, is what I say\u2026 harhar\u2026 Here\u2019s Quality\u2019s take on the matter: Sculptor Guy Morzat creates the most life-like portraits, because his works are not sculptures, but corpses covered with plaster of Paris<\/strong>. When Morzat tries to flee the town the statues come alive and take revenge.<\/p>\n

Sounds profane and bland, but the story holds some nice touches for us readers on whole 9 pages. Page 2 shows the unveiling of a hero statue, which enrages the townsfolk. The story is set in France and the \u201chero\u201d is depicted as a French ‚collaborateur‘, a person who worked with the Nazi occupying forces. Pages 4, 5 and 7 reward us with grisly death scenes<\/strong>, and the showdown has its funny moments! The sculptures come-alive each use their personal accessory to hinder the flight of the madman (bringing down bottles of milk, a cane, a bowling ball and finally a butcher\u2019s cleaver upon Morzat\u2019s body). A successful Quality variation of the mad art sculptor theme!
\nStory is posted <\/a>on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\"grislydeath\"

Brutal drowning scene from „Moulder of Doom“<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s hard to see the Sheldon Moldoff art in \u201cBuried Alive<\/a>\u201d, but the yellow face on the last page is a give-away. He\u2019s positively being inked by a Quality artist. Very wacky splash page<\/strong>, by the way.
\nStory is posted on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.
\nInteresting to see Moldoff pop up here at Quality<\/strong> (a first time of just two). He was fired at FAWCETT HORROR at the end of 1953 and started working for ACG\u2019s line of horror titles. But I\u2019ll tell you that at Moldoff\u2019s second appearance in WEB #21.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuried Alive\u201d is a crime story. Hugo, a stage magician<\/strong>, is always second in line to the \u201cGreat Carvel\u201d. So he plans to murder his rival and take his place of fame. Hugo fakes his own death, sneaks out of the morgue, kills Carvel and goes back into a state of suspended animation. His assistant Pepe, however, fouls up the plan for his rescue from the grave.
\nAgain Quality writers take parts from previous horror lore<\/strong> and make up their \u201cenvious magician\u201d story. It comes out entertaining enough not to annoy me, your trusty horror critic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Monster They Couldn\u2019t Kill\u201d features the last (we said it above) credited Cole art in WEB\u2019s run. And it\u2019s a fine, maniacal action piece<\/strong>! Like a B-movie on paper.
\nDr. Fry has been feeding on atomic energy and turned into a superhuman on the rampage<\/strong>. Every attempt to restrain him fails. Fry perishes in the end as he\u2019s overfed himself on a pile of atomic garbage.
\nDr. Fry, the monster, looks quite funny in his big brown jumpsuit with the crazy goggles<\/strong>! He\u2019s not much of a threat, behaving more like a teen-ager fallen silent than a frightful fiend. Still, a fun 6 pages of atomic hogwash!<\/p>\n

\"Indestructible\"<\/p>\n

You can enjoy this story<\/a> on COLE\u2019S COMICS, where you will learn that this was the last comic story Jack Cole ever illustrated<\/strong>! Blog author Paul Tumey calls it a \u201cpsychological breakdown story\u201d possibly allowing a look into the artist\u2019s troubled soul.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Face from Hell\u201d is a devil story \u2013 how lovely. I like a good devil story anytime.
\nPlayboy and gambler Arthur Wells loses everything at the casino. The devil guarantees him his money back \u2013 if they switch faces<\/strong>! Wells enters into this weird pact and now bears a satanic likeness which scares people away<\/strong> instantly. A desperate Wells bargains again with the devil to change faces back. If his girlfriend June still loves him, Wells will be released from the pact.
\nCrisp and clean art by Charles Nicholas \u2013 I like! Find \u201cThe Face from Hell<\/a>\u201d posted in our \u201cStories\u201d section. Or just hit the teaser panels below\u2026<\/p>\n

\"FaceFromHell\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #12<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

March 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Zombie entering apartment and startling woman in red dress) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web12Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Walking Dead\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Uninvited Corpse\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Phantom Killer\u201d (Sam Citron + ?)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 JIM: CHUCK WINTER???<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Shrunken Heads of Dr. Death\u201d (Edward Goldfarb + ?)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We find a new artist line-up in numero 12 (apart from a lead by Nicholas).
\nSecond and last assignment for Sam Citron, a romance artist who contributed to Quality\u2019s DIARY LOVES, LOVE LETTERS and HEART THROBS in the early 1950s. He did a handful of horror stories for ACG (American Comics Group) on the side, then returned to QUALITY ROMANCE, then post-code again a few jobs for ACG HORROR. Very marginal artist.<\/p>\n

Next surprise is to see Ed Goldfarb<\/strong> pop up at QUALITY HORROR. Underrated illustrator who often used Bob Baer as inker. The team of Goldfarb & Baer was a delightful addition to the horror books of the Story\/Master stable.
\nThe two freelancers put artistic highlights in titles like DARK MYSTERIES, FIGHT AGAINST CRIME and MYSTERIOUS ADVENTURES, but also STRANGE TALES (from Atlas), EERIE (Avon), NIGHTMARE (Ziff-Davis) and AMAZING GHOST STORIES (St. John).
\nApparently Goldfarb\u2019s ONLY job for the Quality company<\/strong> ever. The man sadly left comics business with the arrival of the Comics Code.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Walking Dead\u201d is \u201cKing Kong\u201d with zombies!<\/strong>
\nShow promoter Carl Lamont travels to an island in the Caribbean to capture the fabled giant zombie of Zaku, none other than Zog, king zombie. Lamont succeeds in luring Zog into a trap, hauling him to the US and putting him on display in his circus show. But a group of loyal zombies follows him, spreads terror on the mainland and manages to free Zog from his cage.<\/p>\n

\"LightningRay\"<\/p>\n

Special treat: these zombies can shoot deadly lightning rays from their hands. Cool! Question: If they are able to do this, why hasn\u2019t the King Zombie not used his ability to free himself?! Ach, comic book logic\u2026 don\u2019t even start!
\n\u201cThe Walking Dead<\/a>\u201d is not the invention of horror, but has some entertainment value (click title to read it in our ‚Stories‘ section).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Uninvited Corpse\u201d<\/strong> sports a ratio-twist (it\u2019s been awhile). Connoisseurs of pre-code horror won\u2019t be surprised, though, because the story is heavily copied<\/strong> from another horror classic<\/strong> with an inane twist (by Reed Crandall, by the way, who has LEFT Quality to draw horror for the competition, namely first Standard, then EC). Crandall appeared twice in OUT OF THE SHADOWS #9 (July 1953), delivering a gem: \u201cThe Corpse that Came to Dinner\u201d<\/strong>. Giving you a story synopsis:<\/p>\n

Standard Original: A couple learns that a friend has committed suicide, because he had wanted to marry the girl. The friend’s corpse climbs out of his grave and lays siege to the couple’s apartment.
\nQuality copy: Alice is married to John Carlton, but her lover, Guy, kills the husband. The evil couple rejoices and starts enjoying life, when dead Carlton drops by. He pesters his murderers and drives a wedge between them.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t tell you the outcome of both stories, because they are both inventive horror tales (if not so for the respective endings).
\nSigh\u2026 See for yourself.<\/p>\n

\"CorpseDinnerVergleich\"

Same scene, two stories. Left the 1953 original, right the 1954 copy.<\/p><\/div>\n

You can compare stories by clicking HERE <\/a>on the original and HERE <\/a>on Quality\u2019s version \u2013 wherein the dead man triumphs!<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Phantom Killer\u201d is a lame duck. Bad artwork (possibly Sam Citron, see above) and an unbalanced script kill off this story about an abandoned house of horror<\/strong> early.
\nA demolition crew is ordered to tear down an old playhouse of horror. Some of the workers are attacked and killed in the process. Wrecking company executive Weber looks into the matter and manages to detonate the scary location.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Shrunken Heads of Dr. Death\u201d is a delight to look at (art by Ed Goldfarb, as mentioned above!).
\nIn the Amazon jungle, the suit-wearing crackpot Dr. Death<\/strong> lives with his pet monkey Bola and witnesses the crash landing of a passenger plane. The mad doctor kills off all survivors and adds them to his collection of shrunken heads. One day Guy and Marie arrive at the doctor\u2019s jungle home, searching for Marie\u2019s brother Frank who was on the plane that crashed. They detect Death\u2019s secret and have to face the killer chimpanzee<\/strong> Bola in a showdown.<\/p>\n

Although there\u2019s a hint of \u201cThe Most Dangerous Game\u201d here (the trophy-collecting madman), this is my FAVORITE horror yarn from Quality so far<\/strong>! \u201cThe Shrunken Heads of Dr. Death\u201d has a wonderful ending (which I am not telling you about) \u2013 go read it instantly<\/a> in our \u201cStories\u201d section. Or click on teaser row of panels below.<\/p>\n

\"MereFormality\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As far as I can see, none of the stories from WEB #12 were posted on the internet. We choose to give you three of the four.<\/p>\n

That is a fun issue, best QUALITY HORROR book yet.<\/strong> Maybe this is finally taking off\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #13<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

April 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Grotesque swamp monster frightens two people in row boat) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web13Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cDemon Inferno\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cTimepiece of Terror\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cPrehistoric Beast\u201d (Louis Ravielli)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ghoul of Ghost Swamp\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDemon Inferno\u201d is another lead-off by Charles Nicholas, this time heavily inked by a Quality employee \u2013 giving some of the panels a Cole-ish dynamic.
\nRaymond Stevens discovers the abode of inner-earth demons<\/strong> Hate, Violence and Betrayal. They brand him with the devil\u2019s sign and send him back home. Stevens is now ruled by his demons and starts killing people in a satanic rage<\/strong>.
\nAnd in the end they lock him up in the mad house. So-la-la story, again mixing ingredients of horror lore into a new set-up. Showing you a sample picture of violence:<\/p>\n

\"HateYou\"<\/p>\n

And good ol\u2019 trusty Karswell put up this story<\/a> on his seminal blog \u201cThe Horrors of it All\u201d.<\/p>\n

Looking at the mystery artwork in \u201cTimepiece of Terror\u201d I now get vibes of Ayers, maybe even Woromay. Interesting. It\u2019s an open-ended fun story, existing scan too bad to post.<\/p>\n

Horror writer<\/strong> Ward Blake searches for a fabled \u201cbronze clock of Tibet\u201d. When chiming the artifact is revealing projections of terrifying events of history. Blake finally finds the clock in Cairo and kills the owner to get his hands on the timepiece. Ward then uses the clock as inspiration for countless bestselling horror novels. But success comes with a price. The clock begins to drive Blake insane.
\nThis story, too, is on display<\/a> at Karswell’s.<\/p>\n

Enter Louis Ravielli at QUALITY HORROR!<\/strong> \u201cPrehistoric Beast\u201d is his first contribution. Very foolish story and very fitting for Ravielli\u2019s foolish art.
\nMuseum curator Edmond Manard unfreezes a prehistoric man<\/strong> from an iceberg and brings him back to life by transfusing him his blood. From now on the ice age man goes on a rampage \u2013 and Manard experiences the same pain as the creature, because\u2026 see panel below:<\/p>\n

\"SamePain\"<\/p>\n

You gotta be kidding me! If you wanna kid yourself some, kid-click on THIS link<\/a> and find the story on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog \u201cThe Horrors of it All\u201d.<\/p>\n

Second Nicholas job is \u201cThe Ghoul of Ghost Swamp\u201d, the story corresponding to this issue\u2019s cover. And it\u2019s the next feeble yarn<\/strong>!
\n\u201cGhost Swamp\u201d in the Florida everglades is said to host a supernatural ghoulish creature<\/strong> killing all who dare enter. An oil surveying expedition penetrates the swamp and gets wiped out by a swift-acting being in a weird mask. One of the company men donning a costume is behind the murders, but gets strangled by the real swamp ghoul.<\/p>\n

There. I spoiled it for ya by telling you the twisty ending.<\/strong> Gosh. What a sorry excuse for a horror story. See for yourself.<\/p>\n

\"SwampedEnding\"<\/p>\n

Blogger Karswell put up the whole issue. This saddie, too. Click it<\/a>, buster.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #14<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

May 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Collage of frightened faces discovering a witch\u2019s head in the sky) \u2013 Reed Crandall\"Web14Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Witch of Death\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Monster Genie\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cLighthouse of the Dead\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sealed Corpse\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Crazy \u201ccollage\u201d cover! May be a montage of leftover Crandall art<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And a big question mark issue concerning the artwork! We\u2019re only sure of Charles Nicholas \u2013 again in the leading spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Witch of Death\u201d is a quite wordy tale with surprisingly little depiction of violence.
\nNewspaperman Dick Groom arrives in New England’s Misty Moors community to cover „Witchery Week“. The local Duncan family is decimated one by one – haunted by the curse of<\/strong> the once alive moor witch<\/strong>. The last family member, the lovely Dora, is spared – for a sinister reason.
\n\"MoorsWitch\"Story is posted <\/a>on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Monster Genie<\/a>\u201d found its way on my website FIFTIES HORROR. Although this is a ratio-twist story, it\u2019s a delectable baddie.
\nBank teller Arthur Cook is offered the services of a mighty genie<\/strong>. After the brute has disposed of two of Cook’s enemies, Cook murders the genie’s master. To save money and to operate the fiend himself. Too late Cook realizes he had fallen for an elaborate scam. Do yourself a favor and go read it.<\/p>\n

\u201cLighthouse of the Dead\u201d \u2013 I scanned that and offered it to be published in Craig Yoe\u2019s and Steven Banes\u2019 bi-monthly HAUNTED HORROR. Did they ever use it? No, they didn\u2019t. I\u2019ll send it again.
\nStory\u2019s not much, but the art is really something. Skeletal zombies attacking a quiet fishing village!<\/strong> Have a look at some sample panels \u2013 and go buy HAUNTED HORROR. It will be in there sometime in the future\u2026<\/p>\n

\"fishingvillage\"<\/p>\n

Last story in this issue, \u201cThe Sealed Corpse\u201d, is another (gladly quite rare) example of a ratio-twist straight out of DC HORROR.
\nThe butler Jeffers murders his employer, Sir Wendell Eaton. When Scotland Yard detective Peabody impersonates Eaton’s ghost, Jeffers panics and confesses.
\nAnnoying!<\/p>\n

QUALITY HORROR does not find its own footing<\/strong>. The writers take motifs out of the \u201cHow to do horror\u201d model kit<\/strong> and paste together their kind of horror stories. Am very much reminded of the practice at STANDARD HORROR. Do one story about each of these topics: ghosts, witches, genies, devils, demons, magic artifacts, zombies, shrunken heads \u2026 and so on ..<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #15<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

June 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (White skeletal zombie frightening a building crew) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web15Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dreaded Crypts of Horror\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Haunted Forest\u201d (Charles Nicholas + )<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Demon Coat\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Corpse Who Prowled by Night\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is a Charles Nicholas issue<\/strong>! The lead story is now NOT by him, but the rest of the stories are.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dreaded Crypts of Horror\u201d misses every story logic, but it is quite entertaining.
\nRich Uncle Cyrus summons his four heirs to his mansion in the marshland. The money will be theirs if they survive a night in specially prepared rooms of horror<\/strong>.
\nThe rooms are a voodoo hut, an Aztec torture chamber, the apartment of Jack the Ripper and a room of the Spanish inquisition. Won\u2019t tell you more, because the story is posted<\/a> on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Haunted Forest\u201d is nice as well, although there\u2019s a ratio-twist attached.
\nYates and Manning, professional debunkers of the supernatural, tackle a last mystery no one dare solve up to now \u2013 the haunted forest<\/strong>. Every man going on came back a raving maniac<\/strong>. Yates and Manning travel inside and are confronted with attacking trees and giant spiders. Only Manning returns from the haunted forest \u2013 hopelessly mad.
\nI posted the story<\/a>, although I only have a low-res scan available.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Demon Coat\u201d is another fun story.
\nMillionaire collector John Masterson comes into possession of king Tut\u2019s Egyptian \u201cdemon coat\u201d, a jacket which – once donned \u2013 scares its wearer to death with frightful visions<\/strong>. The killing coat passes from hand to hand until it\u2019s finally destroyed.
\nNicholas\u2019 Egyptian monsters<\/strong> are truly terrifying! I\u2019ll allow you a glimpse:<\/p>\n

\"EgyptMonsters\"<\/p>\n

Go see the story posted <\/a>on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Corpse Who Prowled by Night\u201d is next: A road construction disturbs the eternal rest of evil Silas Dunster. His corpse stalks<\/strong> the building crew and murders quite a few of them. Story rewards us with excellent scenes of exuberant violence<\/strong> \u2013 but is marred by an inane ratio-twist ending!<\/p>\n

\"exuberantviolence\"

The inventive undead kill by throwing their own gravestones!<\/p><\/div>\n

Go see the story posted <\/a>on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

WEB #15 is a capable issue. Art is pleasant. Stories are okay. Some really nice panels you won\u2019t see anywhere else.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #16<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

July 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Smoke-like wraith appearing at s\u00e9ance and strangling man) \u2013 Charles Nicholas + Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web16Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Medium of Murder\u201d (Chuck Cuidera ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Fiend of Terror Moutain\u201d (Charles Nicholas + Jack Cole ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hamlet of Horror\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath\u2019s Vengeance\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

Zakor, master medium<\/strong>, offers his services to underworld czar Keller in \u201cThe Medium of Murder\u201d. Zakor conjures ghosts from beyond to dispose of Keller\u2019s rival mobsters. The gangster obeys his every wish, although Zakor employs a trusty assistant named Maja to commit the murders in costume<\/strong>. Then Zakor takes over the crime business himself and pushes Keller out of the picture. But now a real ghost appears and murders the evil Zakor.
\nEmbarrassingly inane and stupid story; I saw every trick and twist coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Fiend of Terror Moutain\u201d is a crime story which can\u2019t win me over, either.
\nThe brutish Roco escapes from a mental institution<\/strong> and finds shelter at the house of the criminal Mr. Leache. He uses Roco\u2019s strength for a series of holdup murders and thefts. When Leache learns of a terminal illness he\u2019s carrying, he orders Roco to kill him in an unobserved moment. The doctor, however, made a mistake and confused medical reports\u2026
\nOver-constructed and utterly unbelievable hogwash.<\/p>\n

Can \u201cThe Hamlet of Horror\u201d save the show? No, no, no, no, no, nohohohohoooo\u2026. This issue presents us the next lackluster story:
\nJohn Ames and his wife Doris have a car accident in the wilderness and are taken by a gang of misshapen creatures<\/strong>. They plan on operating on John and Doris to transform them into members of their tribe. The couple manages to outwit them and returns to civilization.<\/p>\n

Ca-ripes! This isn\u2019t going anywhere. Strange. After a fine #15, this issue #16 is like night to day.<\/strong> This seems to be characteristic for QUALITY HORROR. These books are a gamble<\/strong>. You can only hope for a winner. Maybe our last story is that spark to light up our gore-thirsty souls!<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath\u2019s Vengeance\u201d is indeed the issue\u2019s best story (which isn\u2019t saying much). It\u2019s okay. Curator Arthur Dunster collects Aztec relics of horror<\/strong>. When museum visitors laugh at his stories, the ancient artifacts come to life and prove their truth by killing the explorers who desecrated their tombs.
\nThere\u2019s a nice row of panels showing us a creepy death scene, for example:<\/p>\n

\"MurderMask\"<\/p>\n

Although there\u2019s a ratio-twist coming, it\u2019s a psychological one I can live with for once. Since no story of WEB #16 has been shown publicly before, we give you \u201cDeath\u2019s Vengeance<\/a>\u201d \u2013 on display in our \u201cStories\u201d section.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #17<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

August 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Bearded chinaman in foreground noticing man behind him running away from ghostly hands grabbing for him) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web17Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cReturn of the Dead\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Fiend Who Lived Forever\u201d (Louis Ravielli)<\/p>\n

\u201cTerror in Chinatown\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Avenging Ghosts\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like in last issue\u2019s \u201cDeath\u2019s Vengeance\u201d I get the feeling that Charles Nicholas might be inked by Chuck Cuidera<\/strong> in the lead story \u201cReturn of the Dead\u201d \u2013 supplying his pencils with a nice \u201cCrandall\u201d touch. Doesn\u2019t help a rather lame story, though.<\/p>\n

Serge Lamont builds a machine to communicate with the dead<\/strong>. He uses it to learn all the magic secrets of the recently deceased magician Zendali. Zendali, however, comes back to full life and takes Lamont back to his grave.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Fiend Who Lived Forever\u201d marks Ravielli\u2019s second assignment (after WEB #13) for QUALITY HORROR. But, omigosh, it\u2019s another futile attempt at creating a horror story: Reed Perry experiments with life and death<\/strong> and makes his body impenetrable to bullets. Perry becomes a walking dead man who commits crimes in broad daylight. Too late he realizes that all comes with a price. He lets himself being buried alive.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t sound too bad, but the way it\u2019s handled is very tedious and run-of-the-mill in the worst way. \u201cThe Fiend Who Lived Forever<\/a>\u201d can be read on Steven Thompson\u2019s most wonderful blog \u201cFour Color Shadows\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So what\u2019s about \u201cTerror in Chinatown\u201d? In here the main character is called Lamont by family name. I am pretty sure this is the FOURTH time a character in this series is named Lamont! Are Quality writers THAT brain-dead?<\/strong> Can\u2019t come up with fresh names for characters? Got no phone book at hand? Or are they using a FORMULA SCRIPT where the names are set?<\/p>\n

This Lamont is called August by first name. The collector searches frantically for a Chinese \u201cbook of the dead\u201d<\/strong> holding great secrets. Lamont murders two book dealers to get his hands on the tome. By opening the book Lamont suffers terrible visions of past crimes \u2013 the last one showing his own murder.
\nYou know where this is heading<\/strong>. Uninteresting! Finale is here:<\/p>\n

\"Bookfool\"

Oh, no! He strangled himself! That\u2019s not possible, is it? Or is it? Is it? Huh? Inna comic book about weird stuff. It could be done, couldn\u2019t it?<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe Avenging Ghosts\u201d is more mystery than horror, nothing spectacular happens in this tale.
\nGangsters Pete and Joey escape from their prison island in a motorboat and land on the \u201cisland of honesty\u201d where no crime ever happens<\/strong>.
\nAnyone who steals something will be imprisoned in a madhouse while his spectral form is doomed to cruise the coastline on a ship of ghosts forever.
\nGuess what happens to Pete and Joey!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #18<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

September 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Scientist startles from zombie appearing at the window) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web18Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Messenger from Beyond\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cScared to Death\u201d (Charles Nicholas)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Inhuman Creature\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cCrypt of the Living\u201d (Louis Ravielli)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

None of the stories in this issue were yet posted on the internet.<\/strong> Is there a very good reason for it? Let\u2019s find out\u2026 Ulp!<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Messenger from Beyond\u201d is crime blended with supernatural horror.
\nSmall-time crook Zero Martin is shot by mobster Big Eddie and dies on the operating table. A pact with dead gangsters from beyond<\/strong> brings him back to life. The ghosts may use Martin\u2019s body to avenge their deaths; and a ruthless Martin becomes the new crime czar \u2013 until one of the ghosts seeks out a deadly confrontation.<\/p>\n

\"BringMeBack\"<\/p>\n

Fairly entertaining on well-balanced 9 pages, \u201cThe Messenger from Beyond\u201d is still not inventive enough to deserve a posting<\/strong>. But not a bad start for a horror comic book.<\/p>\n

And I like \u201cScared to Death\u201d, the next story \u2013 about revenge, too.
\nMedical student Guy Bradbury is victim of a cruel prank<\/strong>. Three of his friends scare him with a corpse, because Bradbury believes in supernatural phenomena. Bradbury is accidentally mutilated and fakes his own death. Years later he returns to teach his doctor friends a grim lesson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Inhuman Creature\u201d is a mountaineering story! Gotta have one of those! Snowmen and such. Not the Christmassy kind, but the abominable type<\/strong>, of course\u2026
\nUnconquered mount Karachi claims two victims and is furthermore haunted by a wild man attacking the next mountaineering expeditions. When the first victim\u2019s son, Jean Beauchamp, arrives on the mountain top, he is shocked to learn that the \u201cmonster\u201d is none other than his missing father.<\/p>\n

Another MILD horror yarn<\/strong>, and not really a horror story. I suspect the same writer in all of these stories. WEB #18 so far offers okay stuff, well-written plots in the mystery vein, but no shock value<\/strong>. Is QUALITY HORROR adjusting to the coming Comics Code<\/strong>?! The zany, crashing entertainment bursting at the seams of believability of the first issues is gone, far gone\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cCrypt of the Living\u201d is a kind of a filler story, narratively not that well-balanced as the others. And it is a ratio-twist affair: In the Texas countryside Sheriff Peters has to deal with father and daughter Eaglesham \u2013 risen from the tomb to claim back their land<\/strong>. The supposedly walking dead, however, are a couple of impostors trying to get hold of a valuable Uranium lode.
\nRavielli\u2019s crude artwork has its fascinating moments of trash value, but I always wonder: Whom is he swiping? Al Williamson?<\/p>\n

\"Eagleshams\"<\/p>\n

Anyone interested in reading the whole issue<\/a>? Please do so on COMIC BOOK PLUS!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #19<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

October 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Giant fiend in red shirt towering over three frightened men) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web19Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Half-Creatures of the Sargasso Sea\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cDemon of the Pit\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Fiend from Outer Space\u201d (Louis Ravielli)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Skid Row Monster\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Half-Creatures of the Sargasso Sea\u201d is about exactly those. Explorer Paul Raymond has set his mind to proving to his colleagues at the club that there are mysteries to be found in the Sargasso Sea<\/strong>. He travels there, encounters a race of fish men<\/strong> and manages to bring back one of the creatures. But Larpo murders the president of the explorers\u2019 club and swims off. Raymond is apprehended for murder and put away in a mental institution.
\nOkay story with quite nice mystery art. I found \u201cThe Half-Creatures of the Sargasso Sea<\/a>\u201d posted on a new blog<\/strong> (founded in spring 2015) about \u201cthe paranormal and occult in popular culture\u201d called \u201cA Higher Strangeness\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemon of the Pit\u201d starts out promising, but waters down to a revenge-crime-mystery.
\nTwo years ago convicted killer Caesar Renard survived a volcanic eruption<\/strong> which buried the prison he lived in. Now he surfaces from his underground hideout to stalk and murder the commissioner who put him into jail. They wrestle atop the volcanic pit and fall to their deaths.
\nI love this inane detail<\/strong> on page 2 of the story: The commissioner keeps a bust of the convicted killer in his office<\/strong>. Handy!<\/p>\n

\"MurderOrBust\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Fiend from Outer Space\u201d is one of Ravielli\u2019s best jobs<\/strong> (so good it was confused with art by John Rosenberger), certainly his most popular. Story was reprinted in George Suarez\u2019 pre-code horror fanzine TALES TOO TERRIBLE TO TELL #8.
\nScientist Martin develops a test machine for rocket flight capable of accelerating with over 10 Gs of gravity. During a test run pilot Major Blake is overexposed and transformed into a brutish creature from a neighboring dimension<\/strong>. Martin learns of the aliens\u2019 plan to conquer earth and destroys his machine by sacrificing himself.
\n\u201cThe Fiend from Outer Space<\/a>\u201d is posted on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL. Although there\u2019s a deft touch of science fiction<\/strong>, this tale isn\u2019t half-bad. The grotesque transformation in the cockpit of the machine is memorable \u2013 and partly based on fact<\/strong>. A human face will distort when exposed to enormous acceleration! Remember that famous photograph showing a test pilot under gravity stress<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

\"FaceDistortionGallery\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Skid Row Monster\u201d is a thinly disguised detective-mystery affair with a ratio-twist attached. Reads like a leftover plot from KEN SHANNON<\/strong>.
\nA hooded figure calling himself Vengeance calls upon down-and-out lawyer Arthur Drake. He pulls Drake out of the gutter and makes him a member of his criminal gang. Vengeance poses as an all-powerful demon, but has only drugged his underlings to believe so. Drake is able to resist and puts an end to the crime spree.<\/p>\n

\"halfbaked\"

Tough-talking lawyer sees through it all!<\/p><\/div>\n

Yes, buster, that was another half-baked attempt at creating a pre-code horror book<\/strong>! Next time I\u2019ll cover my eyes with wax pellets \u2013 so your drivel won\u2019t reach me!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #20<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

November 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Giant sea serpent rising from the sea and toppling over rowboat with three men) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web20Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cKatumba \u2013 The Man-Made Terror\u201d (Harry Lazarus ? + Chuck Cuidera ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cMake-Up for Horror\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Monster from the Deep\u201d (Louis Ravielli)<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath from the Tomb\u201d (Charles Nicholas + ?)<\/p>\n

(A damaged scan of the cover of #20. The fourth man\u2019s head in the lower left corner seems added for effect and is utterly unnecessary)<\/em><\/p>\n

That cover reminds us of former WEB title pages<\/strong>: We had a dinosaur-like serpent on issue #4 and the \u201cGhoul of Ghost Swamp\u201d on issue #13. There, too, we saw frightened people in a rowboat (two, man and woman). Another boat with a shocked couple was present on the very first WEB cover. Just telling ya!<\/p>\n

Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. saw the possibility of Harry Lazarus pencils in \u201cKatumba \u2013 The Man-Made Terror\u201d. I am not so sure about it, but dead sure about the utter nonsensicability of this story<\/strong>. I know it\u2019s not a word, but it fits perfectly. The tale harkens back to two previous QUALITY HORROR stories: \u201cThe Subterranean Beast\u201d from WEB #9 (their first take-off on \u201cKing Kong\u201d) and issue #3\u2019s \u201cThe Beast from Beyond\u201d about a mechanical monster!<\/p>\n

Katumba is a legendary monster gorilla<\/strong> from the island of Martinique. Trent and Crane, owners of a \u201cHall of Oddities\u201d, travel to Martinique and build a fake Katumba there \u2013 to attract audiences at home. First Trent, then Crane operates the big ape from the inside to murder one another. Story is posted <\/a>on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake-Up for Horror\u201d is so laughably constructed it\u2019s actually quite fun: Ezra Fear (sic!) is Hollywood\u2019s master make-up artist<\/strong>. His trade secret: There is no make-up. He uses a \u201cchemical Z\u201d to frightfully alter the appearance of actors he kidnapped, drugged and keeps caged in his cellar. His \u201ccreatures\u201d manage to escape from their prisons during a storm and use the hideous drug on their tormentor. Fear is now disfigured beyond recognizability and\u2026 Wait, I won\u2019t spoil it all in advance.
\nAlthough the existing scan is low-res I chose to post \u201cMake-Up for Horror\u201d in our \u201cStories\u201d section. Enjoy under THIS link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"MakeUpHorrorPic\"

Explain, please: Which audience is gullible enough to be really shocked by movie effects? And how on earth did the mutilated actor give his consent to do this movie? Give my regards to story logic!<\/p><\/div>\n

Which brings us to \u201cThe Monster from the Deep\u201d, this issue\u2019s contribution by Signore Ravielli, not Ravioli, mind you. An atom bomb test in the Pacific<\/strong> opens up a crack in the sea bottom and releases an ancient, dinosaur-like sea serpent<\/strong>. Professor Drake witnesses the monster\u2019s rampage and tries to convince the government of its existence. But no one believes him. And it all happens aboard the sturdy craft \u201cAlbatross\u201d. What\u2019s that? Albatross, you say?
\n<\/strong>Click the \u201cAlbatross<\/a>\u201d for more insight! \u201cThe Monster from the Deep<\/a>\u201d is posted on Karswell\u2019s seminal blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath from the Tomb\u201d presents one of the most ridiculous mummies<\/strong> in comics\u2019 history!
\nProfessor Denton\u2019s expedition explores the insides of an Aztec pyramid in Mexico. Expedition member Carlson is found raving mad, and then goes missing. Denton faces the attacking mummy of king Kataw<\/strong>. He barely manages to escape and seals the pyramid forever. The ratio-twist (which I saw coming, yesyes) being that Carlson disguised himself as king Kataw. He wants to scare off the expedition to get his hands on the Aztec treasure alone. Well, well, who\u2019d have thunk?!<\/p>\n

\"MummysGiggleCurse\"<\/p>\n

I wanna cry out \u201cAggraaa!\u201d \u2013 and you, ungentle comic book publishers, you bury my brain at Wounded Knee.<\/p>\n

\"Aggrraa4\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WEB OF EVIL #21<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

December 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (White-clad very old man with walking stick frightening two explorer-types with lantern in background) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"Web21Cover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath\u2019s Album\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Man Who Lived Forever\u201d (Sheldon Moldoff \u00a0+ ?)<\/p>\n

\u201cSpectre of the Andes\u201d (Louis Ravielli)<\/p>\n

\u201cOne Night of Terror\u201d (Charles Nicholas + Dick Beck ?)<\/p>\n

Last issue! But: What kind of a wretched cover is that?! Is that a senior citizen<\/strong> in the foreground spooking two onlookers in the night?<\/p>\n

I am tempted to attribute the art in \u201cDeath\u2019s Album\u201d to Jack Cole (pencil layouts), although he has not been spotted since issue #11\u2026 but will not punch it into the database. The question mark\u2019s too big. Nah, it\u2019s not Cole, but someone is making an effort emulating that Cole-ish dynamic<\/strong> in some panels.<\/p>\n

Else the story\u2019s about Alec Marston, freelance photographer, who witnesses an accident at an atomic laboratory<\/strong>. His camera lens is somehow altered and reveals three emissaries of death behind the catastrophe. Marston becomes a tragedy seeker and stages accidents, taking photos of the demons at work<\/strong>. Until the demons who demand he must destroy the camera find a way to get back at him. Ah, the magic camera<\/strong>! This plot gimmick has been used before\u2026<\/p>\n

Story idea seems to be swiped from<\/strong> \u201cThe Man Who Saw Too Much\u201d (published in Fawcett\u2019s THIS MAGAZINE IS HAUNTED #7, October 1952).
\nIf you\u2019d like to compare, good ol\u2019 Karswell has it posted <\/a>(click on link).
\nAnd we had Quality\u2019s own WEB #6 (see there) \u2013 the story about the hitman whose photographic image<\/strong> was haunted by the appearance of a spectre.<\/p>\n

Story\u2019s nothing special, but the art is entertaining and has some show value. Find \u201cDeath\u2019s Album\u201d posted HERE. By clicking on teaser panel below:<\/em><\/p>\n

\"powerless\"<\/a>

Love those hanging head demons, especially that croc-like bozo to the left!<\/p><\/div>\n

Ladies and Gentlemen, in \u201cThe Man Who Lived Forever\u201d we witness Sheldon Moldoff\u2019s LAST horror story ever<\/strong>. The man who created FAWCETT HORROR (see HERE <\/a>my website about it) and who was disgracefully shown the door there in the fall of 1953, this man continued as freelancing horrorist<\/strong> for ACG, Charlton and Quality. The arrival of the Comics Code put an end to his \u201cterrorific\u201d oeuvre. How nice that Shelly is involved in the last issue of QUALITY HORROR.\u00a0 Gotta celebrate the little things in life, ya know\u2026?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Man Who Lived Forever\u201d is an age-old sage living on a plateau in the Canadian wilderness. One day three prospectors parachute in as visitors looking for uranium. Soon the three men are more interested in the special herbs which grant<\/strong> the sage his longevity<\/strong>. One kills the others and escapes with a sample back to civilization, only to see his plans of eternal life failed brutally. Because the herbs have their effect ONLY when taken on the high altitude of the plateau. Yadda, yadda,\u00a0 yadda \u2013 boooring!\"SpectreOfAndes1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSpectre of the Andes\u201d is your last chance to ogle some distorted faces drawn by Signore Ravielli<\/strong>. His last horror story as well!
\n<\/strong>A tourist couple arrives in the Peruvian village of Vortezo where a Spanish conquistador<\/strong> of the same name reigned with brutal terror. In a brewing thunderstorm Vortezo comes to life<\/strong> and whips the townsfolk into obedience. The brave US tourist Allan exposes Vortezo as a scam, for he is in reality a costumed and power-hungry tourist guide.
\nThat is no horror story, but an adventure yarn gone haywire<\/strong>. Kinda fun! What the heck \u2013 we\u2019ll post it! Click on miniature splash to the right. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOne Night of Terror\u201d is all it takes now to conclude QUALITY HORROR. It\u2019s a straight science-fiction action yarn!
\nA meteor comes down in the desert near Ghost City valley. Some prospectors go searching for it, but discover an alien spaceship<\/strong>. The robot-like visitors raid the small town and take the humans as specimen back to their star. The only survivor, Professor Drake, can hide, but no one believes his fantastic tale.
\nSee? Straight as it gets. The art of Charles Nicholas is awkward when applied to science fiction<\/strong>. There\u2019s one great sequence of panels which I\u2019ll show you \u2013 before closing up this here website\u2026 Enjoy!<\/p>\n

\"WhatsWrong\"<\/p>\n

Oh, cripes! I almost forget QUALITY HORROR\u2019s other book!<\/strong><\/p>\n

How can one forget INTRIGUE #1? Very easily!
\nBecause it\u2019s a half-assed one-shot issue<\/strong>. And a complete reprint of WEB material cover to cover.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

INTRIGUE #1<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

January 1955<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Ghoulish madman crashes through solid door, shocking two men hiding behind it) \u2013 Chuck Cuidera ?\"IntrigueCover\"<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath Swamp\u201d (???) \u2013 reprinted from WEB OF EVIL #1<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Corpse that Wouldn\u2019t Die!\u201d\u00a0 (Jack Cole) \u2013 reprinted from WEB OF EVIL #2<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Vengeful Curse\u201d (Jack Cole) \u2013 reprinted from WEB OF EVIL #5<\/p>\n

\u201cGhost Ship\u201d (???)\u2013 reprinted from WEB OF EVIL #2<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath Swamp\u201d is shortened by one page<\/strong>, slightly rearranged and retitled (the original story was called „Ghosts of Doom“).<\/p>\n

INTRIGUE doesn\u2019t carry the code seal yet, but would surely not have gotten one. Too much walking corpses, murder scenes and skeletons inside. Funny that the cover artist (Cuidera?) paid homage to Jack Cole\u2019s two door-breaking splashs<\/strong> we find inside. Though the second one in \u201cVengeful Curse\u201d is no door, but a broken wall\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WEB OF EVIL 21 issues + 1 issue of INTRIGUE Chronological listing of all issues \u2013 with comments and annotations. We mention date of publication, cover motive and cover artist (if identified). Every issue has been indexed on the Grand Comics Database \u2013 the link will show you all available data, including cover shots and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61,"parent":0,"menu_order":35,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/61"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}