Eerie Comics #1<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n January 1947<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, you\u2019re looking at expert pulp sleaze. Classic motif by unknown sleaze master. The first book ever dedicated to horror from cover to cover. There were ghostly features or the occasional werewolf story in anthology books before, but EERIE COMICS #1 (planned as a quarterly title) supplied its readers with 52 pages chockfull of weirdness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This book even got its own Wikipedia <\/a>entry!<\/p>\n And weird it is. Let\u2019s have a look inside, shall we?<\/p>\n Cover: (Bound woman cringing before onrushing madman with knife) \u2013 ???<\/p>\n \u201cThe Eyes of the Tiger\u201d (???)<\/p>\n \u201cDead Man\u2019s Tale\u201d (Jon Small + George Roussos)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Man-Eating Lizards\u201d (Joe Kubert, signed)<\/p>\n \u201cMystery of Murder Manor\u201d (???)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Strange Case of Henpecked Harry\u201d (Fred Kida, signed)<\/p>\n Wait, hold it, I will transfer you instead to the trusty hands and brains of comics researcher Adrian Wymann – who posted the whole issue with insightful commentaries<\/strong> on his wonderful website \u201cRead up on Comics \/ The Thought Balloon<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing to add for me. Only that Joe Kubert, Fred Kida and George Roussos kept illustrating horror stories, although Kida stopped working for Avon (except for one \u201cJesse James\u201d western story) and made it into the bullpen at Atlas\/Marvel.<\/p>\n Well, it\u2019s 1947 and the newsstand hadn\u2019t seen anything like this book before<\/strong>. The timing probably wasn\u2019t right, as the hot trends of the time were romance and western (Avon brought out a western book named COW PUNCHER that year which they continued for seven issues). They were trying out things<\/strong>, as \u201cThe Strange Case of Henpecked Harry\u201d might demonstrate, probably horror history\u2019s first \u201chusband-disposes-of-nagging-wife\u201d plot<\/strong>. Kida\u2019s artwork oscillates between slapstick grotesque (pages 2 and 3), suspenseful crime (pages 4 and 5), a whiff of pin-up on page 6 (the upridden skirt!), gore on page 7 and even a touch of psychedelia on page 8.<\/p>\n This domestic disturbance is enough to drive any husband to… MURDER!<\/p><\/div>\n EERIE COMICS was canceled<\/strong> after this debut issue \u2013 and reappeared as EERIE<\/strong> over four years later (when companies like Atlas, ACG and EC had broken ground for the new genre).<\/p>\n So fast forward to the magical year 1951 … here we go again!<\/p>\n Eerie #1<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n May 1951 Cover: (Scantily clad woman in giant beaker pleading with ghoulish madman at controls) \u2013 ???<\/p>\n \u201eThe Werewolf of Warsham Manor\u201c (Moe Marcus + Rocco Mastroserio)<\/p>\n \u201eKing of the Living Dead\u201d (Marty Rose ?)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Subway Horror\u201d (Fred Kida)\u00a0 – REPRINTED from EERIE COMICS #1<\/p>\n \u201cThe Monster from the Pit\u201d (???)<\/p>\n An Avon specialty is the contents page on the inner front cover<\/strong>, often beautifully rendered (not so much here) in black and white. Furthermore AVON HORROR is not lettered by hand, but done with Leroy stencils<\/strong>. EC Comics were the most prominent company to use Leroy lettering, but just because Bill Gaines \u201cinherited\u201d the WONDER WOMAN lettering team (Jim and Margaret Wroten) from his father \u2013 as legend has it. \u201eThe Werewolf of Warsham Manor\u201c proves to be a very run-of-the-mill curse story involving a real werewolf, though. In \u201eKing of the Living Dead\u201d the city of Budapest is the setting of a bizarre zombie cult<\/strong>. Adrina Rollande, bride of Walter Austen, is kidnapped by a zombie and brought to an underground cavern. Austen manages to follow unnoticed through the sewer system. They meet a madman who is recruiting an undead army and plans to conquer the surface world. The courageous American, however, can dispose of the master and his servants by collapsing the cavern.<\/p>\n It struck me as funny that the author is writing at quite a length about sewer systems<\/strong> \u2013 having forgotten<\/strong> about his horror plot.<\/p>\n (Don\u2019t get carried away in the darkness of the sewers, the stinking labyrinths of slime, the neck-high pools of indescribable filth, the meshes of dirty ooze\u2026 ahh, too late!) (Bowels of the earth writhing in plopping gurgles\u2026 uurgh, time to visit my water closet cliff overlooking unbelievable depths\u2026)<\/em><\/p>\n \u201eKing of the Living Dead\u201d is almost annoying in its plump adventure mode<\/strong>. Austen defeating the (overly talkative) ghoul master with fisticuffs and a torch on page 6. Ah, well! It\u2019s the first issue! Give them some time! \u201cThe Subway Horror\u201d is nothing else than \u201cThe Strange Case of Henpecked Harry\u201d from the 1947 EERIE COMICS. Exact same story, they just changed the title<\/strong> to make it sound more horrific.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Monster from the Pit\u201d is not<\/strong> rising from the sewers, although the setting again involves Balkan folklore. Two cops of Transylvanian descent recognize a killer\u2019s spree as the work of the Grahku, a supernatural were-wolf like fiend<\/strong>. They read up on the legend and find a means to destroy the monster. By putting a charm on a certain corpse in the cemetery the Grahku will be stopped forever. But one of the cops is digging his own grave!<\/p>\n Aaaah, uuu-ooooh! But, again, text and pictures are no match made in heaven \u2013 as this action sequence may demonstrate:<\/p>\n Next page has one of the coppers first brooding in monologue, and then yapping away to his ignorant colleagues.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t usually go wrong with a showdown at a nightly cemetery<\/strong>. Hmmph. Well, it IS awkward, innit?<\/p>\n (You\u2019re wearing protection? Good for you. I guarantee you won\u2019t get pregnant)<\/em><\/p>\n EERIE #1 was reprinted<\/strong> three years later as EERIE #15.\u00a0 The last three issues (#15-17) start the series again from the beginning<\/strong>. All the stories from the debut issue have been posted on Karswell\u2019s fabulous blog \u201cThe Horrors of it all\u201d. But since he used the reprints from #15 \u2013 please scroll down there to find the links.<\/p>\n Yeah, they might differ. Coloring was often different. Yeah. Not the same\u2026 Aw, for those who can\u2019t wait, here\u2019s the link: CLICK ME<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eerie #2<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n August 1951 Cover: (Skeletal ghoul with impish man-bat on shoulder leads woman in chains through bone-strewn sewers) \u2013 Wally Wood (signed)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Thing from the Sea!\u201d (Wally Wood)<\/p>\n \u201cA Honeymoon of Horror!\u201d (Louis Ravielli, signed)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Stranger in Studio X!\u201d (Rocco Mastroserio + ?)<\/p>\n \u201cDo You Know?\u201d (Henry C. Kiefer, signed) \u2013 one-page filler<\/p>\n \u201cNightmare!\u201d (Manny Stallman, signed)<\/p>\n Issue starts out All-Wood<\/strong>: great cover by him, gorgeous contents page and his horror classic \u201cThe Thing from the Sea!\u201d. Although there might be Joe Orlando and\/or Sid Check involved in these pages. Joe and Woody worked closely together in theses months (cf. their contributions to the first two issues of DARK MYSTERIES). Story has been reprinted quite often, to be found online at our friend Karswell\u2019s, but I\u2019ll route you to another blog called \u201cThe Warrior\u2019s Comic Book Den<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n The murder victim\u2019s atmospheric descent to the bottom of the sea seemed familiar. First column of three panels: Wood \/ the four panels to the right: Ditko<\/p><\/div>\n Story\u2019s quickly told: Eddie Murray is killed by Johnny Smithers and pushed overboard at sea. While the killer courts the girl of the deceased, the dead man trods along the bottom of the ocean<\/strong> home to his honey. Eddie finally arrives in New York and drags Johnny into the water, to have some company in death.<\/p>\n Banally simple plot, but effectively illustrated and gripping. Indeed probably THE Wood horror classic<\/strong> (because he didn\u2019t draw many horror stories, but soon found his calling in war, suspense and science fiction).<\/p>\n \u201cA Honeymoon of Horror!\u201d is run-of-the-mill stuff: The following text story (\u201cThe Chamber of Death!\u201d) is unusual insofar as they claim it to be \u201cThe Story behind the Cover\u201d<\/strong>! A first time I see a title page handled like this. It\u2019s elegant. It\u2019s pure logic. It\u2019s clever. No one else ever did it like this!<\/strong> More proof that Avon cared for its contents. \u201cThe Stranger in Studio X!\u201d features a triple art credit on Grand Comics Database (Mastroserio, Wood, Orlando). All question-marked, by the way. I am positive of Mastroserio here, no Wood, Orlando maybe. Story\u2019s rather bland. A fate-like figure walks into a radio station and confuses the Deejay with announcements of casualties<\/strong> which actually start to happen shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n Gnnaaaahh. Never liked that kind of plot. Has been done with more oomph at other companies. \u201cCatastrophe, Inc.\u201d springs to mind, from THE BEYOND #27.\u00a0 \u201cMark of Evil\u201d, from ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #8. \u201cWanted: Ghost Writer\u201d, from THE BEYOND #18. None of these have ever been posted on the internet! See? \u201cNightmare!\u201d is a stray spy story not belonging in this book. <\/p>\n Eerie #3<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n October 1951 Cover: (Hairy green demon climbing through window and frightening blonde woman in the foreground) \u2013 Wally Wood<\/p>\n \u201cThe Case of the Painted Beast!\u201d (Maurice Gutwirth + ?)<\/p>\n \u201cWas He Dead?\u201d (Mo Marcus + Rocco Mastroserio, signed)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Monster of the Storm\u201d (Edward Goldfarb + Bob Baer, signed)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Mirror of Isis!\u201d (Joe Kubert)<\/p>\n I hate the artist<\/strong> of the lead story, Maurice Gutwirth<\/strong> (hate Gutwirth\u2019s guts?). He\u2019s one of the worst hack artists of the 1940s and early 1950s. But publishers gave him a lot of horror stories to illustrate (he\u2019s an unwelcome contributor to ACE + FAWCETT HORROR and popped up once or twice almost everywhere else); all his pages look terrible. Wanna see a sample? Click to see \u201cThe Frenzy of Sheila Lord<\/a>\u201d from THE BEYOND #5.<\/p>\n I am sure it\u2019s him on pencils here<\/strong> in \u201cThe Case of the Painted Beast!\u201d, but I\u2019ve never seen him being inked! Weird looking stuff. Who did the inking? I haven\u2019t the faintest. Someone speculated on Wood which I refuse to believe. Although there is a \u2018Woodish\u2019 touch to it, brrrrr. Creepy!<\/p>\n \u201cThe Case of the Painted Beast!\u201d is one of those beloved mad art painter tales<\/strong>. The town of Maple Valley holds an art painting competition. When Ezra Vale’s picture of a gruesome monster<\/strong> doesn’t win, strange things begin to happen. A fiendish beast like that in the picture attacks the prize judges and kidnaps Vale into its nightmare world on canvas. \u201cWas He Dead?\u201d scores with lingerie shots of showgirl Marilyn<\/strong> who asks her lover to kill her husband. The murderer, however, is haunted by visions of his victim. He goes to check on the corpse and is imprisoned in the dead man\u2019s tomb<\/strong>. Straighter than straight \u2018haunted murderer\u2019 plot. Nothing special, but impresses the reader with some panels showing blood-smeared faces.<\/p>\n Read the story on the wonderful blog \u201cPappy\u2019s Golden Age Comics<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Monster of the Storm\u201d is the entr\u00e9e of the creative team of Edward Goldfarb + Bob Baer<\/strong> at Avon. Although no masters of graphic art, their stories have a certain knack. We like Goldfarb and Baer. They make use of the \u2018camera\u2019; Gutwirth in contrast has never heard of \u2018camera\u2019. They will send in stories for more than a year, but mostly for other titles like PAROLE BREAKERS and MURDEROUS GANGSTERS. So what about their first (of three) horror yarns?<\/p>\n John Unter runs amok in the town of Mossy Glen. Before he can be apprehended by the police, lightning strikes and kills Unter (sez the sheriff: But back to \u201cThe Mirror of Isis!\u201d, a magic artifact tale. An antique mirror from Egypt channels evil energy<\/strong> into Elyse, fianc\u00e9e of Brad Stanfield. In a state of trance she stabs a servant in her grandfather\u2019s home. Stanfield and archeologist Redmond soon find out about the connection. A last-minute destruction of the magic mirror prevents Elyse from killing Brad. Monsters of Cleavage \u2013 how did you change your outfit so fast, honey?<\/p><\/div>\n The blog \u201cDestination Nightmare<\/a>\u201d offers you the posted story (which is HANDLETTERED, by the way, not LEROY STENCILED like the rest). This may indicate an outsourced job<\/strong>, entirely done by Kubert.<\/p>\n Writing in this issue seems to be done by new authors.<\/strong> Stories are straighter and blander than in the first issue, the text story isn\u2019t about the cover anymore (and three pages long!), and two of the stories are hosted by narrators: \u201cThe Case of the Painted Beast!\u201d by a cop involved in the happenings; \u201cThe Monster of the Storm\u201d by a truck driver wondering about that Mossy Glen folklore.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eerie #4<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n December 1951 Cover: (Brunette in red mini-skirt flees down skull-lined path, pursued by skeletal zombie) \u2013 Wally Wood<\/p>\n \u201cCremation of Evil\u201d (Gene Fawcette)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ship of Death!\u201d (Mo Marcus ? + Rocco Mastroserio ?)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Puppet Pulls the Strings\u201d (Jim McLaughlin)<\/p>\n \u201cPhantoms of Reality\u201d (Gene Fawcette)<\/p>\n Well, I have to talk about comics and pin-up style now. Glad I’m not fifteen anymore: Pin-up shots from this issue<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cCremation of Evil\u201d is about love turning into horror<\/strong>. Barbara Sinclair dies of a disease and her husband Richard is heartbroken. In fact so heartbroken that he calls upon the powers of evil to bring Barbara back to life. The story refrains from clich\u00e9s (no cameos of supernatural agents), but fails to rouse empathy for the characters and generates no atmosphere of terror<\/strong>. Pity. The website \u201cTales of Wonder<\/a>\u201d shows you the story in thumbnails (click twice to enlarge)<\/p>\n On first glance I\u2019d have sworn \u201cThe Ship of Death!\u201d was drawn by last issue\u2019s team of Mo Marcus + Rocco Mastroserio. I am not sure anymore looking closely at this. This story, too, is boring and of little interest, to me at least. A haunted model ship pulls the heir of a shipping company aboard to settle some old score. So what?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe Puppet Pulls the Strings\u201d surprises with art by Jim McLaughlin (of ACE HORROR fame). It\u2019s one of only three jobs he did outside Ace<\/strong> in the pre-code horror phase.<\/p>\n Ventriloquist Dorian Grant invents a life-sized mechanical puppet<\/strong> called Bruno. Bruno, however, seems to develop a mind of his own and gets fresh with Grant\u2019s former employer Vale. When Vale visits the duo to hire them, tempers flare and tragedy strikes. Huh. I was hoping to post this story, but the writers again fail to fill these seven pages with impact. The plot trots along not amounting to real suspense. They don\u2019t commit to horror, but serve us vagueness<\/strong> (Who was the killer? The puppet or the player? \u201cThere are more things in heaven and earth than\u201d\u2026 blablabla).<\/p>\n High point of this story is some name-calling! Tch.<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cPhantoms of Reality\u201d proves to be a filler science fiction story<\/strong>: Wall Street clerk Charlie Walton has a night of adventure in the fourth dimension. His friend Derek takes him there to remove a tyrannical king from his throne. Derek stays in the parallel realm to be the new sovereign.<\/p>\n Double Fawcette<\/strong> issue; two stories credited to the amazingly talented Gene Fawcette who contributed to STANDARD HORROR (too little, alas!). Fawcette actually was an avid Avon contributor from 1950 on. In 1953 he began work for Better\/Nedor\/Standard and created some beautiful short features there; e.g. \u201cCellini\u2019s Night with the Demons<\/a>\u201d or \u201cWhen Death Takes a Hand<\/a>\u201d. For Avon he mostly drew for SF like OUT OF THIS WORLD, STRANGE WORLDS and SPACE DETECTIVE. How fitting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eerie #5<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n February 1952 Cover: (Dark-haired woman in red shirt shies away from approaching mummy) \u2013 Sid Check<\/p>\n \u201cI Painted only Terror!\u201d (Norman Nodel ? + Vince Alascia)<\/p>\n \u201cMaster of the Cats!\u201d (Mike Becker ? + Vince Alascia)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Knife of Jack the Ripper!\u201d (Edward Goldfarb + Bob Baer, signed)<\/p>\n \u201cOperation Horror!\u201d (???)<\/p>\n Cover looks like Wood, but is by Sid Check (according to Grand Comics Database): \u201cRoger Hill noted September 08 2009 on the Wood-L Yahoo Group that a stat of the original art has Sid Check’s signature, which was removed prior to printing.\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n And we get more new artists<\/strong> inside. Jeez, three of the four stories have that indistinguishable mid-1950s standard art style<\/strong>: edgy, chunky, inky-heavy. We have some good guesses as to who is contributing here, but still frustrating.<\/p>\n \u201cI Painted only Terror!\u201d opens the dance. Straight, fun, trash story with a nice twist<\/strong>. Great. This story shares its plot idea with \u201cArt for Death\u2019s Sake\u201d from WITCHES TALES #15, published by Harvey and illustrated by Rudy Palais in October 1952. A painter frightens a woman out of her wits to catch her expression of horror<\/strong> on canvas. He dies as a bronze statue of horror himself. Yeah, yeah, the Harvey boys once again \u201cborrowed\u201d from the competition\u2026<\/p>\n One thing I don\u2019t get, though: I was not around in the 1950s, but were there really such VIPs as horror painters<\/strong>?! I don\u2019t think so\u2026 Anyway, see the whole story posted on the delightful \u201cDestination Nightmare<\/a>\u201d blog.<\/p>\n \u201cMaster of the Cats!\u201d is another entertaining story about a couple, John and Alice, getting lost in the countryside. They come to the home of Senor Gato who lives in the company of cats. Or rather cat-beings able to take on human form as well. Alice is transformed into a cat and John\u2026 well, I won\u2019t spoil it for you;\u00a0 see it posted online at Karswell\u2019s fabulous blog \u201cThe Horrors of it all<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n Toned-down cat horror with nice psychological repercussions\u2026<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cThe Knife of Jack the Ripper!\u201d is the second (of three) jobs by Goldfarb & Baer for AVON HORROR. Story is told in first-person by the ripper himself<\/strong> (who then dropped his manuscript off at Avon\u2019s editor). Although the ending is cheesy (\u201cMy next victim may be\u2026 YOU!\u201d) it\u2019s a great-looking and moody contribution by Goldfarb & Baer.<\/p>\n A young carpenter comes into possession of Jack the Ripper\u2019s knife and is haunted by visions of murder. He goes on a killing spree, unable to stop or get rid of the murderous weapon. See it posted online at Karswell\u2019s fabulous blog \u201cThe Horrors of it all<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n The following text story (\u201cTenant of the Lost Pyramid!\u201d) is again a \u201cStory behind the Cover\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOperation Horror!\u201d is a Jekyll-and-Hyde story: Elderly Dr. Gordell drinks a potion<\/strong> which transforms<\/strong> him into strong, primeval cave-man<\/strong>. As such he roams around and murders innocent passers-by. Gordell\u2019s daughter and his assistant Roger can track him down and get him engaged in a death-match with a circus gorilla. <\/p>\n Eerie #6<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n April 1952 Cover: (Giant ghoul rising behind gravestone and frightening lantern-holding blonde in red dress and grave-digging man) \u2013 ???<\/p>\n \u201cThe Flower of Death!\u201d (???)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Devil Keeps a Date!\u201d (Mike Becker + Vince Alascia, signed)<\/p>\n \u201cMonster of the Sea!\u201d (Carmine Infantino + Vince Alascia)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Strange Indian Curse\u201d (Mo Marcus ? + Vince Alascia)<\/p>\n The EERIE logo on this cover is the most beautiful<\/strong> of the whole run. Because yellow flames inside the letters are licking upward into an orange glowing \u201csky\u201d \u2013 so to speak. See the cover above. \u201cThe Flower of Death!\u201d is not to be confused with a 1951 science fiction yarn from CAPTAIN SCIENCE #5 (Youthful company). Our \u201cFlower of Death!\u201d is about Scott Caldwell\u2019s guilty conscience. The son murders his tyrannical father, but is haunted by his voice and has hallucinations of being watched and followed. Disappointingly run-of-the-mill.<\/strong> Story doesn\u2019t come alive. Mystery artwork with touches of Marcus or Mastroserio.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Devil Keeps a Date!\u201d offers a surprise, because it\u2019s a clever, intelligent and inventive story! Not really a horror tale<\/strong>, only in the end the re\u2019s a hint of supernatural workings. \u201cMonster of the Sea!<\/a>\u201d is a family curse<\/strong> story. Genealogist Jonathan Potts researches the past of the wealthy Fortescu family. He comes across a crime baron Fortescu<\/strong> committed and was cursed for it centuries ago. Potts races back to his client \u2013 just in time to witness the curse strike.<\/p>\n Impressive display of the curse\u2019s multiple fatalities<\/p><\/div>\n Cleverly presented story; I like the way they tell it: the perspective of the genealogist with the nicely timed climax of the curse striking that special moment.<\/p>\n And we find another \u201cStory behind the Cover\u201d with the text segment, followed by \u201cThe Strange Indian Curse\u201d. I am pulling the story synopsis for this one from the database: \u201cThe Kendalls learn the story of the bear who walks like a man and free his human spirit.\u201d Indian curse<\/strong> indeed. More folklore<\/strong> than horror. Interesting aspect here is that the Kendalls are in the company of a ghost bear for two whole pages. And have to dig up the bones of the warrior he used to be\u2026<\/p>\n Can they get a t-shirt afterwards from the park ranger: \u201cSurvived Night Out\u201d or sumpin\u2019?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eerie #7<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n June 1952 Cover: (Winged vampire in tuxedo attacking man and woman about to stake skeleton in coffin before them) \u2013 Wally Wood + Joe Orlando<\/p>\n \u201cBlood for the Vampire!\u201d (Norman Nodel + Vince Alascia, signed)<\/p>\n \u201cHaunted Honeymoon\u201d (George Roussos + ?)<\/p>\n \u201cBlack Means Death!\u201d (Harry Lazarus)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Nightmare\u201d (Joe Kubert + Bob Bean ?)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ghoul Walks!\u201d (???)<\/p>\n \u201cBlood for the Vampire!\u201d is a lackluster run-of-the-mill vampire tale<\/strong>: The small town of Ravennes in the Tyrolian alps is haunted by the vampire Erik Lustveg. When Rod and Dot Blair, descendants of the Lustveg family, come investigating their heritage, they find that the vampire legend is very much alive. They don\u2019t manage to kill the fiend, though, and thus Erik keeps on terrorizing\u2026. YAAWN\u2026<\/p>\n Hmm, since you came along, I believe in miracles, you Thirsting Thing, you!<\/p><\/div>\n If you\u2019re interested, read it on Karwell\u2019s bloodthirsty <\/a>blog.<\/p>\n \u201cHaunted Honeymoon\u201d features probably art by George Roussos and is more of a crime-mystery story: Roy and Dot Evans stay overnight at a weird old man’s place. They find out that he keeps a boy, his warden, prisoner and plans to kill him, but is afraid of his ghost<\/strong> to haunt him after death. „Roy, look! Over there by the book case \u2013 the missing horror plot!“<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cBlack Means Death!\u201d offers us the next new artist in AVON HORROR\u2019s line-up.<\/p>\n Harry Lazarus<\/strong> of ACG fame. This quirky artist had tried his gusto for horror first at Atlas\/Marvel, then at Avon \u2013 while getting more jobs over at the American Comics Group where he bloomed into inventing TRUEVISION<\/strong>!<\/p>\n Ah, TrueVision! A style of drawing which overstepped panel borders and thus mimicked<\/strong> a then popular 3-D effect<\/strong>. Go see a Lazarus TrueVision masterpiece (\u201cMonster in the Fog<\/a>\u201d) on my website about pre-code horror books in general.<\/p>\n The story here makes very little sense<\/strong>: Harry Walters can’t stand the nagging of his wife Karen anymore. At a bar he meets the lovely Mara, looking like Karen’s twin. Walters falls in love with Mara, kills Karen and then realizes that they were the same person. Huh? So Karen pretended to be Mara just to make Harry unhappy in the end? Even if it means her certain death? That is some weird shit<\/strong>! Why don\u2019t you people just get a divorce? They never<\/strong> do in 1950s comic books! Not a horror story, as well.<\/p>\n The two three-pager shorts \u201cThe Nightmare\u201d and \u201cThe Ghoul Walks!\u201d are presented on Karswell\u2019s ground-breaking blog \u201cThe Horrors of It All<\/a>\u201d:<\/p>\n \u201cThe Nightmare\u201d looks good (Joe Kubert back again!), but is a hurried piece of writing. Same goes for \u201cThe Ghoul Walks!\u201d, a snippet of a story; feels copied from somewhere else: Police detective Dan Noren investigates a murder spree, a feeling of foreboding driving him on. The fiend everybody’s been looking for turns out to be himself. That is an ooold hat\u2026<\/p>\n What looks tempting, but is hardly worth the read? Joe Kubert at AVON HORROR.<\/p><\/div>\n You can buy the whole issue as digital copy in Apple\u2019s iTunes<\/strong> store, by the way. Just $1.99! Tchh. There you have it: I scanned the book, uploaded it to Digital Comic Museum \u2013 and some clown is making money off it now. Modern times!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eerie #8<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n August 1952 Cover: (Green bug-eyed fiend rising from pit ogling two bound women in torn dresses before him) \u2013 Harry Lazarus<\/p>\n \u201cThe Monster of Zollmort Castle\u201d (Harry Lazarus)<\/p>\n \u201cSong of the Undead!\u201d (Harry Lazarus + Vince Alascia)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Phantom Python!\u201d (Everett Raymond Kinstler)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Curse of the Bulaga!\u201d (Gene Fawcette + Vince Alascia)<\/p>\n Lazarus\u2019 splash to the title story looks way better than this ridiculous attempt of a horror cover<\/strong>. Cripes! Did I say (in my introduction to AVON HORROR) that this company CARED for its quality? Hmmph. Obviously I lied to you!<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe Monster of Zollmort Castle\u201d is straight monster horror: Novelist Peter Fletcher visits Zollmort castle in Central Europe. By opening a sealed door in the dungeons, he releases the Zollmort monster<\/strong>. He and his wife have to fight for their lives. \u201cSong of the Undead!\u201d is a slightly confusing story about a vampire woman who only strikes when a certain song is sung<\/strong>?! John and Dorothy Blaik travel through Mexico looking for folk songs. Native woman Xatl introduces them to the „Song of the Undead“. Any singer will be doomed and fall prey to vampires. The couple does not heed the warnings. Find the story posted online on \u201cWFMU\u2019s Beware of the Blog<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"EerieNo1\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/EerieNo1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nAnd you\u2019re looking at the very first horror comic book ever published<\/strong>!<\/p>\n
\nEERIE COMICS was too wild a blend of stories and not entirely pure horror. \u201cThe Man-Eating Lizards\u201d is pure adventure stuff and \u201cMystery of Murder Manor\u201d a crime mystery featuring teenage investigators (compare Wymann\u2019s remarks at the end of his review).<\/p>\n![\"Husband\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/Husband.jpg\")
![\"ECover1\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/ECover1.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nWe don\u2019t know if other companies tried to emulate that EC look and feel, but fact is that Avon as well as Story\/Master employed Leroy lettering for their horror books.<\/p>\n
\nRobert Warsham, last of the Warsham clan, hurries to his uncle\u2019s death bed and learns about a family curse. In an experiment gone wrong decades ago, the scientist partner of Vincent Warsham was turned into a were-beast and killed. When the members of the Warsham family turn 45 years of age, the wolfman stalks and kills them in revenge.
\nThe script sways back and forth between moody narrative and ridiculous descriptive prose.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Wolfman\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/Wolfman.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"SlimeLabyrinth\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/SlimeLabyrinth.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/em>Jesus, what\u2019s with some people? Jump to the next page \u2013 and it goes on!<\/p>\n![\"SlimeLabyrinth2\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/SlimeLabyrinth2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nSee the whole story posted on the delightful \u201cDestination Nightmare<\/a>\u201d blog (click there to read it).<\/p>\n![\"TerrorFigure\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/TerrorFigure.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"TerrorFigure2\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/TerrorFigure2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"TerrorFigure3\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/TerrorFigure3.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"ECover2\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/ECover2.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nI daresay these panels inspired a young Steve Ditko<\/strong> to send his murder victim in \u201cThe Evil Eye!\u201d (THE THING #14, June 1954, posted HERE <\/a>on our CHARLTON HORROR special website) to its voyage into Davy Jones\u2019s locker.<\/p>\n![\"FloatAll\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/FloatAll.jpg\")
\nNeil Richards loses his wife Sally in a car accident. Overcome with grief he signs a contract to forfeit his soul to the devil<\/strong> (in form of \u201cMr. Prim\u201d who lingers in the cemetery). When Richards realizes he has to become a ghost first, he runs away and seeks psychiatric help with Dr. Kubnor. They return to the graveside to fight the widower\u2019s alleged hallucinations, but Prim lies in wait. His undead hordes carry Richards into the afterworld.<\/p>\n![\"JoinTheBride\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/JoinTheBride.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s the first-person account of a cop on the beat at the cemetery. He follows a procession of three people down into the bowels of the earth and a sewer system. They walk right up to the gates of hell. The cop recognizes the chained woman as an executed murderess. He flees in terror.<\/p>\n![\"ChamberDeath\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/ChamberDeath.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nBut scroll down on this radio-themed blog (\u201cWFMU\u2019s Beware of the Blog<\/a>\u201d) to see the story online.<\/p>\n
\nUndercover U.S. agent Andriko Banoff thwarts a plan to ship atom bombs from „totalitarian Eastern ports“ into US harbors. Filler!<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"ECover3\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/ECover3.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIn spite of the monster the story lacks suspense and depth. Hardly gut-worth a look\u2026 (sorry).<\/p>\n![\"BloodSmear\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/BloodSmear.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n\u201cSame thing as the chair. Only quicker!\u201d<\/em>). From now on Mossy Glen is cursed. With every thunderstorm Unter comes alive as a ghoulish monster and strangles someone.<\/strong>
\nI quite like this tale, although it\u2019s missing a good twist. Still entertaining. Thinking about posting this one\u2026 and HERE <\/a>it is!<\/p>\n![\"MossyGlen\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/MossyGlen.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\u201cThe Mirror of Isis!\u201d marks Joe Kubert\u2019s comeback<\/strong> at AVON HORROR (he was in the 1947 EERIE COMICS #1, remember?). We\u2019ll see some more stories by him, but in 1953 he wanders off to St. John and invents 3-D comics<\/strong>. Ah, different story. Should you be interested in THAT matter, I refer you to the excellent book by Craig Yoe: \u201cAmazing 3-D Comics!\u201d. You can have a look inside on the Amazon website \u2013 link is HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nPart of the readers\u2019 attention goes to lovely Elyse who stars in the pin-uppy splash<\/strong> and reveals a lot of cleavage in the finale.<\/p>\n![\"cleavage\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/cleavage.jpg\")
![\"Eerie4Cover\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/Eerie4Cover.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nComic books thrive on pin-up art (\u201csex sells\u201d).<\/strong> There\u2019s some eye-catching eye-sugar in here (starting with the cover). That IS some SHORT skirt. Making you forget for a moment the dozens of blondes in shoulder-free red dresses usually gracing the title pages.
\nInside we find the splash of the first story (it\u2019s just the splash, mind you, no more half-nudity further on) quite open-hearted<\/strong> and some panels from the last story (which is excused, because it\u2019s science fiction and these alien worlds are hot, man).<\/p>\n![\"AlienHotties\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/AlienHotties.jpg\")
\nNo devil jumps out of the fire, no demon materializes, but Barb just gets up again. Her erratic behavior (no touching, please) indicates something is wrong<\/strong>. A maid dies and the detective looking in on the case. Then the undead wife goes for Richard. He manages to set her afire, however. The matter-of-fact ending feels kinda hard-boiled.<\/p>\n![\"cremate\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/cremate.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"namecalling\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/namecalling.jpg\")
![\"ECover5\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/ECover5.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nPaul Beaumont is a success with his paintings of human terror. Feeling exhausted he goes to work on one final masterpiece. He scares a model to death and paints the ultimate terror<\/strong>. The ghost of the woman, however, urges him on to work until he collapses.<\/p>\n![\"frightnight\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/frightnight.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"horridcats\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/horridcats.jpg\")
![\"londonfog\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/londonfog.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nSounds like fun, but is a weary and inane yarn<\/strong>; the weakest story of an otherwise fine issue! See it posted online at Karswell\u2019s fabulous blog \u201cThe Horrors of it all<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"dontbother\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/dontbother.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"logoflame\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/logoflame.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nOtherwise the EERIE \u201cletterheads\u201d were done in one simple color<\/strong> \u2013 from #8 on. Which looks quite drab, to be frank. The title for #7 is flame-y as well (although in green!). And # 1-5 had an effective core color surrounded by a contrasting one (which was fine). I don\u2019t get why they changed it to those massive, bland one-color letters. Seems utterly uncaring!
\nClick HERE <\/a>to see the EERIE cover gallery<\/strong> on Grand Comics Database.<\/p>\n
\nThe meek Homer Carmichael is obsessed with punctuality<\/strong>. When his employer thanks him for 22 years of loyal service by throwing an office surprise party, Homer is thrown off his time table and takes this as a hard blow to himself. But he meets a helpful character who offers him to delete that fateful day and restores Homer\u2019s unfailing record of punctuality.
\nSee what happens next in our posting of this story HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"eachinturn\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/eachinturn.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"bearhands\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/bearhands.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"ECover7\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/ECover7.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"ThirstingThing\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/ThirstingThing.jpg\")
\nNot that bad. Interesting, however, that the writers added a final panel into which they crammed all the horror: Later, the old man dies in prison and comes back to haunt our couple?! How very laughable.<\/p>\n![\"finalHaunt\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/finalHaunt.jpg\")
![\"cavort\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/cavort.jpg\")
![\"ECover8\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/ECover8.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIt is too straight a monster horror. Monster appears, poses a menace, is killed. Finito. Boring! Although the rise of the monster is kinda fun:<\/p>\n![\"MonsterRisee\"](\"http:\/\/twistmyratio.de\/filecollection\/sites\/6\/2016\/06\/MonsterRisee.jpg\")
<\/p>\n