YOUR GRAVE IS READY!

Standard Comics was the comic book imprint of Pines Publications, formed by Ned Pines in 1939. Standard was the parent company of two other Pines comics imprints, Better Publications and Nedor Publications.

The comic seen here today, THE UNSEEN, is listed in the indicia as being published by yet another company, Visual Editions, Inc.

Here's a full issue of fearsome frolics featuring such delightful tales as a boy raised by wolves who can't keep his bloodlust under control when he is adopted into normal life, an exterminator who has other ideas about rats besides killing them and a painting that foreshadows a man's doom. Plus, plenty of mayhem, shrunken heads. the Mexican spirit-woman La Llorna and more.

NOTE: Third-party ads have been removed from this scan.

THE UNSEEN

Vol. 1, No. 9

March 1953

Standard Comics (Pines)

Editor: ?

Cover: Art Saaf

Cover price: 10 cents

CONTENTS

"Your Grave is Ready"

Script: ?

Art: Ross Andru

"The Rat Man"

Script: ?

Art: Jack Katz

"The Wailing Woman" (one-page story about Mexico's La Llorona spirit)

Script: ?

Art: George Roussos

"The Painted Prophecy" (text story)

Script: Mickey Marks

Art: Jack Katz

"Til Death Do Us Part"

Script: ?

Art: Ralph Mayo

"The Bleeding Platter"

Script: ?

Art: Ross Andru; Mike Espositio (signed as "MikeRoss")

"The Phantom Hitch Hiker" (one-page story)

Script: ?

Art: Art Saaf

JACK OF HORROR!

One of the better team-ups during the pre-Code era were Bob Powell and Howard Nostrand. On their own, both were good artists, but I think together they complemented each other.

"Jack of Horror" from BLACK CAT MYSTERY #34 (Harvey, April 1952) is so crazy, I consider it an almost psychedelic story. It was reprinted in BLACK CAT MYSTERY #52 (October 1954) during the last gasp of horror comics brought on by the Comics Code Authority.

NOTE: Some of the panels in this story may look familiar; I used them in a previous post.

A CRIME WORSE THAN MURDER -- CANNIBALISM!

Another story in TRUE CRIME COMICS Vol. 1 No. 2 (Magazine Village Inc., May 1947/1948) is based on the so-called true story of Alexander "Sawney" Bean (spelled here "Beane"), a Scottish who fell off the grid during the 1500s-1600s with a woman named "Black" Agnes Douglas, who was said to be a witch (in this story, the two are husband and wife).

He and Agnes found a cave to live in that was protected from entry in high tide. Starving, they began to ambush, kill and eat travelers crossing the nearby moor. According to legend this lasted for over two decades and in the meantime, Sawney's incestuous brood grew to about 45 family members. It is said they murdered and cannibalized over 1,000 people during that time.

No blood and gore in this story "Demons Dance on Galloway Moor!", by L.B. Cole, but sometimes the lack of it is even more terrifying.