NEVER TOUCH A WITCH!

In this cautionary tale the message is to, whatever you do, never touch a witch! This is the first story that I have come across so far in THIS MAGAZINE IS HAUNTED where the title's host, Dr. Death plays a more integral role. Usually, he introduces the story and pops up once or twice to comment during the proceedings. In "Touch of Death" from #11 (Fawcett, June 1953) he is drawn multiple panels by the more than capable Bob Powell. Oh, and the warning about witches? Read on to find out!

TWO GHOSTS HAPPIER THAN ONE?

Hot on the heels of last week's post is this, another tale of marital strife, with yet another milquetoast, wife-hating husband (appropriately named Henry Meeks) who hatches a plan to end his spouse's constant nagging. The ending is heavy with the kind of irony we see often in horror comics from the 50's. "Television Ghost.." is from Stanley Morse's first issue of MISTER MYSTERY (September 1951).

The person behind the "cartoony" Kurtzman-esque art has yet to be positively identified, but there are several interesting possibilities that have been tossed around:

• One source claims the artist is Charles Stern, who was a former roommate of Kurtzman's.
• Another source claims that the artist is Ross Andru.
• Still another claims the art is actually by Kurtzman himself and the story is referenced from "The Mysterious Ray From Another Dimension" (misidentified as "The Mysterious Ray From Another Planet" at the GCD) in EC's WEIRD FANTASY #16 (November-December 1950) and reprinted in Russ Cochran's WEIRD FANTASY #4 (July 1993). If so, then this could be cited as a "lost Kurtzman story".

After looking at a few more stories from MISTER MYSTERY that have been identified as by Stern (without any dispute), I'm putting my money on him under Kurtzman's influence.

EC OLD WITCH STATUE

Here's proof that the original EC Comics is still alive and well with another release of what is likely to be just the first of the new, limited edition Ghoulunatics statues: the EC Comics "The Old Witch" Creep-tastic Statue.

From Retro-A-Go-Go:

Join me, kiddies as we climb down into the dark, damp bowels of the crypt to dig up a new creation! Light a candle so we can gaze our bloodshot eyes over the latest addition to the Creep-tastic line of 5.5” highly fascinating masterpieces! Behold: it’s the “Old Witch”, a nauseating tribute to our favorite GhouLunatic from the classic EC Horror Comics of the 1950’s- (but have almost never been out of re-print!)

We’ve captured the “Old Witch” in all her bewitching glory: moth eaten robe, stringy, greasy hair, a rope belt at her waist and she even has glossy touches on her bulging eyes and (nearly) toothless mouth. Close inspection will reveal that her cauldron has an embossed EC logo on it. She’s brewing up a sickening vile and vulgar concoction that will put you under her spell! She’ll keep your EC-related books company and will ward off any evil spirits that threaten your collection!

We chained up our lead designer and EC comics fan, Doug P’gosh until he created the perfect “Old Witch” made famous by artist Graham “Ghastly” Ingels. We think you’ll agree that he did a masterful job of capturing her rotten essence.

Any EC comics, horror or Halloween collector will be thrilled to add her to the collection. Don’t wait- only 800 or less of the “Old Witch” will be created to truly make this a collector’s item.

Available from MONSTERS IN MOTION or RETRO-A- GO-GO.

Details:

• Approx. 5.5”H

• Sculpted and cast to bring out every rotten detail

• Cast in durable poly-resin

• Hand-painted with a mix of flat and glossy finishes to bring the old witch to life

• Packaged in full color collector’s box

• Production run limited to less than 800 pieces!

A POUND OF FLESH

It's just a hard fact of life that more than one man has said: "My wife's gone to hell!" after a few years of marriage. That might have rung true back in the day, but if you ask me, these days women spend more time keeping themselves looking good than ever before.

Not so in this story, "A Pound of Flesh" from MYSTERIOUS ADVENTURES #16 (Story Comics, October 1953), where Herbert, a mechanic and "tinkerer" hatches an idea to bring his wife back to the beauty that she was when he married her. How he does it is seen in the revolting end of the story. The art is reported to have been done by Ross Andru and I think that's a pretty good guess.

COMIC BOOK APOCALYPSE SNEAK PEEK

"Comic Book Apocalypse", an 11" x 10", 256-page hardcover book is expected to be published by Schiffer near the end of next month. Based on the sample pages shown below, it appears to be more of an art book (it boasts over 500 images) than a text narrative. Maybe David Hajdu's "The Ten-Cent Plague" was enough?

Long-time horror comics fans will no doubt see many images they're already familiar with, but it's always interesting to get another author's perspective on the pre-Code horror era.

From the publisher:

Explore the rise and fall of pre-Code comics with 500 covers revealing America's cultural shifts, censorship, and controversy.

From 1940 to 1955, American society and culture underwent dramatic changes, including the introduction of the Comics Code in October 1954, which heavily impacted comic books. The Code aimed to moderate comic content in response to public opinion, including such topics as juvenile delinquency, wartime sentiment, teenage sex, drugs, violent crime, and more.

While compliance was technically voluntary, most publishers followed its strict rules. Those who didn’t faced ruin when wholesalers and distributors refused to handle non-compliant comics, returning them unopened to publishers, who soon self-destructed. Comic Book Apocalypse! explores this downfall through 500 examples of pre-Code cover art, highlighting why some deemed the Code necessary.

The book also examines who decided what content was acceptable, demonstrating how pre-Code comics reflect the larger story of 1950s America.

David J. Hogan has collected and thought about comic books since 1965. Following experience as an entertainment journalist in Los Angeles, he settled in Chicago, where he worked in the book business as an executive editor and publisher. His articles have appeared in magazines as diverse as Comic Book Creator, Moviegoer, Aviation History, Filmfax, Collectible Automobile, and Cinefantastique. Comic Book Apocalypse is his 11th book. He live in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Maggie Thompson is a key figure in the history and study of comics. She and her late husband, Don, established a seminal comic book fanzine, Comic Art, and followed it with a popular comics newsletter, Newfangles. Maggie subsequently edited Comics Buyer’s Guide for more than 30 years. She has received numerous industry awards and continues to be an active part of the comics community as a writer and historian. She lives in Iola, Wisconsin.

Retail price: $59.95.

HEADLESS AND LOVING IT!

TV reporter Vern Sherrard had no idea what he was getting into when he traveled to England to visit the haunted Castle Deere, where it was said that a headless woman roamed the halls at night, the victim of a murder 300 years earlier. Well, it turns out that Sherrard was the murderous husband in a past life who chopped the head off his wife and left the sword sticking in her back. It took three centuries, but she finally got to pay return the favor!

"Headless Horror" appeared in Harvey's CHAMBER OF CHILLS #8 (May 1952). Art is by Abe Simon.