She Stalks at Sundown

Time now for a lurid, Lou Cameron, cat-girl classic, clawing its way at you from the January 1954 issue of Web of Mystery #22. Full of juicy good-girl art, and jungle jitters galore, I'm actually kind of surprised that I've never posted this one here at THOIA before. And meanwhile, I'm equally as baffled as to why it didn't make it into Cameron's Unsleeping Dead hardcover collection, via The Chilling Archives. We also have another beautiful "blonde in peril" cover design by mad man Jim McLaughlin, --plus, tacked on at the very end to round things out nicely, a shivery "Tale of Unexplained Mystery" by Sy Grudko concerning a macabre magic mirror...

Web of the Spider Woman

Spider Woman?!! But I thought Kars said we were done with hero stuff for a while! Annnnd indeed we are, as this is not a Marvel post, --but a creepy crawly Ace classic from the June 1953 issue of Hand of Fate #18. Artist Bill Molno densely packs every panel perfectly with loads of eerie atmosphere and lush line work, keeping the weird web motif spinning strongly in roof textures, foliage, fabrics, hair, fur --and fear! Artist George Roussos must have really loved that splash panel below, because a few months later he pulled quite a superb swiperoonie of it for the October 1953 cover of Out of the Shadows #10, just sayin'. Oh, and Happy Friday the 13th to each and every one of you today, too!

Mirror Macabre

It's February and wedding bells are a'ringin'! And what's a good present to give to the lovely couple after all is said, dead, and completely, utterly done for? Nice art throughout from Louis Zansky, and an equally cool cover here by Dick Beck. From the April 1953 issue of Hand of Fate #17, oh, and we'll be seeing more Ace atrocities all next month as well, --that's your head's off, errr, UP I mean, to always remember to stay eternally tombed and terrified...

The Werewolf of Wetheridge

Werewolf Wednesdays return! And I'm guessing a few of you may have picked up on my hint about a "super September" in the previous post intro last month, and that's 100% spot on, because we will be looking at Super Hero Horror occasionally this month, just as we've done a few times in the past. Yep, you may hate supes now, but just wait until Mr. Karswell gets done with you! Annnd another few of you may start reading today's post and have a massive wave of deja vu hit ya over the noggin'. That's because this Lash Lightning and Lightning Girl tale from the November 1945 issue of Four Favorites #20 is an almost direct story swipe of the Gail Porter "Werewolf of Woonsocket" yarn that I posted HERE back in January. Don't believe me? Compare 'em! The Gail Porter story may have been published first (and maybe even have a more uniquely illustrated werwolf), but she's definitely no lovely Lightning Girl, who just so happens to also be illustrated by the ever impeccable, THOIA fan fave, Nina Albright. And for another great Lightning duo story located in our archive-- CLICK HERE!

The Grave Will Not Wait

Like our previous post, today's fateful story is also from the October 1952 issue of The Hand of Fate #12, and it's nicely illustrated by Chic Stone who always seems to totally crush it here at THOIA. So what do you all think? Could you deliver on what 'ol Fate has offered to this poor, doomed idiot? I've also rounded out the post with a graverobbin' one-pager-- a Sy Grudko "True Tales of the Supernatural" quickie from the July 1954 issue of The Beyond #27. One more post to go for the month of July, and FYI: I plan to correct a rather foolish bit of Atlas oversight on my part... I do hope you can forgive me!

Cauldron of Evil

Time for a macabre lil stroll through the ominous 'ol Ozark mountains, where wicked weird witchcraft still runs rampant-- and all just a mere hop, skip, and one jittery jump away from Karswell Manor as well! Ace Mag art pro, Jim McLaughlin, lays the atmosphere on thick as a hick with a tick about to explode on his di-- errrr, okay, --time to lay off the alliteration for awhile, I seriously do believe *gag! From the August 1952 issue of The Hand of Fate #12, plus we have one more from this eerie ish up next too-- so stay tombed!

One Awful Night with a Fiend

There's another random, isolated comic book panel making the Tumblr meme rounds (see the middle image at the top of page 5 below.) A few people wrote in asking what it's from, so here we go with a Mike Sekowsky illustrated tale about a struggling actress trapped in an unholy Hollywood nightmare. For a story packed with grave robbing, black magic, and the resurrection of an evil snuff film maker, you'd think this would all be a bit more unnerving instead of just spooky silly, but it still has its moments. GCD notes that Vince Alascia contributed the inks here as well. From the April 1952 issue of Hand of Fate #10.