Was He Dead?

Fans of "Sunday Bloody Sundays" (see the previous post), will undoubtably be head over heels with "Smash 'em Bash 'em Tuesdays", which is also a thing that I totally just made up. Yes, if you were beginning to believe that THOIA wasn't deliverin' the goods when it comes to splittin' open heads with monkey wrenches, --or if you thought we've been skimpin' on the rockin' redhead showgirls in skimpy clothing, --well then you've definitely come to the right place for both unholy plot points! From the October - November 1951 issue of Eerie #3.

Snake-Eyes of Doom!

Another full month of macabre May-hem continues with an eerie, satanic classic from the January - February 1954 issue of Eerie #14, with art by the terrifically top-notch terror team-up of Nodel and Alascia. Roll those blood-soaked bones!

The Vampire Puppet

After a quick skim through the pertrifyin' possessed puppet archive of THOIA's past posts (there are a lot more puppet stories than I thought!), I'm fairly confident I've never uploaded anything about one that drinks blood. So here we go, The Vampire Puppet fills not one, but two requests that came in this week, one for something puppetty, and one for the weirdest vampire story I've read in awhile. And both requests came from my friend Chris, who also admitted that he's not a fan of puppets or vampire stories. This tale on the other hand, came from the May - June 1952 issue of Witchcraft #2. And despite the nice art from Ed Goldfarb throughout, plus that iconic precode cover by Gene Fawcette, I'm sure Chris will still hate it...

Strange Case of Henpecked Harry

While ACG is credited in creating the very first horror comic book series with Adventures into the Unknown in 1948, Avon actually beat them by one year with the first full horror comic issue one-shot with Eerie Comics #1 (1947.) Some top-notch artists joined in for the creation of this landmark title, like legendary Joe Kubert, the great George Roussos, as well as Bob Fujitani (who also illustrated that superb cover, see below!) We're actually going to take a look at the frighteningly funny Fred Kida tale today though, where his unique, organic style, and cinematic staging / character posing was really beginning to take sensational shape. And to anyone who doesn't think that you can be titillated by a woman falling on some train tracks, well, I present one seriously gorgeous splash page, as well as a couple of panels on page 6 that will absolutely convince you otherwise! "OH-HHH!"

Where Zombies Walk!

The December 1952 - January 1953 issue of Witchcraft #5 is a wild collection of stories, and sports one of the greatest precode horror covers of all time, masterfully created by King Kelly Freas. And with this final A.C. Hollingsworth zombie tale post (boy, did someone seriously drop the ball with that splash page title treatment-- PU!), I do believe we have now posted the entire issue here at THOIA. A lovely Everett Raymond Kinstler illustration on the inside front cover is the icing on the cake! Check the archive for "The Witch of Shadow Glen", "The Warlock of Manescue Manse", and "The Witch of Death!" for more!

Master of the Dead!

Did anyone from Metallica ever read this story from the January - February 1954 issue of Eerie #14? Asking for a fiend. Nice work as always from Nodel and Alascia, in fact, I liked this story so much back in 2016 that I included it in my Chilling Archives of Horror Comics hardcover collection, The Return of the Zombies. Get your copy HERE if you haven't already...

The Witch of Shadow Glen! vs. The Warlock of Manescue Manse!

We have witches and warlocks on Walpurgisnacht, --oh my! Yes, it's a double header of hellacious proportions as we traverse the terrifying hallowed halls of Hades in search for the perfect bday gift for Mr. Karswell, --who turns yet another year older tomorrow! Both tales today are illustrated by Gene Fawcette, with an awesome assist by Vince Alascia on inks, plus two truly gorgeous black and white illustrations by the great, Everett Raymond Kinstler! And as if that's not enough, head on over to AEET HERE for yet another wild tale of creepy cursed witchcraft! Burn the midnight fires this evening, my friends, we'll see you in May for more! 

From the December - January 1953 issue of Witchcraft #5.