The Haunted Undertaker!

How about another creepy DC classic? And it's been a while since we've featured anything by bloodcurdlin' Bill Draut, so let us now peel back the cover of the December 1978 issue of Ghosts #71 and see what sort of unnatural things are ominously supernaturaling! (That's a real word, right?)

The Secret of Bat Island! / Flight into Fright

I was having a conversation with someone a few months back about a story concerning a guy who drinks bat blood to halt the aging process. It was assumed this was a precode story, but alas, digging through my 70's DC horror long boxes, it seems it actually appeared in the Jan-Feb 1973 issue of Weird Mystery Tales #4 (unless of course someone knows of a precode story I'm somehow missing!), art by Bill Draut. And since this story is kind of short, I thought we'd round trip things out with another oddball yarn featuring the world's worst (or greatest?) travel agent ever, from the Oct-Nov 1974 issue of Weird Mystery Tales #14, this issue highlighted by one of my all time favorite Luiz Dominguez covers no less! So off we go-- one by air, and one by sea, pack your fangs and hop aboard for a double feature excursion into batty bluh-bluh-bluh-blood sucker terror-tory!

The Practical Joker

I'm glad I dug out these Black Magic issues because I've been looking for this story to post for a long time now. Having forgot the title, I did remember it being really funny and sort of chilling at the same time, but for some reason I remembered it being an Atlas tale (which it of course feels a lot like!) Super art from Bill Draut as well-- and hey, don't let all those word balloons scare ya off, this one is definitely worth your "time!" haha...

From the February 1953 issue of Black Magic Vol. 3 #3 (21.)

Ashes to Ashes! (x2)

Two hot stories with the same "Ashes to Ashes!" title today, our first from the March 1953 issue of Mystery Tales #9, (pretty sure the art is by Al Eadeh), and our second roaring classic is from the August 1952 issue of Black Magic Vol. 2 #9 [15] (art by Bill Draut). May is finally coming to a close, and as the season turns warmer THOIA is officially turning up the heat on you-- burn, baby burn!

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Haha, bet you didn't see that ending coming! Does the last panel remind anyone of Boris Karloff's blackened fate in the gruesome climax to Michael Reeves' 1967 thriller "The Sorcerers"?

The Voice of the Dead!

Two spooky tales from the July 1952 issue of Black Magic Vol. 2 #8, and the first day this week in THOIA’s multiple post look at this landmark Prize Publications series produced by the legendary dynamic duo of Simon and Kirby. The main point of focus for this fest will be on well told, atmospheric ghost stories and witchcraft featuring great, moody art (of course!) Prize was definitely not short of amazing talent, as exampled today with Bill Draut mastering our first eerie tale, and George Roussos on the second.

NEXT: Bill Walton and Jack Kirby!

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Vintage Ads

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BONUS STORY: The Mailed Fist of McGonigle!

The Ballad of Doc Satan

Last day of January and I reckon we’ll wrap it up with a Flash Forward Time Machine trip to the 70’s (via covered wagon) with a Satanic bonanza from the Dec-Jan ‘72/73 issue of Weird Western Tales #15 featuring art by the always great Bill Draut. Lots of excellent moments here, it’s just too bad ‘ol smilin' Doc Satan didn’t pay any return visits or get his own comic series, I sho’ do love him and his no nonsense ways of unflinchin' evil.

See ya’lls in February, got lotsa good’uns lined up fer yew (including more trips in the Time Machine!) Ya’ll come back now, ya hear…

TOMORROW: Matt Fox! Larry Woromay! AND Al Luster??!!

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Vintage Ads

Who wants to see the giant Moon Monster take on Doc Satan's giant flaming skeleton?

Mom, I iz scared of the dark... can I get a life sized Raquel Welch pillow to sleep with?

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Awww, My First Swipe

Yesterday you saw an incredible illustration by Mr. C; now today you get to see one by me! Okay, mine is not so incredible, and I was probably only 8 or 9 years old when I drew this sometime in the 70’s, but if you’ve already read The Ballad of Doc Satan post today you’ll see just how inspired I was by one of the demons in that tale (see page 4,bottom panel.) Kinda cute don’tcha thinks?