Joseph Medley, Lady Killer / Strangler

Like our previous post, "Joseph Medley, Lady Killer" is based on a true crime case, and this time about a psychopath who targeted women with red hair. The comic book adaptation, also like our previous post, started out in one comic book series, --the May 1948 issue of Murder Incorporated #3 (Fox) --and then later got the reprint / retitle Star Publications treatment in the September 1952 issue of Shock Detective Cases #20. I created an image at the end of the post to avoid additional "Barnes Confusion" (as we also saw here strangely / previously), and it's important to note the cool addition of those gnarly "strangler" hands in the later, updated splash. Is Rudy Palais responsible for those new monster mitts as well? No idea, but he created the rest of the asphyxiatingly awesome art presented here-- so hang on to your windpipes, ya'll, cuz this one's a real *CHOKE!* killer of a tale!

Homicidal Madman!

Aka "The Amazing Dr. Holmes: Murdering Lothario of Illinois" tells the true crime story of vicious psycho con artist / serial killer, Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, aka H. H. Holmes who engaged in a lengthy criminal career in Chicago during the late 1800's. First published in the August 1948 issue of Famous Crimes #2, and later as "Homicidal Madman!" when reprinted / retitled for Star Publication's September 1952 issue of Shocking Mystery Tales #50, this is a slightly muddled, though still somewhat decent adaptation of the sensationally disturbing story, and features many of the more brutal Holmes atrocities, unflinching laid out for you the comic book reader --in particular, one very unnerving acid bath sequence! Read more about HHH and his "Murder Castle" of horrors HERE at the Wiki entry, --if you dare!

Hemlock Shomes and Dr. Potsam in "The Morgue Moider Mystery", and "The Case of Tintype's Will", and finally (whew!) Spookington Castle!

After the mention of "comedy gold" in our previous post comments, I thought that it was finally time to maybe put together a "Funny Friday Frolic of Frights" here at THOIA. But then I ran out of time yesterday, and decided that "Spoofy Slapstick Silly Saturdays" had a better ring to it (but does it?) So here we go with 3 highly hysterical Hemlock Shomes and Dr. Potsum Golden Age filler stories from Fox Publications-- because who of course is better to spoof and slap silly than everyone's favorite detective duo-- Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson! The stories (in scrollin' order below) originate from: The Green Mask #2, Mystery Men Comics #1 and #2, and are all funtastically written and illustrated by Fred Schwab.

The Haunted Castle

Here's another forgotten Golden Age horror hero leftover from a few months back, Yarko the Great Master of Magic battling gangster goons in a haunted castle. As Yarko's descriptive blurb in the splash indicates, he achieved his mighty mystical Eastern powers in sort of the same way that Dr. Strange would a couple of decades later. These are total kiddie matinee adventures with fun low-fi art and a cut-to-the-chase grade school level of writing, but I totally dig on moments where Yarko perplexes guys wearing sheets into really thinking they're skeletal ghosts, or when he actually calls upon true demons from Hell for an awesome assist. From the February 1941 issue of Wonderworld Comics #22.

An Army of Walking Dead, aka The Zombie

My buddy Jason was wanting to see a Phantom Lady adventure where she takes on monsters or some kind of supernatural evil, and this tale of legs vs. the undead is probably the best choice in my collection. My scans are from the Great Action Comics #8 (1958) reprint-- a sexy 'n wild Matt Baker illustrated story that was originally featured over 10 years prior in the December 1947 issue of Phantom Lady #15... annnnd the story goes, that when I.W. Publishing got the print plates, they were missing the original splash page #1 which had been printed on the inside front cover of Phantom Lady #15 (see jpeg at the very end of this post.) So someone clever decided, "why not make the cover of Great Action Comics #8 the new page 1 of the reprint!" Off hand, I can't think of many other comics that ever did this with a cover, and with Carl Burgos doing the new cover art, who's gonna complain? Hope everyone enjoyed this month of posts!

(original page 1 splash)