Terror of the Hungry Rats

I think we'll stick with the March - April 1953 issue of Dark Mysteries #11 for a bit. It's absolutely infested with icky precode gems, like this horrific Hy Fleishman favorite about some very hungry, very violent vermin. You're gonna love it.

Terror Needs a Stage!

Who's ready for one of the weirdest vampire stories ever posted around here? From the February 1954 issue of Dark Mysteries #16, and illustrated by none other than fearsome THOIA fan fave, Hy Fleishman! Okay, these ain't the greatest scans though, and I apologize, (they look as if they were also colored by a 4 year old with crayons!) Still, this is a wild one that will likely drive a few of you totally ape!

The Coward & The Choker

And the midnight toker! Just jokin'-- it's "Super Blood-Soaked Saturday Shocker" time again, with a deadly double header of gagging gore and blood thirsty, brutal betrayals! Yes, just in case anyone thought THOIA was turnin' soft over our expansive 18-year run here on the 'ol interwebs, well, --think again! Two terror-packed tales full of dismemberment, dickish dames, and dumb dudes a'danglin', and despite some less than stellar scan quality here, both are from the rather awesome August 1954 issue of Mysterious Adventures #21. The savage illustrations in the first story are by bad boy Bill Savage himself, and followed by the always radical Ross Andru on our rockin' second tale. Plus! A real crowd-pleaser of a cover by Hy Fleishman! Have a gory great weekend everyone, with lots lots morgue to come-- so stay tombed!

Some Die Twice

If you've been paying attention, the last three story posts have all been from the June 1954 issue of Dark Mysteries #18, and todays A.C. Hollingsworth illustrated tale is no different. In fact, it's been a while since we've had a full issue presentation around here, so let's finish up this 4 course banquet of cut-up corpses, vampire creeps, and (now) cannibalistic brutality! We even have a great Hy Fleishman cover! Hope everyone had a terrific time with this one, maybe we'll do another in Dec! 

Terror of the Burning Corpse

What's everyone cookin' up for Thanksgiving this year? The traditional turkey with stuffing, cranberries, yams etc? Maybe a big juicy ham? Might I make another gruesome suggestion? From the June 1954 issue of Dark Mysteries #18, featuring hotter than Hell art by Hy Flieshman, not to mention that weirdly cramped, claustrophobic title treatment (which makes me feel like I'm being buried alive), make for one of the more insane precode horror tales ever put to print...

A Monument to Hy Fleishman

It is with a very heavy heart we say goodbye to our good friend, Hy Fleishman, who passed away painlessly, and peacefully earlier this morning at the age of 92. One of THOIA's favorite artists, Hy unquestionable propelled 1950's horror comics (and beyond) into areas where few other artists dared to go, and the best way we can honor the man and his legacy is to present two wonderfully wild examples of what Hy excelled at most-- THE HORROR. Vampire's Bite! is from the December 1952 issue of Dark Mysteries #10, and A Monument to Mortimer! is from the July 1953 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #20.

























And be sure to check the THOIA Archive for many more classics by Hy. Our deepest condolences once again to Hy's family and friends, though with this sad news I will have some good news in the coming weeks regarding the Hy Fleishman collection that we (Yoe Books) have been working on for the last year. Stay tuned for more on that, coming soon...