The Last Words for Men Who Talk to Ghosts!

We have some last words to deliver today as we put a wrap on our macabre, month long, Double Fear-ture fest here at THOIA, with two more ghastly ghost-a-ramas to leave you equally gasping as you're eerily giggling with gruesome glee. First, Stan Lee and Carl Burgos team-up to terrorize you into insanity, from the January 1953 issue of Strange Tales #14, --followed by a laughably lurid Larry Woromay weirdie, via the February 1953 issue of Strange Tales #15! Very strange tales indeed, and full of that awful wedded bliss we'll be seeing much more of in our annual vicious Valentine month freak-out coming up shortly. Hope you enjoyed this two-for-one month of morbid madness --stay tombed for lots rots more!

THOIA'S 2025 Holiday Horror Special

If you enjoyed our horrible holiday double feature over at AEET HERE yesterday, it's now time for another right here at THOIA! And this year we're looking at the age old Ghost Stories for Christmas, and with nobody telling a spookier tale than Charles Dickens himself! Well actually, let's have golden age fan favorite, Lee Elias tell it-- the way it could've happened, or did it?! --via the March / April 1976 issue of Ghosts #46. But first up, it's another doomed-out variation on the Dicken's lit classic drama-rama, from the March 1953 issue of Marvel Tales #112, and highlighted by some spectacularly illustrated Larry Woromay specters! I guess you can't really celebrate anything anymore either unless we get a nice Bill Everett cover as well! Yes, this post has everything-- including a well wish for everyone to have a wonderful, happy holiday!

The Planet Eaters

After a week in the old wild west, let's hyperdrive into the freaky future by taking to the stars for a scary Sci-Fi Saturday shocker, via the October 1952 debut issue of Weird Mysteries #1! Art possibly by THOIA favorite, Larry Woromay, who did a ton of great work for Atlas. Someone at GCD spotted his initials in the splash, which may or may not even be initials, so the whole thing is still a debatable mystery. And while the human character illustrations here don't look very much like his style to me, those wonderfully creepy, organically curvy plants totally do, so maybe it was a collaborative venture with another artist. Check the Woromay archive HERE to compare.

The Spider!

It's been spider overload here lately in my neck of the woods this summer, so I thought I'd share the frighteningly fuzzy fun and give everyone else the creepy crawlies as well. And wallopin' web snappers, it sure is nice to see some early work from Larry Woromay around here too, even though his sinister spider looks more like a bloated blood tick about to pop. And I'm not sure if I've ever seen laudatory editor blurbs in an Atlas splash like this before, it's pretty funny when you think about it because, well... nuff said. No wait,  --one more thing, if you have a thing about innocent animal death 'n torture you may want to just entirely skip this post today. Fair warning. From the juicy June 1951 issue of Marvel Tales #101.

The Witch of Landor

Okay, we're FINALLY getting things going around here for the big October Countdown already! And I'm pretty sure no one will complain about a month of Atlas Tales, eh? Yeah, you know where to go to get your unmatchable Halloween fix, 365 days (give or take a few) of the year, don't you?

From the April 1953 issue of Uncanny Tales #7, with atmospheric art by THOIA fave, Larry Woromay!

Dugan and the Dummy / If I Breathe... I Die!

We're picking up where we left off last month with two more tales from the May 1953 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #18. And since it's that giving time of the year, I thought I'd do something around here that I haven't done in a long long time and deliver a Double Header December! Yep, two stories every time I post this month-- that's an early xmas present to everyone who continues coming back, commenting, and basically just contributing to this blog in a civil, useful, positive manner. And first up, a super slick Larry Woromay / Matt Fox team-up of terror, followed by a jittery jailbird jolter with awesome art courtesy of our good pal, Hy Fleischman, who coincidentally enough, just turned 90 years young last month-- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HY!! 

Lots more on the way-- stay tombed!