The Domain of the Doomed

Time now to finish up November 2025 right where we sorta started-- with even more King Ward weirdness! This is one seriously silly, sci-fi horror adventure, via the November - December 1951 issue of Forbidden Worlds #3. And while it's off the charts in terms of convoluted craziness, it's also packed with a wild assortment of concepts and cool creature designs. You likely won't forget this one, just as Bruce and Betty never forgot it after they returned to Earth and tried to recapture a little bit of that arousing alien action in the bedroom (see their own amateur home photo attached below!) I've also rounded out the post with yet another ACG "True" ghost quickie, --yep, illustrated by Ward-- and this time from the January - February 1953 issue of Skeleton Hand #3. We'll be heading back to Earth in a few for lots more, --stay tombed!

Death for Hire / Corpse Under Carpet

Some corpses just ain't havin' it! And here are two chilling examples from the September - October 1952 debut issue of ACG's Skeleton Hand #1. Nice 'n reliably chunky artwork from Jon Blummer highlights the first tale about crackpot criminal kooks overplaying their hand with voodoo, --followed by a one page quickie about a haunted rug! AIEEEEE!! Is there anything more terrifyin'?!! Maybe try the vacuum cleaner next time...

Dark Journey! / The Phantom Bus

POST UPDATE: I had a busy week (actually "traumatizing" might be a better word for it) and forgot that I had planned to make this a "dark journey" double feature, --so here's the other story I absent-mindedly left out: "The Phantom Bus" from the September 1952 issue of The Unseen #6. We repo'd this one in the July 2015 issue of Haunted Horror #18, but it somehow never made its way here to THOIA, despite being one of my George Roussos favorites. I also included a ghostly half-pager from the same issue, which may have already been posted here somewhere over the years, I fergit. And of course, from the July-August 1953 issue of Skeleton Hand #6, comes a creepy tale of witchcraft and time travel gone oh-so horribly wrong. And to be honest, that's exactly the way I like it. I also dig that this one feels more like an ironically humorous Atlas quickie, and less the typical ACG happy ending that we've seen around here so many times before. 

"True" Uncanny Experiences: Satan's Hair Salon

Another satanical story that didn't quite make the final cut of my DEVIL TALES collection (available HERE!) comes from the January-February 1953 issue of Skeleton Hand #3. I'm still kind of bummed about it too as I love the idea of our fearless leader of Hades being a hairdresser, haha, but alas, the story itself is a bit similar to another one featured in the book, and you all know how much I love vicious variety! Anyway, it's a short 'n sweet one, so I'll have a larger post up next... in the meantime, why not go getcher hair done up too!

The Bat and the Brain

Science goes absolutely flappin' bat balls bonkers in this weird but totally fun "vampire" tale from ACG's Nov - Dec '52 issue of Skeleton Hand #2. GCD lists Gus Ricca as responsible for illustrating one of the coolest skeleton specters I've ever seen in a precode comic. So hold on to your brain cells, my friends, this one might hurt a little...

















***INSTANT REPLAY***

Specters of the Dam

One more ACG tale from the brief, but very cool Skeleton Hand series, and this story, despite a few kookball moments, has some really slick, moody art from the boldly dynamic Paul Cooper (Lambiek has brief, but interesting notes on him HERE.) From the May-June 1953 issue of Skeleton Hand #5.

Vintage AD