Hoax / The Sea - Its Givings... and Takings!

I had a creepy chap write-in looking for a 70's comic he remembers as a lad but he couldn't recall any details other than it featured "a sea monster made out of barrels", and another story about a "hot mermaid." Pretty sure he's looking for the August 1975 issue of Monster Hunters #1, --and if this ain't the one I'll eat a hot mermaid! And fyi: the art on the hot mermaid tale is by Pete Morisi, many of you THOIA followers may be familiar with his awesome precode horror and crime work, so check the archives for more-- in fact, check out his Sewer Monsters tale HERE!

Date with Death! / Man Who Was Afraid!

The final two stories from the April 1952 issue of Astonishing #12 that I could've sworn I'd already posted here at THOIA (my records say I did, but neither are to be found in the archive?!) Sorry for the confusion. Anyway, this completes this issue, check the archive for Gene Colan's Torture Chamber, Horror Show, and Bill Everett's "A Playmate for Susan." Paul Cooper pencils with a question mark are credited to Man Who Was Afraid --I think that's a goddamn good guess, certainly looks like it to me. Anyone have any thoughts about the art on Date with Death?

Mask of Medusa

Somehow I never got around to this eerie Pete Morisi tale from the September 1953 issue of Weird Terror #7, the rest of the issue can be found in the THOIA Archives: Turnabout, Evil Ones, and Concrete Coffin, (the last two stories are both by Don Heck, +2 page text story art.) Lots more Morisi in the Archive too, use the search engine and check him out! Another COMPLETE issue posted!

PLUS! Fans of Edward Gorey should head over to AEET for a macabre little Satanic tale of terror! Lose your soul by clicking HERE!

The Madman's Music / The Storm!

Here are the two non-Venus filler tales from Venus #17 and #19: "The Madman's Music" with spooky art by Pete Morisi, and "The Storm!" illustrated by Allen Bellman --a couple of simply told Atlas quickies revealing what eerily awaits below the earth, and the ocean.

Sewer Horror

February seems to be “Technical Difficulties” Month around here… but! my internet is finally working this morning and here’s your perplexing post for the day, from the November 1953 issue of Horrific #8 …and like yesterday’s tale this one is also by Pete Morisi. Commence with the complaining NOW.

TOMORROW: What the Heck?!

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Vintage Ads

A Glimpse of the Pit

We’ll be looking at some select tales from Comic Media’s Horrific series for the rest of the week and weekend... Saturday and Sunday will spotlight Don Heck, but today and tomorrow we’ll be looking at Pete Morisi, a guy that most comic fans know as the creator of Peter Canon…Thunderbolt. I’ve never read the Canon series but I’m a huge fan of Morisi’s ultra violent pre-code Johnny Dynamite detective stuff (click HERE for a classic example from the THOIA Archives.) But today we find Pete tackling the horror tale with his unique and bare essentials visual style and deceptively, non-innocent brand of story-telling.

From the January 1954 issue of Horrific #9