She Stalks at Sundown

Time now for a lurid, Lou Cameron, cat-girl classic, clawing its way at you from the January 1954 issue of Web of Mystery #22. Full of juicy good-girl art, and jungle jitters galore, I'm actually kind of surprised that I've never posted this one here at THOIA before. And meanwhile, I'm equally as baffled as to why it didn't make it into Cameron's Unsleeping Dead hardcover collection, via The Chilling Archives. We also have another beautiful "blonde in peril" cover design by mad man Jim McLaughlin, --plus, tacked on at the very end to round things out nicely, a shivery "Tale of Unexplained Mystery" by Sy Grudko concerning a macabre magic mirror...

Come Share My Coffin Tomb!

Our month of dueling Two-For-One Fear Features continues with a petrifyin' pair of terror tales that are really asking a lot from you, dear readers! Yes, come along with us now as we attempt to make some rotten room for a couple of certifiably creepy, cramped companion classics! And Pete Tumlinson kicks it off with an ever familiar, eerie escape trick that is most certainly doomed to backfire every time, guaranteed! From the May 1954 issue of Strange Tales #28, plus a special paralyzin' applause for that superbly scary cover design by Harry Anderson! Then it's Mort Meskin's turn to amp up the mausoleum madness with an apparently "true" crime case from the September - October 1951 issue of Headline Comics #49, via Prize Comics. Yep, THOIA is unloading a hot, double dose of COME atcha this time around-- better bring some Kleenex! Wait, what? They're both tear-jerkers, I meant...

No Harm Done on the Witches' Sabbat + Norman Was Right!

Like many of you this evening, THOIA is also dressin' up to paint the town orange 'n black (and red) with costumes and candy and all kinds of wicked Witches' Sabbat shenanigans. Now where did I put that sacrificial dagger, anyways? And oh, look at 'ol Norman over there, hookin' up with the absolute purrrrfect girl of his screams-- err, dreams, via the April 1952 issue of Suspense #17! She will most certainly have a bone or two to pick clean with him before the night is over! But first up, let's do what everybody loves the most on a night like this, and that's playing a spooky prank on an unsuspecting victim! Yesss, hee-hee, we've got our sights set on someone in particular-- let's just hope we can actually pull it off without a horrible hitch, --from the April '54 issue of Shocking Mystery Cases #58. Everyone have a great holiday, and Mr. Karswell hopes you all enjoyed this month of petrifyin' posts. See you in November for lots rots more-- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

LANDOR "Maker of Monsters"

I have a thing for female freaks, and nobody did it better than Bob Powell back in the earliest issues of Speed Comics with his classic, Landor "Maker of Monsters" quickies. Actually, many people have done it better, (before and since), but did they do it with as much fun as this? Also yes. But maybe they weren't drawn as good? Well, sure they were... I guess what I'm trying to sell you here today is a Triple Feature of Mad Scientist Terror. So now you ask, "But did anyone else ever do it this terrifying?" Oh yeah, waaaay more people have. This stuff isn't even that scary, tbh. But did they do it with as much originality? Of course they did, and have, and will continue to do. Anyway, what I'm really trying to say is that I love stories about creepy crawlin' cat women, and evil swoopin' bat babes, and dead dames revived to do dastardly deeds, all in the name of world conquering, wack-a-doodle science! So there, that's what I've been trying to say. Now prepare yourself for Sina, Creeta, Carda, and a two foot tall killer kitten, --plus a ding dong couple who just can't seem to stay away from the world's most ineffective, but undeniably inspired super-loser villain. From Speed Comics #2, #6, and #7 (1939 - 1940.)