TERROR BENEATH THE TIDES!

Fans of vintage horror comics will likely recognize this cover by Frank Giusto from BAFFLING MYSTERIES #7 (Ace, March 1952). The popular pre-Code image was even made into one of Super7's action figures. It illustrates a scene from the story, "Terror Beneath the Tides" with pencils generally attributed to Mike Sekowsky. Note the cover is colored to match the "seaweed" description in the story, but the interiors depict the underwater creatures as having fish scales and white hair and beards.

Readers may also recognized the set-up as being similar to a novel which later became a blockbuster film featuring a certain giant shark.

Cover art by Frank Giusto.

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME

You might have heard of the term "feet of clay", but in this tale, "Beware the Graveyard Clay" from BAFFLING MYSTERIES #14 (Ace, March 1953) you'll be more likely to say "head of clay" by the end of the story. An unstable sculptor (a character type used in numerous pre-Code titles) becomes obsessed with the daughter of his benefactor. Of course, he'll stop at nothing to win her over. As usual, things don't turn out quite the way he planned. Charles Nicholas is the illustrator.

The bizarre, non-PC cover by Frank Giusto is worth adding here. It's too bad they're wasn't a story about it in the issue.