Wrapping up the month of June 2024 with one final weird wedding ceremony from the May 1953 issue of Mister Mystery #11. This copy had some unfortunate water damage, hence why the scans don't look the greatest, but I think you'll enjoy this one all the same-- especially that charming "happy" ending! There are more jittery, jolting tales of terror on the way for July, so stay tombed with the vroom-vroomed!
While most of us weren't familiar with the magical exploits of Yarko in our previous post (HERE), I do believe a few of you are quite aware of the macabre, mystical powers of Dr. Jonathan Weir, aka The Purple Claw! We've hosted a clawful of PC horror adventures here over the years, so if you're unfamiliar somehow, just check the THOIA Archive for more! And what'a ya know, this story also sneakily qualifies as a Werewolf Wednesday post too! And no, I don't mean a Dr. Weir-wolf tale, just read 'em and were-weep, fiends, all will be made clear to you very soon. From the March 1953 issue of The Purple Claw #2.
Here's another forgotten Golden Age horror hero leftover from a few months back, Yarko the Great Master of Magic battling gangster goons in a haunted castle. As Yarko's descriptive blurb in the splash indicates, he achieved his mighty mystical Eastern powers in sort of the same way that Dr. Strange would a couple of decades later. These are total kiddie matinee adventures with fun low-fi art and a cut-to-the-chase grade school level of writing, but I totally dig on moments where Yarko perplexes guys wearing sheets into really thinking they're skeletal ghosts, or when he actually calls upon true demons from Hell for an awesome assist. From the February 1941 issue of Wonderworld Comics #22.
Some wild posts this month so far, eh? Why just this past week we've seen spiders, rosy shades, and now we're taking a bloody boat ride?! It must be summer finally-- but how exactly do vampires fit into this season, you ask? As surely as their teeth will fit into your lovely, pulsating necks, I assure you they do! And macabre Marty Elkins will now show you exactly how, just don't forget the Dracumine-- errr, I mean the Dramamine! From the July 1954 issue of Horrific #12.
Almost forgot that I had a weekly weird wedding theme planned for June! So here's another one then finally, from the April 1973 issue of DC's The Unexpected #146, highlighted by one of Ernie Chan's coolest 70's title treatments ever! I'd also like to make a challenge to everyone here today to see how many of you can actually leave a comment without mentioning anything about the maid's name from this story. Good luck to all you Captain's of the obvious!
Here we go with another eerie Atlas classic, and it's Robert Q. Sale's turn to sell you the rose-tinted glasses. Don't take this the wrong way, friends, but the last thing THOIA would ever attempt to do is keep any of you "safe from the trouble and paaaain..." (from the June 1954 issue of Mystic #41.)
Time now to step into THOIA's parlor for another gruesome Golden Age tale of terror-- one from the February 1952 issue of Marvel Tales #105 to be exact! Fred Kida turns over a few stones to reveal the creepy-crawly underbelly of eight-legged evil, while Russ Heath traps you, and wraps you up tight with another terrifyingly brilliant Atlas cover image.
