Double Danse Macabre

Zero, Ghost Detective was another in a long line of fun supernatural back-up filler crime horror heroes, this time found in the pages of Quality's Feature Comics (home to Doll Man, among others.) Though Zero lacked any real magical abilities, his extensive knowledge of the occult helped him put an end to the terrifyin' evil shenanigans plaguing mankind, as you'll see in today's Saturday Matinee Double Feature Dance Macabre, where cult creeps in graveyards can be one hellva nuisance! The first story comes from the January 1943 issue of Feature Comics #64 and is illustrated by wild man Witmer Williams who really knew his way around a grinning skull, --not to mention a fine form fitting cloak on a female figure! Followed by the somewhat similar second tale going back a few years to the earlier days of Zero, all the way in fact to the August 1940 issue of Feature Comics #35, and this time colorfully brought to life by Dan Zolnerowich. Don't be surprised to see more Zero in the coming New Year as well...

Secret In the Wall

Who would've guessed that one of the simplest, most eerie precode horror stories of all time could come from a crime comic book? Yep, buried within the pages of the February 1955 issue of Crime and Punishment #71 (to be exact), lurks this crumblin' corpse classic of isolation and insanity. Ya know, sometimes less is more as Big Bad Bill Walton slugs every perfectly efficient panel right outta the park with just 4 suspense-packed pages, in a way that would typically take EC comics nearly twice as many words and pages to do...

Cult of Killers!

Who's ready for a heapin' fistful of more crime horror? This time our "Monday Murdering" comes via the Feb. '53 issue of Wanted Comics #52, and Bill Woolfolk delivers yet another whip-smart crackin' script for Harry Anderson to beautifully load-up with cloaked cult kooks, smokey opium dens, swirling dancers, and dead duck dames; in particular, one truly disturbing hanging aftermath panel. So grab your black bandit masks, it's time to stop a couple'a cold-blooded, crazed killers on the loose! PLUS, another juicy John Buscema cover too!

The Devil Bat

It's Madcap Monster Matinee time again, and we're sailin' along in full-on 40's fear mode with yet another Golden oldie from Orbit's occasionally weird, Wanted crime series. Now the more observant of you might recognize the goofy looking "bat" character in the splash below. This is because he made a brief cameo in the splash of our previous post HERE! That's right, 'ol Bat Flab appeared 4 issues prior to this one as a sort of "Wanted" visual teaser, I suppose, which was, not surprisingly, also illustrated by Maurice Del Bourgo. And okay, not to be confused with the 1940 Bela Lugosi PRC film of the same name (watch it HERE!), but our "Devil Bat" is still actually very similar to it, (as well as most cheapo poverty row film classics and afternoon serials of the era), --because it's just as entertainingly cartoonish and clunky as you can get! From the January 1949 issue of Wanted #17... and saaaay, am I crazy or does it feel like we're flappin' freakishly fast 'n furious through December?! Ahhh well, and Happy Friday the 13th too!

The Salem Terror

Our previous Wanted post reminded me of this true story filler entry from the May 1948 issue of Wanted Comics #13, and concerns the late 1600's Salem Witch Trials. I meant to post it around the end of October a few months ago, but as is the case around Karswell Manor, sometimes things get lost in the spooky shuffle. But hey, there's nothing wrong with a little hellish US history lesson in the darkening days of December now either, is there? This one is nicely illustrated by Maurice Del Bourgo, and actually sticks pretty close to the facts too, though if you want to read more about it all you can always hit the 'ol inter-webs and get all the info you could ever possibly hope to find-- or just CLICK HERE after today's post.

Make Way for Murder!

"Monday Murderings" has a nice ring to it, so let's spend the rest of the month livenin' up those Monday blues with some Monday grues! NOTE: Grue definition and meanings: 1.) a creeping of the flesh. 2.) to shiver or shudder. 3.) to feel a strong aversion-- and all of these definitions most certainly apply to this incredible tale of vengeance from beyond the slimy lime pit grave-- a story not even found in a horror comic, but instead the October 1952 issue of WANTED Comics #50! This is some top tier terror via the "The Mausoleum of Weird Crimes", and exceptionally well scripted by Bill Woolfolk, (the "mile after mile" narrative in the middle of page 5 is ghastly AF!), and --hold the phone-- pencils / inks here are by the late great John Buscema, who also created that spectacularly surreal cover! And hold on to your skin before it completely slithers away, because this tale actually goes one finale insane step beyond the usual shambling dead revenge plot!