While I'm working on a larger / weirder post arriving Wednesday, let's take a speedy quick trip into the supernatural with this frightening, 3 page "Uncanny Experiences" filler tale, via the April - May 1953 issue of Out of the Night #8. I have a "hunch" that you'll enjoy the visuals here by ever reliable ACG all-pro, Art Gates. Now buckle up for what's destined to be one helluva bumpy ride-- YAAGH!!
It's always weird when I discover a story that I actually published in one of my books 10 years ago (aka DEVIL TALES) but has yet to ever be posted here at THOIA. I honestly have no idea how that happens, and happens it does. But this damned 'n doomed Dick Beck and Art Gates pair-up from the Nov. '53 issue of Adventures into the Unknown #49 is not only a good / inconsequencial example of when Mr. Karswell pulls a blog boner blunder, --it also still fits right in rather nicely with THOIA's Halfway to Halloween / Walpurgisnacht shindig happenin' in just a few days, anyway-- so whatev!
We're in the final week stretch / halfway to Halloween / Walpurgisnacht countdown celebration. And those of you who know, know exactly what I'm talkin' about! So as usual, for the next few posts leading up to it, things are gonna get extra evil around here, and that means no one more so diabolical than big bad daddy-o, Satan himself! Oh wait, sorry... this story isn't about Satan at all. It's about a guy called NATAS. Silly me, I honestly have no idea how I could've got the two confused! Oh well, it's still a frightfully fun tale none the less, and full of freaky demons and exquisite examples of my kind of eerie Robert Pious (?) art! From the October 1952 issue of Adventures into the Unknown #36.
Tomb it May Concern Thursday is back, and let's see if we can crack the lid open on not only this ghastly bit of horrifying grave gamery, but also on the actual origin of this gruesome great Kenneth Landau shocker, via the September 1969 issue of Shock V1 #3. Similar to the Eerie Pubs, Shock was a cheap Stanley Morse publication known for taking Golden Age comics and reprinting them in a larger, magazine size, black and white format. GCD notes that this story was also reprinted in the April 1973 issue of K. G. Murray's Haunted Tales #2, which is equally loaded with precode reprints. But where did this story ORIGINALLY come from, and is "Within the Tomb" even the original story title? Does anyone recognize the horror host introducing the story? Landau did a tremendous amount of work for ACG back in the 50's (check the THOIA Archive for many examples HERE), and this story does feel like one from that time era and publisher. I'm just not seeing any information online about it anywhere... any help on this matter is gravely appreciated!
Time now to finish up November 2025 right where we sorta started-- with even more King Ward weirdness! This is one seriously silly, sci-fi horror adventure, via the November - December 1951 issue of Forbidden Worlds #3. And while it's off the charts in terms of convoluted craziness, it's also packed with a wild assortment of concepts and cool creature designs. You likely won't forget this one, just as Bruce and Betty never forgot it after they returned to Earth and tried to recapture a little bit of that arousing alien action in the bedroom (see their own amateur home photo attached below!) I've also rounded out the post with yet another ACG "True" ghost quickie, --yep, illustrated by Ward-- and this time from the January - February 1953 issue of Skeleton Hand #3. We'll be heading back to Earth in a few for lots more, --stay tombed!
Time to put a wrap on our killer King Ward Fest this week with a couple more ACG AdvUnk fillers. And first up, a whoppin' weird 4-page historical account of Hugo Ormsbeck, 13th century oddball alchemist, and magician, who apparently discovered the power of the living dead, --and thusly became a "true" zombie himself! Ward delivers some great panels here, I just wish the coloring was a little more inspired. From the March 1953 issue of Adventures into the Unknown #41, followed by a one page voodoo quickie from the Fall 1948 debut issue of Adventures into the Unknown #1. GCD attributes the art here by Ward as well, but it honestly doesn't look like his work to me... I'm sure you will all let me know your opinions on this matter as well.
It's King Ward Werewolf Wednesday here at THOIA, and yeah, I've decided that we'll just spend the rest of this week looking at some of Ward's weirder horror output for ACG --see our previous post as well, in case you missed it! And speaking of weird, this might just be one of the weirdest, graverobbin' werewolf stories ever! King's art is absolutely astounding, as always, and he can absolutely draw a menacingly slinky, wicked wolf pack like no other! But as beautifully drawn and written as some of the narrative is, Charles Verral's scripting here is oddly shoddy, ridiculously packed with illogical details that would make even Ed Wood laugh out loud. So if you can forgive all of that stuff, and still try to have fun with today's entry (from the August 1951 issue of Adventures into the Unknown #22), then you might just etc etc... uhhhh... well... okay, yes, that's right-- sometimes a story can leave even poor 'ol Mr. Karswell at a complete loss for words. AAARGH!
