Fifty-Fifty! / Hate!

You can't deny that when we have an Atlas Fest here at THOIA, it's always a damn good time! And because a few of you axed for it, we'll close out the month with another double header (or is that a beheader?!) Bill LaCava proves that hate is stronger than blood, with a very cleaver, errr, a very clever classic from the August 1952 issue of Marvel Tales #108. But first up, a rather dividing tale of divorce and doom from the May 1953 issue of Marvel Tales #114. The Atlas Tales site thinks this is a team-up art attack from Jack Hearne and Bill Savage, and that sounds savagely good to me too-- either way that you slice it! Hope everyone enjoyed this month of Atlas, you can look forward to another mix of macabre stories from some of the other finer precode publishers, and maybe even a surprise or two as we slide into super September already (?!!), inching closer and closer to Halloween!! Stay tombed...

The Coward & The Choker

And the midnight toker! Just jokin'-- it's "Super Blood-Soaked Saturday Shocker" time again, with a deadly double header of gagging gore and blood thirsty, brutal betrayals! Yes, just in case anyone thought THOIA was turnin' soft over our expansive 18-year run here on the 'ol interwebs, well, --think again! Two terror-packed tales full of dismemberment, dickish dames, and dumb dudes a'danglin', and despite some less than stellar scan quality here, both are from the rather awesome August 1954 issue of Mysterious Adventures #21. The savage illustrations in the first story are by bad boy Bill Savage himself, and followed by the always radical Ross Andru on our rockin' second tale. Plus! A real crowd-pleaser of a cover by Hy Fleishman! Have a gory great weekend everyone, with lots lots morgue to come-- so stay tombed!

The Dummy!

Some of you know about Mr. Karswell's love for vintage department store mannequins, so with that in mind we'll kick off Macabre March Madness 2024 with a lovely little Bill Savage story all about 'em! From the March 1954 issue of Astonishing #31, and guess what? I do believe I have yet another mannequin related bit of mayhem lined up for our next post as well, so stay totally t-t-t-tombed...

Ghoulash

To those of you that have spent any considerable amount of time reading pre code horror comics, today's carnivorous climax will come as no surprise-- but holy moly, this one is definitely all about the terrific trip getting there! So many great, gory moments in this bloodthirsty tale of a murderous menage a trois gone monstrously wrong... so many moments in fact that we here at THOIA believe the appropriately named illustrative genius of Bill Savage deserves some kind of award of awesomeness or something. And yes, there's clearly a reason this story was remade quite a few times in the Eerie Pubs too-- whew! From the June 1954 issue of Mysterious Adventures #20.

HAUNTED LOVE #2 / Two for the Money

I went to Chicago before I had a chance to update THOIA last week with news about HAUNTED LOVE #2 being released, but I hath returned and here's the skinny-- a little late with apologies! So if you enjoyed the first issue, #2 promises more eerie girls from beyond the grave, monsters, monkeys, Hell, there's even a story about a guy in love with a guillotine! Today's FULL STORY preview though originally appeared in the October 1954 issue of Mysterious Adventures #22, pencils by Bill Savage, and feels a bit like a fast paced and freaky EC leftover. So rush out now and get HAUNTED LOVE #2 before they sell-out-- sounds as if comic shops are under-ordering again, as usual.

Two for the Money

Some guys have all the luck! And let me tell you, it's definitely NOT the guy in our next story... read along as this poor slob gets every little horrific thing that he totally freakin' deserves. From the October 1954 issue of Mysterious Adventures #22 --and featuring Bill Savage pencils!

Do Not Feed / Down Down Down

Two warped Atlas tales from the watery depths of weirdness, our first fishy freak originally presented in the Aug. '52 issue of Advs into Weird Worlds #9, and the second from the March '54 issue of Marvel Tales #121.

(Vintage AD)