A Debt to the Devil!

Everyone knows what happens when you owe a debt to that schemin' demon, Ol Scratch, so let's see how todays post plays out from the nether regions of golden age Hell. Originally featured in the July 1951 issue of Journey into Fear #2.

The Devil's Store

Satanic Saturday Shopping is back at THOIA, uhh, and despite the rather uninspired splash, this is still probably one of my all time favorite Superior Pub devil stories ever. It's fast paced, very funny, and has a super clever hook to achieve a high body count-- all the way up to the very last panel, in fact! From the March 1954 issue of Journey into Fear #18.

















Speaking of novelty store items, I wonder if The Devil's Store carries the Raquel Welch Pillow, as seen in the ad below? And I wonder what happens when you use it?



I'm definitely not ordering the 7 Foot Monster or Skin Head Wig from them! Werewolf Horror Mask? Absolutely.

Out of the Crypt

Rising up from the tomb of ancient terror, Mummy Mondays at THOIA is comin' at ya! And like most Superior Publishing tales from the golden age of gruesomeness, this one is particularly way over the top and, to be totally honest, crazy as a bucket full of bats. And it's also a love story! And so, like our last post, let us journey into fear once more with a silly story from the September 1952 issue of Journey into Fear #9.

Carnival of Death

Just yesterday, Brian Barnes was asking me if I was aware of the great Laff In the Dark website (and yes, it's one of my favorite website ever, of course!), and that in turn reminded me of this freaky funhouse tale from the March 1954 issue of Journey into Fear #18. I do find it odd how very little precode content there is when it comes to stories about amusement park haunted attractions, ie: dark rides, spook houses, hall of mirrors etc (I've attempted to put together a book about it for years since it's clearly the perfect setting), but no can do, unfortunately. But the Iger Shop really outdoes themselves this time around with an insanely creepy creature design though, and like our last post, we also get another off hand comment about the lovely aroma of death. Enjoy! Hahahahahahahahaha...

Deadly Revenge

The THOIA Archive reveals one tale left to post from the July 1953 issue of Journey into Fear #14, which completes yet another goddamned FULL ISSUE presentation here --check the archive for "Jury of the Undead", "The Green Witch", and "Return of the Corpse." And FYI: Today's post is dedicated to the gorilla my dreams!

Return of the Corpse

We had another corpse return in the grimy, poorly printed pages of a Superior Publishing comic way back in 2008 (HERE), and though that one looks like a million bucks compared to today's putrid post, everything else from the art to the writing is just as wonderfully ugly and gruesome, and as gloriously bottom barrel batshit as the other. I mean seriously, how loathsome can you go? From the July 1953 issue of Journey into Fear #14.

HAUNTED LOVE #3 / Tomb for Two

IN STORES this Wednesday, April 6th-- it's HAUNTED LOVE #3! Yes, screams a charm as the third and finale fright-filled issue of IDW’s hair-raising new hit misery-series, HAUNTED LOVE concludes with a gag-gle of gruesome guys ’n gals ensnared in shivery tales of love and romance gone horribly awry! Seven macabre matches most definitely NOT made in heaven-- and here we have a FULL STORY preview of the first terrible tale from the issue-- an awful Tomb for Two, originally presented in the March 1952 issue of Journey into Fear #6. (WARNING: HAUNTED LOVE is not recommended for lovers of long walks on the beach, soft music, or candlelight dinners.)