The Madhouse Murder Mystery

A few of you seemed on the fence about the hot pink horrors of our previous post, so I thought maybe we'd take another stab at it with a fun, old-time oddity from the March 1939 issue of Amazing Mystery Funnies V2 #3. Of the 7 pages, 3 of them are overlayed with a variety of perplexing pink hues, while the other 4 pages are in black and white. Not sure why they did it like this exactly, but I think it adds a screaming surrealness to the sinister setting, as well as to the masked murderer and their spooky dungeon of brain swappin', scientific madcappery. GCD notes that artist/writer, E.F. Webster was actually Ethel Felder Webster, and she was rockin' the Richard Sala-esque murder mystery style tale a few decades before he was even born. Man I miss that guy...

"Ghostly Killer" / "Death on Display"

Gale forces are still blowin' strong here at THOIA, as we re-enter Earth's atmosphere, leaving behind Gale Allen and her space-age Girl Squadron (see our previous post HERE), thus, landing once more back on solid, blood-soaked soil to find not one, but TWO great, horror-tinged, Gail Ford murder mysteries awaiting us! Yep, someone's dumped a dead dame amongst the dummies in a department store window display. Now it's up to Gail (and her Bettie Page bangs 'n legs) to bring the baddie to justice! From the October 1950 debut issue of Crime Smashers #1, plus fun art and fast paced script from Gene Leslie! But first, Gail gasps it up in a graveyard at midnight as someone has once again turned a gal into a ghost! Gene Leslie delivers another daring, detective doozy, this time via the December 1950 issue of Crime Smashers #2! And just because it's been awhile, it's casting call time again: Starring Broderick Crawford as Inspector Madson, and Jean Brooks as beautiful, bad ass-- Gail "Girl Friday" Ford!

Greyble to the Grave / Haunted One

THOIA delivers our Valentine's Massacre post one day early because hey-- it's also Friday the 13th! And like we do on most holidays, it's a double fab fear-ture. Let's start off the festivities with a grave tale by Angelo Torres from the November 1959 issue of Eerie Tales #1, and featuring a really gorgeous cover painting from good 'ol George Tuska, too! Then we crack open another rare debut #1 issue, the May 1952 issue of Voodoo #1, in fact! It's a leggy crime horror reworking of a Bomber Comic's Grimm Ghost Detective story-- they simply changed Grimm's name to "Trimm!" Ha, hope everyone gets a little trim as well on Valentine's Day-- and stay tombed, cuz this February freak-out is far from over!

The Ghost Maker / He Couldn't Live Without Her

Let us now kick start Fearbruary into ghoulish gear by picking up right where we left off last month with another double feature of g-g-g-ghost stories! And this time we'll be visiting two Gold Key classics, the August 1974 issue of Grimm's Ghost Stories #18, as well as Grimm's Ghost Stories #28 from December 1975. Both tales fall into our lurid month-long look at love and other monstrosities of matrimonial madness 'n mayhem-- though I may sneak something non-Valentiney into the mix occasionally too. So hands up, who thinks the guys in both of these stories each got a raw deal in the end?

Night of Horror / The Stranger

We saw some super fine Frank Springer art just a few posts ago over at AEET HERE, and now he springs forth yet again here with a familiar old, urban legend-style, spook story set-up, via the June 1966 issue of Dell's Ghost Stories #14. And yes friends, it all takes place on New Years Eve! But first, let's see what the great cover illustration of our previous post was about as we once again return to the April 1952 issue of Suspense #17. Hmmm, have I really not posted a Werner Roth story since 2019?! For shame! I'll see what I can do about that in the coming year. And speaking of, while some of you will likely be out and about, having a party packed evening of festive fun, other's will be experiencing quite the opposite. In fact, you might even call tonight a "Night of Horror!" Yeah, that's the way we do things around here at THOIA, anyway. And if the drunken car crashes and hellarious graveyard hazing antics don't finally do you in, then be sure to come back here next year and see what other terrors ominously await! Happy New Year, everyone-- we did it! 13... 13... 13... 13... 13... 13... 13... 13... 13... 13... 13... 13...