The Secret of the Moaning Ghosts

I posted this Sergeant Spook tale waaaay back in 2008 HERE in its strangely less exciting, recolored / 1963 reprint version-- so here it is again in all of its original superdupernatural, fists a'flyin' fun (aka a much better encore presentation) from the far superior, October 1942 issue of Blue Bolt Vol. 3 #5. Plus, we finally get to see that amazing John Jordan cover art! For an extra good laugh, read the whiny comments on the original post, it's truly amazing that I'm even still maintaining this blog. I mean, the script was written by Mickey Spillane!

Horror Unlimited / Complete Voodoo Vol. 2 (NEWS)

Good friend and occasional HAUNTED HORROR story contributor, Tommy Stanziola, donated the scans for our last post (click HERE if you missed it), as well as the scans for today's post from the July-August 1954 issue of Voodoo #16. "Horror Unlimeted" is a fun tale that-- wait a second, that's NOT how you spell "unlimited!!!" Anyway, Tommy says this one "scared the shit out of me as a kid!" --let's see what it does to you! And speaking of Voodoo, you can now pre-order The Complete Voodoo Vol. 2 from IDW / Yoe Books Chilling Archives of Horror Comics hardcover collection series, coming in November! Just click HERE after you read today's story! Special thanks again to Tommy for the scans!

Time to Die

HAUNTED HORROR #18 finally landed in stores this week-- two weeks late, but better late than never! And today it's time for another preview of a spooky story contained in that issue, (making its debut here at THOIA as well), and originally presented in the February 1954 issue of Dark Mysteries #16. Anyone wanna take a stab at what the Hell the story host is supposed to be-- and why he has two gun barrels sticking out of his forehead?!!

"Go Get Yourself Some Guts, Gil!"

There's been a lot of Ken Landau pre-code horror work showcased here at THOIA over the years, now today I present a spooky, kooky, fun, and sometimes funny example of his post code horror work from ACG's June-July 1967 issue of Unknown Worlds #56. Ken's style is very distinct, (we'll see a more familiar Landau look in the next post), but todays story feels a bit stripped down and stylized in a way that I'm not sure I've ever seen him attempt before visually, it's kind of cool for what is essentially a silly, 11-page adventure into the realm of monsters tale. Anyway, this is a leftover Halloween story that I never got around to posting last month because I was still out on a much needed vacation-- enjoy! (Cover art by Edvard Moritz.)

Gorillas, Ghosts, and Gangsters (Do You Dig?)

I received a somewhat mixed reaction back in 2008 on the first time I ever posted a Sergeant Spook story (see HERE) --seems a few commenters would prefer THOIA steer clear of the more "kid friendly" type pre-code stories such as this. Well, today I have another one originally from the August 1942 issue of Blue Bolt Vol. 3 #3 (27), and this one is just as kid friendly and exploding with silly, playful fun-- and scripted by Mickey Spillane no less! Apologies to any haters... if this ain't your cup o'tea, come back in a few days for something scarier. (And a big thanks to Drazen "Happy Undertaker" Kozjan for the funny one page gag at the end of this post, from his Abbott & Costello comic collection.)

BONUS!

Has Anyone Seen My Killer? / 5 Miles to Midnight

This October we'll do something different... I thought I'd make every post this month a double feature, as well as highlight a particular artist in both stories. Sound good? Today we have two Silver Age classics from Lee Elias-- Lee needs no introduction, his brilliant cover work alone during the pre-code era of Golden Age horror comics goes unmatched. Special thanks to Britt (?) from Coliseum of Comics in Kissimmee, FL for helping me find these two issues in their massive back issue bin. "Has Anyone Seen My Killer?" from the Jan-Feb 1975 issue of The Unexpected #161, and "5 Miles to Midnight" is from the October 1975 issue of The Unexpected #169.