Dead Woman's Swamp

Your sucky Saturday just got a whole lot swampier with another creepy crime horror classic, this time from Myron Fass and the murky mucky March 1954 issue of Crime Mysteries #12. Yes sir, if cute college dames getting drained to death by icky leeches is your jam, then your car has definitely broken down in the right place! There's also an ouch-inducin' muck monster maniac on the loose-- or is there?! Ugh! Those of you who picked up my wonderously water-logged SWAMP MONSTERS collection (via Yoe Books) back in 2019 might remember this ominous highpoint, though oddly enough, I somehow have never posted it here at THOIA-- so, prepare to get sucked in if you're unfamiliar with it!

The Machine!

How many tales of tragic time machine tomfoolery do you believe exist in the realm of sci-fi / horror comic books? I couldn't even begin to fathom how many there are just posted right here on this blog alone-- but I'm sure it's a lot! And yeah, the best ones always seem to involve some crumb bum crook trying to escape the law by violently taking advantage of an innocent scientist. And with that said --here's one more that literally checks every single one of those exact dadburn bloody boxes! From the March '52 issue of Suspense #15, with artwork by the eternally great, Werner Roth. 

I Married a Teen-Age Fly

Sunday Fun Days are here again with a wild, satirical whack at horror comics from the 1950's, and it comes courtesy of a midcentury girlie magazine to boob-- errr, boot! Of course, this could also easily be whackin' it at sci-fi horror film classics like I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957),  The Fly (1958), and I Married a Monster from Outer Space (also 1958), but let's just stick with the blurb's intention from the back cover of the memorable, March 1959 issue of Fling #13. Some really nice, titillating artwork here by cartoonist, Don Magolis, and while the writing isn't quite up to a MAD or Cracked level of crazed, sight-gag filled hilarity, it's still worth the handful of chuckles and everyone's attention for the risque / mad monster mash-up freak factor alone!

Frankenstein y el Hombre Lobo

We looked at a comic book Frankenstein story exactly one week ago today, right HERE --and in the comments, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man '43 was mentioned (by the guy who always mentions Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man whenever he possibly can!) So hey, let's make it another Frankenstein Friday and take a look at Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, shall we? But let's make it extra different and dig out the Junior Films #3 (1946) adaptation from Spain, featuring tiny frames of FvsWM fun, with the entire film claustrophobically crammed into just 4 puny pages! That cover collage is pretty sweet, too! But awww, you can't read Spanish? Well, your phone can! Just use your handy dandy Google Translate app feature! Now THAT'S mad science! But now you say that you prefer your Frankenstein even weirder, as well as from Japan? Hmmmm, howz'about checking out Jin Katagiri's Udonkensteins from the Kenelephant figure collection at the very end of this post then! Yep, if you ever wondered what Frankie would look like in 4 different color variations and with his entire hulky form composed of tasty, uncut / scored udon noodles, well-- now you know! Thanks again to Mr. Cavin for these so f%$kin' incredible sofubi treasures! I definitely do believe that you are simply not going to encounter a more foreign Frankie post on the web today than right here at THOIA, --or EVER for that matter!

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...

Son of Frankenstein

I promised you something cinematically different for today's post, and here it comes, via the April 1939 debut issue of DC's Movie Comics #1-- Basil Rathbone! Boris Karloff! Bela Lugosi! Lionel Atwill! And Josephine Hutchinson in-- SON OF FRANKENSTEIN! This is a fun, condensed photo comic adaptation of the Universal monster classic from the same year, featuring modified black 'n white film stills from the movie, astoundingly airbrushed into lurid, living comic book color, and in some cases even highlighted with all new illustrated panels, most notably on the final page. This unique DC series only lasted 6 issues, but it did delve into the darker side of Hollywood horror and mystery cinema a few more times too, and we'll take a look at another entry in our next post coming this weekend, please stay tombed...

The She-Monster

Who amongst you actually believed I would finish out June with a scary She-Beast? Ohhh, how little you know me... why, clearly the only way to truly seal the coffin lid on a month, (as well as a "Lurid Ladies" theme) is with a She-Monster! Dynamic Dick Briefer returns to THOIA now, delivering his own vicious version of the eternally flawed Bride of Frankenstein, via the January 1954 issue of Frankenstein #28. It's quite a beautiful work of art, honestly, all of this mad monster science at its most maddening! And THAT, my friends, is the way you close out a month of posts, and a terrifically terrifyin' theme! More jolts in July-- stay tombed!