Beyond the Grave

Even if he hadn't signed the splash, precode 50's horror lovers and long time followers of this blog could / should / would immediately recognize the unmistakable, and wonderfully weird work of the one and only, Rudy Palais. And here he is in the shivery Silver Age and still deliverin' the sensationally sweaty goods for Charlton comics this time around-- from the joltin' June 1967 issue of Ghostly Tales #61.

Hand of Glory / Demon Count

A few more of these ominously fun one page quickies from the original 50's Phantom Stranger series (see our previous post if you somehow missed it), and like said post, all of these are also eerily illustrated by Mort Drucker. Anyone in need of an additional hand at some gory glory need merely CLICK HERE and HERE! after today's post!

How to Spot a Witch!

Just to mix things up a little, here's a handful of superstitious silliness from the annals of "true" human history, aka: Phantom Stranger #3, 4, and 5 to be exact, with everything illustrated by marvelous mad man, Mort Drucker. I've always liked these single / half page filler bits in old horror comics, even if they're nothing but a complete load of tommyrot...

The Hitch-Hiker / Room for the Night

Taking a queue from the English here in early December with a traditional ghost story double feature to get you ready for xmas-- and for obvious reasons you know perfectly well why Mr. Karswell approves! Also, you know both of these classic supernatural tales, each has been told countless times in countless variations and cultures, and in some ways both have slipped into the annals of "urban legend" terror-tory as well! From the 1960 issue of The World Around Us: The Illustrated Story of Ghosts #24 from Classics Illustrated, artwork by Georg Evans and Reed Crandall on "The Hitch-Hiker", Gray Morrow on "Room for the Night."

The Malignant Mummy

PLUS: A bonus “True Ghosts of History” mummy tale quickie from the Aug-Sept 1949 issue of Adventures into the Unknown #6

Detour: Lorelei on Highway 52

The request posts are over for the time being, but we’re sticking with Black Magic for a few more days. I particularly like this story as it’s yet another variation on the roadside ghost girl theme I love so much. Practically every little town in America has their own take on this legend / myth, and if anyone would like to share one from their own creepy part of the country I’d love to hear about it.

From the November 1952 issue of Black Magic Vol. 2 #12

Rider in the Storm

A classic story you’ve likely heard before in some form or another: the hitchhiking ghost girl haunting a lonely stretch of highway. I love old legends like this, even if it does star the same exact dead girl (now a blonde) swiped from Russ Heath’s Village Graveyard story that I posted back in November HERE. Don’t believe me? Compare the very last coffin panels from both stories.

From the September 1953 issue of Adventures into Darkness #11

The Turkey Neck (URBAN LEGEND)

Okay, how about a TRUE horror story for Thanksgiving? I guess some people would read this and say, “Where’s the horror?” My guess is those that ask this question are likely to be of the female persuasion… unless of course this sort of thing happens to their boyfriend or husband, then this of course becomes terrifying.

Spider in the Hairdo! (URBAN LEGEND)

With Halloween quickly approaching one thing that's fun to do is get together with your friends and tell spooky stories to really get into the mood. And what better tales are there than the ones based completely in 100% reality. Like the one about the guy in the backseat of the car with the axe! Or the one about the stoned babysitter who microwaved that baby!! Yeah, all of these stories, or “urban legends” as the faithless label them, believe it or not, really did happen… uh, to a friend of a friend. Like this one, courtesy of Mitch O'Connell…