Ultimate Cure / Measure of the Monster

We're still spinnin' out the tales of spooky sorcery at THOIA-- as well as over at my other blog HERE -- so are you too cool to handle the terrors of BOTH issues of Chilling Adventures in Sorcery (as told by Sabrina?!) This was a frighteningly fun but super short lived Archies spin-off series of pre/post code inspired horror tales concerning mad science, monsters, and the supernatural, featuring cool 'n clean, funny illustrations by Dan DeCarlo and Stan Goldberg, plus inks from John D'Agostino and Rudy Lapick... I really wish there were more than 2 issues! And for what essentially seems to be a comic geared towards younger readers, some of these tales have wonderfully grim, downbeat endings. So read on, today we have half of the stories from the October 1972 issue of Chilling Adventures in Sorcery As Told By Sabrina #2, and when you're done here head on over to AEET by clicking HERE for the other half! I'll have issue #1 in our next post!

Cat! / Immortality Factor

Another Red Circle Comics Group double feature post today, this time a showcase example of Gray Morrow's talents as both writer and artist... from the stunning cover to all 4 stories in the Oct '73 issue of Chilling Adventures in Sorcery #3 (writer credits for the Essays into the Supernatural one-page bonus go to Phil Sueling), Morrow did pretty much everything else in this issue himself. And it's wonderfully detailed work too, I might add-- the first story "Cat!" stars Barbara Steele, purrfectly cast in the seductive lead, while "Immortality Factory" features photo reference panels of Boris Karloff at his typically sinister, mad doctor best.

The Happy Dead / The Terrible Trident!

Continuing with our look at Red Circle Comic Group's very short lived 70's MADHOUSE horror series, here are two from the Sept '74 issue of Madhouse #95. Starting off with "The Happy Dead" (no nods to The Grateful Dead necessary), this is a hilarious story that Doug Wildey may or may not have used Barbara Steele photos for as reference in a few panels-- but it's most certain that German "El Vampiro" Robles pops in for whatever reason in the middle of page 5! And then, "The Terrible Trident!" picks up where we left off in our last post with yet another devil story, and one very familiar, almost monotonous punchline ending! I was saving this one for Halloween, but here ya go anyway, typically cool art from Vicente Alcazar-- and how about that creepy Gray Morrow cover!

German Robles 

Demon Kiss / The Devil's Matchmaker

Having survived the madhouse that is San Diego Comic Con 2013, I return with a demonic Double Feature, both tales from the November 1974 issue of Red Circle Comics Group MADHOUSE #96, the first story written and illustrated by the great Bruce Jones, (it certainly doesn't  get much better than bikinis and blasphemy for this blogger!), and the second atmospheric story illustrated by Sal Amendola. I'll have more from this scary, short-lived silver age horror series in the next few posts too.

(cover art by
Gray Morrow)