Web of the Spider Woman

Spider Woman?!! But I thought Kars said we were done with hero stuff for a while! Annnnd indeed we are, as this is not a Marvel post, --but a creepy crawly Ace classic from the June 1953 issue of Hand of Fate #18. Artist Bill Molno densely packs every panel perfectly with loads of eerie atmosphere and lush line work, keeping the weird web motif spinning strongly in roof textures, foliage, fabrics, hair, fur --and fear! Harvey artist, George Roussos must have really loved that splash panel below, because a few months later he pulled quite a superb swiperoonie of it for the October 1953 cover of Out of the Shadows #10, just sayin'. Oh, and Happy Friday the 13th to each and every one of you today, too!

The Laughing Skull

Okay, one more hero horror story before you guys start screaming scarlet murder at me (unless anyone actually wants to see more?) And yes sirs, it's a Mr. Scarlet screamer again, along with the usual spookily dressed-up crime kook and his hysterical, tough talkin' hench goons. Did I save the best story for last? I kind of think so, aside from the arresting action, eerie art atmosphere, very funny dialog, and skulls skulls skulls, there's a really clever gravestone gimmick utilized here that would make both The Joker and The Riddler green with envy. The main perp also has a rather unusual alt angle this time around that I haven't seen in an old supe comic like this before as well. From the same great issue as our last post too, CLICK HERE! It also feels like Binder put a little more oomph into the art than he did with The Mummy Ray.

The Mummy Ray

We've traded in our whooshing death ray for a b-z-z-z-ing mummy ray (bandages not included!) in this week's deja vu loaded installment of Mummy Monday, via the Fall 1941 issue of Wow Comics #3! We've also swapped out crazy Captain Battle for the ever hilarious Mr. Scarlet, a shameless, mustachio'd masked hero who is not above the use of an innocent victim's corpse as a distraction device against his fiendishly foolish foes! And okay, since these "mummies" aren't the usual type of actual Karloffy mummy we've all come to love around here, I've also included a special one page tutorial on "How To Make A Mummy" from the November 1973 issue of Skywald's Psycho #15. Also of note: the more observant of you may notice a rather striking similarity in the overall writing vibe and art of Mr. Scarlet, and that's because it's by Otto and Jack Binder, the same dynamic brother duo who delivered all the great Captain Battle horror hero action last week. Enjoy!

The Death Ray

It's time to WHOOSH! some living things into skeletons somehow, which means it's also time for another half-baked Captain Battle horror adventure bonanza, via the December 1941 issue of Silver Streak Comics #17! This time Cap and his trusty sidekick Hale take on Dr. Dracula (lol) and his dingbat death ray. And if you think you've seen the last of death rays this week-- think again! I've got another one aimed at you up next for March of the Mummies Monday, in fact... yes, we must not forget the monthly themes that I tend to flimsily throw together here at the last minute. WHOOSH!

The Skull Men

I've been trying to get some requests filled going back into the previous year, but unfortunately haven't been too successful (though I was able to finally answer Bill's question in the comments of last month's Rudy Palais post HERE.) Anyway, Brian asked nicely about the Captain Battle vs. Herr Skull story from the Sept. 1941 issue of Silver Streak Comics #14, and that, (like a Cap sock to a nazi jaw) I can absolutely deliver! And here it is --SMACK!!! These boney goons are a real riot though, I mean, it's not enough to wear skull masks, but they've added a German pickelhaube (spike) to the tops of their noggin's, making them look like demented, undead unicorns! This is an action packed, frenetic follow-up to our previous mummy story HERE, and as long as we have the Silver Streaks out, we may as well see a few more later this week too. We'll just make it a Captain Battle vs. the Super Stupidnatural Fest, how's that sound? So grab hold tight to your luceflyer's, --it's gonna be a wild week!