Tuesday, October 31, 2023

"I Hired a Ghost!"

An appropriately themed Halloween party in a haunted house tale from the May 1953 issue of House of Mystery #14, with classic art by Leonard Starr and Bruno Premiani. And yes, maybe you're one of the odd ducks just now discovering THOIA, (really?!) --so as the eerie invite below states: "You Are Invited To Enter And Join In Our Fun!" Have a great holiday everyone, burn the midnight fires this evening, and we'll see you all next month for lots rots more!







Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Don't Shake Hands with the Devil!

We had some phony fun devils via the old west earlier this month HERE, now it's time to get down with the really hot REAL demonic dealio! From the June 1950 issue of Marvel Tales #96, and featuring some masterful art by Mike Sekowsky that almost seems to predict a satanic Silver Age illustrative sensibility decades before it ever happened!

Friday, October 20, 2023

Spirit World

Time once again to enter deep into the realm of the spooky supernatural. Or wait, let's just kick back and watch it enter into ours, via the April - May 1953 issue of Frankenstein #24. Nice artwork from (possibly) Simon and Kirby penciller / inker, Marvin Stein, who I believe is finally making his THOIA debut.

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Master of the Dead!

Did anyone from Metallica ever read this story from the January - February 1954 issue of Eerie #14? Asking for a fiend. Nice work as always from Nodel and Alascia, in fact, I liked this story so much back in 2016 that I included it in my Chilling Archives of Horror Comics hardcover collection, The Return of the Zombies. Get your copy HERE if you haven't already...

Friday, October 13, 2023

Ghost on the Gallows

One more whack-a-doodle tale from the November 1953 issue of Mysteries Weird and Strange #4 (see previous post as well), and this time we're hangin' around the ominous old haunted house and having ourselves a truly swingin' time. Happy Friday the 13th to everyone too!

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Circle of Death

If you haven't heard, Heritage Auctions has a handful of original, full-story Robert Webb / Iger Shop precode horror art becoming available in the next few weeks, (CLICK HERE for more info!) --and today's post is one of them. Annnnd after re-reading the ultra-lurid "Circle of Death" tale from the November 1953 issue of Mysteries Weird and Strange #4 a couple of things occurred to me: 1.) I wish I had added this to my Haunted Love mini series a few years back-- wah! and 2.) it's left me puzzled to why I've never posted it here at THOIA! GAG! Such a wonderfully mean spirited, gruesomely grim, scuzzy story-- why, I didn't even bother to clean up the scans as extensively as I usually do, just cuz! Hahahaha, enjoy?

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Not Quite Human!

All of the recent hub-bub about dangerously advanced AI technology reminded me of this cool post code tale illustrated by Jay Scott Pike, from the August 1956 issue of Strange Tales #49. See? A little water = nothing to worry about, folks!

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

The Phantom Devils of Lorado

I posted a couple of Masked Marvel weird western tales a few months back HERE and everyone seemed to have fun with them, so here's another one that also actually fits pretty well with our last post since everyone equally enjoyed giant intrusive centerpiece page illustrations (this time we get a goddamned devil head's facial orifices becoming the actual story page panels-- and it somehow looks even crazier than it sounds!) So hold on to your foreheads, here he comes to save the violent day! From the August 1951 issue of Gunsmoke #14.