The Murdered Mummy

Well, I'm a bit saddened by the lack of response in our previous crime horror double feature, especially considering today's pre-planned post is a fine "told in pictures" pulp magazine follow-up to both of those tales. Yep, Hollywood Detective, Dan Turner returns, but this time he's in the Queenie Starr story,"Starring: A Corpse", (minus lil Queenie - see the previous post if you skipped it for whatev reason), and this time the setting isn't a mad science, stabby coffin, torture dungeon film set, it's an eerily exotic mummy movie location complete with a spine piercin' sacophagus! It's interesting to compare all the fun original art and various ideas here with the later 50's re-do, not to mention the hilariously snappy, tough guy banter. And boy, Barreaux could sure draw a gorgeous mm-mm-murdered mummy, even though I guess I like both versions of these about equal. From the January 1943 issue of Dan Turner - Hollywood Detective V1#6 (cover art possibly by Saunders?)

The Corpse That Killed!

We're still in "Giving You Something Different" mode this month here at THOIA, and though I actually did give you a different, though no less eerie Ellery Queen story once before back in 2014 (HERE!), it's possible that enough time has passed that it just might feel different enough to make the most out of our current March Madness Marathon. And yes, this tale has some definite spooky similarities to our previous post as well: psychotic killer, a decent body count-- plus dynamite dialog, a seance scene (I love seance scenes!) and a superbly chilling, ironic climax down at the atmospheric old graveyard. Did I forget to mention an incredible Norman Saunders cover painting too?! Interior art is pretty swell as well, but unfortunately uncredited. From the Ziff-Davis, Winter '52 issue of Ellery Queen #1.

Dance of the Doomed

The last THOIA post from the February 1953 issue of Strange Stories from Another World #5 is actually the first story in this issue, blurbed on the tremendous Norm Saunders cover too, and unfortunately for horror comic history, this was also the final issue of this occasionally thrilling, short lived series from Fawcett Pub. For all the tales in this one see the last 3 posts, as well as Vampire's Daughter that we posted last year.

The Serpent Queen

For the next 3 posts we'll be looking at the June 1952 issue of Unknown Worlds #1, because behind the chilling Norman Saunders skeleton cover, lurks 3 weird tales of waterlogged zombies and even more skeletons... and I LOVE skeletons! We'll kick things off with horrific high adventure and the gruesome / awesome boney fate of agony that awaits those in search of-- The Serpent Queen!

The Fangs of Death

Wrapping up our look at St. John's Nightmare series this week with a squirmy serpent love triangle from Nightmare #11 (February 1954) ...and hidden behind a gorgeous Norm Saunders(esque?) painted cover lurks what could possibly be an early Alex Toth tale. An indexer at GCD says, quote: "Art is uncredited, but appears to be Toth. Jerry Bails' Who's Who mentions that Toth had a reprint in this series in 1953." What's everyone think? And does anyone else get a Bernie Krigstein vibe from some of the panels like I do? [GCD seems to think it's Krigstein now -- Nequam.]

NEXT: Mummy!

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Vintage AD