The Passing of Samantha B

Film history has shown us that on this day, April 21st, in 1880, the 6 founding fathers of Antonio Bay, California deliberately wrecked a clipper ship off the coast so that its wealthy, leprosy-afflicted owner could not establish a leper colony nearby. All crew and passengers were killed, and the sunken ship was eventually salvaged of its treasures by the same men responsible for this senseless tragedy. I'm sure many of you that follow this blog know the rest of John Carpenter's classic, gory, ghost story. So as long as we have the SSS collection handy (see our previous post too), let's take a look at a terrific terror tale possessing quite a few similarities, via the July 1969 issue of Strange Suspense Stories #8. Spectral ship, vengeful spirit, a lonely lighthouse, lots of fog, and a care-free couple suddenly caught up in the clutches of a screaming supernatural spook. Joe Gill script, Vince Coletta illustrations, and Jim Aparo cover art, too!

The Man Who Warmed the Bones of the Dead! / The Idea!

In just a few short weeks we'll be halfway to Halloween! But as everyone here already knows, everyday is Halloween at THOIA, so let's unleash a couple of ghastly old g-g-ghosts to further p-p-prove my p-p-point! Bob Powell, (as promised in our previous post) returns to warm up this haunted house of horrors with 10 atmospheric pages of pure nightmare fuel! From the June 1952 debut issue of Strange Suspense Stories #1 --and check out that bone-chilling cover by Sheldon Moldoff! Also, if it's just too scary for some of you, how about a cute Droopy Dog bonus page via Laffy-Daffy Comics #1 (1945.) We can't let Yogi have all the fun, now can we? And okay, this isn't quite the same Droopy that some of you are likely already familiar with, but it's still a nice little chiller ghost filler! BAARRF! ARF! Give that dog a warm bone!

This Bite is Sweet!

From the oddball werewolf of our last post, to an equally weird (looking) vampire in today's entry, (and don't get me started on that cape), this story comes a'flappin' forth from the September 1954 issue of Strange Suspense Stories #21. Featuring legendary, Peter North, who some of you might already know went on to a very lucrative career in the 80's adult entertainment industry...

Food for Thought

Did everyone have a pleasant Thanksgiving? I know I ate way too much, as usual. Still, there are plenty of leftovers to go around, like this steamy little morsel from the August 1954 issue of Strange Suspense Stories #20. Don't gobble it all down too quickly now...

I Went to My Own Funeral

Let's do one more Charlton classic before we switch it back up with the various publisher mix. And okay, I'm not sure I saved the best story for last, but it's definitely a weird winner, and contains an interesting plot device that I do believe is new to this blog-- a sex change! Yep, edgy stuff for the 50's, and you're seriously going to love that second panel at the top of page three. From the January - February 1954 issue of Strange Suspense Stories #16, art by Dick Giordano again.

You Know Too Much!

Another attack on the American family tale, courtesy of the July 1954 issue of Strange Suspense Stories #19 (see previous post too.) And yes, at some point along the way here you'll probably see where it's all going, but that's not enough for this story, giving you one final chilling thing to think about as you lay there dying and completely helpless to do anything about it. And that my friends, is REAL HORROR.













Classic cover by Steve Ditko 

All Burnt Up!

As the winter temps here in the midwest begin to plummet once more, it's time again to turn up the heat with another all-time favorite Charlton tale of justice served extra hot-- a sizzlin' little number from the July 1954 issue of Strange Suspense Stories #19.









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