R.I.P. Mort Drucker

We sadly lost another comic book legend yesterday, and today, THOIA pays tribute to the heroic hand and masterfully MAD mind of Mort Drucker, who passed away at the age of 91. It's hard to put into words how much this mans art meant to me from my earliest years as a young MAD magazine reader, up to discovering all of the other great work he created elsewhere later. And speaking of, here's a weird little vampire story he penciled from the July 1954 issue of Strange Tales #30. Also note that my archive contains a few more fine Drucker examples as well, just CLICK HERE, and HERE.













And if you're looking for more madcap Mort, head over to my other blog for classic parodies of Rosemary's Baby, and The Exorcist!

The Dirty Dog

Keeping with the theme of dirty dogs (see previous post), here's a fun one from the August 1952 issue of Spellbound #6. And while it's not quite as dirty as the aforementioned previous post, it is definitely miles more entertaining, and contains much clearer direction and intent.

The Horror of it All?

NEWS: I've received quite a few private messages through Facebook and Instagram congratulating me on my new podcast with Fangoria. I have to say, it is indeed an honor to see my blog (now in its 13th year) associated with a magazine that I've loved and collected since I was 11 years old. I mean, I can actually remember seeing Fangoria #1 right there on the newsstand in '79! Yes, over the years I've learned a lot about the horror films I've cherished most, and one other huge medal of honor that I will forever wear proudly on my jacket came the day my comic book series, HAUNTED HORROR, actually received a rockin' review courtesy of Fango editor, Svetlana Fedotov. Fangoria is certainly an important magazine to the genre that we horror fiends all dig the best-- there is just one small problem though....

I have absolutely nothing to do with this podcast.



Anyway, best of luck to them. I do hope my blog name helps with their hits, just as I hope random google searches for their podcast brings new visitors over here to THOIA.

And that's about all I'm ever going to say about any of this... seriously.

The Flat Man / Crazy Glass

A couple of flatso fright tales for you today, both from the May 1952 issue of Spellbound #3 --and if you check the Atlas Tales link a few words back with the THOIA Archive, you'll discover that like our last post, this is also another FULL ISSUE PRESENTATION! Okay, some of you might remember the other much more hilariously violent "Flat Man" story I posted way back in 2007 (CLICK HERE), but I believe you will find this one smashing too-- just pay close attention to what he says in the 5th panel on page 3 so you're not dwelling on what seems like a giant stupid plot hole-- PLUS, rounding everything out with the confusingly kooky "Crazy Glass" quickie.









SLIMMER! NOT FLATTER!!

The Knave of Diamonds

Time for the final tale from the June 1952 issue of Spellbound #4, and yes ladies and gents, this chalks up another full house, aka FULL ISSUE PRESENTATION here at THOIA! Did we save the best for last? Uhh no, not even close. But it's still a fun, though predictably sledgehammered story of yet another loathsome idiot getting crushed by a diamond hungry blonde. Don Rico and Dick Ayers make a pretty good art duet though, even if their subject matter leaves ya groanin' in the end.

A Monument to Hy Fleishman

It is with a very heavy heart we say goodbye to our good friend, Hy Fleishman, who passed away painlessly, and peacefully earlier this morning at the age of 92. One of THOIA's favorite artists, Hy unquestionable propelled 1950's horror comics (and beyond) into areas where few other artists dared to go, and the best way we can honor the man and his legacy is to present two wonderfully wild examples of what Hy excelled at most-- THE HORROR. Vampire's Bite! is from the December 1952 issue of Dark Mysteries #10, and A Monument to Mortimer! is from the July 1953 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #20.

























And be sure to check the THOIA Archive for many more classics by Hy. Our deepest condolences once again to Hy's family and friends, though with this sad news I will have some good news in the coming weeks regarding the Hy Fleishman collection that we (Yoe Books) have been working on for the last year. Stay tuned for more on that, coming soon...

The Horrible House!

Atlas had a habit of recycling story titles, like the wonderfully weird 'n creepy Al Eadeh classic also called "The Horrible House" that I posted in the second half of a double feature way back in 2009, CLICK HERE. But this time it's Bill LaCava's turn to show you how horrible a house really can be-- even when you unfortunately have a whole lot in common with its other unlucky inhabitants. I would love to see this as an old-time horror film quickie starring Basil Rathbone!

From the June 1952 issue of Spellbound #4.









And if you can't save your own head-- at least save your hair!

One-Way Ticket

A funny little chiller about awful wedded bliss, (overbearingly pleasant spouses take note!), this time helmed by the masterful hand of all-star Atlas big league hitter, Russ Heath. And like our last post, it too comes from the shockingly spooktacular, June 1952 issue of  Spellbound #4.

The Man Who Loved to Kill

Another tale from the June 1952 issue of Spellbound #4, and with its oddly ingenious mad scientist twist on the Most Dangerous Game theme, today's post will surely leave your hunter heads a'spinning!









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