The Bird Sanctuary

In case some of you are starting to think that THOIA is for the birds, well-- you're right! We ended 2010 with our bloody beaks 'n talons dripping, now we do the same to ring in the new year! The July '54 issue of The Tormented #1 features 4 gorgeously illustrated horror stories, two from Mike Sekowsky and two (including this post) from Mike Roy. There are a couple more from this ish in the THOIA Archive, check out the super creepy "Caterpillar House" and the bone chilling "Dinner for One" when you're finished...

Trapped!

Somewhere in the THOIA Archives is another pre-code publisher rip-off of EC's Shock Suspenstories #9 classic "Carrion Death!" but I'll be damned if I can find it or remember what it's called (with well over 1300 untagged posts now, it's hard to keep up with stuff like this!) Anyway, I'm pretty sure it was good, but possibly not as great or as relentlessly grueling as this version from Fight Against Crime #17 (1954) which features endless cruelty, child murder, a word balloon without words (?!) and vultures cannibalizing the living and the dead in gorious four-color detail. Thanks again to Brian Hirsch for this one, as well as our previous heartless post too!

Heartless!

Post-holiday posts usually feature some of THOIA's most anticipated stories, especially so to our more "deadicated" readers who (as usual) recently had your own hearts ripped out by loved ones that didn't deliver on the xmas goodies you had hoped for this year! Yep, that's why we're here to deliver-- plus! with a little help from my buddy Brian Hirsch you know you're in for something that'll leave you clutching your chest in terror! Take for example this pulse-pounding yarn from Fight Against Crime #17 (1954.)

Tomb for Two! / It Happened 'Neath the Sphinx!

Cursing you with the gift of horriday spirit today (THOIA style), we deliver unto all two doomed Atlas classics, one from the June '54 issue of Uncanny Tales #21, and the second from the Sept. '54 issue of Mystic #33 --just heed this one simple warning: Don't open these tombs until xmas!

The Monster / Curse of the Vampire

Last month at Mykal's Bloody Pulp, he posted a cool Eerie Publications text story called Xebico that stirred up some "boy's club" comments because of the accompanying illustration that clearly shows a woman's bare breast and areola (click HERE.) One of his commentors asked about the frequency of "exposed female breasts" and it was answered as a possible Eerie Pub "rare sighting." Not to be one who rubs boobies in anyone's face, today we have two Eerie Pub stories also featuring briefly exposed female breasts, first-- "The Monster" is from the July 1974 issue of Tales from the Tomb Vol. 6 #4, (and coincidentally enough also a remake of the pre-code Harvey story I featured in our last post, aka "Transformation!") Our bloody back-up feature "Curse of the Vampire" is from the July 1971 issue of Horror Tales Vol. 3 #4 and also contains some memorable mammaries.

Transformation! / EEEK! (US Edition)

Another juicy Jekyll & Hyde-esque type mad scientist tale from Harvey Comics, this time from the Sept. '52 issue of Witches Tales #14 and features art by Vic Donohue (man, you gotta love that disgusting bunny transformation on page 3-- eeek!)

***NEWS!! EEEK! by Jason Paulos (the USA edition) is finally in stores now! A killer collection of weird and wild horror stories written and illustrated by Jason-- and also contains a special introduction by Karswell himself! Only $11.66 at Amazon, click HERE for all the info! EEEK! is also up for "Anthology of the Year" at the great COMIC MONSTERS site--voting begins today so click HERE!