Comments |
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in 2 different stories plant pieces are used to foil the bad guys a hazel twig and a yew branch coincidence? ...... or lazy writing ?? most of the stories in this issue had some promise but then fizzled out as they went along sigh |
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David Hatch: I've been re-reading these comics along with you and I get the impression that even though he helped pioneer the horror comic, editor Richard Hughes was never comfortable with the genre. His stories lack the sadistic edge that came to typify pre-Code horror. For one thing, the good guys almost always win out over evil. Few people end their stories turning into a vampire, being eaten by a werewolf, or suffering eternal damnation. The stories are more "supernatural" than "horror" and often deal with beating family curses, freeing ghosts from torment, and other themes that became part of Hughes' formula when he started writing all the stories for his comics. I've always imagined Hughes breathed a sigh of relief when the Comics Code came into effect and he could avoid the "scary story" element altogether. |
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Additional Information |
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Publication | October-November 1949 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 1 | Frequency: bi-monthly |
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Content | Genre: Horror-suspense |
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Credits | Letters: typeset |
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Comic Story | The Swami's Secret (9 pages) |
Synopsis | Bill Carlton and Trudy Roland, reporters at the Graphic newspaper, team up to take down swindling spiritualists. They expose Swami Heshug, who uses burning herbs to raise the spirit of executed killer, "Cat" Harris. Accidentally getting a picture of the spirits of Heshug and Harris together, Bill plans to use a hazel twig to stop Heshug. Trudy is captured by Heshug. When Bill goes to the swami's lair, he loses the hazel. The herbs burn out, and Heshug loses control of Harris' spirit. Using a silver letter opener, he tries to show dominance, but ends up killing himself and Harris' spirit. |
Content | Genre: Horror-suspense | Characters: Swami Heshug; Bill Carlton; Trudy Roland; "Cat" Harris |
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Text Story | Ghost Mother (1 page) |
Credits | Script: Mrs. J. Yakayima (credited) |
Notes | text story; 2nd place contest winner |
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Comic Story | The Ape Demon (8 pages) |
Synopsis | Dr. Vance, assisted by a woman named Jean and a man named Link, sets out in the jungles of Bengal to track down the legendary Hanuman Ape. This is in spite of native warnings to stay away from the supernatural creature, as it is said to be kept in the jungle by the god, Siva. Dr. Vance persists in the hunt and captures the. Jean and Link discover a bevy of statues in the jungle looking exactly like the ape. Taking the ape on board a ship, Dr. Vance is soon mastered by the creature. That is until Jean uses a talisman representing Siva to release his soul and return the ape to a stone statue. |
Content | Genre: Adventure; Horror-suspense | Characters: Dr. Vance; Link; Jean |
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Comic Story | The Mummy's Cloth (7 pages) |
Synopsis | A piece of cloth from an Egyptian mummy brings doom wherever it goes. |
Content | Genre: Horror-suspense | Characters: Dick; Tom Winber; Sesostris; George Waverly |
Notes | Riss pencils and possible inks per Martin O'Hearn's blog:
http://martinohearn.blogspot.com/2015/07/wait-fifteen-years-for-johnny-craig.html
Previous indexer credited Johnny Craig on pencils and Harry Lazarus on inks. |
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Text Story | Timeless Is the Night (1 page) |
Credits | Letters: typeset |
Content | Characters: Michael Everett; Michael Everett III |
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Comic Story | Drums of the Undead (8 pages) |
Synopsis | Illustrator Bill and his friend Sheila go to the museum to photograph the display on Haiti. There, the pair observe a woman stealing a drum. Bill takes a picture of the woman With the assistance of the museum's curator, Dr. Wenrod, they discover the woman is the Voodoo Goddess, Erzulie Bocor. Erzulie Bocor turns Sheila into a zombie in a bid to get the picture Bill took of the Zombie Goddess. |
Content | Genre: Horror-suspense | Characters: Sheila; Bill; Erzulie Bocor; Dr. Wenrod |
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Credits | Letters: typeset |
Notes | Letters from Fred W. Goldstein, James Parry, and David Roggensach. |
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Publisher advertisement | Something New --- Something Different! (1 page) |
Notes | Promo ad for Romantic Adventures #4 |
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Comic Story | The World beyond the Mirror (4 pages) |
Synopsis | After reading a book on ghost stories from her uncle's library, Alice looks into the mirror. She is transported into the other side, where friendly ghosts fear the living. |
Content | Genre: Fantasy; Horror-suspense | Characters: Alice |
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Comic Story | The Case of the Roman Curse (8 pages) |
Synopsis | Ex-GI Christopher Fenn takes up the dangerous occupation of ghost-hunter following the war. He confronts the ghosts of ancient Roman soldiers after they murder a man named Alf on the property of one Pamela Hogarth. Ghosts of Druids, enemies of the Romans, assist Fenn. To defeat the Romans, Fenn uses a blade wrapped in a yew sprig. |
Featuring | Christopher Fenn |
Content | Genre: Horror-suspense | Characters: Christopher Fenn; Alf; Pamela Hogarth; Penny; Marcus |
Notes | This story has great similarities to the two other Christopher Fenn stories. In all stories, he faces off with the ghosts of Roman soldiers and is assisted by Ghost Druids. |
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Featuring | Funny Films |
Notes | Promo ad for Funny Films magazine. |
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Featuring | Florida Fashions |
Credits | Letters: typeset |
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The data in the additional content section is courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under a
Creative Commons Attribution License.
More details about this comic may be available in their page here |