Classic Creepy Comics - Beware! Terror Tales

Back for it's fifth year, Classic Creepy Comics will be bringing you cover art and a little bit of history on horror comics from the 50s and 60s.

 

All the comics I'll be talking about are legally available for free on Comic Book+. You can read them online or, if you create a free account, you can download them. The site navigation may take some getting used to but I'll be providing links to the specific titles featured. 

 

Kicking things off this year is Beware! Terror Tales from Fawcett.

 

Beware! was a short lived book that only had 8 issues between May 1952 and July 1953. Like the greatest horror anthology comics, it had a host that bookended each tale. Beware's host was The Mummy and he looked kind of like what you'd expect but also had the fashion sense to wear a cloak. It seems like in a lot of appearances, they reuse the same art but change the coloring.

 

Each issue had three or four comic stories and usually a two page prose story. There's not a lot of variety in the colors used on this cover but they way they do use it for highlighting is great.

 

 Looking through the books for a random panel to grab and this one stood out to me. Maybe it's the classic trope of floating heads around a subject coupled with the ghoulish faces. This guy is not going to have a good night!

 

 Here's an ad for another Fawcett book, Strange Stories from Another World. As you might guess, this one leans a little more sci-fi despite the art crawling straight out of the grave.

 

 Beware! was acquired by DC when they bought Fawcett's catalog in 1991. Checking out the values on this series, it looks like the prices get higher along with the issue numbers. An 8.0 grade issue 1 is just under $1k while issue 8 with the same grade is almost $7k!

 

If you want to spend some time with The Mummy, head over to Comic Book+ where you can read the entire series for free online.

 

Swing by and see all the Countdown to Halloween blogs!

 

Now Hear This - Halloween 2026

Every Tuesday, we'll be comin' at ya with a Now Hear This Halloween post featuring some spooky sounds to get your coffin rockin'. They may not all be new releases but hopefully they'll be new to you.

 

Click on the album cover to go to its Bandcamp page where you can purchase it or listen for free. I am not affiliated with Bandcamp or any of the artists, just spreading the word on good music.

 

 Back with his 14th annual Halloween album, Sam Haynes offers up an amazing playlist all in one place! There's a great variety of tracks featuring influences from The Cramps, Depeche Mode, Siouxsie, and The Prodigy. The opening track, "It's Halloween" is destined to be a holiday classic.

 

  

 

I don't usually post singles but when a metal band covers "Spooky Scary Skeletons" I feel it's my sworn duty to let people know about it!

 

 Aurelio Voltaire has a new maxi single (when was the last time you heard that?) about getting trapped in a Michael's while shopping for Halloween decor. Along for this zany adventure are Mexico City's premier rockabilly band Rebel Cats and Jess-O-Lantern who was also on last year's Summerween album.

   

 LVCRFT recently released their latest album, Skeleton Sam's Deadtime Stories. And it's absolutely packed with guest appearances like Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, John Kassir, Bruce Campbell, and Ernie Hudson just to name a few. It's a late-night horror broadcast with songs, skits, and trailers for films nobody can watch yet, all hosted by Roger L. Jackson, the voice of Ghostface.

 

Be sure to check out all the Countdown bloggers by clicking the link below. 

 

Office Halloween 2008

 Way back in 2008, we took a vacation to Vegas at the end of October. I had a reputation at the place I worked for being the "Halloween guy" so I decided to have a little fun with being out of the office.

 

  

Every October, I'd have a traditional pumpkin pail on my desk loaded with fun size candy and assorted little toys like spider rings and plastic bugs. I also enjoyed decorating my cubicle with all kinds of stuff I brought from home.

  

And you wonder how I got to be known as the Halloween guy! I wish the photos were better quality so you'd be able to see them better but it was 2008. Pretty sure I took these with my digital camera because the phone I had didn't even have one. As I'm looking back at these, I'm realizing this was a year I went lighter on the decorations, believe it or not!

 

 Here's a better look at the shelf. There's some NECA Nightmare Before Christmas figures and accessories, a framed photo of the Addams Family, a red potion (made with Kool-Aid mix), and an assortment of books from my own library.

 

 Stars, Spells, Secrets and Sorcery
Zombie Survival Guide
Monster Hunter's Handbook
A Field Guide to Demons
A Field Guide to Monsters

 

I may need to dig out that first one and do a post on it. I've had it since middle school!

 

So what's all this got to do with going on vacation?

 

 I made a few "adjustments" to my cube when I left. The sign is in a ransom note, cut out letter font and reads "Ed has taken an involuntary leave of absence and may return on November 3rd."

 

 I made it look like someone tossed my cube, chair knocked over and other things thrown amiss. I also left a letter on the desk with a blood syringe pen on it.

 

 And that's the tale of how I went missing for week in October 2008. 

 

Hitch a ride with the ghostly gentleman to see the participating Countdown to Halloween blogs.