Horror Comic History - Eerie Comics

Yesterday, we featured what is believed to be the first horror story in a comic. Today we're talking about the first cover-to-cover original horror comic: Eerie #1 from 1947. This shouldn't be confused with the more famous B&W book Eerie from Warren Publications.

Avon Comics' Eerie vanished from the newsstands for a little over four years after its first issue. It reappeared and ran for 15 more issues until 1954.

Issue #12 features a story based on Bram Stoker's Dracula. This was a few years before Hammer Films' Dracula would hit the silver screen but I think this vampiric depiction has a bit of both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in it!

In 1954, Eerie changed into the sci-fi comic Strange Worlds and continued with the numbering at #18. If you've ever wondered why comics from this time didn't go back to #1 when changing to a different series, it was because the publisher was trying to save money on their postage permits. I don't know the details but I'm guessing if it was a completely "new" book, they'd have to get a new permit.

 It's still odd to me that you can have a complete run of a book, like Strange Worlds, and have the series start at #18.

If you want to read any of the books in this post, head over to Comic Book Plus, the largest free and legal comic archive online. You can read in your browser or download them if you register for free!

Click here for Part 4 of Horror Comic History.

 

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