Classic Creepy Comics is back for its third year of bringing you old
horror comics on "new comic" Wednesdays! Most of the books I'll be talking
about are public domain and available for free at
Comic Book+. You can
read them online or, if you create a free account, you can download them.
This Magazine is Haunted ran for 14 issues between October 1951 and
December 1953. It was publisher Fawcett's first foray into the popular horror
comics of the 1950s. Taking inspiration from better known horror books, like
EC's Tales from the Crypt, the stories featured dark humor and ironic
endings.
Just like the EC books, this one had its own host in Doctor Death. But
unlike EC's hosts, Doctor Death would go beyond narrator and sometimes get
involved in the tales by taking a human form.
In 1953, Fawcett stopped making comics altogether due to industry-wide poor
sales and a
running legal battle with DC
concerning their character Captain Marvel (aka Shazam) being a ripoff of
Superman. This, in itself, is an interesting read if you like comics history.
Fawcett ended up selling many of their titles to Charlton Comics.
Charlton resumed Haunted, continuing with issue 15 up to 21 where it ended in
November 1954. In another example of that weird comics thing where they keep
the numbering but change the title, Haunted became Danger and Adventure for
issues 22-27. It then changed again to Robin Hood and His Merry Men from issue
28 onward.
One other notable thing about Charlton's Haunted run is that it featured some
of Steve Ditko's first supernatural work.
In 1957, Haunted was relaunched starting with issue 12 (why?), Doctor Death
was replaced with Doctor Haunt, and Ditko was now the main artist on the book.
This incarnation lasted until May 1958.
Here's where you can find many issues of this book.
Click below to see the list of participating Countdown blogs!
Looks like spooky good fun.
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