Number 2096: Horror you doin'?

“Here’s to Horror” was published in Superior Comics’ Journey Into Fear #18 (1954). Somebody scanned the original art and put it online, where I found it a few years ago. Sorry, I don’t remember where I got it. The story and artwork were created by the Jerry Iger comic book shop, which provided it for the publisher, Superior Comics. You can go to scans of the printed comic at Digital Comics Museum here: Journey Into Fear #18.

The main character of the story, Lanny Burns, has found a way to solve his problem of being a bigamist. He just throws his first wife out a tall window. This is a horror comic, so Lanny comes to a bad end. Lanny, who is a popular singer, develops spasmodic dysphonia (called “spastic throat” in the story). It is a real neurological condition. I know about it from first hand experience: my grandmother had it. It didn’t stop her from talking, though, weak voice or not. Talking is a family trait.

Number 1411: Horror by three

Craig Yoe has an interesting Facebook page devoted to horror comics. Although I love them, I don’t show a lot of horror comics. Steve “Karswell” Banes in his Horrors Of It All blog does such an excellent job that I try to think of another angle when I do show horror.

So here it is. Three horror stories, slightly different than you might expect. First up, “Weird Tales” from Quality’s Hit Comics #1, which some claim is actually the first comic book horror story, done in 1940. I’m not sure of that, but I’m not ruling it out, either. Something that seems horrible to me is that the artist couldn’t keep the Old Witch’s look consistent on the first page. It also distinguishes itself by the most tepid horrors I’ve ever seen when the hotel “guest” peers through the keyhole at the phantasms haunting the inn. It’s historic, though, if we believe it’s really the first of its genre, so I’m including it.

Superior Comics of Canada published some great horror comics, but the printing was often terrible. The contents of the books were supplied by the Jerry Iger comic shop, and judging by the original artwork for “Here’s to Horror!” from Journey Into Fear #18 (1954), the artists who worked the story did a good job despite knowing how it would look once it came off the presses. A dialog paste-over on page has fallen off, so I’m including the panel from the printed comic where you can see it covered up the girl walking her dog. The artist(s) need not have gone to the trouble to provide an interesting background. Oh, and lead character, the crooner, Lanny, has a condition called spasmodic dysphonia, called “spastic throat” by the doctor in the story.

The scans came from the Heritage Auctions website. Thank you, HA!

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Finally, I found this horror story of the living dead in an unlikely place, a comic book about Native Americans called Redskin #9 (1952). (That word is now considered a racial pejorative; my apologies to those offended.) When horror comics got popular then horrors started showing up in comics of other genres. The cover of this issue, though, has no indication that upon reading the book zombies will be encountered. The artwork is by Edwin Goldfarb and Bob Baer, a team who drew reams of crime and horror comics during this period.

Number 722


Enter the nightmare


Entering a painting, or a mirror, or a television set, is practically a sub-genre of fantasy fiction. It's given a pretty horrifying turn in this tale from 1954's Journey Into Fear #19. "Doorway to Death" was done by the Jerry Iger studio for the Canadian publisher, Superior. Most of the stories they turned out are somewhat bent, but in interesting directions. Sier DeFerrac, the artist in the story, has skeletons in his closet. Literally.

Number 465


Old Bugeyes is back


Froggy went a'courtin' — horror- — in this slimy tale from Journey Into Fear #19, from 1954.

Sorry about the reproduction; Journey Into Fear was published by Canadian publisher, Superior, whose printer was definitely inferior.