{"id":14,"date":"2012-11-09T12:05:04","date_gmt":"2012-11-09T11:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/?page_id=14"},"modified":"2013-09-18T14:55:14","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T12:55:14","slug":"adventures-into-darkness","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/?page_id=14","title":{"rendered":"Adventures Into Darkness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Standard\u2019s third and last horror title<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chronological listing of all issues \u2013 with comments and annotations. We mention date of publication, cover motive and cover artist (if identified). Every issue has been indexed on the Grand Comics Database \u2013 the link will show you all available data, including cover shots and story descriptions.<\/p>\n

Just click the underlined<\/span> issue labeling.<\/p>\n

\u00a0A miniature splash page indicates that you can find this entire story in our \u201cStories\u201d section. <\/em>Just click to read it.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS\u00a0 \/\u00a0 10 issues <\/strong><\/h1>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #5<\/strong><\/a>
\nAugust 1952
\nCover: (Hobo detects corpse-robbing fiend) \u2013 George Roussos<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMurder Mansion\u201d (Alex Toth + Mike Peppe)
\n\u201cDrury\u2019s Dream\u201d (Art Saaf) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cDeath Follows Orders\u201d (Jerry Grandenetti, signed J.G.)
\n\u201cThe Phantom Hounds Of Castle Eyne\u201d (Alex Toth) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cHorror\u2019s Little Acre\u201d (Ruben Moreira, signed)
\n\u201cThe Phantom Warning\u201d (???) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cDay Of Reckoning!\u201d (John Celardo)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Again the artwork defies belief throughout the issue \u2013 it is so good!
\nEven the writing (in this, Standard\u2019s third horror book) is not that insipid any more. Maybe third time\u2019s the charm.<\/p>\n

\u201cMurder Mansion<\/a>\u201d features a hidden signature \u201cPeppe\u201d on a van in panel 1 on second page. Follow the link to read the recolored version from the 1986 reprint on Karswell’s fantastic blog „The Horrors Of It All“.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath Follows Orders\u201d: Best Grandenetti horror story I\u2019ve ever seen<\/strong>. Mind you: the famous \u201cDr. Drew\u201d stories from RANGERS COMICS, THE MONSTER and GHOST COMICS are probably NOT by Grandenetti (although signed by him), but by the master himself \u2013 Will Eisner. I know it\u2019s more than irritating, but Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. thinks so.<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s our invitation to compare<\/strong>. Have a look at a Drew story on our FICTION HOUSE HORROR! Section \u2013 and then at his work for Standard. Do YOU think this is the same artist?<\/p>\n

First entry for John Celardo<\/strong>. Crisp and clean, effective style. I think he is just fantastic. Celardo starts out as early as 1940 with Fiction House, but leaves there in 1949. He does two fillers and two ghost stories for ACG\u2019s ADVENTURES INTO THE UNKNOWN in 1950 and then contributes mostly to Standard books.<\/p>\n

There were only two full horror stories (Reckoning\/ Serpent) credited to him at Standard before we started our investigation. I\u2019m happy to say we are up to 4 now! Sadly, Celardo does almost no comic book work from 1953-57, then picking up the chores of the syndicated TARZAN strip.<\/p>\n

\u201cDay Of Reckoning!\u201d by the way is a crazy story about a bird-woman being avenged by their fellow birds after her husband has killed her. Sounds a bit like Hitchcock there (birds attacking people and killing them). The film \u201cThe Birds\u201d is from 1963, but was based on a 1952 short story by Daphne Du Maurier (as so often with Hitchcock).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #6<\/a>
\nOctober 1952
\nCover: (Wedding ceremony on cemetery) \u2013 George Roussos<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Groping Ghost\u201d (Jack Katz)
\n\u201cMystery Of Mu\u201d (???) \u2013 half-pager after advertising
\n\u201cCorpse Convention\u201d (George Tuska + ?)
\n\u201cThe Thing From The Sea<\/a>\u201d (Ralph Mayo, signed)
\n\u201cThe Strange Cats Of Killough Heath\u201d (???)
\n\u201cThe Phantom Horseman\u201d (Murphy Anderson) \u2013 two-pager<\/p>\n

Writing critique: Have to revoke my suspicion from above (\u201cDARKNESS #5 is not that insipid any more; maybe third time\u2019s the charm\u201d). Alas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Groping Ghost<\/a>\u201d is terribly boring and drawn-out (8 pages!); any other company would have handled this plot in 5 or 6 pages. Not Ace, though. Ace did everything in 7 pages, but would have added a twist. Not better is \u201cThe Thing From The Sea\u201d, lacking any surprise as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorpse Convention<\/a>\u201d really is okay.
\nBut only \u201cThe Strange Cats Of Killough Heath<\/a>\u201d is insane enough to prove entertaining. Artwork is a mystery here \u2013 a wild guess: could this be Jack Katz inking Rocco Mastroserio? Grand Comics Database speculates on Frank Giacoia, but I don\u2019t think so. Giacoia was a DC regular at that time (but did the odd horror job for Ziff-Davis!). It\u2019s not that far-fetched. Hmmmm.<\/p>\n

The text story \u201cReturn Of The Thunderbird\u201d (about a giant Indian demon roaming the skies and causing planes to crash) would have made for a nice, action-packed comic story!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #7<\/strong><\/a>
\nDecember 1952
\nCover: (Monster dragging bodies through swamp) \u2013 Jack Katz<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThe Pit Of Horror\u201d (Mike Sekowsky + Mike Peppe)
\n\u201cThe Dancer From The Beyond\u201d (Nick Cardy)
\n\u201cBride Of Death\u201d (Jack Katz, signed)
\n\u201cThe Ghost That Warned A King\u201d (Vince Colletta ?) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cDeath Drum\u201d (Art Saaf)
\n\u201cThe Origin of \u2018He Kicked The Bucket\u2019\u201d (Jack Katz + ?) \u2013 one-pager<\/p>\n

The Standard horror covers by Jack Katz are beautiful: shrill, strange and colorful. In my eyes, Katz is no good artist, but most powerful in his quirkiness<\/strong>. Very well suited for horror stories.
\nHis absence of any kind of elegance enhances the madness lurking behind every excursion into the supernatural, the brutal powerlessness of the protagonists in the face of incomprehensible evil.
\nYehehes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pit Of Horror<\/a>\u201d is nice and shows Sekowsky probing further (artwork-like) into Toth\u2019s territory.
\n\u201cThe Dancer From The Beyond\u201d is a cheesy and uninspired dance-to-the-death-plot. Cardy is good though \u2013 and will get even better.
\n You can find it in our „Stories“ section, though.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDeath Drum\u201d is another music-themed story (two in one issue, may be a record), but in no way groundbreaking and most foreseeable. Nice to see some 50s \u201cbeatniks\u201d featured \u2013 and some heavy lingo as well (\u201cThat was cool. Man, I\u2019m beat.\u201d).<\/p>\n

Alone \u201cBride Of Death<\/a>\u201d is remarkable: Katz at his best illustrating a clean-cut, racy (though utterly nonsensical) storyline. See it posted on „Fifties Horror“ – along with \u201cThe Pit Of Horror<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a short and wondrous break for this issue’s weird one-pager<\/strong>.
\nEverything you always wanted to know about bucket-kicking but were afraid to ask…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #8<\/strong><\/a>
\nFebruary 1953
\nCover: (Zombies with shovels entering grave keeper\u2019s hut) \u2013 Rocco Mastroserio<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cMark Of Evil\u201d (Rocco Mastroserio, signed)
\n\u201cCreepy Crossword Puzzle\u201d (???)\u2013 half-pager after advertising
\n\u201cDeath’s Bridal Gown\u201d (Sam Citron)
\n\u201cThe House that Jackdaw Built\u201d (Alex Toth + Mike Peppe)
\n\u201cThe Fatal Strands\u201d (Charles Sultan)
\n\u201cThe Twisted Hands\u201d (Alex Toth + Mike Peppe ?)<\/p>\n

Good news: five long stories in this issue. Bad news: the writing still isn\u2019t in synch.<\/p>\n

Coloring mistake in \u201cMark Of Evil\u201d on page 2: Ann is a brunette, but in panel she\u2019s blonde all of a sudden.
\nAgain I shake my weary head in disbelief how misguided the writing is.
\nStandard put a real effort in creating as little suspense as possible<\/strong>: the plot idea about a camera able to show the future ends in a pedestrian wrap-up (killer gets caught after 5-panel-flight).<\/p>\n

Quality and Atlas romance artist Sam Citron tries his hand at horror (just this one time) in \u201cDeath’s Bridal Gown\u201d and produces a real clunker: the artwork can\u2019t deny its romance roots and the writing presents nothing new. For the sheer fun of it, it’s posted HERE<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

So all hopes rest on another Toth helping: \u201cThe House that Jackdaw Built\u201d. And deservedly so. This tale about a robotic house with an electronic brain is refreshingly modern (and a bit more science fiction than horror), but who wants to complain regarding the wonderful art?!<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s a second Toth story<\/strong> later on with \u201cThe Twisted Hands\u201d: bland revenge story as usual, but depicted with intense panels of cruelty and remarkable for Toth\u2019s brilliant art.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThe Fatal Strands\u201d is the first (of two) contributions by Charles Sultan and a delectable one. A crazy, twisted tale about a janitor murdering the landlady \u2013 and in turn being murdered by the landlady\u2019s hair! Too bad that this was NOT written by a Standard author.
\nThe exact same story (janitor, floors, landlady, murder, mop made from hair, hallucinations, death by hair) was published first (with different artwork though) in THE TORMENTED #2 (September 1952), named there \u201cThe Face On The Floor\u201d (and done by Mike Roy, after he left Standard). Obviously a clever writer sold his story twice!<\/p>\n

Fun part comes now: Another murder-hair story from Standard (\u201cThe Wig\u201d in OUT OF THE SHADOWS #11, see there) will be revealed as a make-over from a story out of Fawcett\u2019s THIS MAGAZINE IS HAUNTED.<\/p>\n

I’m a nut for stories about HAIR actively committing murder!<\/strong>
\nGoing to post \u201cThe Fatal Strands<\/a>\u201d on my German website soon, remind me… Done. There it is.<\/p>\n

Postcript September 2013: Special treat!<\/strong>
\nJason Willis produced a 30-second animated trailer to promote this book – just for fun.
\nWe show you the cover, you click it and will see the animation.<\/em> Enjoy!<\/p>\n

\"AdInDark#8cover\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #9<\/a>
\nApril 1953
\nCover: (Man turning into werewolf and dropping drinking glass) \u2013 ???<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hands Of Don Jos\u00e9\u201d (Alex Toth + Mike Peppe)
\n\u201cThe Three Monkeys\u201d (Rafael Astarita)
\n\u201cPhantom Of Flushing\u201d (???) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cFlowers On Deborah\u2019s Grave\u201d (Mike Sekowsky + Mike Peppe)
\n\u201cGhost Of Raynham Hall\u201d (???) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cNothing Can Save Her\u201d (Nick Cardy)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThe Hands Of Don Jos\u00e9<\/a>\u201d: THE classic Toth horror story.<\/strong>
\nDoes not make any sense, but fascinates the reader with pages of pure (and dark) psychedelia.
\nPosted on Karswell\u2019s fantastic blog \u201cThe Horrors Of It All\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Three Monkeys\u201d is not that bad.
\nThe western intruder raiding an eastern temple shrine does not kill the priests living there (usual procedure in these stories), but is held captive and deprived of his eyesight.
\nArtwork is by Rafael Astarita<\/strong>, a veteran artist from the late 1930s! How did he end up here, doing a singular horror job for Standard?<\/strong>
\nFed up with the comics business, Astarita left the field \u2013 after doing three horror stories (one for St. John, one for Avon and this one for Standard).<\/p>\n

\u201cFlowers On Deborah\u2019s Grave<\/a>\u201d: If my hair wasn\u2019t already grey, it would turn an ashen color \u2013 pondering over Standard\u2019s horror scripts. What is this even about?
\nAn old hag stalking a grieving father who lost his daughter. My mind refuses to acknowledge these stories; not because they\u2019re sick or crazy, but because they are ill-conceived.
\nDid the old woman not KNOW that the father grieved for his DAUGHTER (it says so on that gravestone, \u201caged 17\u201d)?
\n Why is there no motivation to anyone\u2019s actions? Aaaarggh.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s \u201cNothing Can Save Her<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a nice, straight and well-balanced (though not surprising) vampire tale. These books are driving me nuts!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #10<\/strong><\/a>
\nJune 1953
\nCover: (Huge skeleton shadow frightening woman in green dress) \u2013 Ross Andru ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThe Man Who Could Not Die!\u201d (George Roussos)
\n\u201cWeird Facts\u201d (???) \u2013 half-pager after advertising
\n\u201cMe, Ghost\u201d (Jack Katz, signed)
\n\u201cThe Hangman Who Was Hanged\u201d (Art Saaf) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cStrange Footprints\u201d (Rocco Mastroserio, signed \u201cRocke\u201d)
\n\u201cAngkor \u2013 City Of Mystery\u201d (Art Saaf) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cThe Evil Cornucopia\u201d (Mike Sekowsky + Al Rubano ?)
\n\u201cRomance Of Death\u201d (???) \u2013 one-pager<\/p>\n

This issue puts me in a forgiving mood:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Man Who Could Not Die!<\/a>\u201d is one of the best stories so far. Action-packed, intriguing, even funny. Followed by \u201cMe, Ghost<\/a>\u201d, another memorable Jack Katz job.
\nSee all stories on Karswell’s blog.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cStrange Footprints<\/a>\u201d is standard Standard lore, but done very effectively (again) by Rocco Mastroserio. Wrapping up the issue with a nice work not by Toth, but Mike Sekowsky: \u201cThe Evil Cornucopia<\/a>\u201d shows the influence of his colleague. On a highly speculative basis this could even be Toth mimicking Sekowsky (see our remark about the \u201cbet\u201d the two artists had going)\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #11<\/strong><\/a>
\nSeptember 1953
\nCover: (Man retrieving golden locket from incinerated corpse) \u2013\u00a0 George Roussos <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMission From The Grave\u201d (Mike Sekowsky)
\n\u201cRider In The Storm\u201d (???) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cThe Finger Of Guilt\u201d (John Celardo) \u2013 two-pager
\n\u201cTrophies Of Doom\u201d (Nick Cardy)
\n\u201cThe Bride Of Death\u201d (Jack Katz)
\n\u201cThe Bread Of Madness\u201d (Mike Sekowsky + Mike Peppe ?)<\/p>\n

Wha\u2019 hoppen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Issue starts out with a lame duck again<\/strong>. \u201cMission From The Grave\u201d is the old \u201cI-return-from-the-grave-but-nothing-will-ever-be-the-same\u201d-plot between two lovers.<\/p>\n

Celardo\u2019s \u201cThe Finger Of Guilt<\/a>\u201d runs in the same vein of ghost apparitions which make you wanna yawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrophies Of Doom<\/a>\u201d may be seen as the book\u2019s highlight, though it does not refrain from the clich\u00e9d phrase \u201cIf I can\u2019t have you\u2026 no one shall!\u201d<\/strong> (what rejected lovers tell their partners shortly before killing them).<\/p>\n

Making matters complicated at Standard: There are TWO stories with \u201cBride Of Death\u201d in the title, and both are drawn by Jack Katz! Typical editorial slip-up\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s \u201cBride Of Death\u201d in DARKNESS #7 and \u201cThe<\/span> Bride Of Death\u201d in DARKNESS #11.
\nThis one is just a three-pager about a woman losing her groom at sea. Told in a matter-of-fact style with a hysterical bride and a kissing Death \u2013 not that bad.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bread Of Madness\u201d is lengthy, but not boring. The mad baker is a nice touch unseen before. Yet, the sudden comeback of the witch doctor (on page 7) spoils the story and winds it up with a rather disappointing run-of-the-mill poetic justice ending.<\/p>\n

All in all your usual Standard horror comic book. Not bad, but something is missing. A certain momentum. Got no oomph<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #12<\/strong><\/a>
\nDecember 1953
\nCover: (Devils attacking mine worker) \u2013 ???<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cSerpent Of Doom\u201d (John Celardo)
\n\u201cThe Spectral Sergeant<\/a>\u201d (Jack Katz) \u2013 one-pager
\n(scroll down, there is \u201cThe Last Dance\u201d posted as well)<\/em>
\n\u201cHorror\u2019s Scrapbook\u201d (???) \u2013 half-pager after advertising
\n\u201cThe Living-Dead Of Kulatum!<\/a>\u201d (Gene Fawcette
\n(scroll down, there is also posted a \u201cWeird Maze\u201d, a \u201cHorror\u2019s Scrapbook\u201d and the other short story by Fawcette, \u201cNightmare Island\u201d)<\/em>
\n\u201cConspiracy With Death\u201d (George Roussos)
\n\u201cThe Last Dance\u201d (???) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cThe Gypsy Curse\u201d (Jack Katz + ?)
\n\u201cNightmare Island\u201d (Gene Fawcette, signed) \u2013 two-pager<\/p>\n

The cover (a great one, by the way!) is a mystery. Who did this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Up to now no one could put his finger on it. Is it Cardy? Is it Andru? Sekowsky even?<\/p>\n

When Karswell posted \u201cSerpent Of Doom<\/a>\u201d on his blog in 2007, a big discussion broke out if this could be artwork by Alex Toth. We know meanwhile that it\u2019s John Celardo. But here we see again that Standard horror went for a house style \u2013 close to Toth.<\/p>\n

It takes practice and an overall look at all their horror books and artists to distinguish between Toth, Cardy, Andru, Roy, Celardo, Sekowsky, Mastroserio and Saaf. Took me weeks of intensive study (and woken up at night I still might get it wrong).
\nLet\u2019s have a look at the only three long stories of DARKNESS #12:<\/p>\n

\u201cSerpent Of Doom\u201d comes out of the gate like a straight variation of \u201cThe Thirsty Idol\u201d in UNSEEN #10 (published half a year earlier). A woman killing her husband for a prospect of riches, promised to her by a snake god. But here the woman smothers her husband<\/strong> at night \u2013 in her lingerie!<\/strong> (This sent prices for the book roaring up at Overstreet\u2019s\u2026)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Gotta be killing me – your lingerie is murder, baby!<\/p><\/div>\n

After that the story takes another direction. Lydia becomes a serial wife and has finally to pay the price by turning into a hideous snake. Nice one, executed brilliantly by Celardo (that man is to be discovered, folks).<\/p>\n

\u201cConspiracy With Death<\/a>\u201d is a bit tedious again, concerning the writing and art by Roussos \u2013 but impresses with two \u201csilent\u201d panels (a goodbye kiss forever + woman impaled on a fence).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Gypsy Curse<\/a>\u201d (though standard fare) comes up with a surprise \u2013 an open end. The evil nogoodnik Lou is not punished by death, but has to ail in poverty and madness, surrounded by two alike-looking weird women. A fresh twist of the ol\u2019 poetic justice!<\/p>\n

DARKNESS #12 is quite an excellent issue and one of the best in its run.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #13<\/strong><\/a>
\nMarch 1954
\nCover: (Skeletons having a music session in graveyard) \u2013\u00a0 ???<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cFeast Of The Ghouls\u201d (Mike Sekowsky + Mike Peppe)
\n\u201cThe Haunted Hotel\u201d (Gene Fawcette) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cPaid In Full!\u201d (Gene Fawcette) \u2013 half-pager after advertising
\n\u201cSatan\u2019s Pawn\u201d (???)
\n\u201cThe Monster In The Maze!\u201d (Gene Fawcette)
\n\u201cLet\u2019s Go Mad\u201d (???) \u2013
\none-pager about mathematical puzzles (!) \u2013 presenting (amongst other things) the \u201clargest number in the world\u201d<\/em>
\n\u201cWhen Hell Broke Loose\u201d (Gene Fawcette) \u2013 half-pager after advertising
\n\u201cThe Unbeliever\u201d (Mike Sekowsky + Mike Peppe)<\/p>\n

I like that comedic cover with the skeletons making music on instruments they couldn\u2019t possibly master \u2013 because they have no lips!<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know who did it, in my eyes there\u2019s a touch of Sekowsky, but he\u2019s only credited for a handful of pre-code covers, but indeed two JOE YANK title pages (also published at Standard, one of them just two months earlier).<\/p>\n

I applaud \u201cFeast Of The Ghouls\u201d for tackling a topic not that popular in horror books \u2013 cannibalism.
\nI regret that they present it as suspenseless as possible and mix it with vampirism (nightly transformations, eating no normal food). The splash (what is that weird looking pig doing in the foreground?) reveals a lot, too.
\nI assume they went for the change of the human cannibals into the plump, blue-skinned beasts because they wanted to take off the edge. What a waste. Keeping the cannibals human would have conveyed so much more impact. I guess that is asking too much of an old assembly-line produced comic book\u2026<\/p>\n

Mystery artwork in \u201cSatan\u2019s Pawn\u201d. I wonder if this could be a sloppy job by Nick Cardy. His hasty inks? Then again, Cardy had left the outfit by the end of 1953 and returned to DC. A farewell favor on the run?
\nThe story makes the same mistake as many other from Standard \u2013 by telling the reader in the splash how this is going to end!<\/strong> So we get a step by step reconstruction of the journey into murderous madness of yet another art painter. The balloons in the final panel are irritating though.
\nDoctor: \u201cToo bad somebody didn\u2019t kill him!\u201d \u2013 Sounds gross and cruel to my liberal ears<\/em>.
\nReporter: \u201cThere\u2019s a lot more like him on the loose!\u201d
\nHuh?! Waddya mean, bubba? I can\u2019t even draw\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

And here’s a real shocker coming up:<\/p>\n

\"PuzzlePage_bearbeitet-1\"<\/a>I don\u2019t know. People who put THIS into a horror comic book are probably not able to come up with gripping stories\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Monster In The Maze!\u201d (no connection to the above puzzle – or is it?)<\/em> is a nice fast-paced 4-pager, moodily executed by Gene Fawcette. The aftermath scene in the asylum would not have been necessary, but adds a disquieting dimension.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s a Sekowsky\/Peppe double feature in this issue with \u201cThe Unbeliever\u201d. Nothing new here. A witch\u2019s evil plans are thwarted and everyone lives happily ever after. This is lame and tame storytelling. A sad affair.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #14<\/strong><\/a>
\nJune 1954
\nCover: (Man gone overboard approached by rowing skeletons) \u2013\u00a0 ???<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThe Garden Of Evil\u201d (Mike Roy, signed)
\n\u201cMurder By Movie\u201d (???) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cWeird Watson\u201d (???) \u2013 half-pager (funny feature) after advertising
\n\u201cThe Outcast\u201d (Rocco Mastroserio ?)
\n\u201cThe Frozen Death!\u201d (George Roussos)
\n\u201cHorror\u2019s Scrapbook\u201d (???) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cThe Curse Of The Ancient Devil Gods\u201d (Rocco Mastroserio)
\n\u201cPart-Time Lunatic\u201d (???) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cGhosts In The Sky\u201d (Gene Fawcette) \u2013 half-pager after advertising
\n\u201cThe Corpse Candle\u201d (Gene Fawcette) \u2013 half-pager after advertising<\/p>\n

The cover motif is unique. A drowning man floating helplessly in the sea being rescued by skeletons? Almost unsettling. We\u2019ve seen this artist doing other Standard covers, but don\u2019t know who it is. So, this is the last (published) issue of DARKNESS, let\u2019s have our look inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Garden Of Evil\u201d (click picture to read) is again a signed Mike Roy contribution and it\u2019s a marvelous five-pager!
\nThe old artists-in-rivalry topic is cooked up once more, but (I dare say) never that brilliant, compact and self-contained. Hats off to Mike Roy\u2019s artwork as well, looking here like a blend of Sekowsky and Mastroserio.<\/p>\n

The art in \u201cThe Outcast<\/a>\u201d looks like Mastroserio, but then again it doesn\u2019t. Hmm. I think he\u2019s inking someone. And I keep suspecting Jerry Grandenetti. But that is just one of those follies you get sitting at your table wracking your mind over these Standard books\u2026<\/p>\n

Dutch fifties comics expert Ger Apeldoorn claims to have spotted a hidden signature (frankly, I don\u2019t) in the splash saying \u201cSA\u201d and thinks it is Art Saaf. Saaf\u2019s son Steve mentions two stories his father did for DARKNESS; \u201cThe Outcast\u201d is not one of them. That again is proof how HARD these artists are to tell apart<\/strong>, especially at Standard (as weird as it seems).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Shape of things to come: unpublished DARKNESS #15 (see below)<\/p><\/div>\n

The story about a killer in alliance with Satan is inventive as well, but I have to point out that it is a variation of the 1953 \u201cThe Scourge Of The Undead\u201d from Ace\u2019s BEYOND #18 \u2013 to be found HERE <\/a>on my ACE HORROR website. Valid story nonetheless.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Frozen Death!<\/a>\u201d is the third straight and enjoyable story in a row. Either I\u2019m getting soft or Standard is getting good at the last minute.<\/strong> The artwork here could be the beginning of a collaboration of Mort Meskin (pencils) and George Roussos (inks). As we\u2019ll witness in the next issue.
\nThough here it looks more like a Roussos solo job.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Curse Of The Ancient Devil Gods\u201d would be a second work by Rocco Mastroserio \u2013 please compare with the dubious \u201cOutcast\u201d.
\nPretty close in my eyes.
\nI\u2019d root for Rocco in both cases. And a big surprise to me: the And-then-there-were-none story about cursed adventurers in the jungle again is not a bit boring! This is the first (and I really believe only!) Standard horror comic book without a massive clunker concerning the writing!<\/p>\n

The decision to pull the plug on the horror comic books must have been made in June 1954, after publishing DARKNESS #14. Given a two month in advance publication schedule, Standard put out a last UNSEEN #15 in July and the last SHADOWS #14 in August, because they were already in the printing pipeline.<\/p>\n

The next issue of DARKNESS however, they killed in production. The original art of that #15 had been drawn already and emerged at the entrepreneurial Eclipse company in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ADVENTURES INTO DARKNESS #15
\n(unpublished at that time) \u2013
\nprinted \u00a0for the first time in SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT 3-D #1<\/a> (Eclipse 1985) <\/strong><\/p>\n

Cover: (Underwater skeleton cutting off air supply of diver) \u2013\u00a0 George Roussos<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cDeath Dives Deep\u201d (Gene Fawcette, signed)
\n\u201cThe Evil Ones\u201d (Mike Sekowsky) \u2013 one-pager
\n„That Stray Cat“ (Mike Roy)
\n\u201cCharms\u201d (Mike Sekowsky) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cGift Of Murder\u201d (Alex Toth + Mike Peppe, signed \u201cScott\u201d) \u2013 two-pager
\n\u201cHarvest Of Death\u201d (Mort Meskin + George Roussos)
\n\u201cDo You Believe\u201d (Gene Fawcette) \u2013 one-pager
\n\u201cTryst With Terror\u201d (Mort Meskin + George Roussos)<\/p>\n

The wonderful artwork of this issue has been COMPLETELY posted on Karswell\u2019s fantastic blog \u201cThe Horrors Of It All\u201d<\/strong>. Scroll down to see the one-pagers as well.<\/p>\n

That would have been another title page by Roussos, which makes him the most employed Standard cover artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath Dives Deep<\/a>\u201d features beautiful art by Fawcette, the story (done by the artist as well!) is pure formula \u2013 and I dare say negligible.<\/p>\n

„That Stray Cat<\/a>“ is a rather bland, but fairly entertaining venture into cat horror. Can’t go wrong with cat stories – or stories involving women looking like cats. Or both, even.<\/p>\n

\u201cHarvest Of Death<\/a>\u201d really is a far gone story about a vineyard fertilized with human blood! The panels depicting how human bodies are dragged over the ground are nothing less than haunting.<\/p>\n

\u201cTryst With Terror<\/a>\u201d, the other Meskin\/Roussos collaboration is fun as well: The moody panels of the female killer robot disposing of its victims are highlights of the horror genre.<\/p>\n

DARKNESS #15, the comic book that never was, allows us a peek into a parallel history. What if the Comics Code would not have happened?<\/strong> We would have gotten more of the same, surely, but still oftentimes enjoyable material.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We will include these stories in our artists\u2019 page count, coming up:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
52<\/td>\nMike Sekowsky<\/td>\n(mostly inked by Mike Peppe)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
40<\/td>\nGeorge Roussos<\/td>\n(14 with Mort Meskin)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
31<\/td>\nAlex Toth<\/td>\n(with Mike Peppe)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
31<\/td>\nJack Katz<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
25<\/td>\nRocco Mastroserio<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17<\/td>\nGene Fawcette<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16<\/td>\nNick Cardy<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15<\/td>\nJohn Celardo<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nArt Saaf<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

And bits and pieces by George Tuska, Jerry Grandenetti, Rafael Astarita, Ralph Mayo, Sam Citron, Charles Sultan, Ruben Moreira, Mike Roy, possibly Frank Giacoia and unidentified artists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Standard\u2019s third and last horror title Chronological listing of all issues \u2013 with comments and annotations. We mention date of publication, cover motive and cover artist (if identified). Every issue has been indexed on the Grand Comics Database \u2013 the link will show you all available data, including cover shots and story descriptions. Just click […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":812,"parent":0,"menu_order":40,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":881,"href":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions\/881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}