{"id":20,"date":"2012-11-09T12:06:32","date_gmt":"2012-11-09T11:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/highest-standard.de\/?page_id=20"},"modified":"2013-09-06T13:12:44","modified_gmt":"2013-09-06T11:12:44","slug":"ghost-and-monster","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/highest-standard.de\/?page_id=20","title":{"rendered":"Ghost\/Monster"},"content":{"rendered":"

GHOST COMICS start out as an Iger Shop reprint operation.<\/strong> Way to cash in on the horror boom!<\/strong> Just slam together some old stories and wrap them in a fresh and spicy cover. But you\u2019ve got to hand it to Fiction House: their GHOST COMICS are strictly about ghosts. As we will see. In the first issues – mostly because they are reprinting the \u201cGhost Gallery\u201d feature stories from JUMBO COMICS.
\nWhen they stopped using old material and created more and more new stories with their very own artists (from issue #5 on)<\/strong> GHOST COMICS were as good or bad as any other horror comic book of its day. And even threw in the odd werewolf or gorgon.<\/p>\n

Here’s a 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.
\nJust click to read it.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

GHOST COMICS\u00a0 \/\u00a0 11 issues<\/strong><\/h2>\n


\nGHOST COMICS #1<\/strong><\/a>
\n(Winter) 1951\/1952 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Woman in red dress carrying gun runnig away from giant spectre in the sky) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Banshee Bells\u201d (Alex Blum) \u2013 The Ghost Gallery
\n(reprinted from JUMBO COMICS #74, April 1945)
\n\u201cPhantoms From The Sea\u201d (Rafael Astarita) \u2013 Ghost Squadron
\n(reprinted from WINGS COMICS #72, August 1946, story is cut 2 pages short!)
\n\u201cFlee The Phantoms!\u201d (Alex Blum) \u2013 The Ghost Gallery
\n(reprinted from JUMBO COMICS #62, April 1944, story is cut 3 pages short!)
\n\u201cThe Parting!\u201d (Alex Blum) \u2013 The Ghost Gallery
\n(reprinted from JUMBO COMICS # 72, February 1945, story is cut 1 page short!)<\/p>\n

First story is a reprint, formerly titled \u201cTragedy At Bayou Bend!\u201d \u2013 as you can see in the splash. The new title has been added into the upper right corner.<\/p>\n

Though I don\u2019t care for 1940s artwork (or for occult stories featuring ghosts and phantoms), this tale about a maddened convict commandeered by his evil brother\u2019s ghost has its moments. It ends happily, but has that brutish touch to it \u2013 like the better stories in magazines like CRIME DOES NOT PAY. These by the way are absurdly overrated, but I will not digress here.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

„Mr. Dingle“, a devilish doll<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cPhantoms From The Sea\u201d is not my cup of tea at all. Wartime heroics combined with well-meaning ghosts of superior staffers?! Must be a child of its time. And the time is August 1946, check watches please.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s have a closer look at \u201cFlee The Phantoms!\u201d, the story they managed to shorten by whole 3 pages. And it still works. They rearranged the pages completely.<\/strong> Quite a job.
\nBy comparing the two versions, they took out single panels (Man rising from car crash, flagging down the bus, passengers showing their tickets) and the whole original splash (wherein \u201cGhost Gallery\u201d narrator Drew Murdoch opens his case file to present us this one).<\/p>\n

Furthermore they rearranged balloons and filled them with new text.<\/strong> Last but not least they colored all the passengers on the phantom bus in ghostly white \u2013 so that the reader realizes quickly what is going on. Originally they were brightly clad people; protagonist Howards needs 6 panels more to realize he is facing ghosts.<\/p>\n

I always admired the creative layout of \u201cThe Parting!\u201d. Now I learn that this may very well be the result of a cut-and-paste job to rearrange the pages. Hmmmppphhh. Story is mildly interesting for featuring a devilish doll called \u201cMr. Dingle\u201d. You can see a (German!) synopsis on my website FIFTIES HORROR – to see, click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By the way: the feature \u201cGhost Gallery\u201d goes back to the autumn of 1942 when first installed in JUMBO COMICS #42. It appeared consecutively for 126 issues!
\nA lot of material to pick from.
\nAnd that is exactly the reason why it\u2019s so hard to track down those reprints.<\/p>\n


\nGHOST COMICS #2<\/a>
\n(Spring?) 1952 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Woman in yellow nightgown sitting up in bed frightened by spooks) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI Woke In Terror\u2026\u201d (Alex Blum + Matt Baker) \u2013 The Ghost Gallery
\n(reprinted from JUMBO COMICS #71, January 1945, story is cut 2 pages short!)
\n\u201cThe Four Phantoms\u201d (Alex Blum + Matt Baker?) \u2013 The Ghost Gallery
\n(reprinted from JUMBO COMICS #69, November 1944, story is cut 2 pages short!)
\n\u201cAtomic Explosion In Russia!\u201d (Rafael Astarita \/ Ruben Moreira?) \u2013 Ghost Squadron\u00a0(reprinted from WINGS COMICS # 77, January 1947, story is cut 1 page short!)
\n\u201cShe Was Frantic With Fear\u2026\u201d (Alex Blum) \u2013 The Ghost Gallery
\n(reprinted from JUMBO COMICS #80, October 1945)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

This is the completely reworked NEW splash<\/p><\/div>\n

What about that splash in the lead story?<\/strong> Has the cover been modeled after the splash \u2013 or has the splash been redrawn to fit the cover?
\nSolution: splash is brand new and executed by another artist than the original.<\/p>\n

\u201cI Woke In Terror\u2026\u201d proves again to be a fun blend of crime and occult. Two kids in a dark cellar, murderers on the loose, a tough mother with a rifle \u2013 and the ghost of a snowman!
\nInterestingly in the original it is told like the children may have dreamt the whole affair; even the snowman\u2019s ghost is just a snowman!<\/p>\n

Click on splash (to your right<\/em>) to see the ORIGINAL story with the ORIGINAL splash posted in our „Stories“ section.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Four Phantoms\u201d is a very tame account of people remembering their school teacher, whose ghost led them on through life.<\/p>\n

Took me two hours to find that original for the reprinted \u201cAtomic Explosion In Russia!\u201d. And here\u2019s why. It has nothing to do with Russia. Nor atomic explosions.<\/strong>
\nThe 1947 original is about a female spy behind GERMAN lines. Emblems are changed from swastika to hammer-and-sickle, uniforms hastily decorated with red stars.
\nWhat\u2019s more important: the woman shoots her own buddy to protect him from Nazi torture! In the reprint it is a commissar pulling the trigger in cold blood \u2013 and it makes no sense. Please compare the two pages.<\/p>\n

And it gets even wilder. Most fun is the ending. Watch out:
\nReprint: Woman fires missile (where does it come from?) into Russian dam and thus explodes the only few atomic warheads (!) the Soviet Union possesses. Balloon hinting: \u201cIf the western world ever learned how little we really have\u2026\u201d \u2013 looks like six to me!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Count the warheads, please<\/p><\/div>\n

Original: Woman dives kamikaze style into German dam (yes, the picture clearly shows a plane crashing into it, no missile), thus bursting the dam and destroying a weapons factory.<\/p>\n

He-La-Hu, it\u2019s 1952, and the Nazis have just left the building. Enter the next bunch of villains.
\nI marvel at how elegant (more or less!) these stories are ripped apart and pieced together again with a total different meaning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe Was Frantic With Fear\u2026\u201d is a hard boiled crime story about a boy being kidnapped and almost being buried alive!
\nTo add horror to atrocity, the boy\u2019s mother gets shot and floats downstream while her ghost calls the police. Strange? Of course, it\u2019s a comic book!<\/p>\n


\nGHOST COMICS #3<\/strong><\/a>
\n(Summer?) 1952 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Hovering green spectre commanding woman to stab her doppelganger) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman + ???<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cNobody Knew Who Wrote The Message\u2026\u201d (Jack Kamen) \u2013 The Ghost Gallery
\n(reprinted from JUMBO COMICS # 91, September 1946)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Werewolf Hunter\u201d (Lily Ren\u00e9e, signed in original)
\n(reprinted from RANGERS COMICS #15, February 1944,
\nthere titled \u201cPriestess Of The Spider Death\u201d,
\nstory is cut 1 page short)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Werewolf Hunter\u201d \u2013 Part 2 – (Lily Ren\u00e9e)
\n(reprinted from RANGERS COMICS #37,\u00a0 October 1947,
\nthere titled \u201cThe Far East – Bagdad\u201d, allegedly Lily Ren\u00e9e,
\nstory is cut 1 page short!)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dark Eyes Of Destiny\u201d (Gus Schrader? + Jack Kamen?) \u2013 The Ghost Gallery
\n(reprinted from JUMBO COMICS # 90, August 1946, originally titled \u201cEyes Of Azrael\u201d)<\/p>\n

Only cover of GHOST\u2019S run that does not look like a Whitman solo job<\/strong>. Someone else is probably inking here.
\nIssue number Three again leads off with a crime\/occult mixture: \u201cNobody Knew Who Wrote The Message\u2026\u201d is a reprint, though the characters\u2019 names have been changed. What did they do that for? Making it hard for us to recover their tracks? Had again to search for half an hour.<\/p>\n

I knew that 1940s comics could be whacky – and here\u2019s a nice example: \u201cThe Werewolf Hunter\u201d, a feature from RANGERS COMICS, running from 1943-48 in 34 installments, often drawn by one of the few women in the business: Lily Ren\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Werewolf Hunter<\/a>\u201d \u2013 Part 1 is posted on Pappy’s delightful „Golden Age Comics Blogzine“, click underlined title to see. The original is posted in our „Stories“ section – click the miniature splash (above!) to see it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

This exciting scene was only meant for kiddie readers in 1947, not 1952!<\/p><\/div>\n

Strange fact coming up: the reprint has been completely REWRITTEN. Balloons appear in places they haven\u2019t been before. The story remains the same though, it\u2019s just worded another way!<\/p>\n

Incomprehensible how much work Fiction House<\/strong> (and other companies of its time!) wasted to reprint something<\/strong>. Exact same thing goes for the second \u201cWerewolf Hunter\u201d story in this issue.<\/p>\n

Two of those stories appear in GHOST #3, one of them straight spider horror with a sexy sorceress; the other a wild ride through the Middle East \u2013 who could ask for more?<\/p>\n

Left out in the second reprint story is a scene where Prof. Broussard brutally drowns a scantily clad girl<\/strong>. You wonder why they start \u201ccensoring\u201d their own stories. Is this already Fiction House toning it down in concern of public opinion? Or just a mood swing towards better taste?<\/p>\n

For \u201cWerewolf Hunter\u201d see also the website „Ladies Making Comics<\/a>“ – another „Werewolf Hunter“ story from RANGERS COMICS #40 (April 1948), drawn by Lily Ren\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dark Eyes Of Destiny\u201d is a flimsy story about mystic glasses changing from hand to hand. Predicting doom. Dooooom, I say!
\nWriting here is shamefully unbalanced \u2013 for a fun story concerning mystic glasses see \u201cThe Sorcerer\u2019s Spectacles\u201d from Ace\u2019s HAND OF FATE #17, posted HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\nGHOST COMICS #4<\/strong><\/a>
\nFall 1952 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Woman in upridden skirt fleeing from three red devil spectres) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDeath Is A Dream\u201d (Bill Benulis + Jack Abel)
\n\u201cNo World For Me\u201d (Jack Kamen)
\n(reprinted from ???)
\n\u201cFlee The Mad Furies\u201d (Alex Blum)
\n(reprinted from JUMBO COMICS #81, story is cut 1 page short)
\n\u201cThe Trumpet Of Valkyrie\u201d (Rafael Astarita)
\n(reprinted from WINGS COMICS # 73, September 1946, a \u201cGhost Squadron\u201d feature, story is cut 1 page short!)<\/p>\n

\u201cNo World For Me\u201d and \u201cFlee The Mad Furies\u201d are posted on Pappy’s delightful „Golden Age Comics Blogzine“, click HERE <\/a>to see.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Great Fiction House cover. Always those skirts being blown up. Maybe Billy Wilder got the idea for the famous Marilyn Monroe skirt scene from this comic book<\/strong>. Huh?<\/p>\n

First original art in \u201cDeath Is A Dream\u201d. Not in the rest of the stories though. They are covering up their tracks better now. Rearranged splash pages make the stories look new.
\n\u201cDeath Is A Dream\u201d is a pathetic first try a something new. Frankly, I could not follow the story. It is too condensed and no fun this way. Makes your head spin.<\/p>\n

For the first time in Fiction House horror, this issue features a two-page text story (\u201cThe Haunted House\u201d).<\/p>\n

Could not track down \u201cNo World For Me\u201d \u2013 maybe this is NO reprint. Jack Kamen starts working for EC in spring 1950, but is still listed for the odd job at Fiction House way into 1952 (or are these all reprints?!). Probably. Still:<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to offer a PRIZE here: \u201cSpot the Original\u201d!<\/h3>\n

If YOU can tell me if \u201cNo World For Me\u201d is indeed a reprint (and where it\u2019s coming from), I\u2019m willing to post your name and picture here \u2013 along with an \u201cArt Spotter of the Issue\u201d honorable mention tag.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFlee The Mad Furies\u201d is a lame throw-that-old-black-magic-right-back-at-ya yarn. I have to point out though that evil black-haired Rowena wears much skimpier clothing in the original. In the first three pages there she appears in a weird tankini-like pirate outfit \u2013 complete with a cape!<\/p>\n

In \u201cThe Trumpet Of Valkyrie\u201d (a tale about a brave pilot leading the locals with the help of their folklore goddess against their oppressors) again features a clever switch of enemies: the original Nazis are replaced by unscrupulous Soviets. And always impressive how they cut a page from the story so you will hardly notice.<\/p>\n


\nGHOST COMICS #5<\/strong><\/a>
\nWinter 1952 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Multi-handed Indian goddess fighting off adventurers) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cSatan Owned His Soul\u201d (Bill Benulis + Jack Abel, signed)<\/p>\n

\u201cPilots\u2019 Revenge\u201d (Rafael Astarita)
\n(reprinted from WINGS COMICS #71, July 1946, story is cut 4 pages short!)<\/p>\n

\u201cPhantoms From The Sea\u201d (Charles Nicholas? + ???)
\n\u201cSecond Life\u201d (Lily Rene\u00e9, signed in original) – (reprinted from RANGERS COMICS #36, August 1947, story is cut 2 pages short!)<\/p>\n

\u201cCount Borka\u2019s Return\u201d (???)<\/p>\n

First and only GHOST cover NOT to sport a sexy female in distress<\/strong>. In return we get a bare-breasted angry goddess.<\/p>\n

\u201cSatan Owned His Soul\u201d is Fiction House\u2019s first new straightforward horror comic story. Set in old England, we follow the ambitions of a young lawyer, who gets into bed with the forces of darkness. Horror tried readers see what\u2019s coming, but still a valid story. With nice artwork by Benulis and Abel.<\/p>\n

Followed by the company\u2019s most audacious attempt of cutting down a story which has been published before. Whole 4 pages are plucked out of \u201cPilot\u2019s Revenge\u201d \u2013 leaving behind a four-page torso about a pilot accused of murder for dealing self justice to a traitor couple.
\nAstonishingly it works! It is cleverly rewritten into a first person narrative. The price to pay is the beautiful original page layout which now looks rather stiff.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cPhantoms From The Sea<\/a>\u201d is a lighthouse set caper about a band of \u201cshipwreckers\u201d being overwhelmed by the ghosts of their previous victims. I don\u2019t care much for that stuff\u2026
\nPosted on Karswell\u2019s fantastic blog \u201cThe Horrors Of It All\u201c – to read click on underlined title (and please scroll down to see the story!).<\/p>\n

\u201cSecond Life\u201d looks like a 1940s reprint \u2013 and it is.
\nI could identify it as a \u201cWerewolf Hunter\u201d feature from RANGERS COMICS #36. Prof. Broussard goes on a trance journey into the days of King Richard of England and thwarts the plan of poisoning the regent.<\/p>\n

\u201cCount Borka\u2019s Return\u201d poses a bit of a mystery. A bland story, but illustrated with interesting artwork (falsely credited to Jack Katz before) \u2013 especially the splash is beautiful in a fascinating way. Who did this?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\nGHOST COMICS #6<\/strong><\/a>
\nSpring 1953 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Humpbacked fiend holding lantern over unconscious and chained woman on the ground) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sleepers In The Crypt\u201d (John Belcastro ?)
\n\u201cZandini Did It!\u201d (A. Albert, signed)
\n\u201cPayoff Blues\u201d (Jack Kamen)
\n(reprinted from JUMBO COMICS #114, August 1948, story is cut short by 3 pages!)
\n\u201cGhost Squadron \/ Brother Chai Was Drinking A Toast\u2026\u201d
\n(Maurice Whitman, taking over the feature from Rafael Astarita)
\n(reprinted from WINGS COMICS # 80, April 1947, story is cut 4 pages sh\"Ghostnrsechs\"<\/a>ort!)
\n\u201cTwo Must Die\u201d (Bill Benulis? + Jack Abel?)<\/p>\n

What a fine cover this is.
\nCombining all the clich\u00e9s we love in a horror book.<\/strong>
\nA blonde in a red dress, in bondage and distress, a hunchbacked green-haired fiend with probably more than voyeuristic intentions. Add an athletic male bursting with cocked guns onto the scene, not noticing the huge spider web in the corner where an ominous blue specter lurks.
\nGosh, what is going to happen next?!<\/p>\n

Looking at the contents we detect an outrage. This issue presents not four, but five full stories. Great value, you might think?<\/strong> Incorrect, because they cripple two perfectly good stories from years ago to fit in.
\nOne WHOLE reprint plus a filler page would have made all the difference compared to TWO incomprehensible stumps of comic stories\u2026 Tchtchtch. Let\u2019s go inside, shall we?<\/p>\n

Enter artist A. Albert, of whom no first name is known. But he signed that way. Only for this reason we do know of him. Albert seems to have exclusively contributed to WINGS, PLANET, JET ACES and GHOST, doing two dozen stories for Fiction House \u2013 and no more. Mr. Albert will be back for more in the next issues. His style is quite nice, reminding me a bit of Bob McCarty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sleepers In The Crypt\u201d is an uninteresting crime mystery with some ghosts thrown in; \u201cZandini Did It!\u201d is a first person narrative, told by a gangster awaiting his execution. First (or second) person narrative always enhances a story \u2013 in my book, at least.<\/p>\n

Jack Kamen\u2019s \u201cPayoff Blues\u201d is bad, because three pages of fine action are cut in this reprint. The original (a \u201cGhost Gallery\u201d feature, of course) is much more enjoyable, the shortened version here hardly makes sense!See the reprint HERE <\/a>at „MagicWhistle“ – we post the ORIGINAL in our stories section (click miniature splash below<\/em>)!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cGhost Squadron\u201d is another reprint, terribly gutted by four pages, completely rearranged and partly redrawn. File under \u201cHow To Butcher Original Art\u201d.<\/strong>
\nHad difficulties finding the original, because I looked for Astarita. Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr. kindly pointed out that this is Maurice Whitman \u2013 imitating Astarita.<\/p>\n

And at last original art with \u201cTwo Must Die\u201d.
\nRun of the mill mystic revenge tale about two greedy mine-owners responsible for their workers\u2019 death. Strange artwork though.
\nDoubted the original credit for Benulis\/Abel. Cause it looks \u201coff\u201d \u2013 compared to their other contributions. But this is just a sloppy and\/or hasty job.<\/p>\n

\u201cZandini Did It!\u201d and\u00a0\u201cTwo Must Die\u201d are both posted on THIS <\/a>comics art blog<\/p>\n


\nGHOST COMICS #7<\/strong><\/a>
\n(Summer?) 1953 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Madman standing next to woman on operating table firing gun at the apparitions in the window) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBride Of Horror\u201d (Bill Benulis + Jack Abel, signed)
\n\u201cThe Demon Of Devonshire\u201d \u2013 A Ghost Gallery Thriller (??? + Jack Abel ?)
\n\u201cWhen Dead Rogues Ride\u201d (A. Albert)
\n\u201cThe Gallows Ghost\u201d (Bill Discount, signed)
\n\u201cWho Called Us Back?\u201d (John Belcastro, signed \u201cJohnny Bell\u201d)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>First issue containing only original art.<\/strong> Though the second story is subtitled \u201cA Ghost Gallery Thriller\u201d this is no reprint but a fresh contribution from an uncredited mystery artist, probably inked by Jack Abel again.<\/p>\n

\u201cBride Of Horror\u201d is (again) a piece of writing struggling with pace and rhythm. But quite a good story about a family curse and a wolfish affliction \u2013 see it posted here by clicking the miniature splash.<\/em><\/p>\n

Benulis and Abel really make an effort here.
\nTheir artwork is beautiful to behold and inventive in its composition and \u201ccamerawork\u201d.<\/p>\n

Much more pedestrian artwork in \u201cThe Demon Of Devonshire\u201d, but another twist I didn\u2019t see coming. The police inspector troubled by ghostly apparitions IS the mad killer himself.
\nStory is told by \u201cGhost Gallery\u201d host Drew Murdoch who takes an active role here \u2013 bringing down the fiend at the end.<\/p>\n

The writing in \u201cWhen Dead Rogues Ride\u201d is so unbalanced that I wonder if this is a watered down and truncated reprint \u2013 but can\u2019t be. This is new artwork by A. Albert again!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m at a loss with \u201cThe Gallows Ghost\u201d: Is this a four page \u201cfiller\u201d with no point to it \u2013 or is it a cool and wild \u201cjazz\u201d-like study of a man going mad?! Judge for yourself in our post!
\n(Never thought I\u2019d post something by Bill Discount; a very self-confident artist; 33 entries in comics history and most of them are SIGNED…<\/em>)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And another fast paced horror hodgepodge closing this issue: \u201cWho Called Us Back?\u201d proves to be fairly entertaining \u2013 though the woman\u2019s \u201cheadlights\u201d are a mean distraction<\/strong>. Page 3 especially. Belcastro at the height of his abilities here, nice work.
\n You’ll find the story posted in our „Stories“ section.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

GHOST COMICS #8<\/strong><\/a>
\n(Fall?) 1953 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Hand holding voodoo doll rising from swamp and terrorizing couple nearby) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Curse Of The Mist-Things\u201d
\n(John Belcastro, signed \u201cJohnny Bell\u201d)
\n\u201cThe Face In The Shroud\u201d (Bill Benulis + Jack Abel, signed)
\n\u201cReturn Engagement\u201d (Bill Discount, signed)
\n\u201cThe Soul Stealer\u201d (???)
\n\u201cThe Last Of The Glanamores\u201d (Larry Woromay)<\/p>\n

\u201cAll NEW eerie mysteries<\/strong>\u201d says a scroll right above the title logo. We\u2019ll take their word for it.
\nI hardly assume that readers complained about the reprints in issues #1 to #6, but they are really caring for their horror line now.<\/p>\n

In \u201cThe Curse Of The Mist-Things<\/a>\u201d a ghostly gypsy caravan arrives at Belfast manor \u2013 to claim the lord\u2019s daughter who is of gypsy origin. In his youth the lord killed a man and kidnapped a gypsy woman. Nothing special here. Read it on Pappy’s delightful „Golden Age Comics Blogzine“ (click underlined title).<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThe Face In The Shroud\u201d is the best looking story of the issue \u2013 and no disappointment. Another fine Benulis\/Abel collaboration establishing a crime mystery with a s\u00e9ance gone wrong (posted HERE<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Bill Discount probably never looked better than in \u201cReturn Engagement\u201d \u2013 any idea WHOM he is swiping here?! Sorry, that was probably unfair. I am wronging the man. He earns our respect for this story (posted HERE<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Soul Stealer\u201d is this issue\u2019s mystery. The artwork looks like Gerald Altman meets Dick Beck. It\u2019s a very good voodoo story by the way in which tourists get haunted by wild dreams \u2013 until one of them is ready to become a zombie. There\u2019s even a special twist<\/strong> on the story\u2019s meta-level.<\/p>\n

Postscript September 2013<\/strong>: Having studied the artists for FAWCETT HORROR, I now believe \u201cThe Soul Stealer\u201d bears the artistic mark of Ed Waldman. Who’s credited to have worked for Fiction House in the late 1940s…<\/p>\n

Solid art by Jack Davis look-alike Larry Woromay in \u201cThe Last Of The Glanamores<\/a>\u201d. The story is well done family curse fare (with a strong female character helping out), but family curse stories NEVER spark my interest. Not my cup of tea.
\nSee it posted on the wonderful „Four-Color Shadows“ comics art blog (click underlined title).<\/em><\/p>\n

Note that only two out of five stories take place in contemporary America. One of them even backdropping against an exotic voodoo locale. Fiction House concentrates on ghostly (hence the title!) mysteries far away or long gone.<\/p>\n


\nGHOST COMICS #9<\/strong><\/a>
\nWinter 1953 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Fight scene in cellar: Woman with knife, man with gun, fiend with lead pipe) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Devil Seeds\u201d (John Belcastro, signed \u201cJohnny Bell\u201d)
\n\u201cThe Thing That Walked At Night\u201d (Bill Benulis + Jack Abel, signed)
\n\u201cThe Throwback!\u201d (Bill Discount, signed)
\n\u201cMonster Fang!\u201d (Jack Abel ?)
\n\u201cThe Monster Of The Sea\u201d (A. Albert, signed)<\/p>\n

Third issue in a row featuring (more or less) the same artists. Got it steady now. The advertisement on page 3 concentrates (not as usual) on their \u201cBig Six\u201d comic books, but on the freshly launched 3-D titles SHEENA and CIRCUS. They will remain one-shots\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThe Devil Seeds\u201d sadly lacks a twist, but is otherwise a fine story. Belcastro\u2019s artwork is intriguing and the first-person narrative about a farmer set out to destroy an evil plant runs along smoothly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Thing That Walked At Night\u201d is the best horror story from Fiction House so far.<\/strong> Inspired art by Benulis\/Abel again; and \u2013 what\u2019s more \u2013 a terrific story (with a twist!) about an adopted girl turning werewolf.
\nRead it in our „Stories“ section.<\/em><\/p>\n

And Bill Discount is back with \u201cThe Throwback!\u201d. Quite a solid job again, on page 4 I see possible influences by Bob Powell.<\/p>\n

The plot of \u201cMonster Fang!\u201d sounds familiar: Mountain climbers meet ghosts of their past and die one by one. Seen this somewhere else\u2026 There\u2019s the 10 page \u201cEerie Footsteps In The Red Snow!\u201d in BEWARE! TERROR TALES #2 from July 1952. \u00a0But in here the climber has to kill his mates first to have them return as avenging spirits.
\nAnd there\u2019s \u201cDeath On Ice\u201d in STRANGE FANTASY #6 from June 1953. Group of climbers meet ghostly apparitions and Death himself. So maybe it\u2019s a clever mix of both of these stories\u2026 Anyway: If this is a Jack Abel solo job, it\u2019s one of his very first.<\/p>\n

Oh, boy! \u201cThe Monster Of The Sea<\/a>\u201d is a kiddie tale<\/strong>! About a young boy getting granted three wishes. It is entertaining though and features a beautiful fantasy splash. The charm of this story lies in its off-beatness: a kid, a sloppy father, a sea-captain and an enormous sea snake?! Why not?<\/p>\n


\nGHOST COMICS #10<\/strong><\/a>
\n(Spring?) 1954 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Crouching werewolf holding scantily clad woman by the arm, a skeleton looming over them) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGhost Of The Gorgon\u201d (John Belcastro, signed \u201cJohnny Bell\u201d)
\n\u201cThe Ghost Of Doctor Renick\u201d (Bill Benulis, signed)
\n\u201cHalfway To Hades\u201d (A. Albert, signed)
\n\u201eThe Strange Case Of The Absent Floor\u201c (Will Eisner) \u2013 Dr. Drew
\n(reprinted from RANGERS COMICS #47, June 1949)<\/p>\n

Another nonsensical overblown cover trying to cram everything but a giant spider into one sensational picture. And sadly it\u2019s already end of the line for new horror: the reprints are back<\/strong>! Although it is only one and it\u2019s a nice one at that.<\/p>\n

The usual house ad on page three starts lying in a big way: The \u201cBig Six\u201d from Fiction House are a) only five (because GHOST is featured twice!) and b) PLANET may no longer be available (last issue appeared in winter).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cGhost Of The Gorgon<\/a>\u201d is another fine Belcastro job. I also like Medusa stories (cause I like what this woman does with her hair\u2026) \u2013 although they are never surprising in any way.
\n\u201cGhost Of The Gorgon\u201d proves to be a straight horror-adventure and is a nice opener for this penultimate issue. See it on Karswell’s fantastic blog „The Horrors Of It All“.<\/p>\n

Bill Benulis presents his first solo work<\/strong> (of only six he did for Fiction House) and does not disappoint. In \u201cThe Ghost Of Doctor Renick\u201d his style looks like Edward Goldfarb meets Gene Fawcette.
\nAdd Bob Powell\u2019s \u201ccamerawork\u201d and you get a gorgeous look to a weak and schmaltzy ghost yarn about a widowed doctor rescuing a young boy. First person narrative by the way. And involvement of a female ghost in a rather sexy nightgown<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalfway To Hades<\/a>\u201d sounds more sensational than it turns out to be. Two students stumble upon the haunted \u201cHalfway House\u201d where gangsters used to meet and mingle. They are being chased by ghosts, but manage to escape. See it on Karswell’s fantastic blog „The Horrors Of It All“<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201eThe Strange Case Of The Absent Floor<\/a>\u201c (posted on „MagicWhistle“<\/em>) is the first of a mystery series featuring Dr. Drew that ran in RANGERS COMICS # 47 to 60. Some say that artist Grandenetti (who worked on backgrounds for Will Eisner\u2019s \u201cSpirit\u201d) paid homage to his mentor.<\/p>\n

It seems much more likely that Eisner himself conceived and executed most of these pages. <\/strong>If you\u2019re interested to learn more, have a look at our section \u201cArt Spotting Controversy\u201d in the menu bar \u2013 or just click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

GHOST COMICS #11<\/strong><\/a>
\n(Summer ?) 1954 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Couple struggling on staircase, being beckoned by a woman\u2019s skeletal phantom) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLords Of The Upper Air\u201d (John Belcastro, signed \u201cJohnny Bell\u201d)
\n\u201cGrab-Bag\u201d (Bill Benulis + Jack Abel)
\n\u201cWerewolf Hunter\u201d (George Evans, signed)
\n(reprinted from RANGERS COMICS #39, February 1948)
\n\u201eThe Witch\u2019s Doll\u201c (Will Eisner + Jerry Grandenetti ?) \u2013 Dr. Drew
\n(reprinted from RANGERS COMICS #49, October 1949)<\/p>\n

Last issue. Filled up with two reprints. Cover is almost suspenseless \u2013 compared to the ones before. Only four ghoulish fiends threatening a couple from afar?!
\nThis is the only horror cover sporting a balloon, by the way! And one of only a dozen covers EVER to feature a balloon in Fiction House\u2019s history of 826 title pages (the others being three very early JUMBO COMICS, the penultimate issues of FIGHT COMICS and WINGS COMICS, the one-shot issue of KNOCKOUT ADVENTURES \u2013 and strangely enough six issues of WAMBI, JUNGLE BOY!).
\n I love doing odd counts\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It\u2019s a last Belcastro with \u201cLords Of The Upper Air<\/a>\u201d, a poetic sounding title if ever there was one in horror comics. Solid story again about mountain climbers in the Himalayan stumbling upon a tribe of \u201csnowmen\u201d with supernatural powers.<\/p>\n

Followed sadly by a last Benulis\/Abel effort: \u201cGrab-Bag<\/a>\u201d is no masterpiece, but a fresh story far apart from all clich\u00e9s and formulas. A group of girls is being haunted by the ghost of a mysterious evil woman, whose stylish accessories came into the girls\u2019 possession.
\n\u201cModern\u201d way of creating horror \u2013 as opposed to bothering with vampiristic heritages, folkloristic curses from the past or go to great lengths by visiting exotic locales.<\/p>\n

(Just a reminder: that miniature splash on the left points to our posting of this fine tale from GHOST COMICS #9, executed by Benulis & Abel, of course.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Next: Nice to have a look at an early George Evans in that \u201cWerewolf Hunter\u201d reprint. An artist who went on to real horror fame with Fawcett and EC, of course. Three stories are published on Karswell\u2019s fantastic blog \u201cThe Horrors Of It All\u201c – to read click\u00a0 underlined titles<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I have to admit that I see touches of Grandenetti in „The Witch’s Doll<\/a>“ (the third installment) of the \u201cDr. Drew\u201d series. Layout and page compositions seem more conventional and some faces don\u2019t strike me as Eisner\u2019s.
\nThe story (\u201eThe Witch\u2019s Doll\u201c) itself is weak and illogical. On page 7 Dr. Drew destroys two voodoo witch dolls (one of them a doll in his own semblance) which were actively \u201cworking\u201d moments ago. Shouldn\u2019t the good doctor have gone to pieces \u2013 just like the doll did?!<\/p>\n

Anyway, we\u2019re finished with GHOST COMICS, so let\u2019s have a quick glance at Fiction House\u2019s other horror title.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MONSTER\u00a0 \/\u00a0 2 issues<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The publication of the sister title MONSTER in 1953 (only twice!) is a bit of a mystery.<\/p>\n

Looking at the artists\u2019 line-up both issues were probably brought out in the first half of the year 1953. But why only twice? Did it catch on so badly? GHOST COMICS went on as usual, unaffected by MONSTER.
\nA title, by the way, which is just great for a horror book \u2013 and was never used before!<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nMONSTER #1<\/strong><\/a>
\n1953 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Green fiend swinging club and grabbing woman in white dress) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Monster\u201d (???)\"Monster1\"<\/a>
\n\u201cThe Mirror\u201d\u00a0 (???)
\n\u201cTraitor\u2019s House\u201d (Anthony D’Adamo, signed)
\n\u201eThe Philosopher\u2019s Stone\u201c (Jerry Grandenetti, signed = Will Eisner) \u2013 Dr. Drew
\n(reprinted from RANGERS COMICS #48, August 1949)<\/p>\n

That is just a wonderful Maurice Whitman cover<\/strong>, gracing MONSTER in a way like Whitman did with so many classic Fiction House title pages.
\nA brutish monster, a damsel in distress, violent action \u2013 and please admire that tilted perspective! And the colors are beautifully arranged. The London fog could have been more on the impenetrable side\u2026<\/p>\n

The contents of this issue are, alas, more than weird.<\/p>\n

First there\u2019s \u201cThe Monster\u201d (a ten-page story!) referring to the cover, nice touch there, but what about that artwork?!
\nLooks like a swipe to me, I see references to Iger Studio work and even Al Feldstein here and there. This was done for MONSTER (no reprint, I believe), but a lame and careless story about a scientist creating a monster.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s \u201cThe Mirror\u201d \u2013 this must be a 1940s reprint. And heavily truncated, I suspect: Looked for hours, but can\u2019t find it! Story is about an evil mirror and a woman probably as evil \u2013 sacrificing unsuspecting people into a dark mirror world. Might be a solid story, alas not on these clouded four pages.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to extend the PRIZE offer from GHOST #4: \u201cSpot the Original\u201d!<\/h3>\n

If YOU can tell me where from \u201cNo World For Me\u201d AND \u201cThe Mirror\u201d are originating, I\u2019ll send you something nice in the mail.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTraitor\u2019s House<\/a>\u201d is the second original artwork in this issue; signed by a certain Anthony D’Adamo (had to practice the pronunciation of that tongue-twister!). D\u2019Adamo worked only for Fiction House, and only in the years 1952\/53. His jobs for RANGERS COMICS #66 to #68 look quite different, though\u2026
\nInteresting narrative perspective in \u201cTraitor\u2019s House\u201d \u2013 the house itself tells this tale in first person. Foreign agents use a derelict house to hide and torture an American scientist. Ghosts from the past come to the rescue.<\/p>\n

\u201eThe Philosopher\u2019s Stone<\/a>\u201c is the second case from the \u201cSecret Files of Dr. Drew\u201d. The first was to appear in GHOST #10, the third in GHOST #11. This does not mean that MONSTER came out between those two issues. GHOST #10 + #11 are definitely from 1954, whereas MONSTER is from around summer 1953. Strange? Thus it is written.<\/p>\n

Great story by the way, maybe THE classic Dr. Drew episode \u2013 breathlessly told and breathtakingly illustrated. We think by the master himself, Will Eisner.<\/p>\n


\nTHE MONSTER #2<\/strong><\/a>
\n1953 \/ Art director: Jerry Iger
\nCover: (Giant humpbacked fiend emerging from the ground and reaching out for bystanders) \u2013\u00a0 Maurice Whitman, signed \u201cMW\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThe Dark Abysmal\u201d (John Belcastro, signed \u201cJohnny Bell\u201d)
\n\u201cTiger Kiss\u201d \u00a0(A. Albert ?)
\n\u201cWhere The Undead Roam\u201d (Bill Benulis + Jack Abel, signed)
\n\u201cKohnoori\u2019s Curse\u201d (Bill Discount)
\n\u201cThe Deadman\u2019s Chest\u201d (Art Peddy + Bernard Sachs)<\/p>\n

All new material in this issue, no reprints. Note that the second issue is called \u201cTHE Monster\u201d<\/strong>, whereas #1 was just \u201cMonster<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dark Abysmal<\/a>\u201d is strange, but charming story with intriguing and slightly ironic (look at the depiction of the country folk) artwork by Belcastro.
\nMore science fiction than horror: a boy befriends an alien creature which goes on a rampage when confronted with human greed.
\nToo mild to be an EC yarn, \u201cThe Dark Abysmal\u201d makes a nice double feature with that kiddie story from GHOST COMICS #9 (\u201cThe Monster Of The Sea\u201d), produced around the summer of 1953, too. I suspect the same author.<\/p>\n

\u201cTiger Kiss\u201d is solidly done, but pure formula. And I somehow do not understand it. Next, please.<\/p>\n

Benulis and Abel offer their only contribution to MONSTER<\/strong> with \u201cWhere The Undead Roam<\/a>\u201d. Unbalanced bayou voodoo hodgepodge, still worthwhile looking at. They create a most impressive voodoo slave (have a look at that splash!). I feel they are anticipating the look of Neil Gaiman\u2019s 1988 \u201cSandman\u201d character here\u2026
\nThe zombies\u2019 movement through the waters clearly pays homage to Graham Ingels\u2019 \u201cHorror We? How\u2019s Bayou?\u201d<\/strong> from HAUNT OF FEAR #17 (the rotting dead rising from the swamp, to be seen only from the crown of their heads down to their nostrils).<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s have another upload of a Bill Discount story: \u201cKohnoori\u2019s Curse\u201d is run of the mill, but looks great and couldn\u2019t be much better for its meager four pages!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And it\u2019s a new team working on \u201cThe Deadman\u2019s Chest\u201d. Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. informs me that this is Art Peddy with Bernard Sachs. Their only contribution to a doomed horror series.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it for the MONSTER.
\nTitle was abandoned after this second issue. Maybe readers did not get enough monsters for their money\u2026<\/p>\n

\u00a0
\nADDENDUM ————————————————<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

There remains however one<\/strong> more \u201cnew\u201d Fiction House horror story \u2013 hidden in the very last issue of their famous JUMBO COMICS (#167 from March 1953):<\/p>\n

„The Cult Of The Leopardmen“ (John Belcastro)<\/p>\n

After some Iger Studio \u201cGhost Gallery\u201d reprints in the previous JUMBO books, it\u2019s John Belcastro\u2019s honor to design \u201cCult Of The Leopardmen!\u201d \u2013 maybe his first horror work at all. Click the miniature splash on the right to read Fiction House\u2019s most unknown horror story<\/strong> in our \u201cStories\u201d section.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GHOST COMICS start out as an Iger Shop reprint operation. Way to cash in on the horror boom! Just slam together some old stories and wrap them in a fresh and spicy cover. But you\u2019ve got to hand it to Fiction House: their GHOST COMICS are strictly about ghosts. As we will see. In the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":814,"parent":0,"menu_order":50,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":861,"href":"https:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20\/revisions\/861"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/highest-standard.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}