Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Halloween HeartBreak MISTER MYSTERY "All or Nothing at All!"

Mister Mystery was the host of his own self-titled horror anthology.
Though he looked like a jovial stage magician in a mask, his stories easily matched those of the Crypt Keeper and other ghoulish comics hosts..as you shall see!
For such an innocent-looking guy, Mister Mystery tells a nasty story, aided by illustrator Tom Feelings and an unknown author in this story from Stanley Morse's Mister Mystery #14, (1953)!

Next Week:
We Don't Yet Know What We'll Present, But We Can Guarantee...
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!
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Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Halloween HeartBreak WITCHING HOUR! "I Married a Ghost"

Does True Love transcend the barriers between life and death?
Cover art by Nick Cardy
Or is it merely a delusion brought on by grief?
Judge for yourself...
Writer Murray Boltinoff (using a pen-name because he was the book's editor, and company policy dictated that editors didn't edit their own work) and artist Art Saff leave this story from DC's Witching Hour! #15 (1971) open-ended as to whether Jen's ghost actually exists or not.
What do you think?
Next Week:
Another Surreal Story of...
HAUNTED HEARTBREAK
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!
And Now a Word From our Sponsor...
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Showcase Presents
Witching Hour!
Volume 1
(which reprints this tale...but in black and white...not color)
Paid Link

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Halloween HeartBreak ASTONISHING "Unknown Ones!"

The story's title has a double meaning to graphic literature aficionados...
...since it also covers the fact this story hasn't been seen in color since 1957!
It was reprinted (in b/w) in Dark Horse's Al Williamson: Hidden Lands TPB (2004), but that now-OOP tome had a very limited print run.
Written by Carl Wessler, this Williamson-penciled and Roy Krenkel-inked tale from Atlas' Astonishing #57 (1957) was done after the horror comics purge of the mid-1950s reduced EC Comics to just MAD Magazine, and the majority of their now-unemployed artists were scrambling around for work.
Besides Atlas, Williamson freelanced for ACG and Harvey, doing full pencils and inks, inking others like Jack Kirby and Matt Baker, or, as in this case, penciling for others (usually fellow Fleagle Gang members*) to ink.

*The "Fleagles" were a group of artists including Williamson, Roy Krenkel, Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, Angelo Torres, and George Woodbridge who would help each other on tight deadlines by doing a "jam" with individuals penciling and inking different pages...even different panels on a single page...producing some absolutely amazing visuals...and always meeting the deadline!
Next week:
Another Tale of True Love...with a Halloween Twist!
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!
(Oh, you've heard that, eh?)
And now a word from out sponsor...
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Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Halloween HeartBreak WEIRD ADVENTURES "Seeker from Beyond"

Sometimes, a casual reader would think all comic book sci-fi is space opera...
Art by Phil Marini
...but it can also be a combination of dimensional travel, romance, and, yes, just a tiny bit of space opera...

See, just a little space opera..one panel!
Note: on the cover, Zada, the alien queen is brunette, while John's girlfriend Jane is blonde!
But in the story, Zada is blonde and Jane is brunette!
Both the writer and artist of this cover-featured tale from Ziff-Davis' Weird Adventures #10 (1951) are unknown!
Even the amazingly-extensive Comic Book DataBase can't identify them!
Cover artist Phil Marini did numerous pulp and paperback covers in every genre from Western to sci-fi to romance, but this is his only comic book work.
Next Week:
Another Surreal Story of...
HAUNTED HEARTBREAK
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!
And Now a Word From our Sponsor...
Please Support True Love Comics Tales
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Friday, September 29, 2023

Love is a Prison YOUNG LOVE "Love Behind Bars! II" Conclusion

When Last We Left Our Innocent Protagonist...

...actually, this scene is about to happen...sort of!
Stephanie freaks out as she's about to meet her incarcerated boyfriend Vic as he is released from prison!
Returning home, she hastily packs, leaves a note for her parents, and boards a bus for New York City!
En route, she chats with her seatmate, a friendly old man who warns her of the perils of the Big City.
When Steph arrives at Manhattan's Port Authority bus terminal, she's shocked to discover the geezer had pickpocketed her, leaving her without money, credit cards, or ID!
When a pimp, seeing the distraught young woman, attempts to pick her up, he driven away by an elderly couple who claim they're from the "Travelers' Protection Agency" who bring her to their building, a hotel/halfway house for wayward girls...
Boy, when the Comics Code Authority loosened up the guidelines in 1971...they really loosened them!
A pimp, a cathouse/bordello with its' mistress (with her aide), and a hot-to-trot "john"!
Not exactly a typical day in a DC comic, eh?
So, in a somewhat-truncated ending, Vic's totally-innocent (and his conviction expunged), and Steph's released without even being booked (thus no arrest record)?
Don't ya just love a happy ending?

Next Week:
It's October, and We Begin Our Annual Month-Long Presentation of
Halloween Heartbreak!
We Can Guarantee...
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!

And now a word from our sponsor...
Please Support
True Love Comics Tales!
Visit Amazon and Order...