Fatal Scalpel: Spot the difference....

The first is a scan of the first page of “Fatal Scalpel” as it appears in Gredown’s Horror Experience # 1, c. 1976. The second scan is of the same splash page as it appears in Eternity Comics’ Fifties Terror: Classic Pre-Code Horror #4, 1989.

Close inspection reveals the first scan to have far more pencil and ink detail compared to the second one, with more shading and, of course, blood on the face of the victim. Given the order of publication one would assume the second scan had been cleaned up, but that is not the case. This is an example of a pre-Code horror story which was reprinted for horror magazines (such as those published by Eerie Publications) with altered art work to increase the gore factor, and which found their way into Gredown’s titles.

“Fatal Scalpel” originally appeared in Haunted Thrills #5, January 1953, and it’s a truly deranged pre-Code horror story which I highly recommend to anyone who appreciates grisly revenge stories. I don’t know who the artist is but I understand from another collector that it is likely an Iger shop artist who did not do a lot of work for Iger and thus may be identifiable (TBA).

World's Finest Comics #38 and Batman Comics #3: Now that's what I call a Team-Up!

I don’t have many genuine US Golden Age superhero comics. Even my collection of Australian Golden Age comics is minimal, the overwhelming majority being Silver Age comics.

So how ironic it is that one of the very few US issues that I do own is not only missing half the cover, but the missing portion happens to be a perfect match for one of the very few Australian Batman issues I own from the 1950's. And I don’t even have to erase the Superman figure on the Australian issue to make it fit!

I spotted this issue of World’s Finest and didn’t have too much time to think before committing to it, but I knew I wouldn’t have to go too far to complete the cover. Talk about striking while the irony is hot!

All Star Adventure Comic #3: The missing Yellow Claw page

Some time ago I indexed All Star Adventure Comic #3. At the time I noted that the untitled Yellow Claw feature which begins "Foiled in his first attempt to cripple Western defences...") Job Number K260 was identified on the Atlas Tales site as being 6 pages, yet the reprint in All Star Adventure Comic #3 was only 5 pages.

Thanks to the good folk on the Timely-Atlas chat list I can confirm the original story is indeed 6 pages, and I present a colour scan of the missing Page 2, originally from Yellow Claw #1, October 1956.

Dear John, Here's your Superman Supacomic #41... Oh, and by the way, we really need to talk...

I don’t know Carolyn Saunders. And I don’t know whether she finished her ‘Dear John’ letter or not. But it appears she rehearsed her lines on this copy of Superman Supacomic #41, and I must say it rates as the most civil of break-up letters, as well as the most notable and unexpected comics marginalia I have come across to date.

I wonder whether it was the fellow's own copy she was practising on...? Personally, that would have pissed me off more than the break-up...!

Would you like your Man-Thing Giant-Size or small and pink...?

If there’s one thing guaranteed to induce involuntary fanboy giggles of a certain pitch it’s the phrase Giant-Size Man-Thing.

Yaffa were adamantly having none of that. Their Man-Thing issue (reprinting #’s 4-6 of the 1974 series) was titled Swamp Creature (all uncanny references to Swamp Thing be damned!).

And it was digest-sized.

Ha! Mock-proof!

But it makes me giggle anyway.

PS Not sure what to make of the shocking pink palette, nor the decision to ‘correct’ the reflected headlights and impact flash of the original cover… maybe they were working off black and white copies of the cover…?

If you're really desperate for a Spider-Man costume..

If you were really desperate for a Spiderman (sic) suit in 1975, you could enter the Newton Comics competition by completing the statement “Thor’s identity is:”, clipping the coupon, and posting it off by the 4th of August. Or, you could buy one from The Fun Shop in Bourke Street – it says so on the same page!

But you’d have to really be desperate to want this ugly specimen, and damage your copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #4 in the process. Is that not the most unintentionally gruesome kid’s mask you’ve ever seen? The expression on the face reminds me of the Lost in Space episode in which Doctor Smith discovers a machine which makes zombie duplicate Smiths, and Will Robinson is also transformed into a zombie with a facsimile of Smith’s face. Same expression, I swear! Mortifying!

I could never understand why such costumes available in Australia never looked remotely like the genuine article. There was a red and black Batman costume kids wore in the early 1970’s which looked like a cowboy costume with “Batman” written on the vest. Something tells me they weren’t quite officially sanctioned items.

Update 10/1/2019: It appears this is a Ben Cooper costume. Here's a close-up of the 1963 version. Well, the Halloween connection certainly answers the question I posed above.

The other Mammoth/Gigantic titles: Young Love Romances, All Love Romantic Stories, Scary Stories Annual

I have covered Mammoth Annual and Gigantic Annual a few times on the blog, but I have not mentioned a few other K.G. Murray titles which also comprised rebound coverless returned issues.

Young Love Romances is a contemporary of Mammoth and Gigantic featuring romance comics. The only copy I have seen is the issue linked to James’ site. Presumably there are three previous editions as this is #4.

All Love Romantic Stories is a Federal Comics-era variation with cardstock covers and square binding. This appears to be on the heels of the series of the same name.

Scary Stories Annual is a Federal Comics horror ‘companion title’ to All Love Romantic Stories, being in the same cardstock/squarebound format.

Both of these titles carry rebound magazine-size issues, most likely one-shots. For example, my copy of Scary Stories Annual includes Haunted Love (I have not identified the other two issues yet). Note also the discounted cover price - there may have been two editions of this issue.

There may be other such rarely seen compilation titles.

More Gredown double-dipping...

...and another couple of regular Gredown double-dips...

Seeing Double with Gredown again... and Page!

...and some double-dipping of a different kind...

Doomsday #16

Doomsday #16, c. 1974

The Hitchhiker!!
Joe Gill/Jack Abel
(Haunted #14, September 1973)

Crypt of the Vampire
Martin
(The Thing! #3, June 1952)

The Clutch of Doom
Bob Forgione
(The Thing! #3, June 1952)

The Man Who Vanished!
Joe Sinnott
(Marvel Tales #105, February 1952)

The Weird Tale of the Rock Bound Ghost
Bob Forgione
(The Thing! #6, January 1953)

Mirror of Yesterday
Joe Gill/Joe Staton
(The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves #37, March 1973)

The Last Man
(This Magazine is Haunted #5, June 1952)

Not much to say about this issue as the contents speak for themselves – it’s basically another great Doomsday issue with plenty of pre-Code material from Fawcett, Atlas and Charlton, with a couple of contemporary stories to fill the 52 pages.

Someone asked me recently whether there was any horror material appearing in both Gredown issues and in the K.G. Murray titles. Although I couldn’t recall offhand any specific stories being duplicated, my instinct said it would be quite possible. In my mind’s eye I saw Charlton Ditko material as likely candidates for such duplication - partly due to the volume of Ditko material routinely found in each, and also given the propensity for Charlton to recycle their own material.

Browsing through some of my issues to hand I now recognise This Magazine is Haunted is a prominent source of crossover material for both publishers, and hence is a strong candidate for duplicated reprints. As mentioned in previous blogs, Gredown’s This Comic is Haunted appears to be the designated local repository of the Fawcett/Charlton classic (which is not to say they don’t appear in other Gredown titles too!), but I’m also identifying a swag of This Magazine is Haunted material in the Doomsdays too. I haven’t yet spotted any duplications, but regardless, both Doomsday and This Comic is Haunted are proving to be dependable sources of reprints from This Magazine is Haunted.

Of course, there were two 1950’s series of This Magazine is Haunted - it was both a pre-Code and a Code Approved title, and appeared under the auspices of both Fawcett and Charlton… so maybe this will prove to be a salient factor. Or maybe not, too early to tell – the picture will be clearer once these issues are all fully indexed.