Monday, May 24, 2021

The Witches Cauldron #1 and The Panther's Revenge: The cover story

 Gredown's The Witches Cauldron #1 was published in 1976:


The cover art, likely by Phil Belbin, is based on two panels from the lead story, The Witch of Hog Wallow (incorrectly titled The Witch of Hog Hollow on the front cover) :



The cover was recycled by Gredown a few years later for The Panther's Revenge: 


Interestingly, the bumpkin figure in front of the panther is replaced by a rendition of the priest figure from the lead story Sweet Resentment. The panel below shows both Priest Nofrite and the panther:


Not only is the priest on the cover clearly based on Priest Nofrite, but the figure appears to be the very same figure on The Witches Cauldron #1 touched up to represent the priest. 

Clearly there was an attentive editorial hand at work in this instance.

The contents of The Witches Cauldron #1 and The Panther's Revenge have been indexed on AusReprints along with many of the splash panels to the various stories.

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Tales of Horror #4

 Gredown's Tales of Horror #4 was published c.July 1976:

The cover is likely by Phil Belbin and is based on two full page illustrations by Miguel Gomez Esteban for the lead story The Black Cat:


And here's a scan of the splash page to El Gato Negro:

The story contents:

The Black Cat, originally published as El Gato Negro in Dossier Negro #17, August 1970 

Night of the Mockers, originally published in Beyond the Grave #5, April 1976

The Unbelievers, originally published in Monster Hunters #4, February 1976

That Old Gang of Mine, originally published in Monster Hunters #4, February 1976

The Devil's Vicar, originally published in Ghost Manor #27, January 1976

Some of these stories were subsequently reprinted in other Australian editions, for example: Night of the Mockers in Planet Series 1 #2 Unusual Tales; The Unbelievers in Monster Hunters #1 and Voodoo Tales #1; and The Devil's Vicar in Ghost Manor #3.

Saturday, May 22, 2021

Ghosts and Ghouls #3

Gredown's Ghosts and Ghouls #3 was published c.October 1977:

The cover is by Salvador Faba. This image was previously published on the cover of European comics such as Chock #3, 1975:


And Shokki #7, 1975:


It was also on the cover of a horror pulp novel, Gespenster-Krimi #40:


The story contents:

The Rotting Ghouls, originally published in Weird v7#4 
Deadman's Dream, originally published in Weird  v8#2, April 1974 
The Hungry Ghoul, originally published in Tales of Voodoo v3#4, July 1970 
The Work of Genius, originally published in Ghostly Tales #83, December 1970 
Satan's Demon, published in Terror Tales v9#1, January 1978 
The Supernatural, originally published in Weird v8#3, June 1974 
Ghoul without Pockets, originally published in Horror Tales v2#2, March 1970 

There are two Eerie stories titled Satan's Demon. The one in this issue is signed Felix Saborido. This is the story published in Terror Tales Vol. 9 #1, according to my set of digital scans. I am certain there is an earlier Eerie printing of this story but I have yet to identify it. 

Gredown recycled some of these stories: The Rotting Ghouls is in The Fanged Monster; Deadman's Dream is in Ghost Dancers and Shuddering Fear; and The Supernatural is in Fate of Death.

Friday, May 21, 2021

Ghosts and Ghouls #1

Gredown's Ghosts and Ghouls #1 was published early 1978:


This cover previously appeared on Dossier Negro #88:


The cover is signed Ballestar, a Spanish artist whose work appeared on many Australian comics published by Gredown and Murray. 

The contents hail from Charlton comics:

The Treasure Seekers, originally published in The Many Ghosts of Dr. Graves #45, May 1974 
Ghost Town, originally published in Ghostly Tales #86, June 1971 
Someone Else is Here!, originally published in Ghostly Tales #86, June 1971 
The Curse of the Hanging Man, originally published in Ghost Manor #3, February 1972
Who Roams Tyford Castle?, originally published in Ghost Manor #19, July 1971 
When Johnny Comes Marching Home!, originally published in Ghost Manor #16, December 1973 
Gypsy's Revenge!, originally published in Ghostly Tales #85, April 1971 
A Bad Bargain, originally published in The Many Ghosts of Dr. Graves #44, January 1974
The Engagement Party, originally published in Ghostly Tales #82, October 1970 

Many of these stories were subsequently recycled by Gredown. For example, The Curse of the Hanging Man and Who Roams Tyford Castle? in Temple of the Dead; When Johnny Comes Marching Home! in Satan's Corpse; Gypsy's Revenge! in The Spirits of Misfortune; and The Engagement Party in Spooks of Terror. Some also appeared in Murray comics, such as The Treasure Seekers in Ghostly Tales #6, and A Bad Bargain in Scary Tales #4.

Thursday, May 20, 2021

This Magazine is Haunted #19 in Ghosts and Ghouls #6

Charlton's This Magazine is Haunted #19 was published c.August 1954 and contains the following comics features:

Where Do They Lurk?

Final Payment

Friendship Beyond Death

Doom of the Cheat!

The Coffin Maker!

The Ghost of Port Palos

All of these features - apart from Doom of the Cheat! - were reprinted in Gredown's Ghosts and Ghouls #6:

I believe Ghosts and Ghouls #6 was published late 1978.

The Coffin Maker can also be found in Gredown's Shriek of Despair. I expect to find the other stories in this issue to have also been recycled in subsequent Gredown issues. 

Oh - if you're chasing a reprint of Doom of the Cheat! it can be found in Gredown's This Comic is Haunted #3, another fulsome repository of This Magazine is Haunted material

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Savage Beastman

Savage Beastman was published by Page Publications:


This is a digest-sized recycled edition of Werewolf By Night #3:


This is the third recycled edition from the Werewolf By Night series, and the second to be retitled. this is one of many such retitled and recycled editions published by Yaffa.

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Tracking The Menace from the Stars!

Panic in the Sky is the title of the 38th episode of the tv series Adventures of Superman, originally airing 30 November 1953. The key plot element involves Superman losing his memory after ramming into an asteroid which is on a collision course with Earth. It's one of my favourite episodes and it's "Superman at his very best", according to Michael Bifulco in Superman on Television (1998 edition).

Bifulco doesn't mention that this episode bears plot similarities to The Menace from the Stars!, a contemporaneous Superman story originally published in World's Finest Comics #68, cover-dated January-February 1954. Some sources claim the television episode adapts the comic book, whilst others credit the tv show as influencing the comic book. It is also apparent that some elements of Panic in the Sky and The Menace from the Stars! are indebted to an earlier Superman comic book story, When Stars Collide! from Action Comics #63, August 1943.

I first read The Menace from the Stars! in K.G. Murray's Colossal Comic #43, published c.November 1967. This printing of the story is likely recycled from an earlier K.G. Murray Australian publication, but I haven't yet identified the source. However, I'm pretty sure there is an Australian printing of this story from the 1950's, not only because the Colossal Comic series was a repository of such recycled material, but because it does appear in the UK edition Superman Annual 1963-64, which was licensed to Atlas Publishing and Distribution Co. Ltd by K.G. Murray. Indeed, the story is referenced on the cover of the book:


The cover artist is not credited, but the image is based on a panel from The Menace from the Stars!:


This pic is from the UK Superman Annual, as evidenced by the two-tone colouring. 

This edition of the story has some modifications on the last two pages, whereas the version in Colossal Comic #43 appears to be intact.

Menace from the Stars! was recoloured and reprinted by DC Comics in Superman in the Fifties, 2002.

I look forward to identifying the other publication of Menace from the Stars! in a K.G. Murray issue.


Sunday, January 24, 2021

The Avengers #6: The Yaffa edition

Page Publications' The Avengers #6 was published c.April 1981:


The cover recoloured and cropped from the original on Marvel Comics' The Avengers #17:


The contents:

The Old Order Changeth!, originally published in The Avengers #16, May 1965 
[Four Against The Minotaur!], originally published in The Avengers #17, June 1965 
When The Commissar Commands!, originally published in The Avengers #18, July 1965 

This printing of Four Against The Minotaur! is missing the splash page. Similarly to previous issues in this series, it appears the story which sacrifices the splash page for the page count is compensated with a reprint of the cover to the story, which mirrors the splash page to some extent. 

The rest of the stories appear to be reprinted intact except for the omission of references to previous Marcel comics issues, which sometimes entails minor art extension, and the omission of the Next Issue text box at the end of When The Commissar Commands!

This issue is the first digest-sized edition in the series.

Friday, January 22, 2021

The Avengers #5: The Yaffa edition

Page Publications' The Avengers #5 was published c.August 1980:


This cover originally appeared on Marvel Comics' Marvel Triple Action #8:


Marvel Triple Action #8 reprinted Even Avengers Can Die!, originally published in The Avengers #14 with a new cover image credited to Sal Buscema.

The contents:

[The Castle of Count Nefaria!], originally published in The Avengers #13, February 1965
Even Avengers Can Die!, originally published in The Avengers #14, March 1965
Now, By My Hand, Shall Die a Villain!, originally published in The Avengers #15, April 1965 

The print of The Castle of Count Nefaria! is missing the splash page but is otherwise reprinted intact. Previous Yaffa issues of The Avengers opened with stories missing the splash page but compensated by reprinting the cover associated with the story, however the cover to this issue is related to the next story in this issue.

Even Avengers Can Die! and Now, By My Hand, Shall Die a Villain! are reprinted intact, the latter story ending on the inner rear and rear cover.

This issue is the last regular-sized issue in the series, apart from the recycled The Avengers #10. The rest of the issues are digest-sized. Indeed by the time this issue was published many of the other Yaffa series had already converted to the new format.

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

The Avengers #4: The Yaffa edition

Page Publications' The Avengers #4 was published c.October 1979:


The cover is a recoloured and cropped from Marvel Comics' The Avengers #10:


The contents:

[The Avengers Break Up!], originally published in The Avengers #10, November 1964

The Mighty Avengers Meet Spider-Man!, originally published in The Avengers #11, December 1964

This Hostage Earth!, originally published in The Avengers #12 ,January 1965 

The printing of The Avengers Break Up! is missing the the splash page, but is otherwise intact. The other two stories are intact, barring some deletions to in-story references to other Marvel Comics issues. The inner rear cover and rear cover were required to complete the reprinting of This Hostage Earth!