Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!



Weird Mystery Tales #21, August 1975. (One of my favorite Wrightson covers).




DC 100 Page Super-Spectacular #4, 1971. The back cover was Bernie's beautiful front cover reprinted without the logos and type.



Secrets of Haunted House #5, January 1976.


Secrets of Haunted House #44, January 1982. The date next to Wrightson's signature indicates this was drawn in 1972.





Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Black and White Bernie Wrightson



"Teddy Bear," National Cartoonist Society Portfolio, 1980.


Abyss Portfolio, 1970.


"Number One and Virginia Maxon," The Edgar Rice Burroughs Portfolio, 1974.


"Tar Pit," Apparitions Portfolio, 1978.




Monday, October 29, 2012

Bettie Page!


Doesn't have a thing to do with the Countdown to
Halloween
, but here's a nice photo of Bettie Page.



Friday, October 26, 2012

This Magazine is Haunted!



This Magazine is Haunted #8, December 1952.


This Magazine is Haunted #10, April 1953.


This Magazine is Haunted #12, August 1953.


This Magazine is Haunted #13, October 1953.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Tales of Magic and Mystery



I posted these two pulp covers last October, and I like them so much I'm posting them again.




December 1927.




January 1928.

Zombie Movies




Night of the Living Dead, British, 1970s.


Return of the Living Dead, 1985.


Dawn of the Dead, 1978.


Dead Alive, 1992.


Plague of the Zombies, 1966.






Monday, October 22, 2012

Creepy Witch!


A pulp illustration by Ed Cartier, no date.






Friday, October 19, 2012

Monster Puzzle Art


R.L. Allen painted these scenes of Universal Studios Monsters.
The art was for jigsaw puzzles published by Whitman in 1969.


The Wolfman


Dracula


The Mummy






Thursday, October 18, 2012

Trick or Treat!


Another sexy witch, this one from artist Alberto Vargas.






Beware the Horror of Slithis!

Slithis is a wretched low-budget film I saw with my good friend Scott in 1978 at the Northgate Cinema near John R and 8 Mile in Detroit Michigan. We were about 16 and we'd go see about anything there that promised some special effects and gore. I really don't remember much about this one, there's a good review and recap here. The movie was also apparently marketed under the name Spawn of the Slithis.

At the theater they were giving out these little order forms for your "Slithis Survival Kit." While we never sent away for them, for some reason I hung on to the order from all these years. So I scanned it and present it here for you.



And here's the poster...


And the trailer...


And the whole damn movie...






Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Ava Gardner: She's No Witch!


I think I could just go ahead and post this picture of Ava Gardner everyday
between now and Halloween and probably wouldn't get many complaints.






Beware!: Frank Frazetta


A very nice Frazetta cover on this 1954 horror comic. Inks by Sid
Check,there's a write-up on it at the always useful Pencil Ink Blog.


Beware #10, July 1954. Cover art by Frank Frazetta and Sid Check.





Monday, October 15, 2012

Dave Stevens: Covers and Stories

I'll interrupt the Countdown to Halloween to do a quick review of the newest arrival: Dave Stevens Stories and Covers. This handsome hardcover from IDW is a fit companion to their volumes The Rocketeer: The Complete Collection and Dave Stevens: Complete Sketches and Studies.

If you're not a Dave Stevens fan, then, well, I'm sorry. My post here best describes what makes Dave's art special for me.
I'm reviewing this book under the assumption you have the Rocketeer stories, and have tracked down most if not all of Stevens' more accessible work. For you, the question is, what is in this 272-page book?

As expected, it contains all of Stevens' covers for Pacific Comics, Eclipse, Dark Horse, Comico, and other assorted publishers. These are all presented in black and white, shot from original art, and often with detailed closeups and pencil thumbnails and studies. "The Stories" section also includes, again as expected, Dave's "Aurora," "Princess Pam," and "Fair Play" stories from Pacific's Alien Worlds comic book. This book also contains some oddities and more obscure items for the discerning collector. First among these is the 12-page story "Cosmo Cat" from Quack #1, published in July 1976, this funny animal style story is claimed to be the artist's first professional published story. There's 1977's two page "My Greatest Adventure" from Fear and Laughter #1. There's also a cover and three sample pages of his work on British Tarzan comics (the book says he did eighty-one pages total)and a couple of pages showing Stevens' inks on some Star Wars comics. A couple things I didn't know about: Stevens inking Tom Yeates on a couple pages from Jonny Quest #4 and some inks on Will Meuginot for a Marvel kiddie comic.


This is all rounded out with Bettie Page pinups, Marvel T-Shirt Designs, and artwork for San Diego Comic Con programs and badges. The Complete Sketches and Studies contains some of Stevens' other commercial work, like a greeting card design and some Michael Jordan comic. So you still need that book too.

Whether you're a long-time Dave Stevens fan or a neophyte, there's something in here for you. The book opens with a heart felt introduction by Adam Hughes, who sadly reminds us there's not much Stevens' art left out there. Hughes also reminds, while we mourn the loss of an artist, others mourned a true friend and family member.





Friday, October 12, 2012

Pre-Code Horror Comics


Pre-Code nastiness...


Out of the Shadows #5, July 1952.


Diary of Horror #1, December 1952.


Horror From the Tomb #1, September 1954.


Weird Terror #1, May 1954. Cover art by Don Heck.


Startling Terror #10, May 1952. Cover by L.B. Cole.


Weird Horrors #5, December 1952.