RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books Halloween stories

Man, what a find !
I remember JGoldman10 from the original DC message boards, circa 2000-2004 before we all made the great migration here to RKMBs.

There were a lot of posts mocking the guy, questioning whether he was a real person posting, or just a made-up alt of someone basically role-playing a certain personality, or just someone who was seriously posting who was insane. His posts were fun, though. I lean toward thinking he was a perfomance artist. There were several of them back in the day.

Another I recall that was great fun was Ubermisfit.

And by Steven Utley, no less, who was a university academic and science fiction writer, and a fixture in those years on the DC boards, particularly in the DC ARCHIVES books section. And briefly, posted here on RKMBs.

The hell?

Another great find. The very first video I've ever seen of Rob Almighty.

This was from August 2018, so I guess if the app took off, it's 3 years later, we'd be seeing a lot more about it.
This video at least brings a little more presence of long-absent Rob to his own boards.

Take a good look at Mr. Kamphausen, and really think, would you buy a used car from him?

I'd love to meet Rob someday. And yourself as well, and many others here. I've met a few already.

I don't know if folks here actually meet at conventions, or just talk about doing it someday.

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The Wrightson cover for HOUSE OF SECRETS 107, April 1973.



Which is nice enough.
But then you see this...



...and you see that it was a far nicer 2-page wraparound cover, only half of which saw print.
You would think that an editor in the years after would have corrected that error and run the complete version as a wraparound cover on a later 100-page issue or 1977-1980 Dollar Book, or LIMITED COLLECTORS' EDITION. But somehow that never happened, and this 2-page version never saw print for DC.
The only place in print I've seen it is the A LOOK BACK book (1980, Chris Zavisa).

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Another great collection for the season, JOHN BOLTON: HALLS OF HORROR , collecting in color in 1985 the stories Bolton first did for the black and white British horror magazine, a mixture of articles and comics adaptations of the Hammer Studios films.
https://viewcomiconline.com/john-bolton-halls-of-horror-issue-1/
https://viewcomiconline.com/john-bolton-halls-of-horror-issue-2/

Issue 1 collects "The Monster Cabaret", 12 pages (r HoH 25, !982) , and "The Werewolf", 15p (r HoH 10, July 1977)

Issue 2 collects "Where Monster Roamed", 15p (r HoH 14, Nov 1977), "The Monster Club", 8p (r HoH 26, 1983), and "Father Shandor" part 1 (of 3), 6p (r HoH 8, April 1977)


Also uncollected by Bolton from HOUSE OF HAMMER are "Dracula, Prince of Darkness" (in HOUSE OF HAMMER 6, March 1977, 15 pages),
And 2 more 6-page stories of Father Shandor (HoH 16, Jan 1978, and HoH 21, June 1978).
And "Curse of the Leopard Men", 5 pages (HoH 4, Feb 1977).
Enough to fill a third reprint issue, but for some reason not reprinted.

The three "Father Shandor" stories were all reprinted in black and white, in WARRIOR magazine 1, 2 and 3, alongside the serialized stories of Alan Moore's "Marvelman" (published in the U.S.as MIRACLEMAN 1-7), and "V for Vendetta" series (in March, April, July 1982).
https://viewcomiconline.com/warrior-001/
https://viewcomiconline.com/warrior-issue-2/
https://viewcomiconline.com/warrior-issue-3/


The cover of JOHN BOLTON: HALLS OF HORROR issue 2 (above) is reprinted from a series of paintings Bolton did for a 9" X 12" hardcover book titled LET'S PLAY CHESS (1980), an instructional book on playing the game of chess, that doubles as a portfolio of 22 Bolton paintings.

I was looking at these Kirby and Adams JIMMY OLSEN covers again, and thought I'd add new links.
A wide range of one-time collaborations,
the Kirby/Colletta covers (133, 139),
the Adams covers (134, 135, 136, and 148),
the Kirby/Adams collaborations (137, 138, 141, 142 , 144),
the Kirby/Anderson cover (145),
the Kirby/Royer covers (143, 146),
and the very different Anderson/Adams cover (147).
A tremendous range of collaborations, over just 15 issues, by some of the greatest talents ever to work in comics.
Plus at least 6 rejected and unused covers, in addition to these. Only some of which have appeared in the 2004, 2005 and 2019 collected trades of the Kirby JIMMY OLSEN series. Others I've only seen in the JACK KIRBY MASTERWORKS book, across scattered issues of JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR series, or scans online. And with so many unused covers that have surfaced, there's probably more unused covers I still haven't seen.
It would actually make a great portfolio by DC or Two Morrows, to collect them all together, in an original art-size 11" X 17" portfolio of loose individual pages.

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Here's an old post from the John Bolton topic, with a link that allows you to read all the HOUSE OF HAMMER stories by Bolton, including the ones I haven't already linked above.

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Back on the topic of atmospheric Halloween stories, within the Kirby JIMMY OLSEN run, the story in 142-143 definitely fills the bill.
But on top of that, this cover for 142 offers one of my favorite Adams/Kirby collaborations :



Kirby drew this cover for issue 142, but DC didn't like the angle Kirby had Superman posed in the pencil version, so they gave it to Neal Adams to re-draw the Superman figure, which Adams did pencils and inks for, and then the other figures and background were inked by Mike Royer. So it gives a fantastic side-by-side of Adams' and Kirby's styles, in the same cover image.

Here are the original cover pencils before Adams erased and re-drew the Superman figure. It looks in this image like Royer inked these xeroxed pencils (including the original Superman figure by Kirby) sometime after the fact, for a commission.
https://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/dynamics/2011/05/16/cover-to-jimmy-olsen-142-art/

And here's the unfinished pencils it was inked from :
https://www.budsartbooks.com/wp-con..._suppal-superman_s-pal-jimmy-olsen_4.jpg

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For your Halloween reading pleasure...



CREEPY PRESENTS BERNI WRIGHTSON
https://viewcomiconline.com/creepy-presents-bernie-wrightson-tpb/

As I've mentioned before, but here it is in its entirety free to read online. Some of the best Halloween reading there is, in partial color, but whether in black and white or in color, they are exactly as they originally appeared in the Warren magazines.
Plus it concludes with a portfolio of about 40 suitable-for-framing introductory splash pages by Wrightson, a fantastic portfolio of Wrightson pages, that alone would be worth having the book for, and so much more worth having for the Wrightson stories.


If you want to see the same stories in gorgeous Steve Oliff color, look for them in BERNI WRIGHTSON: MASTER OF THE MACABRE
https://viewcomiconline.com/berni-wrightson-master-of-the-macabre-issue-1/

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Some atmospheric Halloween comics reading...

Courtesy of Moench and Sienkiewicz/Janson, from MOON KNIGHT 5, March 1981
https://viewcomiconline.com/moon-knight-1980-issue-5/



And "All Hallows Eve" , by Bruce Jones and Tim Conrad, from TWISTED TALES 1, Nov 1982. That includes three other tongue in cheek EC-tribute stories by Jones, with Corben, Alcala and Blevins.
https://viewcomiconline.com/twisted-tales-01/




And yet another link (since the previous one for it on ReadComicOnline is inundated with pop-up ads) for the outstanding "Dracula" story by Steve Perry and Steve Bissette/John Tottleben in BIZARRE ADVENTURES 33, Dec 1982. One of the best written Halloween stories ever.
https://comiconlinefree.org/bizarre-adventures/issue-33
https://viewcomiconline.com/bizarre-adventures-issue-33/

And the original earlier version by Wolfman and Adams, from DRACULA LIVES 2, in 1973 :
https://viewcomiconline.com/dracula-lives-issue-2/


That BIZARRE ADVENTURES 33 story was done about a year before Bissette/Tottleben began their SWAMP THING run (2nd series) with Alan Moore.
https://viewcomiconline.com/swamp-thing-v2-021/ (issues 20-64, from 1983-1987)




But good as the Moore/Bissette/Tottleben SWAMP THING run is, I still prefer the original Wein and Wrightson issues in SWAMP THING 1-10 , that in those first 10 issues manages to to fit in tribute to every classic Hollywood monster and horror meme. I dig these out and re-read them again every year or two.
https://viewcomiconline.com/swamp-thing-v1-001/
The first series SWAMP THING issues after by Wein/Redondo, and Michelinie/Redondo are also still good (issues 11-24, two with art by Chan).

I only felt the first ST first series jumped the shark in the last 2 or 3 issues, when they turned ST back into Dr Alec Holland.
Which is quite a feat, when you get to issue 21 of the 2nd series in "The Anatomy Lesson" by Alan Moore, and find out he never was Alec Holland !
It begs the question: How could he have been returned to human form in (first series) issues 23-24, when he was never human in the first place, just a plant who believed he was Alec Holland ?

Another I love from the Alan Moore SWAMP THING run is issue 45, "Ghost Dance" . By Moore, with Stan Woch/Alredo Alcala art. Which unknown to me when I first read it, was based on the actual Winchester Mystery House.
https://viewcomiconline.com/swamp-thing-v2-045/

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Attic - Geico Halloween commerical





This actually came out a few years ago. They seem to resurrect it every Halloween season. Great ad.

Full issues online, for your Halloween-festive reading pleasure :

BATMAN 515-552 by Moench and Kelley Jones
https://onemillioncomics.com/batman-v1-515/

DEADMAN: LOVE AND DEATH (Baron and Kelley Jones)
https://onemillioncomics.com/deadman-love-after-death-1/

DEADMAN: EXORCISM (Baron and Kelley Jones)
https://onemillioncomics.com/deadman-exorcism-1/


LAST TRAIN TO DEADSVILLE
(see below post, took awhile to find)

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After LAST TRAIN TO DEADSVILLE, Steve Niles and Kelley Jones did another story with the same Cal McDonald supernatural detective character, titled
SUPERNATURAL FREAK MACHINE that I can link :
https://viewcomiconline.com/supernatural-freak-machine-a-cal-mcdonald-mystery-issue-1/

Also released as a collected trade, the 3rd of 6 collected trades. Volumes 2 and 3 by Steve Niles and Kelley Jones. The rest by Niles with other artists.
https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=696281
and
https://viewcomiconline.com/search/?key=criminal+macabre

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Here is a CRIMINAL MACABRE OMNIBUS of the first 4 graphic novels.
LAST TRAIN TO DEADSVILLE is the 3rd collected story (beginning on page 183), and SUPERNATURAL FREAK MACHINE is the 4th (on page 275).
https://comiconlinefree.org/criminal-macabre-omnibus/issue-tpb-1/full

While I like the art on both, I far prefer LAST TRAIN TO DEADSVILLE.
And aside from the art, I thought SUPERNATURAL FREAK MACHINE was something of an unimaginative, overly cynical and profanity-laden dud.

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With updated links.

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CREEPY PRESENTS RICHARD CORBEN collected hardcover :
https://viewcomiconline.com/creepy-presents-richard-corben-tpb-part-1/

An almost complete collecion of Corben's work for Warren, spanning from 1970-1983, a solid 320 pages of it.

My favorite is "Wizard Wagstaff" on page 233.



And one of my favorite Corben covers, from CREEPY 140, August 1982.



Here's an enlarged version of it, without logo or captions.
Corben released it in this form as a limited edition print.

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A Halloween-appropriate art print by Richard Corben.
Used as the cover for Corben's EDGAR ALLAN POE collection of stories, reprinted from CREEPY, EERIE, and several underground comics.

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And a captionless version of the above WEREWOLF book cover.
Print-worthy, if it isn't already one.

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A couple Halloween story offerings by Mike Grell:



The first is in BATMAN FAMILY 1, Oct 1975, an 18-page story set in Washington DC, that pairs Robin and Batgirl, against a resurrected Benedict Arnold, and... Satan himself. With nationalist and bicentennial themes, where Benedict Arnold is brought back in the present, to re-fight the War of Independence, and this time defeat the United States continental army. And Satan gets pissed off !
At once silly and creepy, a fun story.
https://viewcomiconline.com/the-batman-family-issue-1/

And from DETECTIVE COMICS 455, Jan 1976, an 18-page story by Elliot Maggin, with art by Mile Grell. Where Bruce Wayne and Alfred are driving through a rural area, and when their car breaks down they look for help in what appears to be an old long abandoned home, and inadvertantly awaken a long-dormant vampire, ending up in a fight for their lives.
https://viewcomiconline.com/detective-comics-1937-issue-455/

Both these stories give a satisfying sample of what Grell might have done in a long Batman run. But these two issues at least give a partially realized sample of what more was possible in an atmospheric creature-of-the-night Grell run on the series. Both published about the same time as the first 3 issues of Grell's THE WARLORD run.


A less satisfying sample is Grell's 4 issues in BATMAN 287-290, scripted by David V. Reed, that present no similar atmosphere, not The Batman, but just a guy in a bat-suit fighting standard costumed supervillains. Far more Adam West, than in the O'Neil/ Adams vein.
While David V. Reed's scripts arguably had a playful and whimsical detective element, they were completely devoid of the shadows and mystery essential to writing Batman. Reed's scripts would have been perfect for Elongated Man backup stories, but they made for terrible Batman stories. Particularly when compared to the absolutely perfect Batman stories done in that decade by O'Neil, Adams, Giordano, Novick, Robbins, Wein, Aparo, Englehart, Amendola, Golden, and Rogers/Austin. As high above, so far below.

Reed did a handful of enjoyable stories in
BATMAN 296 (Scarecrow, Amendola art),
297 (the Mad Hatter, with Buckler/Colletta art)
300 ("The last Batman story", with Walt Simonson art),
and DC SPECIAL SERIES 15 (with Mike Nasser art)

But mostly Reed's Batman stories were pretty off the mark. Reed did BATMAN issues from 267-304 (Sept 1975-Oct 1978), and all 4 of these stories were at the very end of his run, DC SPECIAL SERIES 15 being the very last Baman story he wrote.

also at https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e6/03/4d/e6034d49e20cd3956d5da1ece58b67ab.jpg

"Hide the frauleins !"
Another version of Frankenstein by Budd Root. Done as a pin-up in BUDD'S BEAUTIES AND BEASTS issue 2, Feb 2007, in black and white.
And possibly duplicated in other CAVEWOMAN issues.

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And here's an Arthur Adams WEREWOLF BY NIGHT omnibus cover, done for a collection of 1970's Ploog and Perlin stories.

Arthur Adams also did another nice Werewolf cover for Two Morrows' BACK ISSUE 15, back in 2009.



And there's an Arthur Adams poster of more supernatural Marvel characters and pre-Marvel monsters.
http://www.popculturehoard.com/uploads/1/1/8/8/11883420/p976_1.png

There's also an ACTION COMICS ANNUAL issue in 1987, with a fun vampire story scripted by Byrne, with Arthur Adams/Dick Giordano art.
https://viewcomiconline.com/action-comics-1938-annual-1/

There's also an ARTHUR ADAMS' CREATURE FEATURES collected trade of movie-monster stories Adams did, including CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, GODZILLA, a short "Monkeyman and O'Brien" story, and a brief illustrated Alan Moore Godzilla poem (no, you didn't misread that).
https://viewcomiconline.com/art-adams-creature-features-tpb/

And a nice Arthur Adams Vampirella story, in CREEPY 1993 FEARBOOK, a 13-page story within a larger 48-page anthology.
(I couldn't find the full issue to link here, but a few sample pages at: http://www.sleepycomics.com/732 )




And not Arthur Adams, but the covers alone on these SCARY MONSTERS MONSTER MEMORIES annual issues make them worth the admission price.
https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=13677081

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A few more Arthur Adams Halloween-orific monsters.
The first looking like a cross between H.P. Lovecraft, and a 1950's science fiction B-movie.

The second is Adams' version of a Lee and Kirby/Ayers pre-Marvel monster story, from TALES TO ASTONISH 11, Sept 1960.
With, as have many of these pre-Marvel stories, a wonderfully ironic twist ending.
https://viewcomiconline.com/tales-to-astonish-1959-issue-11/