pre-code horror Archives

Farrell Publications published some 321 issues of 62 titles from 1951-1958, which is to say that most Farrell series were short lived.  The company put out a wide range of genres from romance to war comics, but might be best remembered for their Pre-Code Horror line and their underappreciated mid-1950s superhero line which included former[...]

The creation of artist Frank Bolle, the masked hero Black Phantom had a classic villain-to-hero story arc in the pages of the Tim Holt comic.

With a little over 25 known credits in the comic book industry from 1951 to 1955, Vince Napoli is not the first name that comes to mind when it comes to Pre-Code Horror comic book art But Napoli is considered an important pulp illustrator of the 1930s through the early 1950s.  Best remembered for his[...]

Lasting for for 21 issues 1951-1955, Strange Mysteries was a successful Pre-Code Horror title by any standard Its publisher Superior Publications was a Canadian company that reprinted a wide range of material from U.S publishers but also created original material for distribution in both the U.S and Canada.  Strange Mysteries was one of these original[...]

Marvel's original Werewolf by Night story appeared in Marvel Tales #116, cover-dated July 1953 in a Pre-Code Horror classic.

L.B. Cole's science fiction and horror covers on Star Publication's Blue Bolt run are a spectacular example of his cover work.

An obscure series that combined crime with horror, Ribage Publishing's Crime Mysteries had contributors ranging from Frazetta to Myron Fass.

Magno the Magnetic Man was the underappreciated star of Ace Periodicals' long-running Super-Mystery Comics title.

Harvey Comics regular Warren Kremer had them well-covered on this one, and that helps make this Black Cat Mystery #37 (Harvey, 1952) Condition: VG- a Pre-Code Horror gem It's well worth your attention in the 2024 May 26-28 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122422 at Heritage Auctions. Black Cat Mystery #37 (Harvey, 1952) Cover[...]

An issue of a memorable Pre-Code Horror title that contains a story of an extremely popular supernatural figure rarely seen in U.S comic books, there's a copy of The Unseen #9 (Standard, 1953) up for auction in the 2022 July 3-4 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122227. The Unseen #9 (Standard, 1953) featuring La[...]

Bulletdog was arguably the first "superdog companion" of the Golden Age, setting the stage for Krypto and other superpets to follow.

It's become something I noodle with and take a fresh look at once or twice a year.  But when I saw that there's a copy of Tim Holt #30 (Magazine Enterprises, 1952) Condition: VG in this  2023 July 13 – 14 Pre-Code Horror & Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40227 at Heritage Auctions, I couldn't resist posting[...]

Cole cover, and a tougher get as well, but there's a Suspense Comics #4 (Continental Magazines, 1944) CGC Apparent VG 4.0 Moderate (B-3) Off-white pages, plus another early Cole cover with Suspense Comics #7 (Continental Magazines, 1944) Condition: VG and other issues of the series up for auction in the  2023 July 13 – 14[...]

And in reality, Harvey has often been underappreciated as a publisher of some of the best horror of the Pre-Code Horror era, with uniformly good stories and some excellent covers and eyeball-blazing colors.  The Lee Elias zombie cover here is a stand-out example of that, and there's a Tomb of Terror #16 Northford Pedigree (Harvey,[...]

We've talked about the fascinating and sometimes weird comics from industry pioneer Harry Chesler several times in recent months.  Chesler titles such as Punch Comics, Red Seal Comics, and Spotlight Comics among others run the gamut from crime, superheroes, humor — and often even horror.  Although they technically preceded the era that Pre-Code Horror collectors[...]

Mysterious Adventures from publisher Story Comics was as notorious as Pre-Code Horror gets.  Mysterious Adventures #18 was mentioned in the U.S Senate investigative report into comics and juvenile delinquency in 1954.  Mysterious Adventures #20 was used by Fredric Wertham during the Senate Subcommittee hearings themselves that year.  Story Comics owner William K Friedman was grilled[...]

The Marvel/Atlas title Astonishing started life with the name Marvel Boy in 1950, with the series being renamed Astonishing with the third issue.  While the series still featured the Marvel Boy character until issue #6 (although his last cover on the title was with Astonishing #5), the rebooted series took a clear and harder turn towards horror.  The Pre-Code portion of this[...]

Heritage's auction blurb for Dark Mysteries #19 almost reads like a checklist of elements that soon brought Pre-Code Horror comic books to the attention of critics like Fredric Wertham and to the United States Senate:  "classic bondage, skull, water wheel torture cover surrounds an injury-to-eye panel and art."  It almost seems like the publisher or[...]

The last time we posted about an issue of the obscure Pre-Code Horror title Captain Science, it turned out to be an absolute gem of an issue that fused science fiction and horror in a way that only 1950s-era American Cold War pop culture could achieve.  Captain Science #7 is another surprisingly great entry in[...]

Our recent post about the 1950 Ace Magazines release Challenge of the Unknown #6 reminded me of the unusual nature of that one-issue title.  Looking at it in the context of horror comics history, it is Ace's "proper" debut into Pre-Code Horror, after dabbling in the horror genre in Super-Mystery Comics and Four Favorites a[...]

There's a Horrific #1 (Comic Media, 1952) Condition: GD/VG up for auction in the  2023 July 13 – 14 Pre-Code Horror & Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40227 at Heritage Auctions. Horrific #1 (Comic Media, 1952) Comic Media was founded by former Harvey Comics circulation manager Allen Hardy, whose primary artists Don Heck and Pete Morosi had also[...]

Cole paired with a weird Lost World-style interior story by Jay Disbrow is a match made in Pre-Code Horror heaven (or hell, as the case may be).  We've said this before about these Star Publications titles: Cole covers of this era are unfailingly a treat that pokes you right in the eyeballs Cole and Disbrow made[...]

Monster #1, a Fiction House publication from 1953, has one of the more unique covers from this pre-code horror auction that has been going on at Heritage Maurice Whitman is responsible for the cover, which features a green monster taking hold of a damsel in distress while also bashing a man to death.  It's a[...]

Months before the launch of the Comics Code,1954 Marvel/Atlas release Journey Into Unknown Worlds #27 featured "Somewhere Waits the Vampire"

Suspense #7 has a lead story from the legendary Gene Colan, creator of Falcon, Carol Danvers and Blade, at the beginning of his comic book career.

Saunders is best remembered for his pulp magazine covers for a variety of publishers, but he also painted over 100 comic book covers, primarily for publishers Fawcett and Ziff-Davis.  Many of these are ridiculously underappreciated, but there's a noteworthy, atmospheric and foreboding Pre-Code Horror cover by Saunders on Strange Stories from Another World #4 (Fawcett[...]

A key crime comic book from an important series and by a noteworthy creator, there's a copy of True Crime Comics #3 (Magazine Village, 1948) CGC VG+ 4.5 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the  2023 July 13 – 14 Pre-Code Horror & Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40227 at Heritage Auctions. True Crime Comics[...]

Tales of Horror #8 is a textbook example of the importance of the power of a good comic book cover.  This classic Pre-Code Horror cover by artist Mel Keefer based on the feature "The Big Snake" in this issue is the key factor that drives the interest in this title among Pre-Code Horror collectors, fitting[...]

John, 1954) Condition: VG-, all in the 2023 July 13 – 14 Pre-Code Horror & Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40227 at Heritage Auctions. Nightmare #13, Amazing Ghost Stories #14 (St John, 1954) Amazing Ghost Stories #14, which hit newsstands in late August 1954, is a particularly striking example of the film-style approach that makes these covers stand[...]

Pre-Code horror will never go out of style, as fans of gruesomeness and gore will always want what many considered too sinister at some point Case in point is Strange Mysteries #8, published by Superior Comics in 1952 This book features all kinds of gnarly stuff, including a man burned alive and a severed head,[...]