Back Issue #155 November 2024 (magazine review).
This issue of ‘Back Issue’ is also editor Michael Eury’s last, as he sought retirement last year. An odd choice to end on, as the topic is post-CCA modern haunted and horror comic books, and as it says on the cover, there is no escape from them.
It’s hardly surprising that DC Comics’ “House of Secrets” and “House of Mystery” dominated them for a long time. Writer John Wells looks at these titles, often used as a training ground for new artists and writers and the occasional Neal Adams or Berni Wrightson covers. Apart from knowing their hosts, Cain and Abel, I really wasn’t that familiar with the titles but am better informed now.
After those titles were discontinued, writer Alissa Marmal-Cernot looks at the later horror titles DC Comics put out, all with a ‘sinister’ or ‘haunted’ in their titles. Neil Gaiman also swiped one of their characters, Mister E, for his own magic titles. It makes business sense for DC Comics to use their horror titles as a training ground for their new artists, if only to foster their development. Later, if these titles became fan favourites, people would actively seek them out, and there are plenty of them.
It comes as no surprise that Marvel did raise a couple of horror titles, ‘Tower Of Shadows’ and ‘Chamber Of Darkness’; they didn’t last long as their superhero titles predominated, as related by writer Michael Kronenberg. I suspect Warren and DC Comics had too much presence, and Marvel’s strength was in superheroes.
Then it’s back to DC Comics with ‘Tales Of The Unexpected’ as writer Don Johnson looks over the horror title and the resurrection of Johnny Peril.
Elvira seems to be popping up a lot in my reviews. Here, she is running the ‘House Of Mystery’ as related by writer James Heath Lantz. Not only is she relating tales but also looking for Cain and Abel. If anything, she was a natural choice for such a title.
Lastly, writer Ed Lute looks at the Marvel film adaptation of ‘House II’ for their new paymasters, New World Entertainment, in a month by writer Ralph Macchio and laid out by Alan Kupperberg with other artists completing the pages.
Although the topic of this “back issue” is mostly away from my normal reading at the time, it does fill in a lot of gaps in my knowledge on the subject.
GF Willmetts
January 2025
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: $10.95 (US). ISSN: 1932-6904. Direct from them, you can get it for $10.95 (US))
check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=1790