Horror comics are

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s, black-and-white comics magazines, and

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

focusing on

horror fiction Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J ...

. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the imposition of the self-censorship

Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. ...

contributed to the demise of many titles and the toning down of others. Black-and-white horror-comics magazines, which did not fall under the Code, flourished from the mid-1960s through the early 1980s from a variety of publishers. Mainstream American color comic books experienced a horror resurgence in the 1970s, following a loosening of the Code. While the genre has had greater and lesser periods of popularity, it occupies a firm niche in comics as of the 2010s. Precursors to horror comics include detective and crime comics that incorporated horror motifs into their graphics, and early superhero stories that sometimes included the likes of ghouls and vampires. Individual horror stories appeared as early as 1940. The first dedicated horror comic books appear to be Gilberton Publications' ''

Classic Comics ''Classics Illustrated'' is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as ''Les Misérables'', ''Moby-Dick'', ''Hamlet'', and ''The Iliad''. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1 ...

'' #13 (August 1943), with its full-length adaptation of

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

's ''

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'', and

Avon Publications Avon Publications is one of the leading publishers of romance fiction. At Avon's initial stages, it was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. The shift in content occurred in the early 1970s with multiple Avon romance titles rea ...

' anthology ''

Eerie ''Eerie'' was an American magazine of horror comics introduced in 1966 by Warren Publishing. Like '' Mad'', it was a black-and-white magazine intended for newsstand distribution and did not submit its stories to the comic book industry's volunta ...

'' #1 (January 1947), the first horror comic with original content. The first horror-comics series is the anthology ''

Adventures into the Unknown ''Adventures Into the Unknown'' was an American comic-book magazine series best known as the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title. Published by the American Comics Group, initially under the imprint B&I Publishing, it ran 174 issues (cover-d ...

'', premiering in 1948 from

American Comics Group American Comics Group (ACG) was an American comic book publisher started in 1939 and existing under the ACG name from 1943 to 1967. It published the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title, ''Adventures into the Unknown''. ACG's best-known cha ...

, initially under the imprint B&I Publishing.

Precursors

The horror tradition in sequential-art narrative traces back to at least the 12th-century

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

Japanese

scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyrus ...

"Gaki Zoshi", or the scroll of

hungry ghosts Hungry ghost is a concept in Buddhism, and Chinese traditional religion, representing beings who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way. The terms ' literally "hungry ghost", are the Chinese translation of the term ''pret ...

(紙本著色餓鬼草紙) Bissette, Stephen R., and Rupert Bottenberg
"Description: ''Stephen R. Bissette's Journeys into Fear''"
FantasiaFest.com, July 16–17, 2005
WebCitation archive
and the 16th-century

Mixtec codices The Mixtec Group is the designation given by scholars to a number of mostly pre-Columbian documents from the Mixtec people of the state of Oaxaca in the southern part of the Republic of Mexico. They are distinguished by their principally historical ...

In the early 20th-century,

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

s developed the horror

subgenre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a Category of being, category of literature, ...

weird menace Weird menace is a subgenre of horror fiction and detective fiction that was popular in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and early 1940s. The weird menace pulps, also known as shudder pulps, generally featured stories in which the hero was pitted a ...

", which featured

sadistic Sadism may refer to: * Sadomasochism, the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation * Sadistic personality disorder, an obsolete term proposed for individuals who derive pleasure from the s ...

villains and graphic scenes of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

and brutality. The first such title, Popular Publications' ''Dime Mystery'', began as a straight

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

magazine but evolved by 1933 under the influence of ''

Grand Guignol ''Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol'' (: "The Theatre of the Great Puppet")—known as the Grand Guignol–was a theatre in the Pigalle district of Paris (7, cité Chaptal). From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962, it specialised in natura ...

'' theater. Other publishers eventually joined in, though Popular dominated the field with ''Dime Mystery'', ''Horror Stories'', and ''Terror Tales''. While most weird-menace stories were resolved with rational explanations, some involved the supernatural. After the fledgling medium of comic books became established by the late 1930s, horror-fiction elements began appearing in

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

stories, with vampires, misshapen creatures, mad scientists and other tropes that bore the influence of the

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

s of the 1930s and other sources.Vassallo, Michael J. "The History of Atlas Horror/Fantasy" in ''

Marvel Masterworks ''Marvel Masterworks'' is an American collection of hardcover and trade paperback comic book reprints published by Marvel Comics, with the main goal of republishing classic ''Marvel Comics'' storylines in a hardcover, premium edition, often with ...

: Atlas Era Strange Tales Vol. 1'' ( Marvel Publishing:

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, New York, 2007), , p. vi In 1935,

National Periodicals DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

published the first story of

Doctor Occult Doctor Occult (sometimes dubbed the Ghost Detective, one time referred to as Doctor Mystic) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (known commonly as the creator ...

Jerry Siegel Jerome Siegel ( ; October 17, 1914 – January 28, 1996)Roger Stern. ''Superman: Sunday Classics: 1939–1943'' DC Comics/Kitchen Sink Press, Inc./ Sterling Publishing; 2006 was an American comic book writer. He is the co-creator of Superman, in ...

(script) and

Joe Shuster Joseph Shuster (; July 10, 1914 – July 30, 1992), professionally known simply as Joe Shuster, was a Canadian-American comic book artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with Jerry Siegel, in ''Action Comics'' #1 (c ...

(Art) in ''

New Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'' a.k.a. ''New Fun Comics'',''N ...

'' # 6, where he confronts Vampire Master. In ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

'' # 31–32,

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

fights a vampire. By the mid-1940s, some detective and crime comics had incorporated horror motifs such as spiders and eyeballs into their graphics, and occasionally featured stories adapted from the literary horror tales of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

or other writers, or stories from the pulps and radio programs. The single-issue

Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfr ...

anthologies ''Front Page Comic Book'' (1945), bearing a cover with a knife-wielding, skeletal ghoul, and ''Strange Story'' (July 1946), introduced writer-artist

Bob Powell Bob Powell (né Stanley Robert Pawlowski; While gives Stanislav Pavlowsky, and gives Stanislav Pavlowsky, Bails and Ware note: "family name corrected by his son, Seth R. Powell July 2006." October 2, 1916

's character the Man in Black, an early comic-book example of the type of omniscient-observer host used in such contemporary

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

and suspense

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

s as '' Inner Sanctum'', ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it aff ...

,'' and ''

The Whistler ''The Whistler'' is an American radio mystery drama which ran from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955, on the west-coast regional CBS radio network. The show was also broadcast in Chicago and over Armed Forces Radio. On the west coast, it w ...

''. As cultural historian

David Hajdu David Hajdu (; born March 1955) is an American columnist, author and professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He was the music critic for ''The New Republic'' for 12 years and is music editor at ''The Nation''. Biography ...

notes, comic-book horror:

Early American scene

Issue #7 (December 1940) of publisher

Prize Comics A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

' flagship title, ''Prize Comics'', introduced writer-artist

Dick Briefer Richard Briefer (January 9, 1915 – December 1980)Richard Briefer
(

New Adventures of Frankenstein", an updated version of novelist

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of scie ...

's much-adapted

Frankenstein monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compare ...

. Called "America's first ongoing comic book series to fall squarely within the horror genre" by historian

Don Markstein Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonop ...

,Frankenstein (1940)
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

and " e first real horror series" by horror-comics historian Lawrence Watt-Evans, the feature ran through ''Prize Comics'' #52 (April 1945) before becoming a humor series and then being revived in horrific form in the series ''Frankenstein'' #18-33 (March 1952 - November 1954). Gilberton Publications' 60-page ''

'' #12 (June 1943) adapted

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories titled ''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'' Written while Irving was living abroad in Birm ...

" as a backup feature to Irving's "

Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...

"Watt-Evans, ''Alter Ego'', p. 7 in a package titled ''Rip Van Winkle and the Headless Horseman''. The next issue, ''

'' #13 (August 1943), adapted

's horror

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

'' as the full-length story ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', making it the earliest known dedicated horror comic book.Overstreet, Robert M., ed. ''The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'' (37th edition: Gemstone Publishing / House of Collectibles : Timonium,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, New York, 2007), , p. 499. Notation at ''Classic Comics'' #13: "(1st horror comic?)" Historian

Ron Goulart Ronald Joseph Goulart (; January 13, 1933 – January 14, 2022) was an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy, and science fiction author. He published novelizations and other work under various pseudonyms: Kenneth Robeson, Con ...

, making no mention of those earlier literary adaptations, identifies

' ''

'' #1, dated January 1947''Eerie'' (Avon, 1947 Series)
at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...

. ''Eerie Comics'' is the title as per its cover logo; per this source, its title in its postal indicia

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

information is simply ''Eerie''. Its January 1947 date appears in the indicia though not on its cover, and sold in late 1946, as "the first out-and-out horror comic book". Its cover featured a red-eyed, pointy-eared fiend threatening a rope-bound, beautiful young woman in a scanty red evening gown, set amid a moonlit ruin. The anthology offered six primarily occult stories involving the likes of a ghost and a zombie. While all but one writer are unknown — Edward Bellin, who teamed with young artist

Joe Kubert Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Poland, Polish-born Americans, American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkm ...

on the nine-page "The Man-Eating Lizards" — the artists include

George Roussos George Roussos (; August 20, 1915 – February 19, 2000), also known under the pseudonym George Bell, was an American comic book artist best known as one of Jack Kirby's Silver Age inkers, including on landmark early issues of Marvel Comics' ''Fa ...

and

Fred Kida Fred Kida (December 12, 1920 – April 3, 2014) was a Japanese-American comic book and comic strip artist best known for the 1940s aviator hero Airboy and his antagonist and sometime ally Valkyrie during the period fans and historians call the G ...

. After this first issue, the title went dormant, but reappeared in 1951 as ''Eerie'', beginning with a new #1 and running 17 issues (1951 - September 1954). Goulart identifies the long-running ''

'' (Fall 1948 - August 1967), from

, initially under the imprint B&I Publishing,''Adventures Into the Unknown'' (American Comics Group, 1948 Series)
at the Grand Comics Database as "the first continuing-series horror comic". The first two issues, which included art by

Fred Guardineer Frederick B. Guardineer (October 3, 1913 – September 13, 2002)Frederick B. Guardineer

and others, featured horror stories of ghosts, werewolves, haunted houses, killer puppets and other supernatural beings and locales. The premiere included a seven-page, abridged adaptation of

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

's seminal

gothic novel Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

The Castle of Otranto ''The Castle of Otranto'' is a novel by Horace Walpole. First published in 1764, it is generally regarded as the first gothic novel. In the second edition, Walpole applied the word 'Gothic' to the novel in the subtitle – ''A Gothic Story''. Se ...

'', by an unknown writer and artist

Al Ulmer Alfred C. Ulmer Jr. (1916-2000) was an American intelligence officer. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida in August 1916. He was of Swiss extraction on his father's side, his father having been born in Zurich. Ulmer graduated from Princeton Univ ...

. Following the postwar

crime comics Crime comics is a genre of American comic book, American comic books and format of crime fiction. The genre was originally popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s and is marked by a moralistic editorial tone and graphic depictions of violence a ...

vogue spearheaded by publisher

Lev Gleason Lev Gleason Publications, founded by Leverett Stone Gleason (1898–1971), was the publisher of a number of popular comic books during the 1940s and early 1950s, including '' Daredevil Comics'', '' Crime Does Not Pay'', and ''Boy Comics''. Backgr ...

's '' Crime Does Not Pay'', which by 1948 was selling over a million copies a month, came

romance comics Romance comics is a comics genre depicting strong and close romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published t ...

, which by 1949 outsold all other genres, and horror comics. The same month in which ''

'' premiered, the comic-book company EC, which would become the most prominent horror-comics publisher of the 1950s, published its first horror story, "Zombie Terror", by the then relatively unknown writer and artist

Johnny Craig John Thomas Alexis Craig (April 25, 1926 – September 13, 2001),John T. Craig
at the ...

, in the superhero comic ''Moon Girl'' #5.Watt-Evans, ''Alter Ego'', p. 8 Almost simultaneously, Trans-World Publications issued its one-and-only comic, the

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

''Mysterious Traveler Comics'' #1 (November 1948), based on the Mutual Broadcasting Network's radio show of that name and including amid its crime and

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...

stories a reprint of the

adaptation "

The Tell Tale Heart "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator's sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the n ...

", reprinted from

Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...

' ''Yellowjacket Comics'' #6. Street and Smith also published two issues of "Ghost Breakers" in late 1948. (ibid GCDB) The floodgates began to open the following year with the first horror comic from the 1950s' most prolific horror-comics publisher, Atlas Comics, the decade's forerunner of

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. While horror had been an element in 1940s

stories from the original predecessor company,

Timely Comics Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...

, through the war years, "when zombies, vampires, werewolves, and even pythonmen were to be found working for the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

and the Japanese", the publisher entered the horror arena full-tilt with ''Amazing Mysteries'' #32 (May 1949), continuing the numbering of the defunct superhero series '' Sub-Mariner Comics'', followed by the superhero anthology ''

Marvel Mystery Comics ''Marvel Mystery Comics'' (first issue titled simply ''Marvel Comics'') is an American comic book series published during the 1930s–1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. It was the first publication of Mar ...

'' becoming the horror series '' Marvel Tales'' with #93 (August 1949) and the final two issues of ''

Captain America Comics Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

'' becoming the mostly horror-fiction ''Captain America's Weird Tales'' #74-75 (October 1949 & February 1950) — the latter of which did not contain Captain America at all.Watt-Evans, ''Alter Ego'', p. 9 Harvey Comics followed suit with its costumed-crimefighter comic ''

Black Cat A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...

'' by reformatting it as the horror comic ''Black Cat Mystery'' with issue #30 (August 1951).

EC Comics and the horror boom

Horror comics briefly flourished from this point until the industry's self-imposed censorship board, the Comics Code Authority, was instituted in late 1954. The most influential and enduring horror-comics anthologies of this period, beginning 1950, were the 91 issues of

EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-195 ...

' three series: ''

The Haunt of Fear ''The Haunt of Fear'' was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics, starting in 1950. Along with '' Tales from the Crypt'' and '' The Vault of Horror'', it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. ''T ...

'', '' The Vault of Horror'' and ''The Crypt of Terror'', renamed ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

''. In 1947, publisher

William Gaines William Maxwell Gaines (; March 1, 1922 – June 3, 1992), was an American publisher and co-editor of EC Comics. Following a shift in EC's direction in 1950, Gaines presided over what became an artistically influential and historically import ...

had inherited what was then

Educational Comics Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Var ...

upon the death of his father,

Maxwell Gaines Maxwell Charles Gaines (born Max Ginzberg September 21, 1894 – August 20, 1947) was a pioneering figure in the creation of the modern comic book. In 1933, Gaines devised the first four-color, saddle-stitched newsprint pamphlet, a precursor t ...

. Three years later, Gaines and editor

Al Feldstein Albert Bernard Feldstein ( ; October 24, 1925 – April 29, 2014) was an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satire, satirical magazine ''Mad (magazine), Mad''. Aft ...

introduced horror in two of the company's

to test the waters. Finding them successful, the publisher quickly turned them and a

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series into EC's triumvirate of horror. Additionally, the superhero comic '' Moon Girl'', which had become the

romance comic Romance comics is a comics genre depicting strong and close romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published t ...

''A Moon...a Girl...Romance'', became the primarily

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

anthology ''Weird Fantasy''. For the next four years, sardonic horror hosts the

Old Witch ''The Haunt of Fear'' was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics, starting in 1950. Along with ''Tales from the Crypt'' and '' The Vault of Horror'', it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. ''Th ...

, the

Vault Keeper ''The Vault of Horror'' was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Along with ''Tales from the Crypt (comics), Tales from the Crypt'' and ''The Haunt of Fear'', it formed a trifecta of pop ...

and

The Crypt Keeper ''Tales from the Crypt'' was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics from 1950 to 1955, producing 27 issues (the first issue with the title was #20, previously having been ''International Comics'' (#1–#5); ' ...

introduced stories drawn by such top artists and soon-to-be-famous newcomers as

Johnny Craig John Thomas Alexis Craig (April 25, 1926 – September 13, 2001),John T. Craig
at the ...

Reed Crandall Reed Leonard Crandall (February 22, 1917 – September 13, 1982) Reed Crandall
at ...

, Jack Davis,

Graham Ingels Graham J. Ingels (; June 7, 1915April 4, 1991) was a comic book and magazine illustrator best known for his work in EC Comics during the 1950s, notably on ''The Haunt of Fear'' and ''Tales from the Crypt'', horror titles written and edited by Al ...

(who signed his work "Ghastly"),

Jack Kamen Jack Kamen (; May 29, 1920 – August 5, 2008) was an American illustrator for books, magazines, comic books and advertising, known for his work illustrating crime, horror, humour, suspense and science fiction stories for EC Comics, for his work in ...

Bernard Krigstein Bernard Krigstein (; March 22, 1919 – January 8, 1990), was an American illustrator and gallery artist who received acclaim for his innovative and influential approach to comic book art, notably in EC Comics. His artwork usually displayed the s ...

Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book '' Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ''Little Ann ...

, and

Wally Wood Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as ''Weird Science (comic), Weird Science'', ''Weird Fantasy'', an ...

. Feldstein did most of the early scripting, writing a story a day with

twist ending Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...

s and poetic justice taken to absurd extremes. EC's success immediately spawned a host of imitators, such as

Ziff-Davis Ziff Davis, Inc. is an American digital media and internet company. First founded in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis, the company primarily owns technology-oriented media websites, online shopping-related services, and ...

' and P.L. Publishing's ''Weird Adventures'',

St. John Publications St. John Publications was an American publisher of magazines and comic books. During the 1947-1958 existence of its comic-book division, St. John established several industry firsts. Founded by Archer St. John, the firm was located in Manhattan a ...

' ''Weird Horrors'',

Key Publications Key Publications was an American comic-book company founded by Stanley P. Morse that published under the imprints Aragon Magazines, Gillmor Magazines, Medal Comics, Media Publications, S. P. M. Publications, Stanmor Publications, an ...

' ''Weird Chills'', ''Weird Mysteries'' and ''Weird Tales of the Future'',

Comic Media Comic Media was a short-lived comic book company owned by Allen Hardy that existed in the 1950s. Its titles were mainly action/adventure, western, and horror. Its most notable character was Johnny Dynamite, created by Pete Morisi. The main arti ...

's ''Weird Terror'', Ziff-Davis' ''Weird Thrillers'', and

Star Publications Star Publications, Inc. was a Golden Age American comic book publisher, operating during the years 1949–1954. Founded by artist/editor L.B. Cole and lawyer Gerhard Kramer,

' ''Ghostly Weird Stories''. Others included

Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company which operated from 1937 to 1956 and was a creative, influential force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Notable, long-running titles published by Qualit ...

' ''Web of Evil'',

Ace Comics ''Ace Comics'' was a comic book series published by David McKay Publications between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age of Comic Books. The title reprinted syndicated newspaper strips owned by King Features Syndicate, follow ...

' ''Web of Mystery'', Premier Magazines' ''Horror from the Tomb''

' ''Tomb of Terror,'' ''Witches Tales,'' and ''Chamber of Chills Magazine'',

Avon Comics Avon Publications is one of the leading publishers of romance fiction. At Avon's initial stages, it was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. The shift in content occurred in the early 1970s with multiple Avon romance titles reach ...

', ''Witchcraft'',

Ajax-Farrell Publications Farrell Publications is the name of a series of American comic book publishing companies founded and operated by Robert W. Farrell in the 1940s and 1950s, including Elliot Publishing Company, Farrell Comic Group, and Excellent Publications. Farre ...

' ''Fantastic Fears'',

Fawcett Publications Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett (1885–1940). It kicked off with the publication of the bawdy humor magazine ''Captain Billy's Whiz B ...

' ''Worlds of Fear'' and ''This Magazine Is Haunted'',

' ''The Thing'', and a slew from Atlas Comics, including ''Adventures into Weird Worlds'',''Adventures into Terror'', '' Menace'', ''

Journey into Mystery ''Journey into Mystery'' is an American comic book series initially published by Atlas Comics (1950s), Atlas Comics, then by its successor, Marvel Comics. Initially a horror comics anthology, it changed to giant-monster and science fiction stori ...

'', and ''

Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics comics anthology, anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (feature), Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their d ...

''. Indeed, from 1949 through comics

cover-date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d March 1955, Atlas released 399 issues of 18 horror titles, ACG released 123 issues of five horror titles, and Ace Comics, 98 issues of five titles — each more than EC's output.Vassallo, p. vii

Backlash

In the late 1940s, comic books – particularly

– had become the target of mounting public criticism for their content and their potentially harmful effects on children, with "accusations from several fronts

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

charged comic books with contributing to the rising rates of

juvenile delinquency Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...

."Vassallo, Michael J., "The History of Atlas Horror/Fantasy: The Comics Code 1955" (introduction), ‘’Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Journey into Mystery Vol. 3 ‘’ (Marvel Worldwide, 2010), p. vi (unnumbered) Many city and county ordinances had banned some publications, though these were effectively overturned with a March 29, 1948,

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

ruling that a 64-year-old

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

law outlawing publications with "pictures and stories of deeds of bloodshed, lust or crime" was unconstitutional. Regardless, the uproar increased upon the publication of two articles: "Horror in the Nursery" by

Judith Crist Judith Crist (; May 22, 1922 – August 7, 2012) was an American film critic and academic. She appeared regularly on the ''Today'' show from 1964 to 1973 Martin, Douglas (August 8, 2012)"Judith Crist, Zinging and Influential Film Critic, ...

, in the March 25, 1948, issue ''

Collier's Weekly ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...

'', based upon the symposium "Psychopathology of Comic Books" held a week earlier by

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

Fredric Wertham Fredric Wertham (; born Friedrich Ignatz Wertheimer, March 20, 1895 – November 18, 1981) was a German-American psychiatrist and author. Wertham had an early reputation as a progressive psychiatrist who treated poor black patients at his Lafargue ...

; and Wertham's own features "The Comics ... Very Funny!" in the May 29, 1948, issue of ''

The Saturday Review of Literature ''Saturday Review'', previously ''The Saturday Review of Literature'', was an American weekly magazine established in 1924. Norman Cousins was the editor from 1940 to 1971. Under Norman Cousins, it was described as "a compendium of reportage, ess ...

,'' and a March 19, 1948 symposium called "Psychopathology of Comic Books" which stated that comic books were "abnormally sexually aggressive" and led to crime. In response to public pressure and bad press, an

industry trade group A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. An industry trade association partici ...

, the

Association of Comics Magazine Publishers The Association of Comics Magazine Publishers (ACMP) was an American industry trade group formed in the late 1940s to regulate the content of comic books in the face of public criticism during that time. It was a precursor to the Comics Magazine A ...

(ACMP) was formed with the intent of prodding the industry to police itself. The Association proved ineffective as few publishers joined and those who did exercised little restraint over the content of their titles.

''Seduction of the Innocent''

In 1954, Dr. Fredric Wertham published ''

Seduction of the Innocent ''Seduction of the Innocent'' is a book by German-born American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. The book was tak ...

'', a tome that claimed horror, crime and other comics were a direct cause of

. Wertham asserted, largely based on undocumented anecdotes, that reading violent comic books encouraged violent behavior in children. Wertham painted a picture of a large and pervasive industry, shrouded in secrecy and masterminded by a few, that operated upon the innocent and defenseless minds of the young. He further suggested the industry strong-armed vendors into accepting their publications and forced artists and writers into producing the content against their will.Wright, Bradford. (2003). ''Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America''. JHU Press. , . 152–153, 161–166. Wertham alleged comics stimulated deviant sexual behavior. He noted female breasts in comics protruded in a provocative way and special attention was lavished upon the female genital region. A cover by

Matt Baker Matthew James Baker (born 23 December 1977) is a British television presenter. He co-presented the children's television show ''Blue Peter'' from 1999 until 2006, BBC One's ''Countryfile'' since 2009 and ''The One Show'' from 2011 to 2020, wit ...

from ''

Phantom Lady Phantom Lady is a Fictional character, fictional Superhero#Female superheroes and villains, superheroine, one of the first such characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Originally published by Quality Comics, the character was ...

'' was reprinted in the book with the caption, "Sexual stimulation by combining 'headlights' with the sadist's dream of tying up a woman". Boys interviewed by Wertham said they used comic book images for masturbation purposes, and one young comics reader confessed he wanted to be a sex maniac. Wertham contended comics promoted

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

by pointing to the Batman–Robin relationship and calling it a homosexual wish dream of two men living together. He observed that Robin was often pictured standing with his legs spread and the genital region evident. Most alarmingly, Wertham contended that comic books fostered deceitfulness in children, who might read funny animal comics in front of their parents but then turn to horror comics the moment their parents left the room. Wertham warned of suspicious stores and their clandestine back rooms where second hand comics of the worst sort were peddled to children. The language used evoked images of children prowling about gambling dens and whorehouses, and anxious parents felt helpless in the face of such a powerful force as the comics industry. Excerpts from the book were published in ''Ladies' Home Journal'' and ''Reader's Digest'', lending respectability and credibility to Wertham's arguments. A 14-page portfolio of panels and covers from across the entire comic book industry displayed murder, torture and sexual titillation for the reader's consideration. The most widely discussed art was that from "Foul Play", a horror story from EC about a dishonest baseball player whose head and intestines are used by his teammates in a game. ''Seduction of the Innocent'' sparked a firestorm of controversy and created alarm in parents, teachers and others interested in the welfare of children; the concerned were galvanized into campaigning for censorship.

Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency

Public criticism brought matters to a head. In 1954, anti-crime crusader

Estes Kefauver Carey Estes Kefauver (; July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1939 to 1949 and in the Senate from 1949 until his d ...

led the

Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency The United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency was established by the United States Senate in 1953 to investigate the problem of juvenile delinquency. Background The subcommittee was a unit of the United States Senate Judiciary Co ...

. Dr. Wertham insisted upon appearing before the committee. He first presented a long list of his credentials, and then, in his clipped German accent, spoke with authority on the pernicious influence of comic books upon children. His passionate testimony at the hearings impressed the gathering. Kefauver suggested crime comics indoctrinated children in a way similar to Nazi propaganda. Wertham noted Hitler was a beginner compared to the comics industry. Publisher William Gaines appeared before the committee and vigorously defended his product and the industry. He took full responsibility for the horror genre, claiming he was the first to publish such comics. He insisted that delinquency was the result of the real environment and not fictional reading materials. His defiant demeanor left the committee (which felt the industry was indefensible), astonished. He had prepared a statement that read in part, "It would be just as difficult to explain the harmless thrill of a horror story to Dr. Wertham as it would be to explain the sublimity of love to a frigid old maid." ''

Crime Suspenstories ''Crime SuspenStories'' was a bi-monthly anthology crime comic published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title first arrived on newsstands with its October/November 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, produc ...

'', issue 22, April/May 1954, was entered into evidence. The exchange between Gaines and Kefauver led to a front-page story in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'': Though the committee's final report did not blame comics for crime, it recommended that the comics industry tone down its content voluntarily.

Creation of the Comics Code

By 1953, nearly a quarter of all comic books published were horror titles. In the hearings' immediate aftermath, several publishers revamped their schedules and drastically censored or cancelled many long-running comic series. In September 1954, the

Comics Magazine Association of America The Association of Comics Magazine Publishers (ACMP) was an American industry trade group formed in the late 1940s to regulate the content of comic books in the face of public criticism during that time. It was a precursor to the Comics Magazine As ...

(CMAA) and its

(CCA) was formed. The Code had many stipulations that made it difficult for horror comics to continue publication, since any that didn't adhere to the Code's guidelines would likely not find distribution. The Code forbade the explicit presentation of "unique details and methods of crime...Scenes of excessive violence...brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gun play, physical agony, gory and gruesome crime...all scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust,

sadism Sadism may refer to: * Sadomasochism, the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation * Sadistic personality disorder, an obsolete term proposed for individuals who derive pleasure from the s ...

, masochism...Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, or torture".

Perseverance

As a result of the Congressional hearings,

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

shifted its ongoing horror titles, ''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series. First serie ...

'' (1951–1987) and '' House of Secrets'' (1956–1966), toward the suspense and mystery genres, often with a science fiction bent. In fact, from 1964 to 1968, ''House of Mystery'' became a mostly superhero title, featuring J'onn J'onzz, the Manhunter from Mars and, later,

Dial H for Hero ''Dial H for Hero'' is a comic book feature published by DC Comics about a magical dial that enables an ordinary person to become a superhero for a short time, such as an hour, by selecting the letters H-E-R-O in order. Each time it is used, the di ...

. Similarly, during this period

produced the titles ''

'' (1951–1968) and ''

'' (1952–1966). Each company gradually changed from suspense stories toward fantasy, science fiction and monster stories, and then to related superhero characters during the years after the code came into effect. Charlton Comics' suspense titles, such as Unusual Tales, persisted to the mid-1960s. ACG titles Adventures into the Unknown and Unknown Worlds thrived during this Silver Age period until the company folded in 1967. The publishers Gilberton,

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...

, and

Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984. Currently, Gold Key Comics is owned b ...

did not become signatories to the Comics Code, relying on their reputations as publishers of wholesome comic books.(Golden, Christopher; Stephen Bissette, Thomas E. Sniegoski (2000) ''The Monster Book'' Simon & Schuster) ''

Classics Illustrated ''Classics Illustrated'' is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as ''Les Misérables'', ''Moby-Dick'', ''Hamlet'', and ''The Iliad''. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1 ...

'' had adapted such horror novels as ''Frankenstein'' and ''Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' in comic book form, and quickly issued reprints with new, less gruesome covers. Dell began publishing the licensed

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

comic book '' Twilight Zone'' in 1961 and publishing a ''Dracula'' title in 1962 (though only the first issue was horror related; the subsequent issues were part of the super-hero genre revival), followed in 1963 by the new series "Ghost Stories." Gold Key, in addition to releasing ''Boris Karloff Thriller'', based on the TV series ''Thriller'' (and retitled ''Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery'' after the show went off the air), bought the ''Twilight Zone'' license from Dell in 1962. In 1965 Gold Key put out three licensed horror-themed comics, two based on the TV horror-comedies ''

The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...

'' and ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...

'', and the other titled ''Ripley's Believe it or Not!'', which had three different subtitles: "True Ghost Stories," "True War Stories" (#1 and #5), and "True Demons & Monsters" (#7, #10, #19, #22, #25, #26, and #29).

Warren Publishing Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren (publisher), James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades. Magazines published by Warren include ''After Hours (magazin ...

continued the horror tradition in the mid-1960s, bypassing the Comics Code Authority restrictions by publishing magazine-sized black-and-white horror comics. Under the direction of line editor Archie Goodwin, Warren debuted the horror anthologies ''

Creepy Creepiness is the state of being wikt:creepy, creepy, or causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or wikt:unease, unease. A person who exhibits creepy behaviour is called a creep. Certain traits or hobbies may make people seem creepy to others. The ...

'' (1964–1983) and ''

'' (1966–1983), followed by ''

Vampirella Vampirella () is a fictional vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of ''Creepy'' ...

'', an anthology with a lead feature starring a sexy young female vampire. The low-rent Warren imitator

Eerie Publications Eerie Publications was a publisher of black-and-white horror-anthology comics magazines. History Less well-known and more downscale than the field's leader, Warren Publishing (''Creepy'', ''Eerie'', ''Vampirella''), the company, based at 150 ...

also jumped into the black-and-white horror magazine business, mixing new material with reprints from pre-

Comics Code The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. T ...

horror comics, most notably in its flagship title ''Weird'' (1966–1981), as well as the magazines ''Tales of Voodoo'' (1968–1974), ''Horror Tales'' (1969–1979), ''Tales from the Tomb'' (1969–1975), and ''

Terror Tales ''Terror Tales'' was the name of two United States, American publications: a pulp magazine of the weird menace genre of the 1930s, and a horror comic in the 1960s and 1970s. Pulp magazine ''Terror Tales'' was originally published by Popular Publ ...

'' (1969–1979).

Stanley Publications Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

also published a line of black-and-white horror magazines from 1966 to 1971, including the titles ''Shock'' and ''Chilling Tales of Horror''.

Resurgence

A number of supernatural mystery / suspense titles were introduced in the latter half of the 1960s, including

' ''

Ghostly Tales ''Ghostly Tales'' was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by Charlton Comics from 1966 to 1984 (though it was primarily a reprint title from 1978 onward). The book was "hosted" by Mr. L. Dedd (later changed to I. M. Dedd), a m ...

'', ''

The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves ''The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves'' was an American supernatural- anthology comic book published by Charlton Comics, often featuring stories by writer-artist Steve Ditko. The eponymous Dr. M. T. Graves was a fictional character who hosted the sto ...

'', and ''

Ghost Manor ''Ghost Manor'' is a horror video game that was released by Xonox in 1983 for the Atari 2600 and VIC-20. It was generally packaged in a double ended cartridge and a cassette tape along with one of three other games in an effort to appeal to ...

''; and

' ''

Chamber of Darkness ''Chamber of Darkness'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics. Under this and a subsequent name, it ran from 1969 to 1974. It featured work by creators such as writer-editor Stan Lee, writers Gerr ...

Monsters on the Prowl ''Chamber of Darkness'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics. Under this and a subsequent name, it ran from 1969 to 1974. It featured work by creators such as writer-editor Stan Lee, writers Ge ...

'' and '' Tower of Shadows/Creatures on the Loose''. At

, new ''

'' editor

Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of '' Mad'' and the vice president of DC Comics, ...

returned the title to its horror roots with issue #175 (July/August 1968); a similar transformation was made to ''House of Secrets'' and '' The Unexpected'' (formerly " Tales of the Unexpected"), with the company debuting a new title, '' The Witching Hour''. In 1971, the Comics Code Authority relaxed some of its longstanding rules regarding horror comics, which opened the door to more possibilities in the genre: Following this, Marvel returned to publishing true horror by first introducing a scientifically created, vampire-like character, ''

Morbius, the Living Vampire Morbius the Living Vampire, real name Michael Alexander Morbius, Doctor of Medicine, M.D.,''Morbius the Living Vampire'' (vol. 1) #1. Marvel Comics. Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comi ...

'', followed by the introduction of

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

in ''

Tomb of Dracula ''The Tomb of Dracula'' is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Count Dracula and other supernatural menaces. On rare ...

''. This opened the floodgates for more horror titles, such as the anthology ''

Supernatural Thrillers ''Supernatural Thrillers'' was an American horror fiction comic book published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s that adapted classic stories of that genre, including works by Robert Louis Stevenson and H. G. Wells, before becoming a vehicle for a sup ...

'', ''

Werewolf by Night The Werewolf by Night (usually referred to by other characters simply as the Werewolf) is the name applied to two fictional characters who are werewolves appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of W ...

'', and two series in which

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

or a Satan-like lord of

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

figured, ''

Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...

'' and the feature " Son of Satan." In addition, following

's longtime lead, Marvel's parent company in 1971 began a black-and-white magazine imprint, which published a number of horror titles, including ''

Dracula Lives! ''Dracula Lives!'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 13 issues and one '' Super Annual'' from 1973 to 1975, and starred the Marvel version o ...

'', '' Monsters Unleashed'', ''

Vampire Tales ''Vampire Tales'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 11 issues and one annual publication from 1973 to 1975, and featuring vampires as both ...

'', ''

Tales of the Zombie ''Tales of the Zombie'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 10 issues and one '' Super Annual'' from 1973 to 1975, many featuring stories of t ...

'', ''

Haunt of Horror Haunt is a synonym for ghost. Haunt may also refer to: __NOTOC__ Film * ''Haunt'' (2013 film), an American supernatural horror film * ''Haunt'' (2019 film), an American slasher film Music * Haunt (band), a heavy metal band from Fresno, Califo ...

'', and '' Masters of Terror''. Additionally,

Skywald Publications Skywald Publications was an American publisher of black-and-white comics magazines, primarily the horror anthologies ''Nightmare'', ''Psycho'', and ''Scream''. It also published a small line of comic books and other genre magazines. Skywald's or ...

offered the black-and-white horror-comics magazines ''Nightmare'', ''Psycho'', and ''Scream''. DC during this time continued to publish its existing supernatural fiction and added new horror series such as ''

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

'', ''

The Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love ''Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion'' was a horror-suspense-romance anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1971 to 1974, a companion to '' Secrets of Sinister House''. Both series were originally inspired by the successful ABC soap ...

'' (later titled ''Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion''), ''

Secrets of Haunted House ''Secrets of Haunted House'' was a horror-suspense comics anthology series published by American company DC Comics from 1975 to 1978 and 1979 to 1982. Publication history The series began in April–May 1975. Like its predecessor ''Secrets of S ...

'', ''

Secrets of Sinister House ''Secrets of Sinister House'' was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1972–1974, a companion to '' Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion''. Both series were originally inspired by the successful ABC soap oper ...

'', ''

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental List of swamp monsters, creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or mo ...

'', ''

Weird Mystery Tales ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was a mystery horror comics anthology published by DC Comics from July–August 1972 to November 1975. Publication history 100 Page Super Spectacular The title ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was first used for ''DC 100 Page Sup ...

'', ''

Weird War Tales ''Weird War Tales'' was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September–October 1971 to June 1983. Publication history The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was ...

'', and ''

Tales of Ghost Castle ''Tales of Ghost Castle'' was a horror comics, horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by DC Comics in 1975. ''Tales of Ghost Castle'' was "hosted" by List of characters in The Sandman#Lucien, Lucien, who later became an important sup ...

''. Charlton continued in this vein as well, with ''

Ghostly Haunts ''Ghostly Haunts'' was an American horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by Charlton Comics from 1971 to 1978. The book was "hosted" by Winnie the Witch, a " moddish" blue-skinned witch. ''Ghostly Haunts'' was part of a wave of ne ...

'', ''

Haunted Haunted or The Haunted may refer to: Books * ''Haunted'' (Armstrong novel), by Kelley Armstrong, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Cabot novel), by Meg Cabot, 2004 * ''Haunted'' (Palahniuk novel), by Chuck Palahniuk, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Angel novel), a 200 ...

'', '' Midnight Tales'', '' Haunted Love'', and ''

Scary Tales "Scary Tales" refers to several different versions of a Halloween-themed compilation of Walt Disney shorts, as well as an alternate and condensed version of "Disney's Halloween Treat" (1982) by the same name or derivation debuting in different ye ...

''.

Underground cartoonists Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...

, many of them strongly influenced by 1950s

like ''

'', also tried their hands at horror. Titles like ''Skull'' (

Rip Off Press Rip Off Press Corporation, Inc. is a comic book mail order retailer and Distribution (business), distributor, better known as the former publisher of adult-themed series like ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' and ''Rip Off Comix'', as well as ...

Last Gasp Last Gasp or The Last Gasp may refer to * Last Gasp (publisher) * ''Last Gasp'' (''Inside No. 9''), a TV episode * '' The Last Gasp'', a 2007 album by Impaled * ''The Last Gasp'' (novel) * "Last Gasp" (song) {{dab ...

, 1970–1972), ''Bogeyman'' (

Company & Sons Company & Sons was an early underground comix publisher based in San Francisco, ran by John Bagley. The company operated from 1970 to 1973, publishing a total of 15 titles, all but one of them consisting of a single issue. Company & Sons was t ...

/ San Francisco Comic Book Company, 1969), ''Fantagor'' (

Richard Corben Richard Corben (October 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the ''Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film ad ...

, 1970), ''Insect Fear'' (

Print Mint The Print Mint, Inc. was a major publisher and distributor of underground comix based in the San Francisco Bay Area during the genre's late 1960s-early 1970s heyday. Starting as a retailer of psychedelic posters, the Print Mint soon evolved into ...

, 1970), ''Up From The Deep'' (Rip Off Press, 1971), ''

Death Rattle Terminal respiratory secretions (or simply terminal secretions),, known colloquially as a death rattle, are sounds often produced by someone who is near death as a result of fluids such as saliva and bronchial secretions accumulating in the throa ...

'' (

Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...

, 1972), ''Gory Stories'' (Shroud, 1972), ''Deviant Slice'' (Print Mint, 1972) and ''Two-Fisted Zombies'' (Last Gasp, 1973) appeared in the early 1970s. By the mid-1970s, the horror comics boomlet slowed and various titles were cancelled. Only a few DC titles persevered by the end of the decade, the long-running Gold Key mystery comic series ceased during the early 1980s, and some predominantly-reprint Charlton series managed to survive to the mid-1980s. DC's traditional titles sputtered out during the early 1980s, and its transformed anthology "Elvira's House of Mystery" was the final title to be produced, lasting only a dozen issues around 1987. As these and Warren publications disappeared, new titles from the 1980s onward would all be in new formats (i.e. glossy paper, not code-approved) or sporadically produced by small independent companies.

1980s and 1990s

Beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s, independent publishers produced a number of successful horror comics franchises.

FantaCo Enterprises FantaCo Enterprises was an American comic book store and publishing company founded and created by Thomas Skulan and based in Albany, New York. As a publisher, FantaCo was known for its idiosyncratic line-up of mostly black-and-white titles, inc ...

and

Millennium Publications Millennium Publications was an American independent comic book publishing company founded by Mark Ellis, Melissa Martin and Paul Davis. Initially known as a publisher of licensed properties, Millennium adapted works by Arthur Conan Doyle, Leste ...

boasted lineups almost exclusively devoted to horror, vampire, and zombie comics. For instance, 1985 saw the revival of Kitchen Sink's ''Death Rattle'', followed a year later by the debut of FantaCo's horror anthology ''

Gore Shriek Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitoulin ...

'', edited by Stephen R. Bissette, who also contributed stories to each issue. Bissette also edited the acclaimed anthology ''

Taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

'', which ran from 1988 to 1995. In 1982,

Pacific Comics Pacific Comics (PC) was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1981 to 1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began at a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes. Alo ...

produced two series that, while admittedly inspired by the

of the 1950s, foresaw the form that horror comics would take in the coming decades. Printed in color on high-quality paper stock despite a higher cover price, the series ''

Twisted Tales ''Twisted Tales'' was a horror comics anthology published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. The title was edited by Bruce Jones and April Campbell. Publication history ''Twisted Tales'' was published on a bi-mo ...

'' and ''

Alien Worlds ''Alien Worlds'' is an American science fiction anthology comic that was published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. It was edited by Bruce Jones and April Campbell.Johnston, Rich"When Diamond Comic Distributors ...

'' were short-lived and hard-pressed to keep to a regular production schedule, but offered some of the most explicitly brutal and sexual stories yet to be widely distributed in a mainstream ("non-underground") format. Both series eventually moved to

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was ...

, which also produced similar titles such as ''The Twisted Tales of Bruce Jones'' and '' Alien Encounters'' (which they inherited from Fantaco). Later horror titles from DC's

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

line had more in common with these Pacific/Eclipse efforts, and more success, than DC's sporadic efforts to revive or maintain the traditional horror comic title (e.g. ''

Elvira's House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series. First ser ...

''). In 1982, DC Comics revived the ''

'' series, attempting to capitalize on the summer

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

release of the

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...

film of the same name. In 1984, Briton

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell' ...

took over the writing chores on the title, and when

Karen Berger Karen Berger (; born February 26, 1958) is an American comic book editor. She is best known for her role in helping create DC Comics' Vertigo imprint in 1993 and serving as the line's Executive Editor until 2013. She currently oversees Berger B ...

became editor, she gave Moore free rein to revamp the title and the character as he saw fit. Moore reconfigured Swamp Thing's origin to make him a true monster as opposed to a human transformed into a monster. Moore's (and artists Stephen R. Bissette and

John Totleben John Thomas Totleben (born February 16, 1958 in Erie, Pennsylvania) is an American illustrator working mostly in comic books. Biography After studying art at Tech Memorial in Erie, Totleben attended The Kubert School for one year. He then spent se ...

's) ''Swamp Thing'' was a critical and commercial success, and in 1988 spun off the ongoing series ''

Hellblazer ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary Horror fiction, horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo Comics, Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introd ...

'', starring

occult detective Occult detective fiction is a subgenre of detective fiction that combines the tropes of the main genre with those of supernatural, fantasy and/or horror fiction. Unlike the traditional detective who investigates murder and other common crimes ...

John Constantine John Constantine () is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Constantine first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985), and was created by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, and John ...

. In

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

DC introduced its mature-readers

line, which folded in a number of popular horror titles, including ''Hellblazer'' and ''Swamp Thing''. One of Vertigo's early successes was

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

's ''

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

'', which reworked a number of DC's old horror characters and added fantasy to the mix. A number of other horror titles carried on at Vertigo, like ''

Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, concrete, block, etc.) used ...

'', ''

'' and ''

Haunted Tank The Haunted Tank is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title ''G.I. Combat'' from 1961 through 1987. Publication history The Haunted Tank was created by writer and editor Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath in ...

'', or were given a horror spin or an update like ''

Kid Eternity Kid Eternity is a fictional character, a comic book superhero that premiered in ''Hit Comics'' #25 written by Otto Binder, drawn by Sheldon Moldoff, and published by American company Quality Comics in December 1942. All of Quality's intellectual pr ...

'' and ''

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the ...

''. In the mid-1990s

Harris Publications Harris Publications Inc. was an American special interest media company, operating over 75 brands with print, digital, mobile and live event platforms prior to its sale to Athlon Media in 2016. It produced magazines that educate, entertain, inf ...

also revived ''

'', and Marvel, after mostly taking the 1980s off, published its "

Midnight Sons The Midnight Sons is a fictional team of supernatural superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Including Ghost Riders Danny Ketch and Johnny Blaze, Blade, and Morbius, the original team first formed as part of ...

" line of horror comics that included such series as a revived ''

'', '' Nightstalkers'', '' Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins'' and ''Midnight Sons Unlimited''.

Modernity

North America

In addition to its long-running titles carried over from the 1990s, Vertigo published more conventional horror, like vampires in '' Bite Club'' (beginning in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

), and '' Vamps''. In addition, from 1999 to 2001 they published their own horror

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

, '' Flinch''. At

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter and television producer. He is best known ...

has created '' The Walking Dead''.

Steve Niles Steve Niles (born June 21, 1965) is an American comic book author and novelist, known for works such as '' 30 Days of Night'', '' Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery'', ''Simon Dark'', ''Mystery Society'', and '' Batman: Gotham County Line''. ...

predominantly writes horror comics, and his ''

30 Days of Night ''30 Days of Night'' is a three-issue horror comic book miniseries written by Steve Niles, illustrated by Ben Templesmith, and published by American company IDW Publishing in 2002. All three parties co-own the property. The series takes place i ...

'' has spawned a range of mini-series released by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

. At

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

Mike Mignola Mike Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', '' Abe Sapien'', '' Lobster Johnson'', '' Wit ...

has been working on ''

Hellboy Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers ...

'', and has created a large

fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...

with spin-off titles like '' BPRD'' and ''

Lobster Johnson Lobster Johnson (also known as The Lobster or The Claw) is a fictional character featured in the ''Hellboy'' and ''Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense'' comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. He was created by Mike Mignola. Within th ...

''. There had been also superhero horror comics like with Spawn, Venom, and Ghost Rider. In the 2000s and 2010s, Marvel produced ''

Blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

'' and the Marvel Zombies franchise. Marvel's adult imprint MAX, introduced in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, has also provided a venue for reinterpretations of Marvel horror characters where more violence can be used, leading to the ''

Dead of Night ''Dead of Night'' is a 1945 black and white British anthology horror film, made by Ealing Studios. The individual segments were directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer. It stars Mervyn Johns, Googie Wi ...

'' miniseries based on

Devil-Slayer Devil-Slayer (Eric Simon Payne) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. Publication history Devil-Slayer was cre ...

and

Man-Thing The Man-Thing (Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in ''S ...

, as well as a reworking of ''

Zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

'' and '' Hellstorm: Son of Satan''.

has also been writing ''

'', a number of series based on the work of

and H.P. Lovecraft.

Europe

Great Britain

In the post-World War II period, horror comics arrived in Britain, largely based on reprints of American material. This led to protests similar to those in the States. In 1955, the Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act was introduced, which led to the horror reprints disappearing from

news agents A newsagent's shop or simply newsagent's or paper shop (British English), newsagency (Australian English) or newsstand (American and Canadian English) is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local ...

' shelves. In the early 1970s there were a couple of horror comics — IPC's ''

Shiver and Shake ''Shiver and Shake'' was a British comic magazine published every Monday by IPC Magazines Ltd. It ran from (issue dates) 10 March 1973 to 5 October 1974, when it merged with '' Whoopee!'' As often happens with British comics, many names of stri ...

'' and ''

Monster Fun ''Monster Fun'' was originally a weekly British comic strip magazine for children aged seven to twelve. Published by IPC Media, it ran for 73 issues in 1975–1976, when it merged with '' Buster''.

'' — but these were also humour titles pitched at younger children. It was only during the boom in

British comics A British comic is a periodical published in the United Kingdom that contains comic strips. It is generally referred to as a comic or a comic magazine, and historically as a comic paper. British comics are usually Comics anthology, comics antho ...

in the late 1970s and early 1980s that there were horror comics pitched at older boys and girls —IPC/

Fleetway Fleetway Publications was a magazine publishing company based in London. It was founded in 1959 when the Mirror Group acquired the Amalgamated Press, then based at Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London. It was one of the companies that merg ...

's '' Scream!'' and ''

Misty Misty may refer to: Music * ''Misty'' (Ray Stevens album), an album by Ray Stevens featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Richard "Groove" Holmes album), an album by Richard "Groove" Holmes featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Eddie "Lockjaw" ...

'', respectively. Whether it was because of fears over the content, or the difficult financial times in the mid-1980s, ''Scream!'' stopped publishing in 1985, with only two of its stories being merged with the ''

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

''. ''

Lord Horror David Britton (18 February 1945 – 29 December 2020) was a British author, artist, and publisher. In the 1970s he founded ''Weird Fantasy'' and ''Crucified Toad'', a series of small press magazines of the speculative fiction and horror genres. ...

'' also was published. After the comic industry bust in the mid 1990s, the only mainstream venue was '' 2000 AD'', which featured stories like ''

Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

'' and ''

Cradlegrave This is a list of minor '' 2000 AD'' stories. Stories A Absalom ''Absalom'' is a horror story spin-off from ''Caballistics, Inc.'' by Gordon Rennie and Tiernen Trevallion. The stories were "Noblesse Obligie" in ''2000 AD'' #1732–1739 (M ...

'', as well as those drawing on the

Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...

, like ''

Necronauts ''Necronauts'' was a story appearing in the British comics anthology ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', by British comics writer Gordon Rennie and artist Frazer Irving. It brought Irving to public attention as his high contrast black and white artwork ...

'' and ''

Caballistics, Inc. ''Caballistics, Inc'' is a horror/fantasy story, set in the present day, that has been running in the weekly British anthology comic '' 2000AD'' since December 2002. The strip was created by writer Gordon Rennie and artist Dom Reardon (the latte ...

''. The British small press also publishes horror comics, like the

'' Something Wicked''. In 2008, the ''

London Horror Comic ''London Horror Comic'' is a British horror comic book anthology. The book is written and published by John-Paul Kamath who founded London Horror Comic Ltd. The London Horror Comic was featured on BBC Radio 4 as part of a documentary about The Gorb ...

'' launched, becoming the first full-colour UK horror comic to be shipped worldwide through

Diamond Comic Distributors Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. (often called Diamond Comics, DCD, or casually Diamond) is an American comic book distributor serving retailers in North America and worldwide. They transport comic books and graphic novels, as well as other po ...

Italy

Starting from the 1960s, up until the early 1980s Italy also saw a number of erotic-horror publications usually featuring female characters. One of the first, in 1964, was ''

Satanik ''Satanik'' is an Italian noir comic book created in December 1964 by Max Bunker (writer) and Magnus (artist), also the authors of the popular series '' Kriminal'' and '' Alan Ford''. Synopsis Satanik is Marny Bannister, a skilled female chemis ...

'', by

Max Bunker Max Bunker, pen name of Luciano Massimiliano Secchi (born 24 August 1939), is an Italian comic book writer, and publisher, best known as the co-author of '' Alan Ford''. Bunker's career started in 1960 when he co-founded, together with his brothe ...

and

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

, which belonged to the first wave of the so-called "fumetto nero" characters, alongside

Diabolik ''Diabolik'' ( or ) is an Italian comic series created by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani. One of the most popular series in the history of Italian comics, ''Diabolik'' was created in 1962 and consists of more than 900 volumes, and has led ...

and Kriminal (also by Bunker and Magnus). Satanik was quickly followed by a flurry of other horror heroines, such as ''

Jacula Jacula was an Italian rock music, rock band founded in 1969 in Milan as an experiment by Antonio Bartoccetti, Doris Norton, organist Charles Tiring and Mediumship, medium Franz Porthenzy. Jacula's music was considered innovative for the time in p ...

'', ''

Sukia ''Sukia' succhiare'' is Italian for "to suck". was a vampire-themed Italian comics series by Renzo Barbieri and Fulvio Bosttoli published by Edifumetto from 1978 to 1986, for a total of 153 albums and 6 extra albums. In the series Sukia faces ...

'', '' Yra'', '' Zora'' (all vampiresses), '' Ulula'' (a werewoman), and others. These erotic-horror comics were mostly published by Ediperiodici and

Edifumetto Edifumetto was an Italian publishing house of comics, founded by Renzo Barbieri. It was started in 1972 and folded in 1993. The majority of their publications were digest- or pocket-sized adult comics known in Italy as '' fumetti''. Popularity peak ...

, helmed by publishers/writers

Giorgio Cavedon Giorgio Cavedon (17 December 1930 – 2001) was an Italian publisher, cartoonist and screenwriter. Cavedon was most associated with his adult comics he wrote with Renzo Barbieri. His first comic, ''Isabella (comics), Isabella'' was Italy's firs ...

and

Renzo Barbieri Renzo Barbieri (10 March 1940 – 23 September 2007) was an author and editor of Italian comics as well as the founder of the publishing house Edifumetto. In 1980 he wrote ''Il Manuale del Playboy'' (Manual for Playboys), a textbook about wher ...

, respectively, and were part of the "pocket erotici" editorial craze, also known as "fumetti sexy". These cheap publications featured the talents of both established and buddying Italian comics artists, such as a young

Milo Manara Maurilio Manara (; born 12 September 1945), known professionally as Milo Manara, is an Italian comic book writer and artist. Career After architecture and painting studies, he made his comics debut in 1969 drawing for ''Genius'', a Fumetti neri s ...

(on ''Zordon''), and featured colourful, gruesome and very effective covers created by commercial illustrators and painters such as

Alessandro Biffignandi Alessandro Biffignandi (8 October 1935 – 22 January 2017) was an Italian illustrator, mostly known for his covers for digest-sized, adult comics whose themes were sex, violence, and horror. Biography Alessandro Biffignandi was born in 1935 ...

Fernando Carcupino Fernando Carcupino (23 July 1922 – 22 March 2003) was an Italian painter, illustrator and comics artist. He was most widely known for his female nudes, but he also painted landscapes, still lifes, historical subjects, and portraits of mothers ...

, Averardo Ciriello, Pino D'Angelico,

Ferdinando Tacconi Ferdinando Tacconi (December 27, 1922 – May 11, 2006) was an Italian comics artist. Tacconi was born in Milan. He earned a degree in Applied Arts from Castello Sforzesco. After collaborating as an illustrator to the magazines ''Grazia'' and ''C ...

and

Emanuele Taglietti Emanuele Taglietti (born 1943)''Sex and Horror: The Art of Emanuele Taglietti'', Korero Press, 2015, is an Italian illustrator, mostly known for his covers for digest-sized, adult comics whose themes were Erotic literature, sex, violence, and ...

, among others. Some of these publications, like

Wallestein the Monster Wallestein the Monster was a central character in one of the pocket digests produced by the Italian publisher Edifumetto which appeared on Italian newsstands between 1972 and 1982. Wallestein's world was one in which the Gothic and the contemporary ...

, were briefly published in English and the British publisher

Korero Press Korero Press is a London-based art book publisher. Its list of books mainly includes pop culture, street art, erotica and horror titles. It has published books by contemporary artists Ron English, Patrick J. Jones and Graham Humphreys. Korero Pr ...

has collected many of the original covers in its ongoing ''Sex and Horror'' artbook series. Since 2018 Annexia has been publishing one-shots, featuring brand new adventures of ''Ulula'', ''Jakula'', ''Sukia'' and ''Zora'', among others, and in 2020 Editoriale Cosmo has reprinted some of the original stories in their "Classics of Italian Erotica" series. In the late 1980s, the genre became again popular, spearheaded by the Italian horror comic series ''

Dylan Dog ''Dylan Dog'' is an Italian horror comics series created by Tiziano Sclavi and published by Sergio Bonelli Editore since 1986. The series features the eponymous character, a paranormal investigator who takes on cases involving supernatural ele ...

'', created by veteran comic-writer

Tiziano Sclavi Tiziano Sclavi (born 3 April 1953 in Broni) is an Italian comic book author, journalist and writer of several novels. Sclavi is most famous as creator of the comic book ''Dylan Dog'' in 1986, for Italian publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore. M ...

, visually defined by cover artist

Claudio Villa Claudio Villa (born Claudio Pica; 1 January 1926 – 7 February 1987) was an Italian singer and actor. Biography Tenor Claudio Villa was born Claudio Pica in the Trastevere quarter of Rome in 1926. He recorded over 3000 songs, sold 45 millio ...

and published by

Sergio Bonelli Sergio Bonelli (2 December 1932 – 26 September 2011) was an Italian comic book writer and publisher. He is best known as creator of '' Zagor'' (1961) and '' Mister No'' (1975), as well as a comics publisher through the publishing house Sergi ...

. It has achieved great success, both in its homeland and abroad, with translations in the US (by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

, with brand new covers by

), Germany, Spain, Serbia, Croatia, Denmark, Poland, Turkey and India. In the early 1990s, other publishers tried to emulate the success of ''Dylan Dog''. Among them was ACME, which published two monthly horror anthologies titled ''Splatter'' and ''Mostri'', which featured both original stories by promising young Italian artists (such as Bruno Brindisi, Roberto De Angelis and Luigi Siniscalchi, who later went to work for Bonelli, some of them even on Dylan Dog) and translated material. A selection of stories from the Splatter anthology has been collected and reprinted in two volumes, published in 2017 and 2018 by Editoriale Cosmo. Among the most recent and noteworthy original horror comics series are ''The Cannibal Family'', created in 2013 by writer Stefano Fantelli and artist Stefano Piccioni and published by Edizioni Inkiostro, and the anthology ''Mostri'', published since 2015 by Bugs Comics, featuring work by young artists and later also established ones, such as Elena Casagrande.

Japan

Just like

Gekiga , literally "dramatic pictures", is a style of Japanese comics aimed at adult audiences and marked by a more cinematic art style and more mature themes. ''Gekiga'' was the predominant style of adult comics in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. It is ...

, horror manga started to appear in the lending libraries (

Kashihonya is a Japanese phrase for books and magazines that are rented out. refers to the book rental service it was based on, also just simply called . began in Japan around c. 1630 because books were too expensive for common people to buy, and the ...

) of the late 1950s and early 1960s and expanded into the mainstream through the works of artists like

Shigeru Mizuki was a Japanese manga artist and historian, best known for his manga series ''GeGeGe no Kitarō''. Born in a hospital in Osaka and raised in the city of Sakaiminato, Tottori, he later moved to Chōfu, Tokyo where he remained until his death. ...

('' GeGeGe no Kitaro''),

Jirō Tsunoda Jirō Tsunoda (Japanese: つのだじろう ''Tsunoda Jirō'', born 3 July 1936) is a Japanese manga artist. He is known in Japan for his horror manga series such as '' Kyōfu Shinbun'' and '' Ushiro no Hyakutarō'' as well as illustrator of the ...

('' Kyōfu Shimbun''),

Kazuo Umezu is a Japanese manga artist, musician and actor. He is among the most famous authors of horror manga and has been vital for its development since the 1960s. Life Umezu was born in Kōya, Wakayama Prefecture, but raised in the mountainous Go ...

(''

The Drifting Classroom is a Japanese horror manga series written and illustrated by Kazuo Umezu. It was serialized in the manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from 1972 to 1974, and published as collected ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shogakukan. The series follow ...

'') and Shin'ichi Koga (''

Eko Eko Azarak ''Eko Eko Azarak'' is the opening phrase from a Wiccan chant. It is also known as the "Witch's chant", the "Witch's rune", or the "''Eko Eko'' chant". The following form was used by Gerald Gardner, considered as the founder of Wicca as an organize ...

''). While most of them published in shōnen magazines and often with scary, yet sympathetic protagonists leading through tales about ghosts and demons, Umezu for instance got his start in shōjo magazines, where psychological depth was the main focus, a famous title being ''Hebi Shōjo''. The subculture also continued publishing horror manga. The alternative magazine ''Garo (magazine), Garo'' published horror manga by the likes of Shigeru Mizuki and Hideshi Hino. The publisher Hibari Shobō released Japan's first horror mang anthology with Kaidan, of which 101 books and 4 extras have been published between November 1958 and 1967. Suehiro Maruo followed the traditions of the Ero guro movement of the 1920s and included extreme depictions of gore in his works. Horror stayed a niche in mainstream manga. There was no magazine specialized solely on horror comics until the 1980s, when Asahi Sonorama founded ''Halloween (magazine), Halloween'' magazine in 1986 due to the recent success of artists like Ryōko Takashina in mainstream shōjo magazines like ''Ribon''. Junji Itō became the most famous contributor to the magazine with his ''Tomie'' series. Similar publications like ''Horror M'' (Bunkasha), also mainly targeted at Josei manga, women, started to appear. Magazines like ''Nemuki'' (Asahi Sonorama), ''Susperia Mystery'' (Akita Shoten) and ''Apple Mystery'' (Shufu to Seikatsusha) were also founded as part of this movement, but concentrated on more subtle and less graphic depictions of horror. Artists drawing for those magazine like Ichiko Ima (''Hyakkiyakō Shō''), Matsuri Akino (''Pet Shop of Horrors'') and Narumi Kakinouchi (''Vampire Princess Miyu'') became famous. Masaya Hokazono has also written some horror manga like ''Freak Island'' and its prequel ''Offal Island'' based on slasher movies centered around a family of cannibalistic mutant cultists. Masaya would also co-create ''Pumpkin Night'' and ''Killing Morph'' based on the slasher films as well.

Online

Horror comics are also published on the web, with horror webcomics that include the pioneering work of ''Eric Millikin, Eric Monster Millikin'', an anthology webtoon, ''Tales of the Unusual'' and Zuda comics ''High Moon''.

Video spinoffs

Comics have formed part of the media franchise for popular horror movies like ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (comics), Texas Chainsaw Massacre'', ''Friday the 13th (comics), Friday the 13th'', ''Halloween (comics), Halloween'' and ''Army of Darkness (comics), Army of Darkness''. They have also been adapted from horror video games, like ''Silent Hill (comics), Silent Hill''. Horror comics have also been sources for horror films, such as ''30 Days of Night (film), 30 Days of Night'', ''Hellboy (2004 film), Hellboy'' and ''Blade (film series), Blade'', and, from horror manga, such films as ''Uzumaki (film), Uzumaki'' (2000), ''Z ~Zed~'' (2014) and two 1980s movies directed by comics creator Hideshi Hino adapted from his manga ''Guinea Pig (film series), Guinea Pig: Flower of Flesh and Blood'' and ''Guinea Pig: Mermaid in a Manhole''.

's comic-book series ''The Walking Dead'' was adapted in 2010 into The Walking Dead (TV series), an ongoing TV series on the AMC cable network. Some horror films and television programs have had comic-book sequels, such as ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'', as well as prequels or interstitial stories, such as ''Saw: Rebirth'' and ''28 Days Later: The Aftermath'', respectively.

Horror hosts

Radio drama horror and suspense anthology series devoted to horror and suspense plays, such as "The Sealed Book", ''Lights Out (radio show), Lights Out'', ''Quiet, Please'', ''

'', and ''Inner Sanctum Mysteries'', which broadcast from the 1930s–1950s, had sinister "hosts" who introduced and wrapped up the stories. The tradition was introduced into horror comics, many of which were also anthology titles, with many stories in each issue.

utilized the conceit of a character who "hosted" the book, often starring in a framing sequence at the beginning of each issue. The most notorious EC hosts were the "GhouLunatics":

, The Old Witch, and The Vault-Keeper. In the 1960s, Warren came up with the hosts Uncle Creepy and Cousin Eerie, and DC followed suit with their hosts Cain and Abel (comics), Cain and Abel (as well as such minor hosts as Eve (comics), Eve, Endless (comics), Destiny, Lucien (comics), Lucien, and the Mad Mod Witch). DC's ''

'' #44 [January 1982] was a special issue in which horror hosts were being murdered. Abel, Cain, Eve, Lucien, and Squire Shade gather with a group of children for a Halloween party at the Haunted House. A murderer is killing them, though, and the Three Witches are nowhere to be seen. Charlton had a large cast of hosts for their horror/suspense titles. Marvel Comics for the most part did not, though they briefly used the characters of Digger (Marvel Comics), Digger and Headstone P. Gravely. The following is a list of hosts from various horror comics titles from over the years.

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

*Sparrow, A. E
"Top 10 Horror/Thriller Manga"
IGN.com, October 30, 2007
WebCitation archive

*[http://www.thecomicbooks.com/1954senatetranscripts.html 1954 Senate Subcommittee Transcripts] {{Authority control Horror comics, Comics genres

Precursors

Early American scene

EC Comics and the horror boom

Backlash

''Seduction of the Innocent''

Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency

Creation of the Comics Code

Perseverance

Resurgence

1980s and 1990s

Modernity

North America

Europe

Great Britain

Italy

Japan

Online

Video spinoffs

Horror hosts

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links