''The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves'' was an American

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 ...

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 ...

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 stories in each issue of this title, and very occasionally took part in a tale. Sister titles, with many of the same creators, particularly Ditko, were the Charlton anthologies '' Ghost Manor'' (with host Mr. Bones) and its successor, '' Ghostly Haunts'' (with host Winnie the Witch); '' Ghostly Tales'' (with host Mr. L. Dedd, later I. M. Dedd); and '' Haunted'' (with hosts Impy and then Baron Weirwulf). The series won the 1967 Alley Award for Best Fantasy/SF/Supernatural Title.

Publication history

Following his introduction as Dr. M. T. Graves in Charlton Comics' '' Ghostly Tales'' #55 ( cover-dated May 1966) in the three-page story "The Ghost Fighter" by writer-artist Ernie Bache, the character went on to host his own anthology title, ''The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves''. The series ran 72 issues (May 1967 - May 1982), generally published bimonthly. In issue #5, the fourth-wall-breaking story "Best of All Possible Worlds" by Steve Skeates and Jim Aparo involved a reader who's pulled into the pages of the comic book, and has to decide whether to venture back to the real world. Following issue #60 (Jan. 1977), the title went on hiatus for seven months until issue #61 (Aug. 1977) before being canceled with #65 (May 1978). Charlton revived the title three years later with #66 (May 1981) before canceling it once more six issues later.''Many Ghosts of Dr. Graves, The''
at the Grand Comics Database Three additional issues consisting solely of reprints, and titled simply ''Dr. Graves'', were published as issues #73-75 (Sept. 1985 - Jan. 1986). Among the artists whose work appeared were Steve Ditko, following his falling-out with Marvel Comics; newcomer Jim Aparo, later to be one of

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 ...

's signature artists; regular Charlton talents including Vince Alascia, Pat Boyette, Pete Morisi, Rocke Mastroserio, and Charles Nicholas; and such others as Rich Larson, Don Newton and Tom Sutton. The cover of issue #54 (Dec. 1975) marks one of the earliest professional works of John Byrne. Writers on the title included Ditko, Steve Skeates, Mike Pellowski, and the prolific, generally uncredited staff writer Joe Gill.

Awards

''The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves'' won the 1967 Alley Award for Best Fantasy/SF/Supernatural Title.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves Charlton Comics titles Defunct American comics Horror comics Fantasy comics Mystery comics Comics characters introduced in 1966 1967 comics debuts Comics by Steve Ditko