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 ...
published in two volumes by
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Bats ...
and
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 ...
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 ...
title, the first volume gradually moved toward eerie
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
and weird
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 ...
, before ending as a vehicle for the
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, ...
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a superhero appearing in American comic books, first in the 1960s by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations.
Publication history
Captain Atom was crea ...
. The title's second volume was more in the horror/suspense vein. Altogether, 72 issues of ''Strange Suspense Stories'' were published.
Notable contributors included
Steve Ditko
Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...
,
Vince Alascia
Vincent Alascia (January 14, 1914 – September 3, 1998), at the
Jim Aparo
James N. Aparo (August 24, 1932 – July 19, 2005) was an American comic book artist, best known for his DC Comics work from the late 1960s through the 1990s, including on the characters Batman, Aquaman, and the Spectre, along with famous stories ...
,
Pat Boyette
Aaron P. "Pat" Boyette (July 27, 1923 – January 14, 2000) was an American broadcasting personality and news producer, and later a comic book artist best known for two decades of work for Charlton Comics, where he co-created the character the Pe ...
Rocke Mastroserio
Rocco A. "Rocke" Mastroserio (June 8, 1927 — early March 1968Dates per AdditionaWebCitation archivemade June 15, 2010. Note: The Social Security Death Index lists Rocco Mastroserioof New York City, born September 15, 1901, died December 1966.) w ...
,
Sheldon Moldoff
Sheldon Moldoff (; April 14, 1920 – February 29, 2012) was an American comics artist best known for his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" (uncredited collaborator ...
,
Charles Nicholas
"Charles Nicholas" is the pseudonymous house name of three early creators of American comic books for the Fox Feature Syndicate and Fox Comics: Chuck Cuidera (1915–2001), Jack Kirby (1917–1994), and Charles Wojtkoski (1921–1985). The name o ...
,
Denny O'Neil
Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retir ...
,
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 ...
, and
Steve Skeates
Steve Skeates (; born 1943) is an American comic book creator known for his work on such titles as ''Aquaman'', ''Hawk and Dove'', ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'', and ''Plop!'' He has also written under the pseudonyms Chester P. Hazel and Warren Savin.
...
.
Publication history
Vol. 1
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Bats ...
debuted ''Strange Suspense Stories'' in June 1952, featuring artwork by (among others) George Evans and
Sheldon Moldoff
Sheldon Moldoff (; April 14, 1920 – February 29, 2012) was an American comics artist best known for his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" (uncredited collaborator ...
. The title ran for five issues under Fawcett. In 1954–55, Charlton acquired a stable of comic book properties from
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 ...
, which was shutting down its comics division. Charlton continued publishing two of Fawcett's horror books—'' This Magazine Is Haunted'' and ''Strange Suspense Stories'', initially using unpublished material from Fawcett's inventory.
In a quirk common to the publisher, Charlton's ''Strange Suspense Stories'' started not with issue #6 (continuing the Fawcett numbering) nor with issue #1, but with issue #16, continuing the numbering of a cancelled
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
/ horror series, ''Lawbreakers Suspense Stories'', which itself had continued the numbering of the crime comic ''Lawbreakers''. Both of those earlier titles were decidedly 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 ...
books, featuring murders, gruesome covers, and scantily-clad women.
Artistic chores were then handed to
Steve Ditko
Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...
, whose moody, individualistic touch came to dominate Charlton's supernatural line.
Charlton's ''Strange Suspense Stories'' ran seven issues to #22 (Nov. 1954) before being temporarily retitled ''This is Suspense!'' After four issues under that name, the title reverted to ''Strange Suspense Stories'', picking up with issue #27 (Oct. 1955).
Artwork from ''Strange Suspense Stories'' was used as inspiration for artist
Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Fox Lichtenstein (; October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American pop artist. During the 1960s, along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and James Rosenquist among others, he became a leading figure in the new art movement. Hi ...
's 1965/1966 ''Brushstroke'' series, including ''Brushstroke'' and ''Big Painting No. 6''. The panels in question came from the story "The Painting", with art by
Dick Giordano
Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics.
Early li ...
, in issue #72 (Oct. 1964).Antonia Boström, Christopher Bedford,
Penelope Curtis
Penelope Curtis (born 1961) is a British art historian and curator. Fom 2015 to 2020 she was the director of Lisbon's Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, and from 2010 to 2015 director of Tate Britain. She is the author of several monographs on sculpture ...
, John Dixon Hunt. ''The Fran and Ray Stark Collection of 20th-Century Sculpture at the J. Paul Getty Museum'' (Getty Publications, 2008), p. 96.
As the industry moved into the Silver Age, Charlton shifted ''Strange Suspense Stories'' to a more heroic vein, reprinting short
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a superhero appearing in American comic books, first in the 1960s by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations.
Publication history
Captain Atom was crea ...
adventures beginning with issue #75 (June 1965). With issue #78 (Dec. 1965), Charlton renamed the title ''Captain Atom''. The Captain Atom title lasted until issue #89 (Dec. 1967) before being cancelled.
Vol. 2
In Oct. 1967, Charlton revived the title for another run, this time with a more straight-ahead horror focus. Stories were written by
Steve Skeates
Steve Skeates (; born 1943) is an American comic book creator known for his work on such titles as ''Aquaman'', ''Hawk and Dove'', ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'', and ''Plop!'' He has also written under the pseudonyms Chester P. Hazel and Warren Savin.
...
and
Denny O'Neil
Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retir ...
, and the book was edited by Sal Gentile. ''Strange Suspense Stories'' vol. 2 lasted nine issues until Sept. 1969.