Beyond the Strange

 I've posted some of these "Strange" book series cover illustrations before (HERE and HERE) so click on those links after todays post to get all the details. But here we go with another spooky set of them --by illustrator unknown, unfortunately-- featuring ghost dogs, haunted hillbillies, Thomas Edison dabblin' in raisin' some dead, etc... yes sir, it's more stories of the supernatural, the unknown, of witchcraft and the life beyond the grave! Annnnd apparently all of these stories are TRUE a'cuz they've been authenticated by Eric Norman, acclaimed expert on all things occult!

Haunted!

There's a whole lotta hauntin' going on here at AEET this week for Friday Frights: spooky precode comics, PLUS a petrifying' poltergeist that can't wait to get his hands on my money!!! But first up, Stan Lee and Joe Maneely tag team for an eerie early one from the November 1951 issue of Suspense #11. Quickly followed by a few pix 'n a clip of my newly acquired Brumberger Haunted House Mystery Bank from the 60's. SEE: all 4 lithographed sides of this tin and plastic, battery operated, frightmare fantastic-- and watch as your host leaves a coin on the stoop-- only to have it (sorta) scooped up by a thievin' spook! I'm mighty proud of this addition to my creepy bank collection, I've even included the original mail-order ad! And after that we'll join everyone's favorite Lil Abner rip-off, Pokey Oakey and his curvy gal, Clara Belle, as they encounter some shady supernatural shenanigans inside an old haunted mansionigans, (lol) --this one was originally featured in the May 1944 issue of Top Notch Laugh Comics #45 from Archie Comics, with arousin' art by Don Dean. And finally, a cute haunted house themed pinball game from Disney that I wish I owned, so if anyone out there has one they're willing to part with, just summon your 'ol pal, Mr. Karswell via ouija board at 666-1313, --my ominous operators are standing by... BOO!

Like a Maharajah

Do people say "Like a Maharajah" about anything? I guess if you were wearing this awesome vintage sleepshirt I found last week (in its original packaging too, no less!) then you could say that you now "Sleep like a Maharajah", if this is indeed any sort of pajammie reality of how a Maharajah actually sleeps. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with a matching colored turban for your sleepy head, but it does have a matching sleepshirt for your Redhotmahma, so you can dress up and rule the night away together, most fashionably, with buttons made of genuine imitation pearl, and not ivory. *Bottoms not included, or necessary.

Bottled Emotions: Claustrophobia

Here's something rare that I saw the other day. Produced by toy maker extraordinaire, Marvin Glass in 1965, "Bottled Emotions" were the living, human personifications of emotions, (similar to MAD's Horrifying Cliches articles), --only this time they're trapped inside of a clear bottle. Very clever, eh? I researched these funny little hand painted figurines a bit online and found a few different ones, including: Anxiety, Vanity, and Greed... there may be more, but our subject today is the one emotion of them all that seems to be the worse for wear in his current state of claustrophobic imprisonment. Swing hard, lil buddy --good luck getting the heck out of there!

Peepshow Keychain **ADULTS ONLY!!!**

From a voodoo doll post, to another kind of doll post... these old peepshow keychains from half a century ago (give or take a few years) are always fun to find. The simplistic, voyeuristic, View Master-tastic thrill of a beautiful bare babe in your front pocket is hard to, err, beat. And be sure to take a sneaky lil peek at a couple other ones that I've posted HERE, as well as HERE!

Voodoo Doll!

It's Friday so you know what that means-- fr-fr-fr-fright time! From the December 1966 issue of Creepy #12, with amazing art by Jerry Grandenetti and a perfectly tight, superbly spooky script by the always reliable Archie Goodwin, this is another choice example why Warren horror magazines were pretty much unbeatable in the supernatural 60's-- and beyond!

Screamingly vs. Screaming

 Time to pit a sexy, screamingly funny vintage card game vs. a screaming Super 8 film reel. Can you stand the heat, the horror, --the screaming??!! Just more random stuff I've found over the last few months, so scream with me at these beautifully illustrated cards, and / or get screamed at by a disembodied skull-- the choice is yours! Watch the Screaming Skull Super 8 version HERE!

Frontier Land (NC)

When you google the words "Frontier Land", you know you're going to get a ton of hits for Disney's more famous namesake land of frontiering, but you will also get a few for North Carolina's own, and now unfortunately defunct, Cherokee theme park. And like the wonderfully designed old brochure that I found this weekend states, there's lots of "action, adventure, and glamour (glamour?!) just exploding with excitement!" I honestly can't think of anything less glamorous than the old west, but seeing those 3 lovely Daisy Mae's in the brochure, well, I guess I've just been proven wrong again! This looks like it was a fun place, (lots of home movies on youtube as well for those curious to see more), including a wood burning train excursion, gondola sky ride, Indian dances and battle re-enactments, and more. Ever been there? Send a comment!

FRIDAY FRIGHTS: DC of Doom

 Friday Frights is now underway-- BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT!-- and it's a big 'ol terrifyin' platter of assorted, silver age DC quickies full of gruesome gasps and lurid laughs. Some of these are scary, some not so scary, but they're all loads of fun and highlighted by the typically great artwork you've come to expect from this high mark era of supernatural comic book shenanigans. Main stories appeared in Witching Hour #8, Secrets of the Haunted House #2, and House of Secrets #143 (click the links for artist credits and more info.) So have yourselves a good time with these tales of spooks, kooks, killers, mad scientists, 'n more, --and first up we'll be heading to the good 'ol drive-in for a monster movie --and maybe even a quick hook-up!