I've had a weirdly busy month, (apologies for the gaps between AEET posts), and to make up for it we'll just skip the rest of September and jump right into our annual Halloween Hootenanny --like everyone else online already has, apparently! And let's kick it off with a sampler platter of All Hallows themed highlights from Marvel's fantastic 1940's magazine devoted to the greatest invention of all time: the female! Miss America ran for 83 issues from 1944 to 1953, and was consistently packed with fun stuff like self-help articles, Hollywood hullabaloo, comics, fashion etc., and also included party ideas, holiday themed advertising, and even terrific text stories like what we'll be looking at today. I might have more MA stuff in the coming weeks, --including my own silly photoshop lunacy, --so stick around, horror business at AEET is just getting started!
First picture, the lady looks like one of the coven from 'The Devil's Rain' with her black, soulless eyes,
ReplyDeleteor maybe she lost her soul working in retail? (I have no fear of Hell! I work retail, so there really isn't much of a difference to me.)
The Phantom At Rose Brook features the classic ghostly image, white sheet and rattling chains.
The idea of a ghost in chains dates back to one of the earliest recorded ghost stories, when Pliny The Younger described how the philosopher Athenodorus encountered a fettered phantom in a haunted house. Rather than be frightened, Athenodorus, stoic that he was, motioned to the ghost to wait while he finished his writing.
(I have heard of some people being unbothered by their environment, but this takes the cake!)
Athenodorus followed the ghost to the courtyard where it then vanished. The local magistrates were told of his ghostly visit and were told to dig up the ground, where they found a skeleton bound in chains. The skeleton was given a decent burial, minus its chains, and the house was haunted no more.
Its amazing how a description of a ghost from 2000 years ago still haunts the world today.
Athenodorus's ghost story did get the horror comic treatment as a one pager from Out of the Shadows #8 & #10 and Adventures Into The Unknown #33.
Here's to a happy and howlin' good time on All Hallows for all followers of AEET and THOIA, and especially to you Karswell.
Thanks JMR!
DeleteOh boy oh boy nerdy Marvel stuff to talk about!
ReplyDeletePatsy Walker mentioned on the cover? That's a long running romance / humor comic from Marvel ... and all it's iterations! First here in Miss America -- which was published by Timely -- then to a comic from Timely -- then to Atlas -- and finally to Marvel.
Then in the 70s the character was re-used and re-surfaced as Hellcat! And the entire comic publication history is actually her mother (sometimes a demon, sometimes a ghost, sometimes associated with her ex, the Son of Satan -- COMICS!) making it all up to make money off her daughter.
Also a note: Early issue creator: Al Jaffee! Also associated: Stan, Otto Binder, Al Hartley, and Kurtzman!
Another bit of trivia: blonde cover girl “Vikki” is also gorgeous mid century model extraordinaire, Vikki “The Back” Dougan! Google her if you don’t believe me…
ReplyDeleteReally digging the art accompanying the Hauntin' Party article. That terrifying broomstick witch scarecrow has nothing on the guest, holy cow. That spooky horde of kids stumbling around in the dark biting at everything is like my party host nightmare for sure.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, I agree with the young crowd about that fetching matador suit.