An appreciation thread for horror-related comic books published before 1955. Among my personal favorites are Weird Tales of the Future, featuring art by Basil Wolverton. His art and the horror genre feels like a great combination, having layers of surreal fantasy and sci-if which give off a dark, even sinister, tone. There’s also Howard Nostrand’s work with Harvey, particularly Chamber of Chills Magazine, and Plastic Man creator Jack Cole’s work on Web of Evil, though the top example would definitely have to be EC’s Tales from the Crypt.

Titles from this time include:

Ace Comics - Baffling Mysteries, The Beyond, The Hand of Fate, Web of Mystery

Ajax-Farrell - Fantastic Fears/Fantastic Comics, Haunted Thrills, Strange Fantasy, Voodoo

American Comics Group - Adventures into the Unknown, Forbidden Worlds, Out of the Night, Skeleton Hand in Secrets of the Supernatural

Avon Periodicals - Eerie Comics, Witchcraft

Charlton Comics - Strange Suspense Stories, The Thing, This Magazine is Haunted

Comic Media - Horrific/Terrific, Weird Terror

DC Comics - House of Mystery, Sensation Mystery

EC Comics - The Crypt of Terror/Tales from the Crypt, Haunt of Fear, Vault of Horror

Fawcett Comics - Beware! Terror Tales, Strange Suspense Stories, This Magazine is Haunted, Worlds Beyond/Worlds of Fear

Fiction House - Ghost Comics, Monster

Harvey Comics - Black Cat Mystery, Chamber of Chills Magazine, Tomb of Terror/Thrills of Tomorrow, Witches Tales

Marvel Comics - Adventures into Terror, Adventures into Weird Worlds, Amazing Mysteries, Astonishing, Captain America’s Weird Tales, Journey into Mystery, Journey into Unknown Worlds, Marvel Tales, Menace, Men’s Adventures, Mystery Tales, Mystic, Spellbound, Strange Tales, Suspense, Uncanny Tales

Master Comics - Dark Mysteries

Nedor Comics - Adventures into Darkness, Out of the Shadows, The Unseen

P. L. Publishing - Weird Adventures

Premier Magazines - Horror from the Tomb/Mysterious Stories

Prize - Black Magic, Strange World of Your Dreams

Quality Comics - Web of Evil

St. John - Strange Terrors, Weird Horrors/Nightmare/Amazing Ghost Stories

Stanley Morse - Mister Mystery, Weird Chills, Weird Mysteries, Weird Tales of the Future

Star Publications - Blue Bolt Weird Tales of Terror/Ghostly Weird Stories, The Horrors, Shocking Mystery Cases, Spook, Startling Terror Tales, Terrifying Tales

Sterling Comics - The Tormented

Story Comics - Mysterious Adventures

Superior Publishers Limited - Journey into Fear, Mysteries Weird and Strange, Strange Mysteries

Toby Press - Tales of Horror

Trojan Magazines - Beware

Youthful Magazines - Fantastic/Beware/Chilling Tales

Ziff-Davis - Eerie Adventures, Nightmare, Weird Adventures, Weird Thrillers