Black and White Wednesday: The Art of Haunt of Horror #2

Oops! Ol' Groove goofed again! Back during Halloween Countdown 2010, Ol' Groove shared the awesome art from marvel's prose digest Haunt of Horror #1 with ya and promised to do the same with the art from HoH #2 in 2011. Well, for some reason that didn't happen, but today I'm making amends! The second ish of Haunt of Horror (Summer 1973) might've been the final prose digest ish (it would soon return as a standard b&w comic mag), but boy did editor Gerry Conway send it off with a bang! Stories by Denny O'Neil, Arthur Byron Cover, Harlan Ellison, Fritz Leiber, Ann McCaffrey, Ron Goulart, and more? Art by John Buscema, Walt Simonson, Dan Green, Frank Brunner, Kelly Freas, and Billy Graham? What a mag, baby--what a mag! Wanna take a peek inside...?

Happy Halloween, Groove-ophiles!

Black and White Wednesday: "Doorway to Dark Destiny" by Claremont, Broderick, and the Crusty Bunkers

Greetings, my Groovy Ghoulies! Here's something with a twist for ya--a prose-piece featuring Satana, the Devil's Daughter. "Doorway to Dark Destiny", from Haunt of Horror #4 (September 1974), was written by a young Chris Claremont with spot illos by Pat Broderick (inked by members of the elusive Crusty Bunkers). Prose pieces like this were a staple of Marvel's b&w monster mags about mid-way through their runs, and were usually pretty good! Ol' Groove thinks you'll dig this one!

Black and White Wednesday: "Gran'ma Died Last Year" by Moench and Colan

If ya wanna give Ol' Groove the creeps, ghost, goblins, and things that go bump in the night don't cut it. If ya wanna get me, give me something real. Something that could happen next door--or at a hotel Alfred Hitchcock might feel comfortable in. Something like this creepy classic from Marvel's Haunt of Horror #2 (May 1974) by Doug Moench, Gene Colan, and Frank Chiarmonte. Something like "Gran'ma Died Last Year"!

Black and White Wednesday: "Destiny: Oblivion" by Kraft, Kirchner, and Nebres

Y'know, Groove-ophiles, the best horror stories are the ones that take a cold, hard look at the realities of the human condition. Man's inhumanity toward man has to be the most terrifying reality of all. With Haunt of Horror #5's (November 1974) "Destiny: Oblivion", writer David Anthony Kraft, along with artists Paul Kirchner and Rudy Nebres delve into the dark depths of just how rotten and twisted some humans can be. There's no answer, only a question..."Why?"

Countdown to Halloween 2010! Haunting Art from the Marvel Bullpen

Greetings, Ghoul-ophiles! Way back in 2008, during Ol' Groove's first time participating in the Countdown to Halloween, I did a short piece on Marvel's digest prose mag, Haunt of Horror. I'm not gonna repeat what I said there 'cause you can read it here, but I've been dying to post some awesome art that I couldn't post back then ('cause I didn't have scans yet, natch). Instead of firing all of my guns at once, I thought I'd share the sensational spot illos from legends like Gene Colan, Frank Brunner, Barry (Windsor-) Smith, John Romita Sr., and the rest of the gang from HOH #1 (March 1973). Oh, and of course we're taking another look at that far-out and fearsome Gray Morrow cover. Dig it, baby!


Next year, Ol' Groove's gonna lay the art from HOH #2 on ya. How's that for something to look forward to?