Dark Mysteries (1951) comic books

Cover pencils by Joe Orlando, inks by Wally Wood. "The Curse of the Sea Witch," art by Wally Wood; Shipping magnate Caleb Dodge builds a yacht out of the timber of the "Sea Witch", a cursed sailing vessel. Dogde's ancestor committed murder there and the curse sails now with Dodge Junior. "The Corpse's Embrace!", art by Lou Cameron; Wealthy composer Leopold Zadek is killed by his young and greedy wife, Vania. When the police want to take her fingerprints, Vania hides in the coffin, contracting a deadly desease and the corpse's wrath. "Horror Of The Ghostly Recluse" text story. "The Ghoul Of Death," pencils by Edward Goldfarb, inks by Bob Baer; Surgeon Barton Hastings removes part of a murderer's brain to free him from his evil self; The operation is a success, but the evil spirit takes form in another body and commits new crimes. "The Nameless Terror Of Twin Dunes"; The peaceful town of Twin Dunes is haunted by a vampire scare. Professor Conlan figures out who's behind this and puts an end to the prowling beast. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover pencils by Wally Wood, inks by Harry Harrison. "The Monster's Ghost," art by Joe Orlando; Ghost hunter Bruce Gibson buys a haunted house and challenges a satanic "dark stranger" to work his worst magic; He conjures a "monster's ghost" out of the bodies of four dead men, a black bull and drops of Gibson's blood. "Book Of The Grey Dragon," art by Lou Cameron; Dr. Frederick Hansen and his expedition are trekking through the Gobi desert in search of the tomb of Genghis Khan; When they find it, they discover a Chinese scroll, too; The magic words revive the Khan and his horde. "Haunted Houses" text story by Jesse Merlan. "What Was It?"; When Jane encounters her fiance Jim, she believes he's returned from the war in Korea; But Jim has been killed in action, as his parents assure her. "Vampire Fangs," pencils by Edward Goldfarb, inks by Bob Baer; A vampire stalks an US-American city. Crime reporter Bill Swaney exposes the businessman Orloff from Transylvania as the fiend and kills him. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart FR/GD 1.5 $119.95 or Best Offer View scans Restored (see item notes) RESTORATION. Minor color touch. Cover coming loose at staples, 2" cumulative spine split. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by humble cow

"The Dread Book of Betarin," pencils by Edward Goldfarb, inks by Bob Baer; Eugene Gordon dabbles with black magic and tries spells out of a "grimore", the black book of Betarin; After summoning some elemental creatures and dead people, Gordon encounters Betarin himself. "Ghosts From Mars," art by Vince Napoli; Tiny dead ghostlike Martian creatures are raining down on earth and cause chaos and destruction; Only scientist and "authority on the occult" Don Blant may help by contacting the ghost of his dead brother Allen. "The Occult Notebook of Dark Mysteries" article; Methods of divination, superstitions about were-animals, voodoo dolls and the evil eye. "The Unwilling Witch"; Bob and Jane are haunted by an old witch who was an ancestor of Jane's; Under the witch's bidding Jane turns into a were-cat and tries to kill her fiancé. "Bargain With a... Worm"; Jim Thomas enters into a pact with a strange entity; Looking like a sack, the being offers Jim help in financial matters; In exchange the being can read Jim's thoughts. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart CGC 5.5 $800.00 View scans Paper: Off white to white Label #4267044011

Stories and art by Hy Fleishman and others. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. Marilyn calls off her wedding to Phil after learning he has a "strange madness" around dead bodies, but Phil swears revenge. Investigating shrunken heads in Africa, archaeologists Ted and Joyce encounter an unspeakable evil. The Dead Rise; The Corpse That Came Alive!; The Creatures of the Mist. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart FR 1.0 $135.00 View scans 3.5" Cumulative spine split. Cover detached. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by Bud Plant

Among the best skeleton covers ever produced!

Cover by Bill Fraccio. Stories and art by Hy Fleishman and Doug Wildey. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. Mona discovers that her husband Frank has made an unholy pact with the demonic creature called Bobo. The ghost-crew of a ship lost on an uncharted island waits only for a new captain to lead them. Steve seeks a friend who vanished in a South American town, and the trail leads to the deadly Cat Woman, in a story with art by Doug Wildey. The Strange Affair with...Death!!; The Vigil of the Ghost Pirates!; Chimes of Death; Terror of the Cat-Men; Horror of the Ghostly Statue. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart CGC 5.5 $675.00 View scans Paper: Off white to white Label #3733534005 Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout.

Add to cart PR 0.5 $113.95 or Best Offer View scan Interior is complete. Full length spine split. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by humble cow

Cover by Bill Fraccio. Stories and art by Hy Fleishman, Lou Cameron and Doug Wildey. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. Student of folklore Arletta learns a little too much about zombies and vampires. After meeting a beautiful, mysterious woman at a museum, two friends find their novelty souvenir nooses have begun to grow. Settlers stranded in the Western frontier are aided by a ghostly apparition, in a story with art by Doug Wildey. Curse of the Prairie Ghost!; Haunt of the Ancient Castles; Ghost of the Golden Slipper; If the Noose Fits - Wear It!; Cannibal's Revenge. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG 4.0 $349.95 or Best Offer View scans Cover TRIMMED. Miscut. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by humble cow

Dismemberment and hypo blood draining stories

Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth, Jon DAgostino, and Harry Harrison. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. Dr. Parker's scheme to turn plants into humans only succeeds in giving plants a taste for human blood. A governor who refused to pardon an innocent man is haunted by a deadly disembodied hand that only he can see. An insanely jealous astronomer with failing eyesight murders his partner and harvests his eyes (haven't seen that one before). The Terror of the Killer Plant; The Hand of Death!; Strange Curse of the Mountain; The Eyes of Death!; Adventure in Death. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG 4.0 $199.95 or Best Offer View scans Trimmed TRIMMED, cover oxidation. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by humble cow

Add to cart PR 0.5 $119.95 or Best Offer View scan Interior is complete. Full-length spine split through cover and all wraps (taped, staples added). Cover attached to first wrap with tape. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by humble cow

Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth and Jon DAgostino. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. While seeking a legendary lost pass through the mountains, a rail engineer enters a strange shack containing a madman and a woman's preserved corpse. The search for a horticulturist's secret orchid formula leads to murder and terror from beyond the grave. An antiques dealer visiting an old house agrees to marry a woman and learns a macabre secret, in a story with art possibly by Doug Wildey. Terror of the Phantom Trail!; Terror Comes in Threes; Terror in the Stars; Dead Man's Chest; Don't Marry a Dead One! 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth, Robert Cohen, Hy Fleishman and Jon DAgostino. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. Gina wants to know if her mother is really the witch desecrating the town graveyard, and so do the townspeople. A racing team ignores warnings that the race car they've purchased is cursed and brings death to whoever runs it. Scientists seeking a missing man in Central America learn that rumors of a cannibal tribe are true. A man who kills snakes for a living meets Medusa, whose connection to snakes is more personal than most. Witches Feast at Dawn; Death Was the Driver; The Horror of the Haunted Castle; The Ghouls Dance; Medusa. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover art by Hy Fleishman. "The Note of Death," art by A. C. Hollingsworth; Norman Conway is made mayor on the promise to buy a haunted house from mobster Jake Lomax and turn it into a school; The witch Mary appears on the scene and starts fires. "Food For Thought!", art by John D'Agostino; Phil Stewart crashes his plane into the jungle and is rescued by mystery woman Kadira; She flees from her cannibal tribe and follows Stewart to the US to be his wife. "Grave Information" text story by Ellen Lynn. "Vampires Bite," art by Hy Fleishman; Doctor Ralph Bowan keeps a menagerie of freaks - a vampire, a ghoul and a witch - in his house, encased in big formaldehyde vats; When Bowan finds out that his wife Lily is cheating on him with his assistant Alan, he kills them and integrates them into his collection. "Sea of Ghosts," pencils by Harry Harrison; Captain Caleb Firth is a slave trader; He murders a cargo of Chinese workers to escape the coast guard; But one of them returns from the dead and comes for revenge. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth and Hy Fleishman. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. Dr. Horly, in his quest for glory and fame, studies things man was not meant to know and ends up on the wrong end of a vampire's fangs. Monsieur Picard faces a horrifying price after betraying an aristocratic couple to the French Revolution. Severed heads are among the violent pre-Code imagery in this issue. A Vampire Is Born; Terror of the Hungry Rats; A Smuggler Meets a Ghost; Horror of the River of Blood!; Terror of the Hotrod. 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart FR 1.0 $109.00 or Best Offer View scans Centerfold detached. Water damage. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor.

Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth and Hy Fleishman. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. Phony showbiz psychic Rita wants to know how a competitor speaks with the dead so convincingly. After agreeing to split his gains with the magical Dr. Wong, a successful writer reneges on the deal through murder, but his girlfriend pays the price. Sculptor Roland likes to create masks from the faces of the dead - but what is his link to a string of horrible murders? Voices of the Dead; A Murderer's Mask; Best Seller!; The Lamp of Doom; The Wish of Doom. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Hy Fleishman. Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth and Dick Beck. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. Deranged mortuary assistant Garth takes liberties with the clientele, in a truly messed-up pre-Code story. Mountain climbers encounter the "Ghosts of Chomolungma" at the peak of Mt. Everest, in a story that was written before (but published after) the May 1953 first ascent of Everest. Burt and Bernice get rid of Bernice's husband, who loves housecats, but their fate has a feline form. For some strange reason, most of the stories in this issue are told in the second person ("you"). Horror of the Mixed Torsos!; The Curse of the Shooting Star!; Girl into Vampire; Ghosts on Chomolungma!; Death While the Cat's Away. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart GD/VG 3.0 $329.95 or Best Offer View scans Water damage, staple rust/migration. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by humble cow

Cover by Hy Fleishman. Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth, Jon D'Agostino and Hy Fleishman. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. A man snaps and disposes of his wife in a cement mixer, but her hands somehow survive to come after him. Redheaded Karen is saved from drowning by a skeleton whose whispered message seals his killer's doom. A convict successfully escapes prison by hiding in a coffin; too bad it's headed for the crematorium. Fingers of Doom; The Skeleton's Revenge; An Eye for an Eye?; Terror of the Boa Constrictor; Escape to Death! 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart CGC 4.0 $305.00 View scans Paper: Off white to white Slab: Minor side/edge crack(s) Label #4028380006

Cover art by Hy Fleishman. "Horror of the Ghostly Pilot!", art by A. C. Hollingsworth; Greedy airplane constructors want their pilots to give their new plane a favorable recommendation; The chief test pilot dies in the faulty machine. "The Vampire with the Iron Teeth," art by Hy Fleishman; A beautiful duchess changes into a vampire by getting implanted new teeth. "The Dead Can Escape from the Grave" text story. "Slow Death in Quicksand," art by Jon D'Agostino; A father goes after a pirate treasure, tagging son and daughter along; All three get greedy and kill the last survivor, who was so kind to tell the story. "Horror of the Cannibals' Dinner"; A cruel plantation owner flogs a girl to death and cuts off the hand of the old witch doctor woman; The old woman commands her tribe to burn her at the stake so she can take revenge; She returns from the dead as a beautiful savage and lures the evil master into the jungle. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG+ 4.5 $450.00 View scans Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by Bud Plant

Cover by Hy Fleishman. Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth, Jon D'Agostino and Hy Fleishman. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. A couple commits murder to inherit a farm, but a new miracle fertilizer brings their victim right up out of the ground. An abused boy is aided by the revived corpse of his dead father. A taxidermist finds an especially nasty revenge for his cheating wife and her boyfriend, a wealthy hunter. The Horror of the Walking Corpse; Terror Needs a Stage!; The Ghost in the Mirror; Time to Die; Terror of the Nightmares! 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart CGC 4.0 $549.99 or Best Offer View scans Paper: Off white to white Label #4368350017 Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout.

Add to cart CGC 2.0 $250.00 or Best Offer View scans Paper: White Label #4338111008 Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout.

Skeleton cover by Hy Fleishman. Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth, Hy Fleishman and Jon D'Agostino. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. This issue is hosted by "The Old Gravedigger," a take-off on EC's Crypt Keeper and other horror hosts. In a typically boundary-pushing story, a vampire includes an infant in its list of victims. A ape-human hybrid terrorizes a city. Lady with the Mask of Death; Horror of the Fifth Corpse; Terror of the Man-Ape; Verdict of Terror. 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

"Terror of the Burning Corpse"; Lovely Nikki is in love with the juggler Tony; Her colleague Corey, a brilliant impersonator, is jealous of Tony and devises an evil scheme: Corey murders Tony and takes his place. "House of Horror," art by John D'Agostino; A vampire from the spooky Tennant house on the hill terrorizes the town; The three councilmen burn down the building, but fall prey to further vampire attacks. Is young and mysterious Gena, last of the Tennants, the fiend - or someone else? "Horror of the Drowned" text story by Ellen Lynn. "Terror of the Stolen Legs," art by Gerald Altman; In a Nazi Concentration Camp Dr. Franz Burch experiments on finding the secret to bring the dead back to life; Most prisoners are too weak to survive the process, until Burch gets his hands on the handsome and healthy political renegade Rolfe. "Some Die Twice," art by Alvin Hollingsworth; Slave trader Barney Degris takes aboard a tribe of cannibals in Africa; His wife Marna detests his cruelty; When Degris murders a native witch doctor and Marna's friend Philip, Marna throws her husband between the cannibals. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Hy Fleishman . Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth and Jon D'Agostino. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. Marie tries to use her feminine wiles to get a good grade from her creepy medieval studies professor, in a story with some good-girl art, possibly by Hy Fleishman. A murdered couple gives birth to a zombie baby in the grave, and raises him to avenge their deaths, in a truly one-of-a-kind pre-Code story. A tow-truck driver has a terrifying experience during a blizzard. Rack of Terror!; Born in the Grave; Haunted Houses; Snow Madness; Never to Die! 36 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

"The Clutch of the Devil Fish"; A sadistic seafaring band of brothers kills whales; Some for money, some just for sport. This arouses the anger of the "devil fish", a giant octopus; Changing form, the octopus comes aboard as the lovely maiden Myra—killing off the brothers one after the other. "Flames of Hate," art by Gerald Altman; Pierre, an old executioner, hires a young assistant, Jean, to help him with his work; Which is to burn people at the stake; When Jean hits it off with Marianne, Pierre's lovely wife, Pierre seethes with jealousy and "accidentally" burns Jean on the pyre. "Shot by a Corpse" text story by Ellen Lynn. First-person-narrative of "a racketeer's moll": When the gang kidnaps a little boy, the woman goes soft and smuggles a confession to the police. "The Living-Dead," art by John D'Agostino; Ivor Blau, lost in the wintery woods of the Black Forest, comes to a lonely house; A lovely girl, Vania, takes him in; Something is strange; Soon Ivor learns that the house is populated with half-dead zombies (a result of a Nazi experiment) and he, Ivor (as the son of the evil Nazi doctor), has to pay with his blood. "Mountain Madness"; Ben and Alan are friends and work as lawyers in the same firm; When Alan gets to be junior partner, Ben is furious and plans his murder; On a mountain trip he pushes Alan into the abyss. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart VG- 3.5 $270.00 View scans Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by Bud Plant

Cover by Myron Fass. Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth and Myron Fass. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. On a fog-shrouded night, an odd little man approaches a stranger and begins talking. His tale reveals the truth behind the strange deaths of rival magicians Mord and The Great Gobbo. Sinister Secret. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart CGC 2.5 $220.00 View scans Paper: Off white Slab: Minor side/edge crack(s) Label #4135810009

Add to cart FR/GD 1.5 $129.95 or Best Offer View scans 5" cumulative spine split, cover detached. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by humble cow

"Hand of Destiny"; Archeologist Reid Cragg uncovers an Egyptian tomb and finds therein the "hand of destiny"; The mummified hand of the long-dead chief executioner; The hand can be commanded to kill. "Spectral Lighthouse"; On a sailing trip Bob and Ann Dart discover an abandoned lighthouse; They are greeted by ghostly pirates of the past, but can escape thanks to their modern outboard motor. "Haunted Voice"; Korean war veteran Mark Sterling has lost his hearing in the war; When he purchases a new hearing aid, a ghostly voice starts talking to him; The voice informs him of a crime and leads him to the scene. "When Witches Walked" article; facts about witches. "The Malignant Pearls" article; The pearl as malign omen. "Pal Trouble," art by Tony Tallarico; Two hobos are partners in crime; But Pete always beats Mike and one day throws him out of a freight train to die. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart CGC 4.0 $285.00 View scans Paper: Off white to white Label #0345147002 Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout.

Add to cart GD 2.0 $149.95 or Best Offer View scans 2" cumulative spine split, heavy cover oxidation, paint on front cover. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor. Other items consigned by humble cow

Cover by Hy Fleishman. Stories and art by A.C. Hollingsworth and others. A pre-Code horror series that is not as well-known other horror comics, but makes up for it with grue. When the old rivalry between two barons is revived by horse-racing and murder, a mysterious horse appears on a mission of vengeance. A Civil War soldier shares a magic charm with his sweetheart that will keep them united through life and death, but he didn't really think about what that means. Archaeologist Dr. Peale finds evidence of a race preceding the Native Americans, and awakens things that were better left in slumber. First issue to feature the Comics Code seal on the cover. The Mardenburg Curse; The Final Waltz; Shadow over Manton Farm; Don't Box Me In. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart GD- 1.8 $89.00 View scans Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor.

"Give A Man Enough Rope"; Jim Westbrook learns the famous rope trick in India and is able to disappear into nothingness; This comes in handy when he kills a man some years later. "The Bigger They Come," art by Gerald Altman; The small-time crooks Sam and Shorty sell the wonder lotion "Growoo" with the promise to make people grow; Having made a fortune they go into hiding for some months. "The Racket That Failed," art by Max Elkan; A gangster blackmails shop owners; Police set up a trap and catch him. "Crime Does Not Pay" text story; A prison guard relates the last hours of a convicted killer before his execution. "Death On Tour," art by Gene Leslie; Queenie Starr and Lieutenant Gaines investigate a murder in show business. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.