It’s spooky month! Is there a better time to focus on horror comics? Although the Silver Age was a bleak time for the horror genre, there were some legitimate scary comics out there, both in the heart of the 1960s and toward the end. Let’s take a look at the few horror comics published during the early 1960s.
Dell Horror?
When Fredric Wertham brought his crusade against comics to Congress in the 1950s, the publishers brought the hammer down upon themselves with the Comics Code Authority, lest they go up in flames like so many of the comics burned in bonfires at the time. After that, horror comics – which had been among the most popular – ceased publication. Many big publishers, like EC, collapsed overnight. While the spirit of EC would live on in horror comic magazines published during the Silver Age, our focus here is on actual comic books. And one publisher who managed to flout the CCA was none other than Dell.
Wait a minute – Dell? The publisher of so much Disney and other kids cartoon content? That’s right. But how? Well, take a look at any Dell comic from the Silver Age and you’ll notice one very prominent thing that’s missing from all their covers – the stamp of the Comics Code Authority. Dell never signed on as a participant in the CCA. With their track record as publishers of so much kids content they insisted that their comics were held to a higher standard than the CCA.
Dell was in desperation mode in 1962 as Western had split from Dell and took all the licensed characters with them. Needing something to set themselves apart, they decided on horror as a potentially unique avenue to pursue. Of course, while other publishers were prone to cower in fear of the CCA, Dell was able to do whatever they pleased, and they did just that with the publication of Tales from the Tomb #1.
Published in 1962, there are 35 graded copies in the CGC census. There have only been four sales to date, the latest being a 5.5 going for a slashed $245 in an August 10 eBay sale. It’s a tough find and a bit of an odd bird. John Stanley of Little Lulu fame was credited with three stories in the giant-size anthology and their tone is definitely bizarre. Overall, Tales from the Tomb #1 is decidedly tamer than pre-code horror comics but scary enough that it upset parents at the time. If you’re a horror fan, it’s worth seeking out a copy.
Ghost Stories
Dell’s first ongoing horror series began with Ghost Stories #1, also released in 1962. Published roughly quarterly, the series would last for 37 issues and finally folded in 1973. Many of the later issues are reprints of the earlier issues. John Stanley was the writer on the first issue but left the title afterward, going back to concentrating on his more well-known humor comics. There’s not much to say about the series overall. There are only 14 graded copies of Ghost Stories #1 in the CGC census. The last sale was a 5.5, which sold in a February 15 eBay fixed price sale for $77, markedly lower than Tales from the Tomb #1.
Dracula & Frankenstein
Dell also tried their hand at comics based on the famous figures of Dracula and Frankenstein. Both series, published in 1962 and 1963 respectively, only lasted one issue before being resurrected later in the decade as ill-fated attempts at turning both characters into superheroes. There are 39 graded copies of Dracula #1, which – most notably – has a cover by none other than L.B. Cole. The highest price paid was $875 for one of only two 9.8 graded copies back in 2016. The most recent sale was a 5.0 going for just $25 in an October 1 eBay auction with just one bid.
The first Dell appearance of Frankenstein was in Movie Classic #283, a comic which was later reprinted as Frankenstein #1. There are 38 graded copies with the top sale occurring way back in 2011 when the lone 9.8 sold for $508. The latest sale was a 7.5 going for a respectable $285 in an August 18 eBay auction.
Overall, while Dell horror comics lack the artistic merit and gruesome factor of many of the more well-known pre-code horror comics, they are definitely a bright light during a dark time for horror comics. If you’re a horror comic fan, they merit consideration for your collection.
