Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 12: The House of Mystery #290 and #291

Joe Kurbert did the covers for The House of Mystery #290 (March 1981) and #291 (April 1981) for DC Comics. The first comic features the start of "I...Vampire" written/created by J.M DeMatteis and drawn by Tom Sutton. Other chilling tales include "An Exercise in Fear" and "Special Deffects". There is also a one page "Cain's Game Room" that features Fifi the witch turning a prince into a mouse instead of a mouse. Ads include Sea-Monkeys, Hostess Cup Cakes presents Wonder Woman and The Baron, Creature Creations posters from Canopus One and an half page ad for Mystery In Space.

The House of Mystery #291 features "Night of the Living Undead" (chapter two of the "I...Vampire" series, "A Cardboard Hero", a two page "Cain in the House of Mystery" and "The Seas Run Red!" Interesting ads in this issue features BubbleYum (now in wild cherry, tropical punch and grape), a half page offer to join the Superman Fan Club, Hostess Twinkies Cakes presents Wonder Woman in "Old Gold" and Sea-Monkeys.

Both issues have Cain's Mail Room full of letters from fans.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 11: The House of Mystery #284 and #288

The cover art of The House of Mystery #284 (September 1980) and #288 (January 1981) were done by Michael Kaluta. The first horror comic features "Ruby", "The King and the Dragon", "Friends to the End" and "Deadly Peril at 20,000". An ad featuring Batgirl in "A Matter of Good Taste" promotes Hostess Twinkies. The second horror comic features "The Piper at the Gates of Hell", "Blood on the Sand" and "When the Sea Gives Up Its Dead!" Cain has a one page of gags that features more do's and don'ts for monsters. A Hostess Fruit Pies ad presents "The Flash Meets the Bureauc-Rat". Both issues have a one page Cain's Mail Room filled with letters.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 10: The House of Mystery #282

The cover artist for The House of Mystery #282 (July 1980) was Joe Kubert, who is best known for his work on Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. The first page features Cain and boy editor, Len Wein. The chilling tales are "The Lady Killer Craves Blood", "I'm Off To My Funeral" and "Some Place Where The Sun Don't Shine". The funny one pager is "Cain's Game Room".

Interesting ads found in The House of Mystery #282 include Hubba Bubba (I remember liking this gum too when it first came out), O.J. Simpson hawking Spot-bilt autographed shoes, Hostess Twinkies Cakes presenting the Flash in "A Flash in the Dam", promo for Wonder Woman #269, BubbleYum Wild Cherry, The Black Hole MPC models, historic wargames from Atlantic Products, Superman Fan Club and DC Stars stamps. The stamps features characters that would be appearing as back up features in other comics such as Adam Strange in Green Lantern and the Huntress in Wonder Woman. Other features included Cain's Mail Room and Daily Planet volume 80, number 15.

"The Computers That Saved Metropolis" is the extra twenty-eight page bonus comic included with this issue and teams Superman with two kids using Radio Shack TRS-80 computers against Major Disaster.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 9: Ghosts #102

The cover of Ghosts #102 (July 1981) from DC Comics promises a new Dr. 13, the Ghost-Breaker adventure. The first page is actually a one pager from The Files of Dr. Geist (pictured below) dealing with a haunted fun house in the Joyland Amusement Park. The first chilling tale is "One Last Kiss" about a lady killer's victims seeking justice from beyond the grave. A one page story from The Files of Dr. Geist comes next and is titled "Specter In Silver" (pictured below). The next chilling tale is "The Truth According To Nina" that deals with a woman's father seeking to protect her and get revenge on his murderer. Finally, Dr. 13, the Ghost-Breaker investigates "The Fine Art of Haunting" in Chicago's Stillman Museum.

Interesting ads inside Ghosts #102 include BubbleYum (I remember chewing this), Kung-Fu course, Hostess Twinkies Cakes presents Plastic Man in "Gold For Dessert" and 100 Toy Soldiers packed in footlocker for only $1.98. I actually ordered these toy soldiers and was disappointed that they were flat plastic that broke easily.



Note: Ghosts #95 and #102 are the only issues that I have of this horror anthology series from DC Comics.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 8: Ghosts #95

Ghosts #95 (December 1980) features four haunting tales from DC Comics. The cover features Dr. 13, the Ghost-Breaker (pictured below). The issue opens with a one pager titled "Ghosts and the Supernatural" (pictured below) that writes about the special bond that children have with spirits. The first tale is "The Man Who Lost His Spirit" that actually starts with editor Jack Harris sending writer George Kashdan out to Gurney Castle, which is supposed to be haunted but no one has ever seen a ghost before. The second tale is "Spectral Bullets Cannot Kill!" about a hitman with a cursed gun. Next up is a one page funny strip titled "The Victim" (pictured below). The second tale is "The Labyrinth Trap" about what happens with two longtime friends that becomes rivals over a pretty girl. Another one page funny strip titled "Mr. Invisible Mann" follows (pictured below). The final tale features Dr. 13, the Ghost-Breaker investigating a haunted theater in "All the Stage is a Haunt".

Ghosts #95 features an ad for Masquerade Make-up Kits (pictured below) under the Grit ad. Other interesting ads includes Saturday morning line up on ABC (Super Friends, Happy Days Gang, Scooby and Scrappy Doo, Richie Rich, Heathcliff and Dingbat, Plastic Man, Thundarr the Barbarian, ABC's Weekend Specials and American Bandstand), Sea-Monkeys and a Hostess Cupcakes ad featuring Wonder Woman and The Baron. The back cover features a free autographed photo of O.J. Simpson from Dingo boots.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 7: Elvira Out On A Limb

Here is a pinup of Elvira out on a limb by Jim Mooney that I found on sale on EvilBay not too long ago:

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 6: 666 Movie Trailers

No, this post does not have six hundred sixty-six movie trailers. Instead, these movie trailers have 666 as a theme in some way or another.
The trailer for 666: The Demon Child:

The trailer for Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return:

The intended original trailer for Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers:

The trailer for Route 666 with Lou Diamond Phillips and Lori Petty:

Bonus: Here's the promo for Supernatural's "Route 666" episode:

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 5: Elvira Does Bettie Page

Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, donned a black wig of a different kind (she's a redhead by the way). The picture by Austin Young was just one of those on display in the "Bettie Page Heaven Bound: A Celebration of the Life of Bettie Page" exhibit at LA's World of Wonder Storefront Gallery throughout the month of May, 2009. This proves that she is still hot at fifty-eight.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 4: Naughty Elvira Artwork By Lee Rumiko

Here are four more naughty Elvira artwork by Lee Rumiko:

Halloween Countdown 2009: Day 3: Hot Horror Trio By Rumiko

Lee Rumiko strikes again with extremely busty versions of Bride of Frankenstein, Lily Munster and Morticia. I would die with a smile on my face after they smother me with their giant assets.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 2: Elvira Sketches

I found two sketches of Elvira on eBay a few weeks that I was very tempted to bid on. The first is by Chester and the second is by Lee Rumiko. The latter artist is known for drawing extremely busty women.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 1: Disney's Enter If You Dare!

Not only is this the first post for this year's Halloween Countdown but the object is also a thrift store find. I found a copy of Disney's Enter If You Dare: Scary Tales From The Haunted Mansion by Nicholas Stephens and illustrated by Sergio Martinez (Disney Press 1995) for fifty cents. The back cover shows a small picture of a graveyard with RIP on a tombstone. The back text is as follows:

Welcome, come in - They're all waiting for you in these five tales of terror and woe - The spirits and ghouls are inviting you in, but beware! They might not let you go! Premonitions and apparitions are dying to give you a scare. The mansion is open and waiting, dear friends - so ENTER IF YOU DARE!

The five tales include "The Fortune Teller", "The Face In The Mirror", "Music To Their Ears", "The Eyes Have It" and "Late For The Wedding".