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Horror comics, Commando format

Started by Robin Low, 27 February, 2011, 08:06:40 AM

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Robin Low

Even year when I was child, we used to go on holiday to my grandparents in Scotland. One of the many fun things about it was the Comics Box. This had been filled over the years by my older cousins, and was full of summer specials (presumably) bought for the long journey up) for Warlord, Battle, Whizzer and Chips, Commando and a heap of other titles. This stuff dated from the early- to mid-70s

I remember that in amongst this lot there were a couple of horror comics that were in the Commando format. I've never been able to discover anything about the series. Does it sound familiar to anyone?

Regards

Robin

maryanddavid

Off the top of my head there was one published by Marvel uk called Chiller, it was slightly larger than commando, digest I think they called it. Featured Man Thing and Dracula. One of Dez Skinns efforts. There was other libraries from the IPC stable in the 60's like Buster and Valiant, they featured different stories in each issue, mayby there were some of those with a horror theme?

David

SmallBlueThing

Yes, Chiller is the only one that springs to mind. Though it's not beyond the realms of possibility that commando-sized horror books were tried in the seventies. There was also an early nineties uk horror magazine that featured, exclusively, illustrated fiction, and was in a format much smaller than normal mags of the time, but larger than commando. Its first issue got it effectively withdrawn from circulation due to the excess of one story, and and i cant remember if it went to #2 or not.
SBT
.

Robin Low

Thanks for your thoughts. What I can say is that these comics were definitely in the Commando format, and I'm pretty certain they had the same sort of typed lettering.

Really forcing my memory here, but there might have been a publishers logo in the form of a white shield (or shield-like design)) with red text in it.

Regards

Robin

SmallBlueThing

I *did* pick up a commando sized issue of 'pecos bill' last year, from the early seventies. If they did western and war, i doubt horror was very far behind. But i dont think ive ever seen one. Hmm, im intrigued now, and want to find one of these.
SBT
.

Robin Low


I can remember the plot of one them. It involved a young man walking in european mountains. He suffers a fall and breaks his arm and or fingers (I clearly remember a picture with a finger tip at right angles to the rest of the finger).

He takes refuge in a castle in the mountains, with obligatory old nutter. I can't remember the details of what happens in the castle (he might get locked in room full of bats), but the guy ends up back in civilisation and becomes convinced that he is turning into a vampire - there's a scene where a friend finds him gorging himself on fruit to try and stop the change.

He becomes convinced he's changing because of the old man in the castle, and heads back. He roughs up the old man, who insists there is nothing wrong with his arm, and that the changes are all in his mind. The old man dies, leaving the mad young man alone in a room surrounded by flying bats, his broken arm apparently turned into a bat's wing (large, but not as large as his arm).

The other one had a story I could never quite follow, but it broadly concerned the death of a girl and her haunting of man. What is stuck in my head is the cover, which showed a woman with long almost fluorescent green hair and a skull for a face, menacing a man.

Regards

Robin

CraveNoir

This is a Pocket Chiller Library comic from aound 1977. I've not come across any other pocket sized horror comics, but I wouldn't be surprised to find a few publishers tried them in the early '70s.

Robin Low

Quote from: CraveNoir on 27 February, 2011, 02:50:10 PM
This is a Pocket Chiller Library comic from aound 1977. I've not come across any other pocket sized horror comics, but I wouldn't be surprised to find a few publishers tried them in the early '70s.


Fantastic! That's it! I went searching and found this:

http://vaultofevil.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=fearfullyfrightening&action=print&thread=1999

Scroll down and the greenhair/skull cover I described is right there. (Clearly my memory of the shield/red text logo was way out.)

Regards

Robin

Robin Low

Just realised that despite an enthusiastic fantastic! I didn't actually say thank-you!

So, thank-you CN for solving this mystery for me! Much appreciated. I have another mystery comic question coming soon...

Regards

Robin