TP Comics

This month we take a look at some of the classic Horror Comics Hosts and Hostesses from DC Comics, Charlton Comics, and other companies.  The "Three Witches" appeared in the very first issue of their book, The Witching Hour #1, cover dated March 1969.  The first pages set up the book's format.  Each of the three witches will tell a tale beginning at 12 o' clock midnight--the Witching Hour--and allow the reader to decide witch--I mean which--tale is the best.   In the first issue, Mildred tells her tale first.  She "prefers to tell 'inhabited object'-type stories... houses with souls, ships with minds of their own..."  Mildred is depicted as a short, round witch with a warty, hairy chin.  She wears a hooded cloak.   The first issue of The Witching Hour also introduces us to Egor, a mysterious  servant creature the Witches like to boss around, and The Castle, the Witches' home.  

This month we take a look at some of the classic Horror Comics Hosts and Hostesses from DC Comics, Charlton Comics, and other companies.   DC Comics' The Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #1 was cover dated October 1971.  It featured a "full-length [graphic] novel of love and danger complete in this issue."  The story was titled "The Secret of the Missing Bride" (per the cover) or "The Mystery of the Missing Bride" (per the splash page).  The same format continued in issues #2 and #3.  Issue #4 featured a full-length novel of "mystery and suspense," with the new cover logo emphasizing the words "Dark Mansion" over "Forbidden Love."  Another shift came with issue #5, as the cover title was changed to Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion.   Issue #6 included two tales, rather than one novel-length tale.  By issue #7, the transformation was complete.  The book had become a horror anthology, complete with a "horror hostess,...

The National Cartoonists Society's 80th Anniversary Reuben Awards and NCS Conference was held in Columbus this past week.  After the official events concluded, cartoonists were invited to stick around for an NCS Showcase at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum at The Ohio State University.  The showcase was free and open to the public.  Some of the cartoonists who were present were: Jeff Keane!  Created in 1960 by Bil Keane, The Family Circus has been written and drawn by his son Jeff Keane since Bil's death in 2011.  Jeff appears in the daily single panel cartoon and Sunday comic strip as young "Jeffy."  I purchased a calendar from Mr. Keane for my brother's birthday and he not only autographed it, but also drew a picture of Jeffy.  The calendar features all of the classic Family Circus devices, including the dotted line cartoons in which characters run around the house or neighborhood, the strips where young Billy fills in for his cartoonist dad, and tho...

  I Visited... THE HALL OF JUSTICE! "One of the last great American train stations built, Union Terminal is a Cincinnati icon and one of the most widely regarded examples of the art deco style.  Since its opening in 1933, Union Terminal has had a long and storied history, from welcoming soldiers home from World War II to becoming the home of three museums. an Omnimax Theater and the Cincinnati History Library and Archives."  --Cincinnati Museum Center website. A few more facts:  Union Terminal still serves as a train station, servicing the Amtrak "Cardinal" line.  The station is open in the middle of the night for passengers departing and arriving on The Cardinal (New York to Chicago). Union Terminal was featured on a postage stamp.  A set of four Railroad Stations "Forever" Stamps were released in 2023, with a First Day of Issue ceremony held at Union Terminal on March 9 (photo above). Union Terminal was the inspiration for the "Hall of Justice,...

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe  was the first comic book I bought regularly, which led to a lifetime of comic book collecting.  The original series was published by DC Comics from cover date March 1985 to cover date April 1987, with updates and spin-offs published in the following years. The New Golden Age #1  was a special of sorts, cover dated January 2023.  I can't even begin to explain the convoluted storyline of this book or the other books that led to its publishing or those that followed... But it did have some Who's Who entries in the back, so I purchased it when it came out.   The 12 entries cover the following 13 characters: The Golden Age Aquaman Betsy Ross & Molly Pitcher Cherry Bomb The Harlequin's Son John Henry Jr. Lady Bug Legionnaire The Golden Age Mr. Miracle Quiz Kid The Golden Age Red Lantern Salem the Witch Girl The Boom The Golden Age Aquaman entry is a special treat because ...

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe was the first comic book I bought regularly, which led to a lifetime of comic book collecting.  The original series  was published by DC Comics from cover date March 1985 to cover date April 1987, with updates and spin-offs published in the following years. In all my years of collecting Who's Who, this is the most obscure find to date. Following a miniseries ( The Shadow War of Hawkman #1 to #4 ) and a special ( Hawkman Special #1), Hawkman was given an on-going series, with issue #1 cover dated August 1986.  It included a single Who's Who entry (minus the trademark yellow border) for Shadow-Thief, a long-time Hawkman villain who was featured in that issue.  In the letter column which follows, writer Tony Isabella (now Jenny Blake) asks "Would you like to see more Who's Who pages like the one in this issue?  Or do you prefer two full pages of letters and answers?  Inquiring editors want to know."...