31 Nights of Horror Hosts | Night 16 | Dr. E. Leopold Maas

Of all the DC Comics horror hosts, the most mysterious may be Dr. E. Leopold Maas.  He only appeared in a few comic books and his first appearance is not in a comic, but rather a Jack Kirby brainchild in magazine format titled Spirit World, which lasted only one issue (Fall 1971).  For the rest of the fascinating story of Spirit World, please visit TwoMorrows Publishing's Jack Kirby Collector #13.  You can read the article here.

To do the research for this blog, I had to acquire a copy of Spirit World #1.  It was not cheap, but the hardcover collection which reprints the issue was even more expensive.  I will know if my wife is following this blog if she scolds me... 

In the first story in Spirit World, Dr. Maas introduces himself: "I'm Doctor E. Leopold Maas!  My area of interest is the young but fast-developing form of rational inquiry known as parapsychology!!!  Essentially, I try to separate the devil from the deep!!"  He explores the concept of premonition by telling the story of Lucille M. from suburban Illinois, who has the unshakable feeling that something is going to happen to the President of the United States.  The magazine also features a variety of other features, exclaimed on the cover: "Prophecy!" "Reincarnation!" "Haunting!" "Black Magic!" "Secret California Cults!" and the prediction "The World Will End in 1983!" 

While Spirit World never saw print, some of the planned features were included in Weird Mystery Tales issues #1, #2, and #3 and Dr. Maas also hosted Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #6.



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