Friday, October 18, 2013

GHOST WOMAN "and the Plague of Werewolves"

She returned from the dead to save her husband from lycanthropes...
...in her one and only appearance from Star-Studded Comics #1 (1945)
If this series continued, we probably would have learned more about Ghost Woman's abilities and limitations, and her husband John would come to the realization that she was serving as his "guardian angel".
Unfortunately, publisher Cambridge House published only one issue each of three anthology titles featuring a number of potentially-interesting series...and then went out of business.
None of the strips packaged* by the Bernard Baily Studio were picked up by other publishers.
Personally, I'm surprised something similar to Ghost Woman hasn't come along since 1945!
Considering the ongoing popularity of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Twilight Saga, a concept like Ghost Woman seems like a sure hit!

Trivia: Editor/art director Bernard Baily, was the co-creator (with writer Jerry [Superman] Siegel) of comics' most famous ghostly avenger, DC's The Spectre, who wore a similar hood to Ghost Woman!
Unlike Ghost Woman, The Spectre continues to fight evil from beyond the grave, even appearing recently in a direct-to-video anime, voiced by Gary Cole...
*It wasn't unusual for a publisher to hire an independent studio to write and illustrate the contents for a given title, or, if it was a small publisher, the entire line of books!

Friday, October 11, 2013

LADY SATAN II "Satan Wants a Child!"

When Last We Left Comics' FIRST Black Anti-Heroine...
...well, so much for a happy reunion for the newlyweds!
And things are about to get even weirder...
Written by Al Hewetson (under the pen-name "Howie Anderson") and illustrated by Ricardo Villamonte, this never-reprinted tale from Skywald's b/w magazine Scream #4 (1973) takes "parental rights" to a whole new level.

Friday, October 4, 2013

PHANTOM LADY "Monster in the Pool"

Sexy women and werewolves...
...long before Twilight or True Blood, the Phantom Lady put her scantly-clad body between lycanthropes and an innocent human race!
The art for this tale from Phantom Lady #16 is by the inimitable Matt Baker, and the story is probably by Ruth Roche.
Supernatural elements would crop up in several more Phantom Lady stories.
featuring goodies emblazoned with cover art that Fredric Wertham railed against in Seduction of the Innocent.