I had never heard of this magazine, Dread of Night, until this first issue was generously sent to me by Friend of the Blog Christopher Mills. Thanks Chris!
Apparently, a line of b/w magazine-sized comics were started by Bruce Hamilton, as a sort of sister line to Gladstone. Three titles--Dread of Night, Grave Tales, and the delightfully-titled Maggots--were launched, featuring some of the best talents in comics:
...this first story was written by Michael Brewer, with art by Ralph Reese and the legendary Gray Morrow (though I can't see much Reese here). A well-done, if predictable, tale of a guy who meddles in the Dark Arts and pays the price for it.
Next is "He's A Charmer" by Russ Miller and Batton Lash, which has a very go-go 80s feel to it, featuring yet another jerk getting his comeuppance:
Next is "He's A Charmer" by Russ Miller and Batton Lash, which has a very go-go 80s feel to it, featuring yet another jerk getting his comeuppance:
After a multi-page preview for the next issue (where we get to see a few pages from upcoming stories, a fun touch) we get "Upgrade!" by Nat Gertler and featuring a superb art job by Howard Bender and Brian Buniak, recalling the classic early Mads:
...its a ghoulish, gory tale of a doctor who takes on the wrong client, but told with a light, almost goofy touch which made it, for me, the best tale in the book.
After a letter's page ("Dead Write"), and another story, "Withdrawal" (by Charles Marshall and Dan & Dave Day), comes another blast from comics past, a text story, written and drawn by our pal Nick Cuti:
After a letter's page ("Dead Write"), and another story, "Withdrawal" (by Charles Marshall and Dan & Dave Day), comes another blast from comics past, a text story, written and drawn by our pal Nick Cuti:
It's neat seeing Nick drawings accompanying his words, for once. His one spot drawing is a creepy little piece.
Last is "Blood Island" by Bill Pearson and the incomparable Ernie Colon:
Last is "Blood Island" by Bill Pearson and the incomparable Ernie Colon:
...set on an island where people become infected and turn into the living dead, it works as sort of an origin story for DON's host, Count Robespierre.
Overall, the contents of Dead of Night are a little hit or miss, but there's enough good stuff here that it makes me curious to hunt down the other magazines in the line, even one called Maggots.
Unfortunately, none of the titles lasted past three issues, rendering this experiment an odd little footnote in b/w comics magazine history.
Unfortunately, none of the titles lasted past three issues, rendering this experiment an odd little footnote in b/w comics magazine history.
10 comments:
Am I only one who, based on the page shown here, thinks that the supposed teamup of Ralph Reese and Gray Morrow looks pure John Severin? Maybe full-sized or with the magazine in my own grubby mitts, I'd think otherwise; but, boy, the resemblance is striking!
I'd never heard of the magazine either. Gotta hand it to Chris Mills, he's "on it" when it comes to comics, movies, books, tv... uh, just about all the stuff that makes life fun!
I've never heard of this comic either. I suppose that by 1991 the whole "horror in black and white" genre had pretty much died out which is why these titles didn't last.
My first published story--drawn by the great Joe Staton--was in Grave Tales #3.
Hamilton comics were from Bruce Hamilton who was publishing the Gladstone line at the time. Some stories from the B&W mags were going to be reprinted as color comics as well (a color issue may have appeared).
Somewhere I still have a packet with pictures and backstories of all the hosts (there were different hosts for each story in the books, about a dozen altogether).
Wow. I bought every B&W mag that ever came out, and I NEVER saw this before!!! Truth be told, even if I did I probably would have passed right by it based on the cover, which looks like a juvenile monster coloring book.
yeah, the colors used (and the bleeding(?) frog) don't exactly inspire terror.
Yeah, but it's signed LB Cole. His last published work?
I saw that. I wonder......
Two things:
1. I actually have this comic in my collection--I was sure I was the only person in the world who remembered this book. Figures that Rob Kely would prove me wrong.
2. I used to perform "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with Nat Gertler, and actually directed him in a one act play back in 1991. And yet I never even noticed he wrote one of the stories..which says something about my amount of interest in this comic, I guess.
Dan--What led you to a two-year old post on one of my blogs???
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