Cover-dated December 1970, Nightmare number one appeared on the newsagents shelves as the first of a short-lived but fondly remembered line of black & white horror comic magazines from Skwald. These were designed to compete with and complement Warrens long lived line of similar comics which were doing very well at the time.
In fact the growth of the black & white magazine market saw even Marvel muscle in, but this was not to last and was directly responsible for Skwalds demise. Marvel flooded the market with titles that just took up shelf space and didn't last very long. Only the eventual creation of Savage Sword of Conan saw that company get any real success. Even Planet of the Apes only lasted 29 issues.
Still all of Skywalds output are worth picking up, though not so easy to find and a bit more pricey but as with this issue plenty of entertainment for your hard earned buck.
There are 7 stories in this 64 page issue kicking off with an early ecological story The Pollution Monsters which despite it's premise is a wee bit corny for modern readers. Master of the Dead follows on with the villain of the piece getting his comeuppance from the vengeful army he raises from their graves!
Of course there are vampires who appear in Orgy of Blood, more "living dead" in the text feature The Skeletons of Doom and don't wish for immortality if you don't want to end up like Mr & Mrs Torrence in Help us Die.
There is vengeance from the depths in The Thing from the Sea, horror from the mind in The Creature Within plus a grand finale with a little twist on the werewolves in The Deadly Mark of the Beast.
Nightmare lasted 23 issues plus one Annual between 1970 and 1975.
Enter if you dare........
No comments:
Post a Comment