Chamber of Darkness
Encyclopedia
Chamber of Darkness was a horror
/fantasy
anthology
comic book
published bi-monthly by Marvel Comics
that under this and a subsequent name ran from 1969-1974. It featured work by such notable creators as writer-editor Stan Lee
, writers Gerry Conway
and Archie Goodwin
, and artists John Buscema
, Johnny Craig, Jack Kirby
, Tom Sutton
, Barry Windsor-Smith
(as Barry Smith), and Bernie Wrightson
. Stories were generally hosted by either of the characters Digger
, a gravedigger
, or Headstone P. Gravely, in undertaker garb, or by one of the artists or writers.
After the eighth issue, the title changed to Monsters on the Prowl, and the comic became almost exclusively a reprint book.
' successful launches House of Mystery
and House of Secrets, Chamber of Darkness, like its companion comic Tower of Shadows
, sold poorly despite such notable talent. After its first few issues, the title began including reprints of "pre-superhero Marvel" monster stories and other SF/fantasy tales from Marvel's 1950s and early ' 60s predecessor, Atlas Comics
.
The anthology, in addition to running original stories, also included writer Roy Thomas
' and penciler Don Heck
's loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe
's "The Masque of the Red Death
", as "The Day of the Red Death", in issue #2 (Dec. 1969). Writer Denny O'Neil and Tom Palmer
— a renowned inker
in a rare example of his both penciling and inking — adapted the Poe story "The Tell-Tale Heart
" as "The Tell Tale Heart" in issue #3 (Feb. 1970). Thomas and EC Comics
veteran Johnny Craig adapted H. P. Lovecraft
's "The Music of Erich Zann" as "The Music From Beyond" in #5 (June 1970).
Industry notable Jack Kirby
, in a rare instance of scripting for Marvel before leaving for rival DC Comics
for a time in 1970, wrote and penciled "The Monster" in #4 (April 1970), and "And Fear Shall Follow" in #5 (June 1970), both inked by John Verpoorten
. Kirby, inked by fellow Golden Age
great Bill Everett
, also drew the latter issue's cover. Everett himself wrote and inked (with penciler Dan Adkins
) the story "Believe It...Or Not" in #8 (Dec. 1970).
Marvel published the all-reprint Chamber of Darkness King-Size Special #1 (Jan. 1972).
, Marvel's 1950s predecessor, and "pre-superhero Marvel", primarily drawn by Jack Kirby
or Steve Ditko
. It expanded into a double-sized, 25-cent comic for two issues (#13-14, Oct.-Dec. 1971). Some issues of the reprint books featured new covers by John Severin
, Marie Severin
, Gil Kane
, and Herb Trimpe
.
A 10-page sword and sorcery
story starring King Kull, "The Forbidden Swamp", by writer Thomas and art by the Severin siblings, appeared in issue #16 (April 1972); it continued the story from Kull the Conqueror #2 (Sept. 1971), during a 10-month hiatus before that series resumed with #3.
A flashback adventure pitting superhero
es against Marvel monsters appeared in a 2005 one-shot labeled Monsters On The Prowl #1 on the cover, and Marvel Monsters: Monsters On The Prowl #1 in its postal indicia
.
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
/fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
published bi-monthly by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
that under this and a subsequent name ran from 1969-1974. It featured work by such notable creators as writer-editor Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
, writers Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
and Archie Goodwin
Archie Goodwin (comics)
Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work...
, and artists John Buscema
John Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
, Johnny Craig, Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
, Tom Sutton
Tom Sutton
Tom Sutton was an American comic book artist who sometimes used the pseudonyms Sean Todd and Dementia...
, Barry Windsor-Smith
Barry Windsor-Smith
Barry Windsor-Smith, born Barry Smith is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has been produced in the United States....
(as Barry Smith), and Bernie Wrightson
Bernie Wrightson
Bernie "Berni" Wrightson is an American artist known for his horror illustrations and comic books.-Biography:...
. Stories were generally hosted by either of the characters Digger
Digger (comics)
Digger is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared as a story narrator/host in the horror anthology series Tower of Shadows #1 Digger (Roderick Krupp) is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared as a story...
, a gravedigger
Gravedigger
A gravedigger is a cemetery worker responsible for digging graves used in the process of burial.-Fossors:Fossor or Fossarius , from the Latin verb fodere 'to dig', referred to grave diggers in the Roman catacombs in the first three centuries of the Christian Era...
, or Headstone P. Gravely, in undertaker garb, or by one of the artists or writers.
After the eighth issue, the title changed to Monsters on the Prowl, and the comic became almost exclusively a reprint book.
Original series
Designed to compete with DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' successful launches House of Mystery
House of Mystery
The House of Mystery is the name of several horror-mystery-suspense anthology comic book series. It had a companion series, House of Secrets.-Genesis:...
and House of Secrets, Chamber of Darkness, like its companion comic Tower of Shadows
Tower of Shadows
Tower of Shadows was a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by Marvel Comics under this and a subsequent name from 1969-1975. It featured work by such notable creators as writer-artists Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Johnny Craig, and Wally Wood, writer-editor Stan Lee, and artists including...
, sold poorly despite such notable talent. After its first few issues, the title began including reprints of "pre-superhero Marvel" monster stories and other SF/fantasy tales from Marvel's 1950s and early ' 60s predecessor, Atlas Comics
Atlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the term used to describe the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic...
.
The anthology, in addition to running original stories, also included writer Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
' and penciler Don Heck
Don Heck
Don Heck was an American comic book artist best known for co-creating the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, and for his long run penciling the Marvel superhero-team series The Avengers during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books.-Early life and career:Born in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New...
's loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
's "The Masque of the Red Death
The Masque of the Red Death
"The Masque of the Red Death", originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death" , is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague known as the Red Death by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, has a...
", as "The Day of the Red Death", in issue #2 (Dec. 1969). Writer Denny O'Neil and Tom Palmer
Tom Palmer (comics)
-Biography:Although Palmer has done a small amount of pencilling work , the vast majority of his artistic output since the 1960s has been as a comic book inker...
— a renowned inker
Inker
The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After a pencilled drawing is given to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...
in a rare example of his both penciling and inking — adapted the Poe story "The Tell-Tale Heart
The Tell-Tale Heart
"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe first published in 1843. It follows an unnamed narrator who insists on his sanity after murdering an old man with a "vulture eye". The murder is carefully calculated, and the murderer hides the body by dismembering it and hiding it under the...
" as "The Tell Tale Heart" in issue #3 (Feb. 1970). Thomas and EC Comics
EC Comics
Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...
veteran Johnny Craig adapted H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
's "The Music of Erich Zann" as "The Music From Beyond" in #5 (June 1970).
Industry notable Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
, in a rare instance of scripting for Marvel before leaving for rival DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
for a time in 1970, wrote and penciled "The Monster" in #4 (April 1970), and "And Fear Shall Follow" in #5 (June 1970), both inked by John Verpoorten
John Verpoorten
John Verpoorten was a comic book artist and editorial worker best known as Marvel Comics' production manager during the latter part of the Silver Age of Comic Books and afterward, during a seminal period of Marvel's expansion from a small publishing concern to a multinational popular culture...
. Kirby, inked by fellow Golden Age
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
great Bill Everett
Bill Everett
William Blake "Bill" Everett, also known as William Blake and Everett Blake was a comic book writer-artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner and co-creating Daredevil for Marvel Comics...
, also drew the latter issue's cover. Everett himself wrote and inked (with penciler Dan Adkins
Dan Adkins
Dan Adkins is an American illustrator who worked mainly for comic books and science-fiction magazines.-Early life and career:...
) the story "Believe It...Or Not" in #8 (Dec. 1970).
Marvel published the all-reprint Chamber of Darkness King-Size Special #1 (Jan. 1972).
Monsters on the Prowl
Retitled Monsters on the Prowl with issue #9 (Feb. 1971), this version ran one new story each issue through #13 (Oct. 1971) with the remaining content consisting of reprints from Atlas ComicsAtlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the term used to describe the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic...
, Marvel's 1950s predecessor, and "pre-superhero Marvel", primarily drawn by Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
or Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko
Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
. It expanded into a double-sized, 25-cent comic for two issues (#13-14, Oct.-Dec. 1971). Some issues of the reprint books featured new covers by John Severin
John Severin
John Powers Severin is an American comic book artist noted for his distinctive work with EC Comics, primarily on the war comics Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat; for Marvel Comics, primarily on its war and Western comics; and for the satiric magazine Cracked...
, Marie Severin
Marie Severin
Marie Severin is an American comic book artist and colorist best known for her work for Marvel Comics and the 1950s' EC Comics....
, Gil Kane
Gil Kane
Eli Katz who worked under the name Gil Kane and in one instance Scott Edward, was a comic book artist whose career spanned the 1940s to 1990s and every major comics company and character.Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and...
, and Herb Trimpe
Herb Trimpe
Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe (b. May 26, 1939, is an American comic book artist and occasional writer, best known for his work on The Incredible Hulk and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolverine, who later became a breakout...
.
A 10-page sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
story starring King Kull, "The Forbidden Swamp", by writer Thomas and art by the Severin siblings, appeared in issue #16 (April 1972); it continued the story from Kull the Conqueror #2 (Sept. 1971), during a 10-month hiatus before that series resumed with #3.
A flashback adventure pitting superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es against Marvel monsters appeared in a 2005 one-shot labeled Monsters On The Prowl #1 on the cover, and Marvel Monsters: Monsters On The Prowl #1 in its postal indicia
Indicia
In philately, indicia are markings on a mail piece showing that postage has been prepaid by the sender. Indicia is the plural of the latin word indicium, meaning distinguishing marks, signs or identifying marks...
.
Reprints
Chamber of Darkness stories reprinted in other Marvel comic books or black-and-white horror-comics magazines:- "Forewarned Is Four-Armed" (#2, Dec. 1969)
- Writers Neal AdamsNeal AdamsNeal Adams is an American comic book and commercial artist known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow; as the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates; and as a creators-rights advocate who...
, Roy ThomasRoy ThomasRoy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
, penciler Marie SeverinMarie SeverinMarie Severin is an American comic book artist and colorist best known for her work for Marvel Comics and the 1950s' EC Comics....
, inker Dan AdkinsDan AdkinsDan Adkins is an American illustrator who worked mainly for comic books and science-fiction magazines.-Early life and career:... - Creatures on the Loose #14 (Nov. 1971)
- "The Warlock Tree" (#3 Feb. 1970)
- Writer Gerry ConwayGerry ConwayGerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
, penciler Barry SmithBarry SmithBarry Smith may refer to:*Barry Smith , ontologist at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York*Barry Smith , preacher from New Zealand...
, inker Syd ShoresSyd ShoresSydney Shores was an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America both during the 1940s, in what fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books, and during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books.... - Giant-Size Chillers #3 (Aug. 1975)
- "The Monster" (#4, April 1970)
- Writer-penciler Jack KirbyJack KirbyJack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
, inker John Verpoorten - Giant-Size Chillers #3 (Aug. 1975)
- "The Sword and the Sorcerers" (#4, April 1970; one-shot character Starr the Slayer)
- Writer Roy Thomas, penciler-inker Barry Smith
- Conan the Barbarian #16 (July 1972); The Conan Saga #6 (Oct. 1987); The Essential Conan, Vol. 1 (Marvel, 2000, ISBN 0-7851-0751-7)
- "The Music From Beyond" (#5, June 1970)
- Writer Roy Thomas, penciler-inker Johnny Craig
- Masters of Terror #2 (Sept. 1975)
- "Gargoyle Every Night" #7 (Oct. 1970)
- Writers Bernie WrightsonBernie WrightsonBernie "Berni" Wrightson is an American artist known for his horror illustrations and comic books.-Biography:...
, Roy Thomas, penciler-inker Bernie Wrightson - Giant-Size Chillers #3 (Aug. 1975); Book of the Dead #1 (Dec. 1993)
External links
- Chamber of Darkness at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
- Chamber of Darkness at the Big Comic Book DataBaseBig Comic Book DataBaseThe Big Comic Book DataBase is a website containing information about comic books, and run by the maintainers of the Big Cartoon DataBase. , the database contains information on over 100,000 books in 5000+ series, including over 35,000 cover scans....