Scary Tales was a horror

Horror comics

Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. Horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the imposition of the self-censorship Comics Code Authority contributed to...

-suspense 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...

 series published by Charlton Comics

Charlton Comics

Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1946 to 1985, having begun under a different name in 1944. It was based in Derby, Connecticut...

 from 1975 to 1984. The book was "hosted" by Countess R.H. Von Bludd, an alluring female vampire

Vampire

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...

 in a tight-fitting dress. Artist 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....

 was a regular contributor to the book during its entire run.

Scary Tales was part of a wave of new horror and suspense comics published by Charlton during this period. Its sister titles, with many of the same creators, were the Charlton anthologies The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves

The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves

The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves was an American supernatural-anthology comic book published by Charlton Comics and best known as a showcase for the popular writer-artist Steve Ditko, the co-creator of Marvel Comics' Spider-Man. The eponymous Dr. M. T...

(with host Dr. M.T. Graves), Ghostly Tales

Ghostly Tales

Ghostly Tales was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by Charlton Comics from 1966 to 1984 . The book was "hosted" by Mr. L. Dedd , a middle-aged gentleman with purplish skin and horns who dressed like a vampire. Mr...

(with I.M. Dedd), Ghost Manor

Ghost Manor (comics)

Ghost Manor was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by Charlton Comics from 1968 to 1984 . Volume one was "hosted" by the Old Witch , while volume two was hosted by Mr...

(with host Mr. Bones), Haunted

Haunted (comics)

Haunted was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by Charlton Comics from 1971 to 1984 . The book was "hosted" by Impy, a pint-sized ghost dressed in an all-white superhero costume...

(with Impy and then Baron Weirwulf), and Ghostly Haunts

Ghostly Haunts

Ghostly Haunts was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by Charlton Comics from 1971 to 1978. The book was "hosted" by Winnie the Witch, a "moddish" blue-skinned witch....

(with Winnie the Witch).

Publication history

Scary Tales was published bimonthly; it went on a publishing hiatus between issues #9 and #10, which lasted from February to September 1977 (Charlton's horror titles all went on hiatus during this period); another publishing break occurred between issues #20 and #21 (July 1979–July 1980). After the cancellation of the short-lived Charlton Bullseye showcase comic in late 1982, stories intended for that title were published in Scary Tales #36-40, which explains the superhero story "Mr. Jigsaw" in issue #38 and "Dragon Force" in issue #40. Altogether, Scary Tales published 46 issues.

Regular contributors to Scary Tales in addition to Ditko included Pat Boyette

Pat Boyette

Pat Boyette Pat Boyette Pat Boyette (July 27, 1923, San Antonio, Texas – January 14, 2000, was an American broadcasting personality and news producer, and later a comic book artist best known for two decades of work for Charlton Comics, where he co-created the character The Peacemaker...

, Nicola Cuti, Joe Gill

Joe Gill

Joseph Gill was an American magazine writer and highly prolific comic book scripter. Most of his work was for Charlton Comics, where he co-created the superheroes Captain Atom, Peacemaker, and Judomaster, among others. Comics historians consider Gill a top contender as the comic-book field's most...

, Wayne Howard

Wayne Howard

Wayne Wright Howard was an African-American comic book artist best known for his 1970s work at Charlton Comics, where he became American comic books' first known cover-credited series creator, with the horror anthology Midnight Tales blurbing "Created by Wayne Howard" on each issue — "a...

, Sanho Kim

Sanho Kim

Sanho Kim is a Korean comic book artist, considered the first artist working in a manhwa style to be published regularly in the United States...

, Rich Larson, Pete Morisi

Pete Morisi

Peter A. Morisi , who sometimes went by the pseudonym PAM, is an American comic book writer and artist who also spent much of his professional life as a New York City Police Department officer. He is best known as creator of the 1960s Charlton Comics series Peter Cannon .....

, Steve Morisi, Charles Nicholas, Don Perlin

Don Perlin

Don Perlin is an American comic book artist and occasional writer best known for Marvel Comics' Werewolf by Night, The Defenders, and Ghost Rider...

, and Mike Zeck

Mike Zeck

Mike Zeck is an American comic book illustrator.-Biography:Zeck was born in Greenville, Pennsylvania to Michael and Kathryn Jean Zeck...

. Ghostly Haunts was edited by George Wildman

George Wildman

George Wildman , is an American cartoonist most noted for his work in the comic books industry. He was a top editor at Charlton Comics from 1971–1985, where he also became the long-time regular artist on Popeye comic books....

for its entire run.

Horror comics in general were in decline in the early 1980s, and Charlton in particular was suffering financially. In the fall of 1984, Charlton suspended publication, and Scary Tales was cancelled along with the rest of the company's remaining titles.

External links

• "Charlton horror: Countess R. H. Von Bludd from SCARY TALES," The Groovy Age of Horror