Strange Suspense Stories
Encyclopedia
Strange Suspense Stories was a comic book
published in two volumes by Fawcett Comics
and Charlton Comics
in the 1950s and 1960s. Starting out as a horror/suspense title, the first volume gradually moved toward eerie fantasy
and weird science fiction, before ending as a vehicle for the superhero
Captain Atom
. The title's second volume was more in the horror/suspense vein. Altogether, 72 issues of Strange Suspense Stories were published.
Notable contributors included Steve Ditko
, Vince Alascia
, Jim Aparo
, Pat Boyette
, George Evans, Joe Gill
, Frank McLaughlin, Bill Molno, Rocke Mastroserio
, Sheldon Moldoff
, Charles Nicholas, Denny O'Neil, Joe Shuster
, and Steve Skeates
.
debuted Strange Suspense Stories in June 1952, featuring artwork by (among others) George Evans and Sheldon Moldoff
. The title ran for five issues under Fawcett. In 1954-55, Charlton acquired a stable of comic book properties from Fawcett Publications
, which was shutting down its comics division. Charlton continued publishing two of Fawcett's horror books—This Magazine Is Haunted
and Strange Suspense Stories, initially using unpublished material from Fawcett's inventory.
In a quirk common to the publisher, Charlton's Strange Suspense Stories started not with issue #6 (continuing the Fawcett numbering) nor with issue #1, but with issue #16, continuing the numbering of a cancelled crime
/horror
series, Lawbreakers Suspense Stories—which itself had continued the numbering of the crime comic Lawbreakers. Both of those earlier titles were decidedly pre-Comics Code books, featuring murders, gruesome covers, and scantily-clad women.
Artistic chores were then handed to Steve Ditko
, whose moody, individualistic touch came to dominate Charlton's supernatural line.
Charlton's Strange Suspense Stories ran seven issues to #23 (Nov. 1954) before being temporarily retitled This is Suspense! After four issues under that name, the title reverted to Strange Suspense Stories, picking up with issue #27 (Oct. 1955).
Artwork from Strange Suspense Stories was used as inspiration for artist Roy Lichtenstein
's 1965/1966 Brushstroke series, including Brushstroke and Big Painting No. 6. The panels in question came from the story "The Painting," with art by Dick Giordano
, in issue #72 (Oct. 1964).
As the industry moved into the Silver Age
, Charlton shifted Strange Suspense Stories to a more heroic vein, reprinting short Captain Atom
adventures beginning with issue #75 (June 1965). With issue #78 (Dec. 1965), Charlton renamed the title Captain Atom. The Captain Atom title lasted until issue #89 (Dec. 1967) before being cancelled.
and Denny O'Neil, and the book was edited by Sal Gentile. Strange Suspense Stories vol. 2 lasted nine issues until Sept. 1969.
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 in two volumes by Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
and 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...
in the 1950s and 1960s. Starting out as a horror/suspense title, the first volume gradually moved toward eerie fantasy
Fantasy comics
A number of fantasy themed comic books exist. For example:* Arion* Arrowsmith* Battle Chasers* Bone* Cerebus The Aardvark* Conan* Conan The Barbarian* The Dark Tower* Dungeon Siege: The Battle for Aranna...
and weird science fiction, before ending as a vehicle for the superhero
Superhero comics
Superhero comics is a form of American comic books. The form rose to prominence in the 1930s and 1940s and has remained the dominant form of comic book in North America since the 1960s...
Captain Atom
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
. The title's second volume was more in the horror/suspense vein. Altogether, 72 issues of Strange Suspense Stories were published.
Notable contributors included 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....
, Vince Alascia
Vince Alascia
Vincent Alascia , also known as Nicholas Alascia, was an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America during the Golden Age of comics, and for his 23-year run as inker on a single creative team, with penciler Charles Nicholas Wojtkowski and writer Joe Gill at Charlton Comics...
, Jim Aparo
Jim Aparo
James N. "Jim" Aparo was an American comic book artist best known for his 1960s and 1970s DC Comics work, including on the characters Batman, Aquaman and the Spectre....
, 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...
, George Evans, 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...
, Frank McLaughlin, Bill Molno, Rocke Mastroserio
Rocke Mastroserio
Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio , who sometimes signed his work "Rocke M.", "RM", "Rocke" or "RAM", was an American comic book artist best known as a penciler and inker for Charlton Comics.-Early career:...
, Sheldon Moldoff
Sheldon Moldoff
Sheldon "Shelly" Moldoff is an American comic book artist best known his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" on the superhero Batman. He co-created the Batman supervillains Poison Ivy, Mr...
, Charles Nicholas, Denny O'Neil, Joe Shuster
Joe Shuster
Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...
, and Steve Skeates
Steve Skeates
Steve Skeates is an American comic book creator known for his work on books such as Spectre, Hawk and Dove, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Aquaman, and Namor the Sub-Mariner.-Career:...
.
Vol. 1
Fawcett ComicsFawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
debuted Strange Suspense Stories in June 1952, featuring artwork by (among others) George Evans and Sheldon Moldoff
Sheldon Moldoff
Sheldon "Shelly" Moldoff is an American comic book artist best known his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" on the superhero Batman. He co-created the Batman supervillains Poison Ivy, Mr...
. The title ran for five issues under Fawcett. In 1954-55, Charlton acquired a stable of comic book properties from Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett . At the age of 16, Fawcett ran away from home to join the Army, and the Spanish-American War took him to the Philippines. Back in Minnesota, he became a...
, which was shutting down its comics division. Charlton continued publishing two of Fawcett's horror books—This Magazine Is Haunted
This Magazine Is Haunted
This Magazine is Haunted was a horror comic originally published by Fawcett between 1951 and 1953. Running 14 issues, it was the first of Fawcett's supernatural line; a string of titles which included Beware! Terror Tales, Worlds of Fear, Strange Suspense Stories, and Unknown Worlds.After Fawcett...
and Strange Suspense Stories, initially using unpublished material from Fawcett's inventory.
In a quirk common to the publisher, Charlton's Strange Suspense Stories started not with issue #6 (continuing the Fawcett numbering) nor with issue #1, but with issue #16, continuing the numbering of a cancelled crime
Crime comics
Crime comics is a genre of American comic books and format of crime fiction. The genre was originally popular in the 1940s and 1950s and is marked by a moralistic editorial tone and graphic depictions of violence and criminal activity. Crime comics began in 1942 with the publication of Crime Does...
/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...
series, Lawbreakers Suspense Stories—which itself had continued the numbering of the crime comic Lawbreakers. Both of those earlier titles were decidedly pre-Comics Code books, featuring murders, gruesome covers, and scantily-clad women.
Artistic chores were then handed to 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....
, whose moody, individualistic touch came to dominate Charlton's supernatural line.
Charlton's Strange Suspense Stories ran seven issues to #23 (Nov. 1954) before being temporarily retitled This is Suspense! After four issues under that name, the title reverted to Strange Suspense Stories, picking up with issue #27 (Oct. 1955).
Artwork from Strange Suspense Stories was used as inspiration for artist Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein was a prominent American pop artist. During the 1960s his paintings were exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City and along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist and others he became a leading figure in the new art movement...
's 1965/1966 Brushstroke series, including Brushstroke and Big Painting No. 6. The panels in question came from the story "The Painting," with art by Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano
Richard Joseph "Dick" Giordano was an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes, and serving as executive editor of then–industry leader DC Comics...
, in issue #72 (Oct. 1964).
As the industry moved into the Silver Age
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
, Charlton shifted Strange Suspense Stories to a more heroic vein, reprinting short Captain Atom
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
adventures beginning with issue #75 (June 1965). With issue #78 (Dec. 1965), Charlton renamed the title Captain Atom. The Captain Atom title lasted until issue #89 (Dec. 1967) before being cancelled.
Vol. 2
In 1967, Charlton revived the title for another run, this time with a more straight-ahead horror focus. Stories were written by Steve SkeatesSteve Skeates
Steve Skeates is an American comic book creator known for his work on books such as Spectre, Hawk and Dove, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Aquaman, and Namor the Sub-Mariner.-Career:...
and Denny O'Neil, and the book was edited by Sal Gentile. Strange Suspense Stories vol. 2 lasted nine issues until Sept. 1969.