| Eerie Comics | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Avon Periodicals |
| Format | Standard |
| Publication date | January 1947 |
| Number of issues | 1 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Edward Bellin |
| Artist(s) | Fred Kida George Roussos |
| Penciller(s) | Joe Kubert |
Eerie is a one-shot horror comic book cover-dated January 1947 and published by Avon Periodicals as Eerie #1. Its creative team includes (among others) Joe Kubert and Fred Kida. The book's contents comprise six full-length horror feature stories and a 2-page humorous tale. The title went dormant for a number of years but returned to newsstands as Eerie #1 in 1951. The book holds the distinction of being the first true, stand-alone horror comic book and is credited with establishing the horror comics genre.
Eerie is a full-color, 52 page, standard format, one-shot horror comic published by Avon Periodicals with a price of US$0.10 and cover-dated January 1947. The book was released as Eerie #1.[1][2]
The comic book's glossy,[1] cover depicts a red-eyed ghoul-like creature clutching a dagger and a rope-bound, voluptuous young woman in a derelict moonlit ruin.
The issue featured six stories that were fairly tame in the depiction of the gore and violence generally found in horror fiction.[3] "The Eyes of the Tiger" follows a man haunted by the ghost of a stuffed tiger;[1][3] "The Man-Eating Lizards" (with a script by Edward Bellin and pencils by Joe Kubert), tells the story of an island infested with flesh-eating lizards;[1][3] and another, "The Strange Case of Henpecked Harry" (with art by Fred Kida), follows a man spooked by the bloody corpse of his murdered wife.[1][3] Other feature stories include "Dead Man's Tale", "Proof", and "Mystery of Murder Manor". A two-page humorous tale starring Goofy Ghost rounds out the issue.[1] Members of the creative team include Fugitani,[2] and George Roussos.[3]
Following the January 1947 issue, Eerie disappeared from newsstands shelves. In 1951, Eerie #1, cover-dated May/June 1951, was published by Avon and saw a run of seventeen issues.[3] The first issue of Eerie reprinted "The Strange Case of Henpecked Harry" from one-shot Eerie of 1947 as "The Subway Horror",[1] and issue 12 printed a Dracula story based on the Bram Stoker novel. Several covers featured large-breasted women in bondage. Artists Joe Orlando and Wallace Wood were associated with the series. The title saw a run of seventeen issues, ceasing publication with its August/September 1954 issue. Eerie then morphed into Strange Worlds with #18, October/November 1954.[2]
Eerie of January 1947 has the distinction of being the first out-and-out horror comic book, and is credited with establishing the horror comics genre.[2][3]