6th Annual Halloween Horror Comics Covers Thread

[protector2814]

So, I took last year off, but I'm back for the Halloween 2020 season with a bang! I'm starting this year's covers list with a publ. company that's seldom talked about here, & one that I've only really disovered within the past 5 years, but one that I just love & has really impressed me.
Skywald Publishers (1970-75) was primarily a B&W, Horror Mag. company created by Sol Brodsky & Israel Waldman (hense, SkyWald) in NYC to directly compete with the success Warren was having with their Eerie, Creepy & Vampirella magazines. Skywald felt there as "room in the pool" & jumped in with three solid horror magazines - first, Psycho, then Nightmare, & finally Scream magazines. I've read every issue & they're really something. Dripping with early 70's culture, violence & grit, all 3 of these titles, imo, surpassed Warren in many ways.
Writers like Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, Gardner Fox, Doug Monech, Len Wein & Marv Wolfman did some excellen & early work. You also found artists like Gene Day, Vince Colletta, Bill Everet, Bruce Jones, Pablo Marcus, John Byrne in his 1st ever publ. work, & many more who would go on the the Big 2 or the later Curtis' horror line.

Recently, a publ. called Gwandanaland has collected, in sets of 3 mags each & in numbered ppbk volumes, all the Skywald Horror & sells them for less than $20 each, sometimes much less. While the reprint quality severely lacks, you can still read them all for a fraction of what real issues sell for at shows.

So, here in order I present the gorgeous covers of Skywald Horror -

I'll start with Psycho. - issues 1,2 & 3

[Mister H]

Nice, thanks for the info. I just bought this.

[protector2814]

Awesome! - Gwandanaland publishes single issue reprints but you'll be better off, money wise & if you like them, just buying their 3-4 issue collection trades.
Scream has 3 trades, Psycho has 7, Nightmare has 7. Plus theres a great color-covers volume that collects all the Skywald' covers in full-color which I also had to buy. So, by buying 19 trades, you'll ultimately have all the Skywald horror for under $200.

[protector2814]

In it's 5 year life, Skywald Publ. ran more than just stand-alone stories within the pages of it's horror mags.. Unlike the Warren b&w mags, Skywald ran 4-5-6-7 issue continuing horror stories. Some of which still stand out. Here's a complete list of their spooky little ongoings - 1) The Heap (A SW' Man-Thing) 2) The Human Gargoyles (suddenly animated male & female cathedral gargoyles who are forced underground to hide from monster-hunting humans) 3) Saga Of The Victims (2 college girls are suddenly thrown in to a supernatural adventure) 4) Nosferatu (Nosfaratu hosts a party where 12 masked guests have their horrific futures told) 5) Monster, Monster 6) The Shoggoths (a continuation of a tale by H.P Lovecraft) 7) Frankenstein 8) Lady Satan (SW's version of Vampirella) 9) Autobiography of a Vampire 10 Nightmare World (Readers would mail in their personal nightmares & SW would format them for their mag.

I know Vampirella was ongoing, but I'm not sure if Creepy or Eerie were running any continuing tales in their pages (I should seeing as how I have the DH' collections).

on w/ the Psycho covers -

4) -

5 -


6 -


7 -

[joefixit2]

interesting, I don't think I have ever heard of that magazine.

[protector2814]

Skywald, during their 4+ year foray in to the publishing of Horror comics attempted to coin & create the term "Horror-Mood" as a cach all phrase to use when describing any 3 of their b&w horror mags. You see it everywhere in their books with heavy use in their editorial pages. The books also included strong & short reviews of Horror Movies from back in the 70's. The Frogs, The House That Dripped Blood, Hammer' Dracula films, Price' Dr. Phibes films, etc... EVen an occasional book review & EC Horror Comics reviews. More fun for your buck.

8)


9)


10)


11)

(Mister H has already shared the above cover but I figured "what the hell" let's keep 'em rolling in order.

[protector2814]

Psycho 12 -

Like Warren Publ. Skywald, on occasion, would place a warrior of some sort on the cover


13)
Probably the 1st Skywald cover I ever saw. Hooked


14)


15)

[protector2814]

16 -


17) - A little too busy, if you ask me.


18)


19)

[Mister H]

Just got in my Psycho magazine. It's pretty cool. Love the vintage horror art. May have to get the all covers version.

[Wombat]

These are great. Thanks for posting.