Gallery: Horror! Book Digs Up Lurid 'Pre-Code' Monster Comics

  • horrorbookcover660
    01

    horror-book-cover-660

    During the golden age of comic-book gore, ghoulish stories about zombies, werewolves, skeletons and gorgons arrived in drugstore magazine racks on a monthly basis. Honoring America's midcentury infatuation with all things macabre, new book *The Horror! The Horror!* surveys "pre-Code" comic titles from the early 1950s that specialized in outlandishly violent supernatural fantasies. Written by [Jim Trombetta](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0873449/) (*Star Trek: Deep Space Nine*), the 305-page soft-cover chronicles the period's rich stew of graphic insanity. Often produced by uncredited illustrators, the comic books eventually attracted congressional attention. In 1954, Senate hearings concluded that pulp fiction posed a threat to the mental health of youthful readers. The Judiciary Committee's investigation into juvenile delinquency summed up the genre as a compendium of "murder, mayhem, robbery, rape, cannibalism, carnage, necrophilia, sex, sadism, masochism ... and virtually every other form of crime, degeneracy, bestiality and horror." Publishers then formed the [Comics Code Authority](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority), which forbade "lurid, unsavory, gruesome illustrations." Here's a sampling of pre-Code comic-book art culled from the pages of *The Horror! The Horror! Comic Books the Government Didn't Want You to Read!*, which hits stores in November. __Above:__ *The Horror! The Horror!* ------------------------- Written by [Jim Trombetta](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0873449/) (*Star Trek: Deep Space Nine*), with an introduction by R.L. Stine, *[The Horror! The Horror! Comic Books the Government Didn't Want You to Read!](http://www.abramsbooks.com/Books/The_Horror!_The_Horror!-9780810955950.html)* comes bundled with a DVD of a 1955 TV documentary, *Confidential File*, that focused on horror comic books. *Images courtesy [Abrams ComicArts](http://www.abramsbooks.com/comicarts.html). All rights reserved.*
  • thehorrorp171bottomright
    02

    thehorror-p171-bottomright

    *Weird Terror* No. 5 -------------------- Artist Don Heck drew this *Weird Terror* cover, published in May 1953 by Allan Hardy Associates. *All rights reserved.*
  • thehorrorp173bottomright
    03

    thehorror-p173-bottomright

    *Strange Mysteries* No. 8 ------------------------- Published in February 1963 by Visual Editions and included in *The Horror! The Horror!*, this cover was created by an unknown artist. *The Horror! The Horror!* author Jim Trombetta writes that "a ghost is a spirit without a body, but what possessed the '50s was the reverse: a body without a soul — a zombie." *All rights reserved.*
  • thehorrorp168
    04

    thehorror-p168

    *This Magazine Is Haunted* No. 6 -------------------------------- Fawcett Publications brought out this comic by an unknown artist in August 1952. *All rights reserved.*
  • thehorrorp159
    05

    thehorror-p159

    "The Eyes of Death" ------------------- This zombie story appeared in a February 1954 issue of Master Comics' *Dark Mysteries* magazine. The artist is unknown. *The Horror! The Horror!* author Jim Trombetto writes that an uptick in these comics occurred after so-called "zombie" attacks occurred during the Korean War, in which Chinese women, men and children moved forward on U.S. troops in seemingly unstoppable waves. *All rights reserved.*
  • thehorrorp172
    06

    thehorror-p172

    *Chamber of Chills* No. 18 --------------------------- Artist Lee Elias created this cover, published by Witches Tales in July 1953. *All rights reserved.*
  • thehorrorp170660
    07

    thehorror-p170-660

    *Weird Mysteries* No. 1 ----------------------- Though many of the artists active during the pre–Comics Code era were not credited for their for-hire work, Basil Wolverton early in his career claimed credit for this cover, published in October 1952 by Gillmor Magazines. *All rights reserved.*
  • thehorrorp174
    08

    thehorror-p174

    *Adventures Into Darkness* No. 8 -------------------------------- This cover by an unknown artist came out in February 1953, published by Visual Editions. *All rights reserved.*
  • thethingpage249660
    09

    the-thing-page-249-660

    *The Thing* No. 16 ------------------ Though *The Thing* was not a zombie, it drew from the same pool of pulp-fiction inspiration found throughout the pages of *The Horror! The Horror*. Published by Charlton Comics Group, the creature became one of comicdom's most compelling semi-dead creatures. This September 1954 cover is by an unknown artist. *All rights reserved.*
Read More
The iPhone 18 Pro Is for the Shutterbugs
Fun camera features help make these candy bar iPhones stand out from the dazzle of the folding iPhone Duo.
Julian Chokkattu
Don’t Buy an Android Phone Until You Read Our Guide
Shopping for a phone can be an ordeal. That’s why we’ve tested almost every Android phone, from the smartest to the cheapest—even phones that fold—to find the ones worth your money.
Julian Chokkattu
Introducing the WIRED App
The app is the best way to read, watch, and listen to WIRED’s journalism.
WIRED Staff
Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works
A hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days.
Dhruv Mehrotra
The EU Bans Social Media For Under-13s
The bloc wants to curb Big Tech’s grip on children with its new EU KIDS ACTS, but age checks, parental oversight, and privacy concerns could make its plan difficult to implement.
Isabella Ward
I Made Robot Vacuums Clean Up Cherry Juice and Cheerios. These Won
My hands-on tests reveal which models can scrub stains, reach difficult corners, and navigate a chaotic home.
Nena Farrell
Self-Driving Cars Might Change Crash Testing Forever
Lie down in a car, and you’re more likely to get seriously hurt in a crash. But a driverless future is forcing governments to revisit long-standing safety issues.
Aarian Marshall
Boox Just Announced the Palma 3 E-Reader
The e-paper device maker also launched two new color digital notebooks last night, the Note Air6 C and Mini C.
Nena Farrell
China Isn’t Buying Silicon Valley’s Call for an AI Slowdown
The US and China agree that advanced AI poses serious risks. But Beijing is deeply skeptical of a deal that prioritizes keeping US companies ahead.
Louise Matsakis
Why It Seems Like Great White Sharks Are Overrunning Maine
While a bunch of sharks cruising the Maine coast may seem ominous, it’s actually a sign of a conservation success story.
Molly Taft
Polymarket’s Next Bet? It Can Also Be a Media Company
The legal battle over whether prediction markets are a form of gambling has overshadowed something else entirely: They’re already a new form of media.
Kate Knibbs
It’s a Tablet! It’s a Laptop! It’s a 2-in-1—and Here’s What We Recommend
These portable computers balance tablet and laptop functionality, whether you want a screen that detaches or spins.
Luke Larsen