About This
Series:
This
is one of the coolest comic series ever! Based on the "Ripley's
Believe it or Not!" cartoon panel, this series is different than what
you'd expect. First of all, it's in color. Most
importantly, it's NOT in cartoon panel form. These are
traditional comic book stories. Each story is based on a
true-life, documented ghost story. This series had an amazing
94-issue run. It could have gone on much longer, but I think the
fact that Gold Key, itself, was nearing its end as a publisher.
This series is as entertaining as it is educational. It could be
used to teach history. I think it's always neat when non-fiction
can be made fun.
Issues:
#12: February,
1969. Stories include: "The Strangling Oak", "Death's
Spectral Hand", "The Ghostly Horseman", and "The Headless Ghost of
Halley Hollow".
The Strangling Oak- A dead man buried inside a tree
strangles passersby.
Death's Spectral Hand- The evil premonitions that
haunted John Wilkes Booth from childhood until his assassination of
Abraham Lincoln.
The Ghostly Horseman- A beautiful indentured servant
is dragged to death by her master's horse. The ghost of she and
the horse haunt the area and torment the cruel master until his death
at age 90.
The Headless Ghost of Halley Hollow- A married
couple give a headless ghost peace by burying his skull with the rest
of his body.
#18: February,
1970. Stories include: "The Headless Huntsman", "Ghost's
Vendetta", "Spectral Warriors", and "The Devil's Violin". The
last story is an account of the famous violinist Nicolo Paganini, his
life-long association with Satanism, and his uncanny talent for playing
the violin.
#30: December,
1971. Stories include:
"The Devil's Midget", "Beloved Phantom", "Army of the Vanished", and
"Death Tolls the Bell".
The Devil's Midget- A midget con
artist, who disguises herself as a little girl in her crimes, is
betrayed by her woman partner. Her ghost takes revenge from the
grave.
Beloved Phantom- A rampaging horse
is shot to death. The boy who loves him, who saw him die,
continues to say that he sees Phantom and feeds him. The ghost's
horse is actually seen by others. The boy grows gravely ill and
dies. Then his ghost is seen riding the ghost of Phantom.
Army of the Vanished- A man hiking
in the Alps is about to die a cold death until the ghost soldiers of
Hannibal's centuries-dead army rescue him and take him back to
civilization.
Death Tolls the Bell- A man who
killed his wife hides the body in a buoy. But her ghost rises
from the skeleton and haunts him and other passersby until she has her
revenge. The man, scared by his wife's ghost, ultimately writes a
note of confession before throwing himself off a cliff. After he
dies, the ghost no longer bothers the town.
#35: September,
1972. Stories include:
"From the Tomb", "The Spectre of Saigon", "Welcome Ashore", and "The
Smoke of Death".
From the Tomb- An evil count,
killed by his rival lover of a peasant girl, haunts the girl until he
possesses her treasured heart-shaped locket.
The Spectre of Saigon- During the
Vietnam War, the ghost of a giant soldier statue saves soldiers and
villagers alike from impending attacks by the North Vietnamese.
Welcome Ashore- The ghost of a
woman searches for her husband on French ships that land in Nova Scotia.
The Smoke of Death- The son of a
Hawaiian tribal chief is killed by another tribe. His ghost
visits his father, and the chief exacts his revenge on the tribe per
his son's instructions.
#94: February,
1980. Last issue! Stories include: "A Circle of 9
Stones", "Who is Smoking?", "Portrait of a Ghost", "When the Trumpet
Sounds". What surprises me is that there is no announcement of
this being the last issue, which makes me think that the creators
didn't even know the series was going to be cancelled. The series
should have ended with a roar! At least double-sized, or with
some special article on Robert Ripley. Something. A great
issue, but certainly not a special issue.