Posted By Dan Greenfield on Oct 11, 2024 | 5 comments

FRIGHTFUL FRIDAYS with Jim Beard!

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Hey, we’ve got a new Halloween feature for you — FRIGHTFUL FRIDAYS! Every Friday before Halloween (there’s four in 2024), our pal Jim Beard is diving into 13 horror covers from a given title. This year, the theme is offbeat Marvel in the Bronze Age. Next year? Whoooo knooooows? Dig it. — Dan

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By JIM BEARD

Greetings, fright fans and welcome back to our humble, comic-filled dungeon for another look at some marvelous Marvel horror covers from the 1970s. Today, we’re going to dig up 13 eerie examples from the book that asked the question: “What nameless evil lurks in the… Crypt of Shadows?”

Sadly, there’s not a lot of background info out there on this little beauty of a book (it doesn’t even have its own Wikipedia page!), save that it ran for 21 issues from 1973 to 1975 and featured reprint stories from 195os Marvel mags like Journey Into Mystery, Menace, Strange Tales, Adventures Into Terror, Mystic, Marvel Tales, Tales to Astonish, and the like. Roy Thomas kicked off the series as editor but in its later days it ended up with the ubiquitous Len Wein and Marv Wolfman at the helm.

For our pulse-pounding purposes here, Crypt of Shadows offered all-new covers and we think they needed a day in the sun to shine… and then go straight back into their coffins.

Settle in and feel the fright with us down in the Crypt!

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Crypt of Shadows #1 (Jan. 1973). Art by Gil Kane and Tom Palmer. Which witch-woman is this? Only her hairdresser knows.

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Crypt of Shadows #3 (May 1973). Art by John Romita. Am I the only one who ever wondered why card games are fertile ground for horror?

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Crypt of Shadows #5 (Sept. 1973). Art by Ron Wilson (attributed) and Mike Esposito (attributed). There’s something I really dig about a ghoul getting a grave of his own—the hard way.

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Crypt of Shadows #8 (Jan. 1974). Art by Russ Heath. Ladies and gentlemen, the great Russ Heath with a real stand-out, atmospheric cover. Love it.

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Crypt of Shadows #9 (Mar. 1974). Art by Russ Heath and Mike Esposito (attributed). I have no idea at all what’s going on here but I’m all for it.

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Crypt of Shadows #12 (Sept. 1974). Art by Ron Wilson and Mike Esposito. I can really appreciate this very unique POV. It’s eye-opening.

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Crypt of Shadows #13 (Oct. 1974). Art by Larry Lieber and Tom Palmer. “I told you never to disturb me while I’m at work!”

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Crypt of Shadows #14 (Nov. 1974). Art by Larry Lieber and Tom Palmer. Not sure how a giant stone sphinx “creeps,” but I don’t ask, I just buy it.

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Crypt of Shadows #15 (Jan. 1975). Art by Gil Kane and Klaus Janson. Extra points for we the viewers to be addressed by the guy who couldn’t judge the space between the bars and went for it anyway.

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Crypt of Shadows #18 (July 1975). Art by Ron Wilson (attributed) and Vince Colletta. Be interesting to know how J.K. Rowling got a hold of a copy of this one.

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Crypt of Shadows #19 (Sept. 1975). Art by Ron Wilson (attributed) and Frank Giacoia. I think a giant robot makes everything better, don’t you?

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Crypt of Shadows #20 (Oct. 1975). Art by Aubrey Bradford. Bill’s right behind you, sucker, and he wants his chick back.

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Crypt of Shadows #21 (Nov. 1975). Art by Ron Wilson (attributed) and Mike Esposito. You just think it’s your standard car-goes-over-the-cliff shot until you get a look at Cliff.

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MORE

— FRIGHTFUL FRIDAYS: Dig These 13 Creepy Marvel CHAMBER OF CHILLS Covers. Click here.

— The Goofy Giddiness of Disney’s CHILLING, THRILLING HAUNTED HOUSE Record. Click here.

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When JIM BEARD’s not editing and publishing through his two houses, Flinch Books and Becky Books, he’s pounding out adventure fiction with both original and licensed characters. In fact, he’s put words in the mouths of Luke Skywalker, Superman, Fox Mulder, Carl Kolchak, Peter Venkman and the Green Hornet… and lived to tell about it. His most fitting books for the season?  The Sgt. Janus: Spirit-Breaker Saga!