Chamber of Darkness is a horror / fantasy anthology comic book published by Marvel Comics, United States Marvel Comics : it is a future name, it runs from 1969 to 1974. It is written by Stan Lee ,writer Gerry Conway and Archie Goodwin , and artists John Buscema , Johnny Craig , Jack Kirby , Tom Sutton , Barry Windsor-Smith (as Barry Smith), andBernie Wrightson . Stories Were Generally hosted by Either of the characters Digger hasGravedigger , or Headstone P. Gravely, in undertaker garb, or by one of the artists or writers.
After the eighth issue, the title is changed to Monsters on the Prowl , and the comic is almost exclusively reprinted.
Original series
Designed to compete with DC Comics ‘ Successful House of Mystery and House of Secrets , [1] Chamber of Darkness , like its companion comic Tower of Shadows , sold poorly by its selected roster of creators. After his first few issues, the title, published bimonthly, premiere of reprints of “pre-superhero Marvel” monster stories and other SF / fantasy tales from Marvel’s 1950s and early 1960s predecessor, Atlas Comics .
The anthology, in addition to running the original stories, aussi included writer Roy Thomas ‘ and penciler Don Heck ‘s loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe ‘s ” The Masque of the Red Death “, as “The Day of the Red Death”, in issue # 2 (Dec. 1969). Writer Denny O’Neil and Tom Palmer adapted the Poe story ” The Tell-Tale Heart ” as “The Tell Tale Heart” in issue # 3 (Feb. 1970). Thomas and EC comics veteran Johnny Craig adapted HP Lovecraft’s “The Music of Erich Zann” as “The Music From Beyond” in # 5 (June 1970). [2]
Industry notable Jack Kirby , in a rare instance of scripting for Marvel before leaving for rival DC Comics for a time in 1970, wrote and penciled “The Monster” in # 4 (April 1970), and “And Fear Shall Follow” in # 5 (June 1970), both inked by John Verpoorten . Kirby, inked by fellow Golden Age great Bill Everett , also drew the latter issue’s cover. Everett wrote and inked (with penciler Dan Adkins ) the story “Believe It … Or Not” in # 8 (Dec. 1970). [2]
Marvel published the all-reprint Chamber of Darkness King-Size Special # 1 (Jan. 1972). [2]
Monsters on the Prowl
Retitled Monsters on the Prowl with Issue # 9 (Feb. 1971), this version ran a new story each issue through # 13 (Oct. 1971) with the remaining content of reprints from Atlas Comics, Marvel’s 1950s predecessor, and “pre- Superhero Marvel ” , mainly drawn by Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko . It expanded into a double-sized, 25-cent comic for two issues (# 13-14, Oct.-Dec. 1971). Some issues of the reprint books featured new covers by John Severin , Marie Severin , Gil Kane , and Herb Trimpe . [2]
A 10-page sword and sorcery story starring King Kull , “The Forbidden Swamp,” by writer Thomas and art by the Severin siblings, appeared in issue # 16 (April 1972); it continued the story from Kull the Conqueror # 2 (Sept. 1971), during a 10-month hiatus before that series resumed with # 3. [2]
A flashback adventure pitting superheroes contre Marvel monsters Appeared in a 2005 one-shot comic cover with the trademark Monsters on the Prowl , and the copyrighted title Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl , as Given in icts postal indicia . [3]
Reprints
Chamber of Darkness stories reprinted in other Marvel comic books or black-and-white horror-comics magazines:
- “Forewarned Is Four-Armed” (# 2, Dec. 1969)
- Writers Neal Adams , Roy Thomas , pencil Marie Severin , Dan Adkins Inker
- Creatures on the Loose # 14 (Nov. 1971)
- “The Warlock Tree” (# 3 Feb. 1970)
- Writer Gerry Conway , Barry Smith , inker Syd Shores
- Giant-Size Chillers # 3 (Aug. 1975)
- “The Monster” (# 4, April 1970)
- Writer-penciler Jack Kirby , John Verpoorten Inker
- Giant-Size Chillers # 3 (Aug. 1975)
- “The Sword and the Sorcerers” (# 4, April 1970, one-shot character Starr the Slayer)
- Writer Roy Thomas, Barry Smith penciler-inker
- Conan the Barbarian # 16 (July 1972); The Conan Saga # 6 (Oct. 1987); The Essential Conan , Vol. 1 (Marvel, 2000, ISBN 0-7851-0751-7 )
- “The Music From Beyond” (# 5, June 1970)
- Writer Roy Thomas, penciler-inker Johnny Craig
- Masters of Terror # 2 (Sept. 1975)
- “Gargoyle Every Night” # 7 (Oct. 1970)
- Writers Bernie Wrightson , Roy Thomas, penciler-inker Bernie Wrightson
- Giant-Size Chillers # 3 (Aug. 1975); Book of the Dead # 1 (Dec. 1993)
References
- Jump up^ Roach, David A. (May 2001). “Shadows and The Darkness” . Comic Book Artist . No. 13. Via OhTheHorror.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Chamber of Darkness at the Grand Comics Database
- Jump up^ Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl # 1at the Grand Comics Database