Mystic (1951 Atlas) comic books 1953-1955

Ghosts in the Night, script by Stan Lee, art by Carmine Infantino. Birth of a Vampire! Dream's End text story. The Most Miserable Man in the World; A man with terrible luck finally uses a book of black magic to summon the Devil, who informs him that he actually is in Hell. A Scream in the Dark!; When a couple arrive at the end of the tunnel of love, they find that they have aged rapidly and the fairground deserted. The Wooden Box, script by Stan Lee, art by George Roussos; When a pawn shop owner opens a wooden box that he has been warned against opening, he is transformed into a skeleton. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Stories by Stan Lee, Carl Wessler and unknown. Art by Vic Carrabotta, Tony DiPreta, Ed Winiarski, Bill Everett and unknown. The most eerie stories ever told! "Behind Locked Doors" with art by Vic Carrabotta - Denby is an elitist psychiatrist who only offers his services to those of great breeding. He meets a fellow boarder at his hotel who is of noble birth and drinks an odd red liquid. The man is upset because he feels he cannot live up to his father's successes. Denby offers to help him through hypnosis, instilling within his friend all the capability his father possessed. It's only then he learns his friend's father was Dracula -- and his favoured beverage isn't wine. Plus: "The Silent Stranger" by Carl Wessler and Tony DiPreta - As a vampire preys upon the fattest men of Borgy, people fear Emil will be next. A silent stranger with a violin case is suspected of being the vampire and he stalks Emil, terrifying him. Emil narrowly avoids the stranger, but in both instances people who cross his path are killed by the vampire. Finally, the stranger catches Emil in his home and runs a stake through his heart -- the stranger is a vampire hunter and Emil was the real vampire. Also in this issue: "The Vampire" by Stan Lee and Ed Winiarski - Teddy finds the body of a man killed by vampires...when he tries to tell his parents about it they dismiss him to his room for lying...left alone, his parents reveal themselves as vampires, concerned Teddy might learn their secrets; "Hate!" by Stan Lee and Bill Everett - Crewe has a hairy, unkempt neighbour whom he hates on sight...he goes to Sleepy Junction to get away from him, only to find his roommate is the hairy man...he chokes him and then winds up in an insane asylum where the hairy man is his keeper; "Who Am I?" with story by Carl Wessler - Waller kills Higgins to take his money but fears the police are following him and has a doctor change his features...it turns out to be a detective come to tell Waller he inherited Higgins' estate, but now Waller cannot prove his identity to collect it; and 2-page text story "Double Death"! 32 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Mystic #18 features a memorable Bill Everett horror cover for "The Russian Devil!" The cover depicts skeletal communist party official literally dragging the corpse of an unfortunate citizen from his grave. "Get up, Ivan!" shouts the commie, "You can't escape us by dying! We're not through with you yet!" Fortunately, this story was written by a red-blooded American comic creator so the commie villain comes to a bad--and eternal--end. In Old Baghdad; A woman brought to the city as a slave schemes to become the wife of the Sultan but she is unaware of the the custom of that country to throw the Sultan's wife to the lions when he dies. The Drowning Man, art by Carrabotta; A thief cast overboard mistakes the back of a whale for a raft. The Perfect Mold text story. Tom-Tom!; Natives skin a cruel plantation owner and use him for their drums. Charley's Crime, art by Jack Abel; A thief comes back as a ghost to rob a bank but the ghost of the guard he killed stops him. The Russian Devil; The communist overseer of a labor camp is glad when he is told by his doctor that he has not long to live because he has spent his whole life killing and is weary; Death wants an assistant however and refuses to allow him to rest in peace. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Help Wanted!, art by Mort Lawrence; A cheap department store owner's toy demonstrator quits after receiving a Christmas bonus of only one dime, and so the owner attempts to save money by shortening the help wanted ad to "Demon. Wanted." Curse of the Mummy text story. Swamp Girl!, art by Vic Carabotta; A deserter becomes a werecat when he drinks water from the bayou. They Dive by Night!, art by Al Luster; A native warns a pearl diver not to dive by night so as to have enough light to see where to avoid the man-eating clams, but he doesn't listen. Fast Freight; A man escapes from prison and manages to hop onto a passing train, not knowing that the train is carrying freight right back to the prison. Bong!, art by Tony DiPreta; A man resolves to murder his rival for the affections of a beautiful girl, but ends up killing himself by falling into the bell-maker's molten vat. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

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Cover art by Russ Heath. The Witch and I; A Count has a witch for a mother and he forces her to use her black magic to gain advantage over the peasants; As she lays dying, she gives him a last doll and tells him that it is a figure of his greatest enemy; She dies before she can instruct him what to do with it. The Door that Never Opens; The constructor of the French Bastille tricks an abbot into serving as a prison guard, but the abbot gets back at him by locking him into the newly-opened Bastille and then setting the prisoners loose upon him. The Slaves!, art by art by Ed Win; This story is narrated by a strangler's hands who regret the actions their owner makes them do. Invitation to the Waltz text story. His Dead Wife!, art by art by Tony DiPreta; A Nazi spy marries a woman who hates them and he kills her and stashes a wireless set in the coffin which he leaves in the castle to warn the Nazi of raids. In the Wake of the Werewolf, art by Sam Kweskin; A man stumbles into a situation where two people accuse a girl of being a vampire and attack her. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

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Zombie in the Streets, art by John Buscema. Dorothy's Doll, art by Gene Colan; A man buys a lifelike doll for his ill child unintentionally fooling Death into taking the doll and leaving the girl. The Honeymooners, art by Tony Mortellaro; A man strangles his new bride, and when confronted by a neighbor, is told to mind his own business because that is what she wanted; He is a ghost and now his wife is a ghost, too. Isle of no Escape text story. Homicide; Jim Lane kills a bothersome tramp, then tries to frame his neighbor, an inadvertent witness, for the murder. The Ghost Comes Back!, pencils by Dick Ayers; A woman fools a criminal into thinking that her returning husband is a member of the undead. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Russ Heath. Stories by Carl Wessler and unknown. Art by Joe Maneely, John Forte, Al Eadeh, Vern Henkel and Art Peddy. The most eerie stories ever told! In this issue: "Doom in the Tomb!" by Carl Wessler and Joe Maneely; "Boy Meets Ghoul!" with art by John Forte; "Man-Eater!" with art by Al Eadeh; "Nothing Else to Write" with art by Vern Henkel; "The Maiden in the Iron Mask" with art by Art Peddy; and 2-page text story "Ghost Ship," reprinted from Suspense (1950) #11 (original title: "Dog Watch Death"). 32 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

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Cover art by Russ Heath. Don't Shrink Sam's Head; A man wants to go to Jivaro country so he can acquire a shrunken head for his collection of horror memorabilia but is afraid of having his head shrunk, so he hires a scientist to treat his head so that it is unshrinkable. Tribal Mask text story. The Perfect Planet, art by Ross Andru. Hugo, art by Pete Tumlinson. Mother Knows Best, art by Sol Brodsky; A mother tells her daughter that the man in the moon causes the tides but her daughter doesn't believe her. Afterward, the moon gets destroyed by a comet impact and the seas grow calm. Every Dog Has Its Day!; An old miser who is mean to the boys at a neighboring orphanage gets what's coming to him when he poisons one of the orphans' dogs. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

The Gargoyle!; When the only person who is nice to him is murdered by gargoyles, Quasimodo is blamed and hanged. The Stranger from Space; When a spacecraft lands and a creature emerges, two scientists are at odds with each other on what to do with the being; One thinks it is a threat and should be destroyed but the other stops his attack and helps the creature back to his ship where the two of them blast off. The Mysterious Painting text story. Another Man's Shoes; A janitor has a witch cast a spell which will exchange bodies with a man whom he thinks is well off, but the man's beautiful wife divorces him, he finds out he's bankrupt, and finally he gets shot. His Wife Throws Things. How Many Times Can You Die?; A man has dreams about killing his wife but he gets arrested and executed the same way in the dreams and so loses his nerve. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

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Vampire; A police chief of a village is revealed to be a vampire. The Couple Next Door; A henpecked husband is demanded by his wife to provide something bigger and better than what the neighbors have; When he goes to tell her the latest thing the neighbor's wife got, his wife tells him to shut up and just give her one bigger and better, so he picks up a shotgun and blows her head off. The Toy Train; An orphan boy is visited by a stranger who leaves him a train set. When the boy shrinks to actually be able to board the train, he thinks that he is dreaming, but when his cruel uncle wakes him, he finds the train is still there. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

The Old Witch; Helen Bennet brings an old woman named Mathilda home and gives her a place to stay; Her husband George is irritated that Helen is always bringing home stray kids or homeless people; He discovers that Mathilda is actually a witch who is attempting an elaborate spell that will enable her to switch bodies with the younger, healthier Helen Bennet. The Man in the Tomb!, art by art by Al Luster; When a scientist realizes that, without his invention, humanity will perish after another fifty years of atomic warfare he decides this is preferable to having the cycle begin all over again. Good Morning, Mr. Smith!, art by Vic Carrabotta; A detached head gets its revenge by using hypnotic compulsion to remove the surgeon's head and place it in the life support machinery instead. The Living and the Dead!; Oscar Holmes, a man who does not believe in the supernatural, steals the plots of stories from his friend John, then publishes them as his own stories. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Cover art by Sol Brodsky. Who Walks with a Zombie?, art by Russ Heath. When I Die... text story. The Furnace!, art by Al Eadeh; A wooden-legged captain works his furnace stokers until they drop and there is only the most powerful one left; When the last of the coal is gone, they use wood until that is gone and they are still just short of port; The stoker tosses the captain into the furnace so that his wooden leg provides the last bit of wood they need. Where Dragons Swim!, art by Arthur Peddy. A Grave Mistake, art by Vic Carrabotta. Survival. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

"Not Dead Enough" (art by Vince Colletta), "Too Human" (art by Doug Wildey), "The Truth About the Flying Dutchman" (art by Vic Carrabotta), "The Terrible Triangle," "Forbidden" (art by Tony DiPreta), and a two-page text story, "The Bad Omen!" Joe Maneely cover. Cover price $0.10.

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Cover art by Joe Maneely. The Couple Next Door; When a woman admits to her husband that she is a vampire he stakes her in order to avenge his brother, one of her victims. From Another Planet text story. No Exit; Martians steal New York City and leave it suspended in space in order to study humans. The Unseen; A man finds that he becomes intangible when he pilots a new experimental craft to break the time barrier. Rest in Peace, art by Tony Mortallero; A crook puts in ear plugs so he can concentrate on his plans to rob a bank in peace; He doesn't hear the knock when authorities come by to warn people to evacuate due to a flash flood and he drowns. It Happened in the Lab; A mad scientist creates a Fly-Man from a dead body and flies as its brain, but it pulls his arms off just like some kid might pull the wings off a fly. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Cover pencils by Russ Heath. Wilson's Woman, art by Doug Wildey; A scientist moves into a small town that proves his undoing when he builds a robot for a mate and the townspeople suspect that he has hypnotized the beautiful woman into remaining with the homely man; When the town drunk reports that he saw the man take a knife to her (to disassemble her) a mob forms and they lynch him. Evil Beyond Evil text story. Superstition, art by Syd Shores; Three escaped convicts from a penal colony in French Guyana steal a boat from a native tribe and set out in spite of warnings from the natives, which leads to their death. Beyond Death!, art by Chuck Winter; In order to prevent a man from marrying his daughter, the father tries to inject him with a serum that will turn him to stone. Double Feature, art by Al Eadeh; A man gets the idea of establishing an alibi for a murder he's going to commit by attending a movie theater and keeping the ticket stub with the time and date on it. The Monster Men; A time machine inventor's friends attempt to play a gag on him to get him to stop wasting his time trying to invent a time machine. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

"The Last Look" (art by Robert Q. Sale), "Clarence!" (art by Pablo Ferro), "The Insult," "How Deep is Death?" (art by Jack Katz), "The Werewolf's Victims" (art by Sid Check), and a two-page text story, "Power of Revenge." 36 pages. Cover price $0.10.

Add to cart GD+ 2.5 $186.00 View scans Staple rust. Rust migration. Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor.

Cover by Harry Anderson. Stories by Paul S. Newman and unknown. Art by Al Hartley, Al Eadeh, Ed Moline, Mort Meskin, Bob McCarthy, George Roussos and unknown. The most unusual stories ever told! In this issue: "Bennett's Bride" with pencils by Al Hartley; 2-page text story "Rand's Ray"; "Terror Below!" with art by Al Eadeh; "The Survivor!" with story by Paul S. Newman and pencils by Ed Moline; "Death to the Witch!" by Paul S. Newman, Mort Meskin and George Roussos; and "A Werewolf There Was" with pencils by Bob McCarthy. 32 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

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Cover by Harry Anderson. Stories by Paul S. Newman and unknown. Art by Tony DiPreta, Jack Katz, Al Eadeh, Chuck Winter and Ogden Whitney. The most unusual stories ever told! In this issue: "Pain!" by Paul S. Newman and Tony DiPreta; "It Happened 'neath the Sphinx!" with art by Jack Katz; "The Part Time Corpse" with art by Al Eadeh; "The Man Who Vanished" by Paul S. Newman and Chuck Winter; "The Unexpected!" with art by Ogden Whitney; and 2-page text story "Tomorrow," reprinted from Uncanny Tales (1952 Atlas) #4 (original title: "The Mission"). 32 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Russ Heath. Stories by Paul S. Newman and unknown. Art by Tony DiPreta, Tony Mortellaro, Sid Check, Chuck Winter, Tom Cooke and Harry Anderson. The most unusual stories ever told! In this issue: "The Murder That Wasn't...!" with art by Tony DiPreta; "The Thing in Space!" by Paul S. Newman and Tony Mortellaro; "The Man Who Couldn't Come Back!" with art by Sid Check and Harry Anderson; "Why?" by Paul S. Newman and Chuck Winter; "Ivan the Terrible!" with art by Tom Cooke; and 2-page text story "The Disappearance," reprinted from Astonishing (1951 Marvel/Atlas) #21 (original title: "Horror Hill"). 32 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

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The Man Who Killed the Devil!, art by art by Dick Ayers; A man discovers a book with instructions for slaying the Devil and decides the fame would be so great that he will chance it. Fatal Treasure text story. Friend or Foe, art by Robert Q. Sale; Aliens from another planet are divided on how to treat the humans when their spacecraft lands. The Itch!, art by Al Hartley; A miser who is doused in itching powder by a client he cheated goes to an underworld doctor who promises relief for his itching. You Are Me!, pencils by John Forte; A man meets a duplicate version of himself from another dimension and strangles him so that there will be only one of them in existence. What Happened in Midville; An evil postman gives small boxes to everyone in town that they can wish an evil into, but they must accept an unknown box from one of neighbors as part of the deal. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

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The Warning!; A creature from Jupiter in disguise as a human warns of an invasion from Venus; After the humans succeed in nuking the Venusians the creature gives a coast clear for the invasion from Jupiter. How Many Others text story. Which Wish, Dish...?, art by Jay Scott Pike; An evil woman gets her wish to be a beautiful, wealthy queen; However, as they lead her up the stairs to her fate, she protests that she did not wish to be...Marie Antoinette. The Hands of the Clock!; A clock maker is arrested for breaking and entering when he tries to feed clocks oil that are being neglected by their owners, but he starves to death in jail because he needs oil for his internal components. The Eavesdropper!; Tony Neely is in a bar and overhears a couple planning a murder. The World Champion; A Martian enters the Olympics and breaks records for every event, but when a human girl kisses him, he drops dead from bacterial infection. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

There Grows a Rose, art by Gene Colan; A florist grows kleptomaniac flowers. The Salesman text story. We're Lookiong for People Who Like to Draw! ad for Famous Artists Course. The Strange Valley, art by Mort Lawrence; A group of tourists encounter an American Indian god. Hit Parade Records ad. Mr. Meek, art by Mort Lawrence; A bald man grows hair and becomes loved and respected but loses his privacy. Man in the Dark!, art by Pete Tumlinson; An alien learns of the goodness in mankind at Christmas-time. On the Air, art by Tony DiPreta; Radio comedian Morty Quirt is tricked by his manager into showing his humanity. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Carl Burgos. Stories by Carl Wessler and unknown. Art by Jay Scott Pike, Paul Reinman, Dick Ayers, Art Peddy, Ernie Bache and unknown. Tales of the unusual! In this issue: "She Saw Tomorrow" by Carl Wessler and Jay Scott Pike; "The Man Who Listened" with art by Paul Reinman; tex story "Way Out There"; "When Time Stood Still"; "To Touch the Stars" with art by Dick Ayers and Ernie Bache; and "The Man Who Mailed a Dollar" with art by Art Peddy. 32 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

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Cover inks by Carl Burgos. Stories by Paul S. Newman and unknown. Art by John Forte, Sam Kweskin, Werner Roth, Ed Winiarski and Paul Reinman. "Twenty-One Footsteps" -- where did they come from? And why? Find out in this mystic tale by Paul S. Newman and John Forte. Also in this issue: "The Man Who Couldn't Die!" with art by Sam Kweskin; 2-page text story "The Atomizer"; "The Fury!" with art by Werner Roth; "The Old Man!" by Paul S. Newman and Ed Winiarski; and "Return to Nowhere!" with art by Paul Reinman. 32 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

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Cover by Sol Brodsky. Stories by Paul S. Newman and unknown. Art by Vic Carrabotta, Manny Stallman, Bill Everett, Paul Reinman, Bob Forgione and Jack Abel. Nothing could be as impossible as..."The Impossible Man"! Don't miss this mystic tale with art by Manny Stallman. Also in this issue: "A Million Years" by Paul S. Newman and Vic Carrabotta; "The One Who Was Nowhere!" with art by Bill Everett; 2-page text story "The Holiday"; "The Dreadful Decision!" with art by Paul Reinman; and "The Homeless Ones!" with art by Bob Forgione and Jack Abel. 32 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.

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The Test!, art by Dick Ayers; An experimental psychologist conducting tests on hamsters has a dream wherein they become so intelligent that they escape their cages and turn the tables on him subjecting him to electric shocks whenever he attempts to leave the house. The Genius text story. They Pass By Night!; This story attempts to build drama by leading the reader to believe that a bus and a car are going to collide during the night but the last panel reveals the bus was traveling on the planet Mercury and so there was no danger of collision between the two vehicles. I Can Hear You Think!, art by Vic Carrabotta; After the first atomic bomb explodes children are born with the ability to read minds, which the government put to use as a tactical defense against the Communists. The Man Who Took a Walk!, art by Robert Q. Sale; A man from Atlantis tours the scientific achievements of the surface world. One Who Dared, art by Mort Lawrence. 36 pgs. $0.10. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Bill Everett. Stories by Carl Wessler, Paul S. Newman and unknown. Art by Bill Benulis, John Forte, John Tartaglione, Ed Winiarski and Sid Greene. Tales of the unusual! In this issue: "The Man in the...Mummy Case" by Carl Wessler and Bill Benulis; 2-page text story "Ho-Ji"; "Casting Problem" by Paul S. Newman and John Forte; "Where on Earth?" by Carl Wessler and John Tartaglione; "At the Stroke of Midnight!" with art by Ed Winiarski; and "One Who Lived" by Paul S. Newman and Sid Greene. 32 pages, full color. Cover price $0.10.