A circus performer terrorized by mysterious powers from beyond. A jade idol of a monkey that carries a curse on a South Pacific island drives a man to the brink of madness. An art gallery haunted by paintings that come to life at night. A dictator who sees enemies around every corner, but who can't see the threat right before his eyes. For nearly twenty years, the comic-book series Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery wove stories of intrigue, suspense, and macabre drama. Hosted by renowned actor Boris Karloff, the comic featured contributions from some of comics history's most well-known creators: Alex Toth, Joe Orlando (EC Comics artist and editor), Mike Sekowsky (Justice League of America artist), Frank Thorne, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Arnold Drake, Len Wein (co-creator of Swamp Thing and Wolverine), Al Williamson, Jerry Robinson (creator of the Joker), Dan Spiegle, and many others.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starting in 1962, for the king's ransom of two bits, your average red-blooded American kid could pick up a copy of Boris Karloff Thriller and be instantly transported to a world of haunted houses, doomed desert islands and criminal enterprises where the joke was always on the cleverest. Iconic actor Karloff slapped his name on these comics (crudely drawn versions of the dapper actor provided intros and moral conclusions for these creepy stories), making for a classic mid-century drugstore spinner-rack pulp thriller. Drawn with effectively crude but zippy panache by an impressive roster of journeymen like Leo Dorfman and Sparky Moore, the stories inside were strictly in the sub–Twilight Zone category, all mysterious coincidences and bumps in the night. A good number of the stories collected here (like the one where a newlywed couple is haunted by prankish ghosts) have a sharp moral to them, while many simply try to get under the reader's (presumed youthful) skin with cursed tombs and crashing thunderstorms. This sturdy edition brings together the first four issues and includes an introduction by the series namesake's daughter, Sara Karloff. The series ran into the 1980s, so one imagines there will be other volumes to come. (June)
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Tim Lasiuta
Format:Hardcover
Dark Horse has breathed life into yet another Gold Key classic series. Boris Karloff, Tales of Mystery was a mainstay of the line from 1962 until the day it folded.
Reading through the four books presented in total, I remembered why I enjoyed them so much. It's not that the art was always great, nor that the stories were so extraordinary either. I was young, and they were frightening. Now, they are still surprising, yet the art takes me to time when I wondered who these folks were who made them. I like the art of Heck, Sekowsky, Gill, Evans, Speigle, Giolitti, Certa and Moore. No matter what kind of paper they are printed on, you can tell. Having written a book on Tom Gill, I appreciate this opporunity to see his work the way he would have liked to see it, in glossy color.
Do I have a favorite story? It is hard to pinpoint any one book that does stand out.
The forward by Sara Karloff is welcome. Learning a little more about Mr Boris Karloff is a treat. The cover for this book rocks!
Well done folks.
Reading through the four books presented in total, I remembered why I enjoyed them so much. It's not that the art was always great, nor that the stories were so extraordinary either. I was young, and they were frightening. Now, they are still surprising, yet the art takes me to time when I wondered who these folks were who made them. I like the art of Heck, Sekowsky, Gill, Evans, Speigle, Giolitti, Certa and Moore. No matter what kind of paper they are printed on, you can tell. Having written a book on Tom Gill, I appreciate this opporunity to see his work the way he would have liked to see it, in glossy color.
Do I have a favorite story? It is hard to pinpoint any one book that does stand out.
The forward by Sara Karloff is welcome. Learning a little more about Mr Boris Karloff is a treat. The cover for this book rocks!
Well done folks.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Time had a funny way of creating a rosy memory of certain people, places and things of childhood. I can honestly say that this is one instance in which the memory was spot on. While other kids thrilled to reading the exploits of Marvel and DC comic superheroes, I was mesmerized by the Whitman/ Gold Key comics. The titles of Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery, Twilight Zone, Ripley's Believe it or Not! and the countless other TV and movie tie-ins. The art was great, stories were fascinating and the lush, paintings that adorned the covers really sucked you in as a kid. This deluxe, hardbound edition 1 of BK Tales of Mystery is nothing short of stupendous. The first 4 issues are here in full color with front and back covers reproduced as well. No more hunting down "reader copies" of old , musty comics or paying through the nose for high grade issues that you would have to keep in a bag. This volume was an obvious labor of love by the folks at Dark Horse. Learn about the artists and writers( mostly uncredited originally). You'll be amazed at some of the talent that worked on these( Frank Miller!). If you loved these comics as a kid, this is a great opportunity to visit with an "old friend" that has certainly aged well. Enjoy!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Once again Dark Horse has come to the rescue of a comic series that may have been lost to obscurity. This time its Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery. In the 1960s, the aging horror icon lent his name for this anthology series from Gold Key Comics. This second volume presents issues #5 - 10 in their entirety, originally published in 1963 - 1965. In much the way that the Cryptkeeper or Uncle Creepy introduced the stories in "Tales from the Crypt" and "Creepy" magazine, Karloff introduces readers to the stories within.
Like classic EC Comics, the stories generally featured ironic twists at the end or had a moral message to relate. In "Possessed" a group of friends who have a `black magic club' foolishly play with a Quija board and end up trapped by evil spirits. In "A Cage for Hassan" a greedy and paranoid Arab merchant has the tables turned on him at the end leaving him trapped in a prison of his own mind's making. In "The Terrible Dark Glasses" a man murders a wealthy Optician in order to marry his wife and steal his fortune. But the dead Doctor's mysterious eyeglasses reveal imagery, which is too terrifying for the murderer to bear.
Each issue of the comic also included a one-page text story and a Key of Knowledge feature, which featured various topics such as archaeology, or understanding weather. The main difference between theses stories and those of EC Comics or Warren magazines lies in the art. The quality of art in Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery was simply not on a par as those other magazines. Occasionally there would be art by people like Joe Orlando, Frank Thorne, or Wally Wood, but more often than not, the art was by capable but mediocre journeymen artists and thus these stories lack that extra appeal. Still, the stories are a fun read and its great to see these in print after nearly fifty years.
Like classic EC Comics, the stories generally featured ironic twists at the end or had a moral message to relate. In "Possessed" a group of friends who have a `black magic club' foolishly play with a Quija board and end up trapped by evil spirits. In "A Cage for Hassan" a greedy and paranoid Arab merchant has the tables turned on him at the end leaving him trapped in a prison of his own mind's making. In "The Terrible Dark Glasses" a man murders a wealthy Optician in order to marry his wife and steal his fortune. But the dead Doctor's mysterious eyeglasses reveal imagery, which is too terrifying for the murderer to bear.
Each issue of the comic also included a one-page text story and a Key of Knowledge feature, which featured various topics such as archaeology, or understanding weather. The main difference between theses stories and those of EC Comics or Warren magazines lies in the art. The quality of art in Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery was simply not on a par as those other magazines. Occasionally there would be art by people like Joe Orlando, Frank Thorne, or Wally Wood, but more often than not, the art was by capable but mediocre journeymen artists and thus these stories lack that extra appeal. Still, the stories are a fun read and its great to see these in print after nearly fifty years.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
love boris karloff
i was a little disappointed with the number of stories , having read marvel essentials which have about 500 pages, the dark horse books pale by comparison ,
Published 5 months ago by tim eide
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Magic Carpet Ride
I hesitated to purchase at first due to the rather steep cover price.
After some deliberation, I went ahead and bought the product to my ultimate delight. Read more
After some deliberation, I went ahead and bought the product to my ultimate delight. Read more
Published on October 26, 2010 by Gilster
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deserves a place in any graphic novel library
Tales of Mystery Volume 1 gathers the two-issue run of BORIS KARLOFF THRILLER, unavailable since 1962, and the first two issues of the comic that continued the series for the next... Read more
Published on September 19, 2010 by Midwest Book Review
4.0 out of 5 stars
Back in Print!!!
My Cheers to Dark Horse and other publishers for getting these old Gold Key comics back into print. I love horror comics, esp those of the early 70's. Read more
Published on September 11, 2010 by David Keith
4.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed a little
Dark Horse hat taken the old Gold Key series Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery and put them into a beautiful bound anthology which is first class all the way. Read more
Published on October 18, 2009 by Larry Sanders
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