Eerie Publications - Comix from Hell

Weird, 9/78 This is an Eerie Publication.

The magazine is called "Weird", the stories are told in "chilling PICTO-FICTION", and it was one of a group of magazines published in the 1970's in order to terrify little kids and sell some of the schlockiest, shmeggiest horror stories ever dribbled onto paper.


T
his web page was created to celebrate those schlock-filled magazines.

Eerie Publications had nothing to do with "Eerie" magazine, published by Harris Publications, Inc. The stories in Terror Tales and it's kin were too evil, too gruesome, too schlocky for anyone other than the madmen who ran Eerie Publications.

Terror Tales, 2/73

Who were these madmen?  The names are listed proudly on the contents pages:

Mel Lenny, Publisher
Mel Lenny's name appears in the first few issues, published in the late 60's and early 70's, then he's mysteriously gone from the masthead. 
Carl Burgos, Editor
Is this the Carl Burgos who created the original WWII-era Human Torch?
Irving & Myron Fass, Art Director/Owner of Eerie Pubs...and brothers!
Is Myron Fass the man responsible for the overall tone and flavor of the Eerie lineup?   If so, horror fans the world over owe him a vote of thanks!

Looking for info on Eerie Pubs' ultimate master?  Your Emperor has compiled all info about Myron Fass on Myron's own page!

Ezra Jackson, Art Editor
Ezra Jackson - an artist who produced beautiful and very patriotic "history" comics...what dark, treacherous deed propelled him to use his talents along with the other inmates in the Eerie Pubs asylum?

In 1969, the address for horror was 150 5th ave, NY NY 10011.  By 1971, the evil had moved to 222 Park Avenue South, NY NY 10003.  I wonder what lives in those places now?

Know something about any of these men?  Got an inside story about Eerie Pubs?
Click here to tell your Emperor about it post haste!

Slowly the bloody evidence gathers...
Here are some of the messages that were posted to the long-extinct  The Claw's Tomb of Obeisance:

Remember, Your Emperor commands you to post new Eerie Pubs stories & requests in...
The Claw's Archive of Sedition!

Also, in case you missed it, all info on Eerie Pubs Schmeg-meister Myron Fass has been compiled here!

"I loved the Eerie Publications magazines when I was growing up. I currently have a small collection of Horror Tales, Terror Tales, Weird, etc. and I'm looking for holes in my collection. If anyone has Eerie Publications mags for sale please drop me your price list at rbeckham@fastlane.net. Thanks."

"Hey, it's the mean 13, back from the great northwet...fab site, thanx for the cred! Hey, if yer gonna put up anymore Ayers Eerieness, howzabout "Devil's Zombie"? Talk about a sick kick from Icky Dick... "It is Henry!" "Let us feel him!" "YES! Feel him! This is HENRY!" then the weird chick with green blood who Henry's been dating since he ran her down with his car in the splash panel starts layin' into the Henry-feelin' fiends with a big ol' stck and knocks one of 'em's eyeball out. Wonder what uz goin' on in ol' Dick's head when he drew that stuff. My favorite non-Ayers Eerie stories have gotta be "Stretching Things", "Haireeee-eee!" and "Ye-Ech!" Then there's the one where the newspaper editor wallows in mud at the command of a mean-ass whipkitten and then gets murdered. Oh, and "Undertaker" and "Hammer Of Evil" (another real pervo story, especially as it's definitely a reprint of 50's Ajax grue) and "Man-Beast" where the censors obviously cleaned it up by changin' the baboon's sex from f to m...damn, thewy're fun comix. keep up the ghoul work, oh Taloned Tyrant. Sparrow 13"

"I am looking for a Tales From The Tomb comic book from about 1962.. It has tales about crazy quilt and the swamp monster johnjh@ncia.net"

"Hello, Mighty Claw! I jist scored for a copy of Eerie's TALES OF VOODOO, Volume 3, # 4(July 1970), and guess what? There's another story by Dick Ayers in there, SIGNED sort of...a big "A" in the splash panel, titled "The Hungry Ghoul" and containing some of Eerie's (Dick's anyway) most stomach-stirring visuals. I had a distinct memory of bringing that very mag to school with me lo theses many years ago, and putting the other kids at my table off their lunch for the day. Sparrow 13"

"Abase?!? Obey?!? Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! I am Dr. Stephen Midnight, my dear Claw! Creatures of terrible power such as ourselves are on equal footing (at the very least)! Seriously, your realm is most fascinating, especially the data on Eerie Publications. I filled my mind with their publications from 1966-on (along with Warren & Skywald), and once even owned a copy of "3-D Monsters". My all-time favorite cover was for "Ghoul Tales" #1. It featured automation-enhanced Iron Maidens (a unique application of modern engineering). Keep up the sinister work, dear fellow! Now if you'll excuse me, my Bastille thumbscrews require oiling. Sinistercerely, Dr. Stephen Midnight"

"O ghastly regent, this site is manna for the bloodthirsty Picto-Fictionite, such as myself. These comics are my main collecting interest; I've been trying for years to get more info on 'em, and find back issues, and only now, through your genius, have I seen mention of these wonders. And in the last month alone I've nailed about a dozen WEIRDS, TOMBS, and VOODOOs from on-line auctioneers. Anyway, I am looking for the only Eerie Pub issue I lost from my childhood--it has an awesome tale about a reptilian killer beast with only one three-taloned leg. I must have it or face death by feathered serpent. Best wishes and more Eerie covers! "

"Damn, this is without a doubt the best website I've ever come across ! I've been collecting Eerie Publications for more than 15 years (and still don't have them all) and they are one of my passions in life. Not only that, the fonts you provide are some of the best I've ever seen and since I run a small record label I can use them for cover art and advertisments. I bow in your direction!!!!!! "

"Wow, what a site. I guess the world really is ending soon. These things terrified me as a child. The company started around 1965 (Warren published that oddball all reprint Eerie #1 to defend the copyright on the title) and yes they were very prominent in the south though mostly at independent grocery and drug stores. They were common in Pennsylvania also. Most of the storys were reprints from the 50's and a quick check in Overstreet will list key reprints and if you cross reference you may find where the originals came from. The Ayers storys and a few others may have been done in the 60's but no later than say 1968. The watery unpleasant looking graytones suggesst that all the storys were first done for color and probably later reworked for BW. Storys were constantly reprinted. There is a story I first saw in 1968 issue of one of the things at friends house. I later got and quickly got rid of the same story in a different magazine published in early 1972. In 1978 Butch Guice (Yea, that one) picked up the June 1976 issue of Weird that again reprinted the same story. It is by Ayers and features an eye-popping splash you will lose your head over and the single most peculiar POV shot you ever saw."

"The covers were the most traumatizing things my young eyes saw in stores in th 60's. They also look just like sideshow displays at fairs in the late 60' and early 70's. Warren actually tried to copy the mostly reprint and grubby new art format between 68-70 till he started getting art from the Spanierds in 71. I wish you would do sight on Skywald covers, they look like unused posters for Drive-in flix. I don't have a current e-mail if you want to know more put your question after my entry and if I know I will answer next time I get on somebodys computer."

"I loved the Eerie Publications magazines when I was growing up. I currently have a small collection of Horror Tales, Terror Tales, Weird, etc. and I'm looking for holes in my collection. If anyone has Eerie Publications mags for sale please drop me your price list at rbeckham@fastlane.net . Thanks."

"Oh, YESSSS! These are my fave comix! Even when I "advanced" to Warren's CREEPY, EERIE, I always came back to the trash-heap. I still have 90% of the original issues I bought way back when, and am updating missing issues through flea-markets, mail-order, etc. And Yes, Dick was my favorite artist as well. Great page. THANKS!!! Hpcar@webtv.net (brian Johnson)"

"Your favorite artist's name is spelled Dick Ayers. The story "The Dead Demons" first appeared in Terror Tales Volume 2 Number 2, March 1970. "House Of Monsters" first appeared in Horror Tales Volume 2 Number1, January 1970. "

""Witches' Revenge also first appeared in '70, as did D.A. masterpieces "Swamp Monsters", "The Devil's Zombie, etc. All are unprecedented, unsurpassed, unrivaled. I've been collecting since 1970. -EeriepublicationaddictRR."

"The EERIE mags (Fass not Harris) were originally reprints of preCode early-50s horror comic books put out by the Iger Shop to compete with the more famous "upscale" EC line (ie, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, HAUNT OF FEAR, etc).  The Iger Shop were not publishers per se but an indie supplier of comics to various low-rent publishers of the 50s, but those appearing in the Eerie Pub titles were almost always Iger stories orig printed by Ajax Comics under the titles VOODOO & HAUNTED THRILLS. At first they were reprinted as-is but later some had panels redrawn to add more blood (naturally!). At some point around 69-70 they began to supplement the magazines with even-gorier original material (ie, the Ayers stuff) that coincided with the price hike from 35 to 50 cents (THOSE were the days, eh?). The 35 cent era usually featured all 50s reprints, easy to spot by the antiquated cars, fashions, and drawing styles, and relatively restrained use of gore.

SICK DR. JOE"

"I would like to see a book which reprints all of the Eerie Publications covers in full color, because for me the covers are the best part. I have recently bid on and won a good number of Eerie Pubs on e-bay and most of the stories are kind of weak, though I remember getting scared like Hell at some of the stories when I was a kid. I bought most of mine in the early 70's at a small independent grocery store called the Green Market in Salem, Virginia. After spending the night in my parents room a few times because I was scared to be alone im my room after reading some of those stories my mother told me she would not buy me any more of those mags if I did that again. So from then on I would have a very scared feeling when I read those mags because I knew if I got too scared I would have to go it alone in my bedroom at night. Anyway, these books were a big part of my childhood and I'm glad to see some sites dedicated to them."

"Remember reading these mags in CA in the early 70's. The LSD story scared the crap outta me but good. Also remember the 'gutless wonder' story and the 'way to a man's heart' story. Can anyone quote the issue that these are in?"

"IN 1977 I SAW AN AD IN THE VILLAGE VOICE LOOKING FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS TO DO WORK FOR A HEAVY METAL TYPE MAGAZINE... I SHOWED UPI. ALREADY HAD A NAME IN THE COMICS.. I DREW FOR DC... HAWKMAN.. NIGHT WING AND FLAME BIRD..... I MET JEFF GOODMAN.. WHO HAD RECENTLY FINISHED SCHOOL ... NEW PAWLS .... I SHOWED MY SAMPLES TO JEFF.. HE GAVE ME SEVERAL JOBS FOR GASM.... LATER I DID TONS OF DRAWINGS FOR UFO... AND THE INFAMOUS JAWS OF HORROR.. JAWS OF BLOOD MAGAZINES... DAVID FASS WAS WORKING IN THE OFFICE.. JEFF HAD AN ASSISTANT NAMED BUDDY WEISS... JEFF WOULD SOMETIMES GO TO COURT FOR MYRON.... HE HAD A LOT OF BALLS... SEEMED FEARLESS... VERY SURE OF HIMSELF.. A PRO... HE HAD HIS OWN DESK.. WAS ALWAYS ON THE PHONE. I NEVER DID ANY HORROR WORK .. THE BOOKS HAD BEEN FAILING AT THIS POINT. CARLO BUROS WAS THE FORMER CREATOR OF THE HUMAN TORCH... HE LATER WORKED AT HARRIS PUBS..... I SAW HIM THERE WHEN I DREW FOR THE VIET NAM BOOKS... I LATER DID ART FOR IRVING FASS... FOR HIS GARGAGE PAIL KIDS TYPE BOOKS.. I DREW AN ENTIRE MAG FOR MYRON OVER THE WEEKEND FOR HIS PAL LARRY FLINT. I THINK DAVID FASS WAS IRVING'S SON.. DAVID AND JEFF BOTH HAD LONG HAIR... JEFF HAD A BROTHER WHO DID WORK THERE NAMED CHIP. ALSO, I 'D LKE TO MENTION THAT GENE DAY DID TONS OF ART... FOR THE SHARK AND UFO BOOKS... HE BECAME FAMOUS AT MARVEL DOING MASTER OF KUNG FU... I TEAMED TH GENE A COUPLE OF TIMES IN MY SELF PUBLISHED STAR FIGHTERS COMICS... GENE DIED FROM A HEART ATTACK IN HIS 30'S... ANYAYS THAT'S ALL I REMEBER RIGH NOW... I HAVE A WEBSITE.... WWWKENLANDGRAF.COM  BEST, KEN"

Visit The Claw's Archive of Sedition to share your Eerie Pubs experiences, questions, and answers.

This is what Eerie Pubs were famous for: dead_demons_200.jpg (6639 bytes) is a story by the great Dick Ayers, and it has all the elements a gruesome horror story ought to have; a murderous psychotic, a treacherous (and insane) scientist, graverobbers, the walking dead, a murderous nameless thing...and of course, poppin' eyeballs!

"The Dead Demons"
By Dick Ayers

The Dead Demons p.1

The Dead Demons, p.2 The Dead Demons, p.4 The Dead Demons, p.4 The Dead Demons, p.5

The Dead Demons, p.6

Big tip o' the old popping eyeball to Sparrow 13 for hipping Your Emperor to Dick Ayers' authorship.

Additional Chilling Picto-Fiction available from The Empire:
"House Of Monsters"
by Dick Ayers
"Witches Revenge"
By Dick Ayers
"Swamp Monsters"
by Dick Ayers
"Voodoo Terror"
by Chic Stone

How did Dick Ayers get involved with Eerie Pubs?  Here's the story, from the man himself:

"It amazes me that there is so many who like those horror stories I did for Eerie in the '60's.  When Carl and Myron asked me to do the "eye-poppers" I said no-way and Myron told me to go see the movie just out -- "The Wild Bunch."  I did and went along with Myron and Carl.
When I draw at my table I give whatever my best so's I can enjoy what I do... and it looks like I had fun popping those eyes. " 

- Dick Ayers, in an email to The Claw

Fun Fact:  Dick Ayers inked Jack Kirby's artwork for
the first twenty issues of Marvel's
...

fantastic_four.gif (3925 bytes)

Visit Dick Ayers' homes on the web:
Dick Ayers - Comic Book Illustrator

Dick Ayers page at Catskill Comics
Prints, Commission prices, and (Non-Eerie Pubs) Ayers art gallery.

The Headsman Speaks!
Torment yourself with stuff from The Claw's Cafe Press Emporium!
 

Return To The Empire Of The Claw

Visit the Eerie Publications Cover Gallery

See some Inside and Back Cover Art

Visit our shrine to Eerie Pubs' publisher,
Myron Fass

Read "House Of Monsters"

Read "Witches Revenge"

Read "Swamp Monsters"

Read "Voodoo Terror"

Visit The Claw's Cafe Press Emporium

Download the Eerie Pubs Icon Set
Eerie Pubs horror icons

Download "Horror Dingbats - Eerie Edition"
TrueType font for Windows

Download "Bloodsuckers"
TrueType font for Windows

Download "Monsters Attack!"
TrueType font for Windows

Visit "Flashes of Fear" for a cool
Eerie Pubs screensaver (Windows)