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Showcase Presents #96
Showcase Presents: Ghosts, Vol. 1
Ghosts "True Tales of the Weird and Supernatural" was a hit DC comics which ran from 1971-1982 featuring the work of several comic greats.
512 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2011
8 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Leo Dorfman
157 books3 followersLeo Dorfman (also credited as Geoff Brown and David George) was an American writer of comic books throughout the Silver Age. Although the majority of his work was for DC Comics, he also wrote for Dell Comics and Gold Key Comics.
Dorfman died unexpectedly at the age of 60 while still writing for the anthology Ghosts. Editor and longtime friend Murray Boltinoff replaced Dorfman with Carl Wessler as the series' primary writer.
Dorfman died unexpectedly at the age of 60 while still writing for the anthology Ghosts. Editor and longtime friend Murray Boltinoff replaced Dorfman with Carl Wessler as the series' primary writer.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 12, 2023
Nice collection of Bronze Age horror comics. Fun reads. Recommended
November 27, 2021
I'm a huge fan of horror anthology comics, and this one is well above average. Published in the early 70s, the stories in this volume concentrate, of course given the title, on ghosts. The stories are well written and the art is by artists such as Jerry Grandenetti, Alfredo Alcala, Sam Glanzman and others. The stories are set in all time periods and locations: war stories, westerns, contemporary, and more.
Overall this was a very entertaining comic for the genre, and I recommend it to any fans of horror anthologies such as EC and Warren. This series shows DC is no slouch in the horror department either.
Overall this was a very entertaining comic for the genre, and I recommend it to any fans of horror anthologies such as EC and Warren. This series shows DC is no slouch in the horror department either.
November 24, 2014
The only thing that I love more than a good monster story is a good ghost story, and Showcase Presents: Ghosts, Volume 1 has quite a few good ghost stories in it.
Over the years my taste in ghost stories has grown to be a tad old fashioned, though. Today I much prefer stories that place an emphasis on suggestion, atmosphere, and character psychology, rather than on bombastic special effects and over-the-top light shows. I think that Robert Wise's The Haunting and (despite its obvious structural flaws and dramatic shortcomings) Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity both mop the floor with the cinematic funhouse ride that is Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist. (Yes, I am also very well aware of the fact that Tobe Hooper is credited with directing Poltergeist, but it is also very clear that Steven Spielberg had complete control over the film's production, not Hooper.)
While the forty seven tales (18 issues) collected in Ghosts Volume 1 are all over the narrative map, both in terms of story telling quality and ghoulish showmanship, almost each and every yarn could be described as being a "traditional" ghost story, and a satisfying one at that.
Almost every story in the anthology, that is. Every few issues a story pops up that doesn't really belong in an anthology of ghost stories. The earliest, and most blatant, offender appears in the series very first issue. The Tattooed Terror tries to present itself as a tale of otherworldly revenge, but it isn't and it can't. It's really a pulp crime story with a ludicrous twist ending. Terror belongs in a broader focused horror comic series, like House of Secrets, House of Mystery, or The Witching Hour, not in a book devoted to tales of the supernatural. I think that the same thing could be said for the story about the fortune teller (Death's Grinning Face), the story about psychic phenomena (The Dark Dream of Death), the death of Stalin story (To Kill a Tyrant), and a few others.
The only other offender that I think is worth noting, and I admit that this one might be a bit of a semantic stretch, is The Nightmare in the Sandbox, a tale of a demonic voodoo curse. Voodoo Demons aren't ghosts. That being said, I also think that this story is one of my personal favorites. It's dark, nasty, and features a chilling and memorable (if mostly unseen) monster. It also gives issue thirteen a great, eye grabbing cover.
As far as the "real" ghost stories go (I think it needs to be noted that all the stories in the series were presented as being True Tales of the Weird and the Supernatural, rrright) they run the full gamut between good and evil. Some feature death dealing curses (The Bride Wore A Shroud), others life saving wraiths (Phantom of the Iron Horseman), and some are about lonely and lost spirits that are doomed to wander the shadows for all eternity, searching for something that can never be found (Death Held the Lantern High). Some work better than others, of course, and reader satisfaction with the wide variety of offerings will definitely vary. But I do not think that there will be a ghost story addict out there that wouldn't want to have this collection of tales near at hand, for a dark and chill winter night's reading.
Over the years my taste in ghost stories has grown to be a tad old fashioned, though. Today I much prefer stories that place an emphasis on suggestion, atmosphere, and character psychology, rather than on bombastic special effects and over-the-top light shows. I think that Robert Wise's The Haunting and (despite its obvious structural flaws and dramatic shortcomings) Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity both mop the floor with the cinematic funhouse ride that is Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist. (Yes, I am also very well aware of the fact that Tobe Hooper is credited with directing Poltergeist, but it is also very clear that Steven Spielberg had complete control over the film's production, not Hooper.)
While the forty seven tales (18 issues) collected in Ghosts Volume 1 are all over the narrative map, both in terms of story telling quality and ghoulish showmanship, almost each and every yarn could be described as being a "traditional" ghost story, and a satisfying one at that.
Almost every story in the anthology, that is. Every few issues a story pops up that doesn't really belong in an anthology of ghost stories. The earliest, and most blatant, offender appears in the series very first issue. The Tattooed Terror tries to present itself as a tale of otherworldly revenge, but it isn't and it can't. It's really a pulp crime story with a ludicrous twist ending. Terror belongs in a broader focused horror comic series, like House of Secrets, House of Mystery, or The Witching Hour, not in a book devoted to tales of the supernatural. I think that the same thing could be said for the story about the fortune teller (Death's Grinning Face), the story about psychic phenomena (The Dark Dream of Death), the death of Stalin story (To Kill a Tyrant), and a few others.
The only other offender that I think is worth noting, and I admit that this one might be a bit of a semantic stretch, is The Nightmare in the Sandbox, a tale of a demonic voodoo curse. Voodoo Demons aren't ghosts. That being said, I also think that this story is one of my personal favorites. It's dark, nasty, and features a chilling and memorable (if mostly unseen) monster. It also gives issue thirteen a great, eye grabbing cover.
As far as the "real" ghost stories go (I think it needs to be noted that all the stories in the series were presented as being True Tales of the Weird and the Supernatural, rrright) they run the full gamut between good and evil. Some feature death dealing curses (The Bride Wore A Shroud), others life saving wraiths (Phantom of the Iron Horseman), and some are about lonely and lost spirits that are doomed to wander the shadows for all eternity, searching for something that can never be found (Death Held the Lantern High). Some work better than others, of course, and reader satisfaction with the wide variety of offerings will definitely vary. But I do not think that there will be a ghost story addict out there that wouldn't want to have this collection of tales near at hand, for a dark and chill winter night's reading.
April 24, 2012
Great vintage, ghostly/supernatural tales from the early 1970's, some actually based on true accounts from around the world. Each creepy tale is wonderfully illustrated by a talented lineup of DC artists, including notables such as Alfredo Alcala, Jim Aparo, John Calnan, Nicholas Cardy, Ernie Chan, E. R. Cruz, Tony DeZuniga, Sam Glanzman, Jerry Grandenetti, Frank and Nestor Redondo, Curt Swan, Gerry Talaoc, and George Tuska.
While Leo Dorfman was the impetus behind the series and its major writer until his death in 1974 (with occasional other contributors such as Richard Highes and even editor Murray Boltinoff himself), it's troubling that more effort wasn't made to credit a lot of the writing to the specific individuals who contributed the stories.
Volume One reprints issues #1-18 of the series, leaving the possibility open that additional volumes with reprints of the remaining issues will follow. If so, I'll be eagerly awaiting them!
While Leo Dorfman was the impetus behind the series and its major writer until his death in 1974 (with occasional other contributors such as Richard Highes and even editor Murray Boltinoff himself), it's troubling that more effort wasn't made to credit a lot of the writing to the specific individuals who contributed the stories.
Volume One reprints issues #1-18 of the series, leaving the possibility open that additional volumes with reprints of the remaining issues will follow. If so, I'll be eagerly awaiting them!
September 29, 2022
Among my DC collection of supernatural comic books (The House of Mystery, The House of Secrets, The Phantom Stranger), Ghosts is the least represented; I think I only have two or three of this particular comic book. The lack of old publications may explain why Showcase could only compile one edition for Ghosts, unlike The House of Mystery, which has three. In any case, this one had some familiar and new stories in the mix. And hackneyed as most of the stories seem when read through today's standards of political correctness, I still enjoy them. Maybe not as much as I did when I first read them forty years ago, but poring over the familiar strips, and recalling some of the the impressions it made on me at eight brought me back to my happiest memories of childhood. Think Swann's madeleine in a chunky comic book!
October 8, 2024
A great bronze age horror anthology. Not every story is great but every issue has at least one great story. The black and white are elevates the mood and atmosphere of the issues in a way that I feel would be lost with colour. This series is definitely up there with the EC horror comics from the 50s and it's a shame its not recognised like them.
March 9, 2018
Enjoyable short ghost stories. I liked it better than the Tales of Mystery series because they are more direct, simplified stories.
March 25, 2019
One of the best of the Showcase Presents series. Chock full of short (4-10 page) ghost stories. Very enjoyable.
October 28, 2023
As with any collection like this, an uneven mix of stories, some very good, some bad, some meh. Some great work by artists like Sam Glanzman and others, and some other pretty pedestrian stuff. Ghost stories range the gamut of genres from war stories, gothic romance, tearjerker romance, historicals, and more, so there's something there for nearly everyone if you like the core concept of ghost stories, you just have to sort through a bunch of mediocrity to find the gems.
November 12, 2023
I love these big, thick black and white phone books. They are among the best entertainment values on the planet, clocking in at over 500 pages for $19.99 MSRP. This is something of a companion piece to the three Showcase Presents House Of Mystery volumes, both volumes of House of Secrets, and the one and only volume of Secrets Of Sinister House. These '60s/70s Horror/mystery comics are all interchangeable and are all equally enjoyable. Sadly, DC doesn't put too much stock into their Horror comics, and they are woefully underrepresented in the collected editions realm. They've barely scratched the surface of potential releases.
These stories were pretty old-fashioned even at the time of publication, dealing with ghosts, Victorian era haunted mansions that were usually willed to some unsuspecting relative, and seance type stuff. Nothing too edgy or too complex, just good, fun, watered down for the Comics Code Authority Horror comic books. This is fine late night reading.
The first five issues of the title were double-sized. Marvel followed DC in going from 36 pages at 15 cents to 52 pages at 25 cents format. In one of it's shrewder moves, Marvel immediately went back down to normal sized issues the following month, but moved their cover price to 20 cents. This made Marvel look like a bargain by comparison, and it cost DC some circulation. So you see kids, this tit for tat dirty pool between Marvel and DC has been going on for decades.
Some of these stories were originally published prior to this series, but are collected here because they were reprinted in this title. Issue 1 has The Tattooed Terror! from Sensation Mystery Comics #112 (November/December,1952) and The Last Dream! from Sensation Mystery Comics #107 (January/February, 1952). Issue 2 reprints The Sorrow of The Spirits! from House Of Mystery #21 (December,1953) and Enter The Ghost from House Of Mystery #29 (August, 1954). Issue 5 reprints The Telltale Mirror from House Of Mystery #13 (April, 1953) and The Phantom Of The Fog from House Of Mystery #123 (June, 1962).
There are some tremendous artists who worked on these stories, such as Alfredo P. Alcala. I have been fascinated by his artwork since I was a wee lad flipping through my oldest sister's copy of House Of Mystery #222. His artwork looks even better here in black and white than it does in color. Jerry Grandenetti is a name familiar to readers of the Warren Magazines of the day (Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella). I used to find his artwork to be distasteful, but am either softening that stance or am learning to really appreciate his heavy handed style. The guy must have burned through so much black ink drawing the way that he does. He uses a ton of solids! There are lots of “name” artists of the day who worked on these DC Horror titles as well as a few who have been lost to the mists of time.
While I finished this book on the morning of Hallowe'en, I have finally just finished writing this review today. Cover artist extraordinaire Nick Cardy passed away yesterday at age 93. His covers were and are great. He has a sense of depth and movement, making his covers more than just a pretty picture. The covers themselves tell a story.
I hope that we see more of these Ghosts phonebooks, as there were 112 issues published between 1971 and 1982. DC seems to be moving away from these Showcase Presents books as of late, so I doubt that it will happen, but it would be nice if it did. Better yet, I would love to see Archives of this or any of the other DC Horror/Mystery titles. I'm not holding my breath, though. In any case, this book is no apparition or figment of your imagination.
I bought this at a comic shop that was, shall we say, less than concerned about pesky things such as consumer recalls like the one had. DC put out in it's Retailer Email about how this book slipped through the cracks missing a page, and for retailers to pull it from their shipment for immediate return. I went to the shop unaware of this development and bought this book. I found out about the recall once I got home that night. Page 7 of Death Held The Lantern was omitted from this first printing. The page was included as page 474 of the original printing. I just printed the missing page from this Bleeding Cool article and tipped it in.
DC sent out an update email to retailers with the following information: UPDATE ON SHOWCASE PRESENTS: GHOSTS VOL. 1
Retailers, as a reminder, the corrected version of SHOWCASE PRESENTS: GHOSTS VOL. 1 TP (JUL110264) is scheduled to arrive in stores on February 8. New copies can be distinguished by the date "1/13/12" on the first interior page of the book. My copy states "10/21/2011" on the interior page.
Leave it to those buffoons in DC's collected editions department to screw up the corrected version as well. In the corrected 2012 “First” Printing, they omitted what was Page 482 in my “defective” book, the one page story Phantoms Of The Flash! It's not like there wasn't enough room for it. There are not one, not two, not three, but four pages in the back of the book (both versions!) advertising other Showcase Presents books. What a bunch of maroons! So you see, BOTH versions are defective and are missing a page of story. Way to go, DC!
These stories were pretty old-fashioned even at the time of publication, dealing with ghosts, Victorian era haunted mansions that were usually willed to some unsuspecting relative, and seance type stuff. Nothing too edgy or too complex, just good, fun, watered down for the Comics Code Authority Horror comic books. This is fine late night reading.
The first five issues of the title were double-sized. Marvel followed DC in going from 36 pages at 15 cents to 52 pages at 25 cents format. In one of it's shrewder moves, Marvel immediately went back down to normal sized issues the following month, but moved their cover price to 20 cents. This made Marvel look like a bargain by comparison, and it cost DC some circulation. So you see kids, this tit for tat dirty pool between Marvel and DC has been going on for decades.
Some of these stories were originally published prior to this series, but are collected here because they were reprinted in this title. Issue 1 has The Tattooed Terror! from Sensation Mystery Comics #112 (November/December,1952) and The Last Dream! from Sensation Mystery Comics #107 (January/February, 1952). Issue 2 reprints The Sorrow of The Spirits! from House Of Mystery #21 (December,1953) and Enter The Ghost from House Of Mystery #29 (August, 1954). Issue 5 reprints The Telltale Mirror from House Of Mystery #13 (April, 1953) and The Phantom Of The Fog from House Of Mystery #123 (June, 1962).
There are some tremendous artists who worked on these stories, such as Alfredo P. Alcala. I have been fascinated by his artwork since I was a wee lad flipping through my oldest sister's copy of House Of Mystery #222. His artwork looks even better here in black and white than it does in color. Jerry Grandenetti is a name familiar to readers of the Warren Magazines of the day (Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella). I used to find his artwork to be distasteful, but am either softening that stance or am learning to really appreciate his heavy handed style. The guy must have burned through so much black ink drawing the way that he does. He uses a ton of solids! There are lots of “name” artists of the day who worked on these DC Horror titles as well as a few who have been lost to the mists of time.
While I finished this book on the morning of Hallowe'en, I have finally just finished writing this review today. Cover artist extraordinaire Nick Cardy passed away yesterday at age 93. His covers were and are great. He has a sense of depth and movement, making his covers more than just a pretty picture. The covers themselves tell a story.
I hope that we see more of these Ghosts phonebooks, as there were 112 issues published between 1971 and 1982. DC seems to be moving away from these Showcase Presents books as of late, so I doubt that it will happen, but it would be nice if it did. Better yet, I would love to see Archives of this or any of the other DC Horror/Mystery titles. I'm not holding my breath, though. In any case, this book is no apparition or figment of your imagination.
I bought this at a comic shop that was, shall we say, less than concerned about pesky things such as consumer recalls like the one had. DC put out in it's Retailer Email about how this book slipped through the cracks missing a page, and for retailers to pull it from their shipment for immediate return. I went to the shop unaware of this development and bought this book. I found out about the recall once I got home that night. Page 7 of Death Held The Lantern was omitted from this first printing. The page was included as page 474 of the original printing. I just printed the missing page from this Bleeding Cool article and tipped it in.
DC sent out an update email to retailers with the following information: UPDATE ON SHOWCASE PRESENTS: GHOSTS VOL. 1
Retailers, as a reminder, the corrected version of SHOWCASE PRESENTS: GHOSTS VOL. 1 TP (JUL110264) is scheduled to arrive in stores on February 8. New copies can be distinguished by the date "1/13/12" on the first interior page of the book. My copy states "10/21/2011" on the interior page.
Leave it to those buffoons in DC's collected editions department to screw up the corrected version as well. In the corrected 2012 “First” Printing, they omitted what was Page 482 in my “defective” book, the one page story Phantoms Of The Flash! It's not like there wasn't enough room for it. There are not one, not two, not three, but four pages in the back of the book (both versions!) advertising other Showcase Presents books. What a bunch of maroons! So you see, BOTH versions are defective and are missing a page of story. Way to go, DC!
February 26, 2012
I generally enjoy DC's old, not generally scary, horror reprints. I'm not sure why this one didn't do it for me. Maybe it was the lack of a (generally hokey) host character like Cain or Abel. Maybe it was how most of the artwork seemed a bit subpar for this genre in many of the stories. Maybe it was how each story was supposed to be about the supernatural, but a handful actually had nonsupernatural explanations. Maybe it was the fact that every story was alleged to be true, yet many seemed to have elements to them that would make them little better than folk tales (like, how did anyone know what happened if all the witnesses died?), and since I used to read a bunch of books on true ghost stories as a kid and only one story in the entire volume ("The Hellbeast of Berkely Square") sounded at all familiar, while most others fit into the DC horror story formula of "bad person gets retribution", then I am inclined to think it wasn't. It was probably how most stories seemed to end with a taunting, "Now do you believe in ghosts?" sort of question that would probably work fine for a kid, but no so much for an adult.
September 27, 2015
As much as I enjoyed this, the majority of stories in here are (understandably) terribly outdated. There were a couple of interesting ones in there but the constant "now do you believe in ghosts?" was a bit annoying. No idea how many of these were actually 'true' or not, but there were a few that rather than scare made me just laugh out loud. A few dealt more with general supernatural themes than just ghosts - premonitions, visions, curses. On the most part it was enjoyable though, even if some of it was just a little silly.
June 26, 2016
Cool art, and a few of the stories are really good. Howsomever, the narrow focus of the title means there are a lot of repeated themes, and the constant "this really happened!" disclaimers are completely unbelievable.
For more horror reviews, see http://www.skjam.com/tag/horror/
For more horror reviews, see http://www.skjam.com/tag/horror/
January 20, 2013
Definitely not as good as Unexpected or Secrets. The stories are too limited by having to contain ghosts. Gets repetitive.
June 14, 2012
Classic comics from DC, volume 1, the first 18 issues of "Ghosts" from 1971 to 1973. Good, but would have been better in color.
August 29, 2013
I really enjoyed this collection of the comic book "Ghosts", from DC.
This collection is from 1971-1973. Good artwork, and the stories are good as well, Great fun!
This collection is from 1971-1973. Good artwork, and the stories are good as well, Great fun!
August 9, 2012
Some great art here and there and the odd surprising story. Just what I'd hoped it'd be!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews