Jonathan Kent Counterspy-Spy and Counterspy-1949

"So, Pa..." asked young Clark Kent. "What did you do for a living when you were young and single?" That picture above even vaguely resembles the younger version of DC's Jonathan Kent after that space potion made Ma and Pa younger looking in a sixties issue of SUPERBOY. To be fair, this ACG story was published around the time the Superboy mythos was still being established. Still...there are complex behind the scenes ties between ACG and DC. Hmmm....No help anywhere on the creators of this story.

Snow Grey and the Seven Drips-Ross Andru-1954

Somewhat akin to EC's fairy tale horror stories or even some MAD stories, SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DRIPS was the final story in the first issue (# 2) of MYSTERIOUS STORIES from Premier. GCD doesn't even guess at the art but I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that it's a young Ross Andru, known in the sixties for METAL MEN and WONDER WOMAN and many years later the main SPIDER-MAN artist of the mid to late seventies.

Werewolf of the Alps-Jon D'Agostino-1954

Here's a mid-fifties horror tale from Jon D'Agostino who passed in 2010. In a career that lasted more than six decades, he maintained a low profile doing lettering, coloring and mostly humor art for just about every company out there before settling in as a mainstay inker at Archie Comics in the nineties. What we have here is a little-seen side of the artist as he tackles a straight--more or less--horror tale and does it very well indeed.

Candid Charlie-B. Gordon Guth-1945

Here's a cute story with some fun panel layouts and somewhat crude but compelling cartoony art credited to one B. Gordon Guth, about whom I find nothing. So again I turn to you folks. Anything? CANDID CHARLIE appeared for a while in TARGET COMICS.

When the Jungle Sleeps-Steve Ditko-1962

Here's a nicely drawn animal story with a vague sci-fi theme. With a script credited to Stan Lee and illustrated by the great Steve Ditko around the time of the early Spider-Man stories, this comes from the issue of JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY that introduced the Mighty Thor!

Flatfoot Burns-Al Stahl-1947

Here's another ghost story. Originally created by Harvey Kurtzman and here drawn in the sure hand of sometime animator Al Stahl, Quality's Flatfooot Burns was a long running back-up feature in POLICE COMICS. This particular selection, from THE SPIRIT, may or may not be a reprint from the character's regular home.

Don't Be A Stumbling Spook-Dark Shadows-1957

Here's another mystery one. No idea whatsoever as to the identity of the author or artist but this fun, MAD-style ghost story appeared in the second of three issues of something called DARK SHADOWS (no relation to the later cult TV series) from something called Steinway Comics (as America's Best Comics). The rest of the book was emasculated code-approved terror tales but this one flirts dangerously with monsters, naked women and other things the code did nit allow.

Air Wave-Murray Boltinoff/Harris Levy/Charles Paris-1942

Writer/editor Murray Boltinoff appears as himself in this murder mystery featuring third tier DC hero Air Wave. The character appeared in DETECTIVE COMICS in the early forties and was tied into the modern DCU by virtue of the fact that his name was Jordan as in Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan. His son became the modern Air Wave in 1978 but he was never a major player either.