Strange Suspense Stories #18

(May 1954)

What Was in Sam Dora's Box? (Table of Contents: 1)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Carl Memling

Pencils

Steve Ditko (signed)

Inks

Steve Ditko (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Charlotte Jetter

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Sam Dora

Synopsis

Recluse Sam Dora always carries a box on his shoulder. Curiosity is killing the townspeople - until one of them has a fatal look.

Reprints

• in Ghost Manor (Charlton, 1971 series) #73 (March 1984)
• in Steve Ditko: Edge of Genius (Pure Imagination, 2008 ? series) (2008)
• in The Steve Ditko Archives (Fantagraphics, 2009 series) #1 - Strange Suspense (October 2009)
• in Gwandanaland Comics (Gwandanaland Comics, 2016 series) #1420-A - A Steve Ditko Readers Treasury - 1954

Indexer Notes

Memling script per Martin O'Hearn's blog: http://martinohearn.blogspot.com/2016/04/carl-memling-suspense-stories.html

The Matchless Firebug! (Table of Contents: 2)

comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Dick Ayers

Inks

Dick Ayers ?; Ernie Bache ?

Colors

?

Letters

Dick Ayers

Genre

crime; horror-suspense

Synopsis

The arsonist Sam Match sets fires to buildings and his employers to cover his tracks.

Tight Squeeze (Table of Contents: 3)

comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Dick Giordano (signed)

Inks

Vince Alascia (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Charlotte Jetter

Genre

crime; horror-suspense; western-frontier

Synopsis

Prospector Jeb kills his partner Vance for his share of gold dust. He makes it look like a robbery with himself as a second victim. But his plan has a catch.

Burning Revenge (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

horror-suspense

Synopsis

The ghost of John Clark awaits three brutal gangsters in his house and lets them kill each other.

The Jaws of Death! (Table of Contents: 5)

comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Dick Ayers

Inks

Dick Ayers ?; Ernie Bache ?

Colors

?

Letters

Dick Ayers

Genre

horror-suspense

Synopsis

Photographer "Ace" Madigan tries to capture a dragon-god fire ritual on film, but perishes while doing so.

Face to Face! (Table of Contents: 6)

comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Carl Memling

Pencils

Dick Giordano (signed)

Inks

Dick Giordano (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Charlotte Jetter

Genre

crime

Synopsis

The Ajax twin brothers try to kill each other to change identities.

Indexer Notes

This is reader Caroline Denver's solution to the quiz "Face to Face!" that appeared in Lawbreakers Suspense #15 (November 1953).

Memling script per Martin O'Hearn's blog: http://martinohearn.blogspot.com/2016/04/carl-memling-suspense-stories.html

Dead Right! (Table of Contents: 7)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Carl Memling

Pencils

Steve Ditko (signed)

Inks

Steve Ditko (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Charlotte Jetter

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Mr. Mord; Sam Drake; Ken Karl; Mephistopheles (cat)

Synopsis

Two newspaper reporters go story hunting and end up with more than they could ever have hoped for. Because Mr. Mord's strange wax museum proves to be a hell's kitchen itself.

Reprints

• in Steve Ditko: Edge of Genius (Pure Imagination, 2008 ? series) (2008)
• in The Steve Ditko Archives (Fantagraphics, 2009 series) #1 - Strange Suspense (October 2009)
• in Haunted Horror (IDW, 2012 series) #29 (August 2017)
• in Gwandanaland Comics (Gwandanaland Comics, 2016 series) #1420-A - A Steve Ditko Readers Treasury - 1954

Indexer Notes

Memling script per Martin O'Hearn's blog: http://martinohearn.blogspot.com/2016/04/carl-memling-suspense-stories.html