Sarge Steel - The Warmaker!

Secret Agent (formerly Sarge Steel) Vol.2 #9 is dated October 1966. The cover is by Dick Giordano and is a variation of the splash page by Montes & Bache with Sarge in a more active role. The credits list Pat Masulli again as creator, Joe Gill as storyteller, with pencils by Bill Montes, inks by Ernie Bache, and letters by Jon D'Agostino.

Part I of File #109 "The Warmaker" begins with that splash featuring four returning Sarge Steel baddies and one new one. Back for another taste of the steel fist are The Lynx, Ivan Chung (his third appearance), The Smiling Skull (his second Steel appearance but his third Charlton appearance), and Werner Von Hess (who only appears on the cover and the splash). The new bad guy is named Mister Ize, the guy with the wonky glasses. The story begins in a dojo where Sarge is sparring with another karate devotee when that guy suddenly attacks Sarge for real trying to kill him. Sarge defeats him with the steel fist, but when he tries to take a shower hot steam erupts from the nozzle and he is just able to save himself again. In the background of one panel is The Smiling Skull who as Sarge leaves the dojo reports to Mr.Ize. As Sarge is driving away Ivan Chung shows up alongside in another car and tries to wreck Sarge's car, but Sarge is able to wreck Chung's by firing a .357 Magnum slug at him. As Sarge enters his apartment building, Mr. Ize and The Lynx sit outside in a car and follow him in, but after Ize calls Kapitan Werner Von Hess and tells him to keep his forces available for back up (this is the only reference to Von Hess in the story and we never see him). Mr. Ize uses his glasses to hypnotize the doorman and later he uses the specs to burn open the lock on Sarge's door. When Sarge arrives, he knows something is up but before he can do much Mr. Ize hypnotizes him, and the gang of villains leaves with Sarge in their control.

Part II "The Looters" begins with a jet flying over a burning oil tank in the country of Kuwania. The jet lands and Mr. Ize explains to Sarge that the fire was set with weapons to make the leader of Kuwania think his neighbors attacked him from which Mr. Ize will profit. They next use gas to storm the capitol city and take control of the palace to rob it apparently. Sarge follows orders and helps in the attack but during the gunplay a bullet ricochets and grazes his head and they assume he is dead, so he is left behind. He awakes and the effects of Mr. Ize's gaze are gone. But Sarge is captured by Kuwanians and imprisoned, but he quickly escapes by using sleeping gas hidden in cigarettes. He gets to the airfield and uses his steel fist to block bullets while he steals a plane and pursues Mr.Ize and his cohorts. Mr. Ize uses his goggles to shoot Sarge down and he is recaptured but pretends to still be under their influence and control as the whole gang uses a cargo plane to leave the area.

Part III "The Warmaker's Stronghold" is set in the Atlas Mountains where the cargo plane touches down and unloads. Sarge still pretends to be in their thrall, but he is soon discovered by The Lynx as he tries to learn more, and she orders her big cat to attack him, but Sarge dispatches the cat with one steel punch. The Smiling Skull shoots at Sarge but a running tackle takes him out and likewise Ivan Chung is knocked out by a grenade which Sarge throws but doesn't have time to take the pin out of. He gets the drop on the gang and uses grenades to begin to blow up the facility but is confronted by Mr. Ize who again tries to hypnotize Sarge, as he does this he relates how his power was developed while he trying to develop special glasses for surgeons and chanced on the hypnotic goggles which he immediately used to gather up the thugs who told him that Sarge Steel was the one man they feared. Sarge though at the last minute uses the mirrored surface of his steel fist to reflect Mr. Ize's rays back to him and the villain has his own brain warped. Free of Ize's control the other villains immediately scatter and Sarge is sure in time he as a special agent will be able to gather them up so they can face justice.

"Sarge Steel's Scrapbook of Judo!" begins with a new splash page by Frank McLaughlin I suspect (though credit at GCD is given to Dick Giordano) with Sarge and a boy explaining talking how the lessons from previous issues have shown the true nature of judo. After this splash are two reprints of earlier "Sports of Judo" three-page features by Frank McLaughlin from previous Sarge Steel issues.

Clearly the title change was an attempt to spike the sales on the series. The cover advertises a really hair-raising adventure and there is lots of action for sure. But the cheat on Von Hess is strange and even stranger since he's on both the cover and the splash page when clearly he was never in the story to begin with. Both Ivan Chung and Smiling Skull are diminished by their appearances here, two masterminds reduced to henchman duty. The Lynx gets enough space to seem threatening, but the other two not so much. Mr.Ize is a neat and weird villain who reminded me more than a bit of Doc Ock. One thing of note is that the first-person narration dropped in the last two issues of Sarge Steel is back in this one and to good effect.

You can read the complete comic book at this link. 

More Sarge Steel to come.

Rip Off

Sarge Steel - File 109!

Secret Agent (formerly Sarge Steel) Vol.2 #9 is dated October 1966. The cover is by Dick Giordano and is a variation of the splash page by Montes & Bache with Sarge in a more active role. The credits list Pat Masulli again as creator, Joe Gill as storyteller, with pencils by Bill Montes, inks by Ernie Bache, and letters by Jon D'Agostino.

Part I of File #109 "The Warmaker" begins with that splash featuring four returning Sarge Steel baddies and one new one. Back for another taste of the steel fist are The Lynx, Ivan Chung (his third appearance), The Smiling Skull (his second Steel appearance but his third Charlton appearance), and Werner Von Hess (who only appears on the cover and the splash). The new bad guy is named Mister Ize, the guy with the wonky glasses. The story begins in a dojo where Sarge is sparring with another karate devotee when that guy suddenly attacks Sarge for real trying to kill him. Sarge defeats him with the steel fist, but when he tries to take a shower hot steam erupts from the nozzle and he is just able to save himself again. In the background of one panel is The Smiling Skull who as Sarge leaves the dojo reports to Mr.Ize. As Sarge is driving away Ivan Chung shows up alongside in another car and tries to wreck Sarge's car, but Sarge is able to wreck Chung's by firing a .357 Magnum slug at him. As Sarge enters his apartment building, Mr. Ize and The Lynx sit outside in a car and follow him in, but after Ize calls Kapitan Werner Von Hess and tells him to keep his forces available for back up (this is the only reference to Von Hess in the story and we never see him). Mr. Ize uses his glasses to hypnotize the doorman and later he uses the specs to burn open the lock on Sarge's door. When Sarge arrives, he knows something is up but before he can do much Mr. Ize hypnotizes him, and the gang of villains leaves with Sarge in their control.

Part II "The Looters" begins with a jet flying over a burning oil tank in the country of Kuwania. The jet lands and Mr. Ize explains to Sarge that the fire was set with weapons to make the leader of Kuwania think his neighbors attacked him from which Mr. Ize will profit. They next use gas to storm the capitol city and take control of the palace to rob it apparently. Sarge follows orders and helps in the attack but during the gunplay a bullet ricochets and grazes his head and they assume he is dead, so he is left behind. He awakes and the effects of Mr. Ize's gaze are gone. But Sarge is captured by Kuwanians and imprisoned, but he quickly escapes by using sleeping gas hidden in cigarettes. He gets to the airfield and uses his steel fist to block bullets while he steals a plane and pursues Mr.Ize and his cohorts. Mr. Ize uses his goggles to shoot Sarge down and he is recaptured but pretends to still be under their influence and control as the whole gang uses a cargo plane to leave the area.

Part III "The Warmaker's Stronghold" is set in the Atlas Mountains where the cargo plane touches down and unloads. Sarge still pretends to be in their thrall, but he is soon discovered by The Lynx as he tries to learn more, and she orders her big cat to attack him, but Sarge dispatches the cat with one steel punch. The Smiling Skull shoots at Sarge but a running tackle takes him out and likewise Ivan Chung is knocked out by a grenade which Sarge throws but doesn't have time to take the pin out of. He gets the drop on the gang and uses grenades to begin to blow up the facility but is confronted by Mr. Ize who again tries to hypnotize Sarge, as he does this he relates how his power was developed while he trying to develop special glasses for surgeons and chanced on the hypnotic goggles which he immediately used to gather up the thugs who told him that Sarge Steel was the one man they feared. Sarge though at the last minute uses the mirrored surface of his steel fist to reflect Mr. Ize's rays back to him and the villain has his own brain warped. Free of Ize's control the other villains immediately scatter and Sarge is sure in time he as a special agent will be able to gather them up so they can face justice.

"Sarge Steel's Scrapbook of Judo!" begins with a new splash page by Frank McLaughlin I suspect (though credit at GCD is given to Dick Giordano) with Sarge and a boy explaining talking how the lessons from previous issues have shown the true nature of judo. After this splash are two reprints of earlier "Sports of Judo" three-page features by Frank McLaughlin from previous Sarge Steel issues.

Clearly the title change was an attempt to spike the sales on the series. The cover advertises a really hair-raising adventure and there is lots of action for sure. But the cheat on Von Hess is strange and even stranger since he's on both the cover and the splash page when clearly he was never in the story to begin with. Both Ivan Chung and Smiling Skull are diminished by their appearances here, two masterminds reduced to henchman duty. The Lynx gets enough space to seem threatening, but the other two not so much. Mr.Ize is a neat and weird villain who reminded me more than a bit of Doc Ock. One thing of note is that the first-person narration dropped in the last two issues of Sarge Steel is back in this one and to good effect.

More Sarge Steel to come.

 This is a Revised Classic Charlton Post! 

Rip Off

Sarge Steel - File 108!

Sarge Steel #8 is dated March-April 1966. Pat Masull [sic] is listed as the creator, and clearly this is Pat Masulli's name mispelled which is stunning given he's the Executive Editor of Charlton at this time. Joe Gill is again scripting and Jon D'Agostino supplies the letters. Bill Montes and Ernie Bache return for the art chores. The cover for this issue is by Rocke Mastroserio.

File #108 "Case of the Terrible Talon" begins with Part I "The Talon Takes Sarge Steel". After a symbolic splash showing Sarge shooting at a mechanical talon, the story opens on a West German street where Professor Froelig is kidnapped. In Dusseldorf two men discuss the crime and attribute it to The Talon, a criminal mastermind terrorizing Germany. That evening a group of West German businessmen and other important types gather to plan a response and agree that they need Sarge Steel to take on the Talon. A waiter overhears this decision. We cut to Sarge as he heads out to take on this assignment and Bessie gives him a big kiss before he goes. In the taxi on the way to the airport he is met by a U.S. agent who tells him he's on his own. In the air on the way to West Germany Sarge finds a mysterious talon symbol in the bottom of his coffee cup, an ominous sign indeed. After landing he is met by Herr Wolffhundt who takes him to a cafe where the waitress pulls a gun and other men show up using a stun gun to knock out Steel and kidnap Wolffhundt. They leave a message on Steel's chest saying "Leave Germany or Die!". Sarge recovers and gets a car but as he leaves a beautiful redhead climbs into the passenger seat and presents herself as a West German agent. At that point a helicopter appears overhead.

"Tank Trouble" is a one-page text story about two WWII veterans, one American and one German who meet at an agricultural show and realize they know one another. They led men into battle during the war against one another and after the German leader had the advantage a clever tactic by the American resulted in a defeat forcing the German officer to flee Nazi German or be killed. He made contact with American forces and surrendered.

Part II is titled "The Faceless Man" and begins with Sarge's car being picked up by a giant electric magnet suspended from a helicopter. The car and Sarge and the German agent Gerta are taken to the Talon's headquarters in the mountains of East Germany. There Sarge meets the masked Talon and is shown the scale of Talon's operation. After attacking an armored agent though Sarge is again hit with the stun gun. He awakes strapped into a high-tech device dubbed the "Hypno Chair" which is used to gather information from him and defeat his free will. Sarge seems to succumb but when he is released he attacks Talon and knocks out his savage dog with his steel fist. He uses a device called the "Wailing Wallet" which emits tear gas to help him free Gerta and the pair take their unconscious Talon out of the headquarters as his men follow. Sarge then takes one of his shoes and throws it, and since that shoe is actually a delayed time bomb it explodes and allows them to escape in Sarge's Mercedes-Benz. That car is rigged with cannons on the front which they use to escape the Talon's compound.

Part III is titled "Trial of a Terrorist" and begins with Sarge and Gerta in the Mercedes under fire from Talon's men. Sarge uses rear canons to stop pursuit. The helicopter appears overhead and begins firing radar-controlled rockets at Sarge's car, but then a Messerschmitt Rocket Fighter appears disabling the helicopter and allowing Gerta and Sarge and the prisoner to escape. They drive through the East German border and deliver Talon to stand trial. As the trial begins the Talon, still masked, faces witnesses. Then word comes that his forces are coming to free him and a counter attack is ordered. A man wearing a rocketpack is stopped by Sarge and then a great metal claw snags him and pulls him into the air but Sarge is able to use his own weapon to disable the helicopter that has captured him. Taking the rocketpack Sarge flies clear as the helicopter crashes. Then in a sudden turn of events, Sarge suggests they let Talon go free but spread the story that he betrayed his own men making him forever a fugitive from his own people. Talon is sent packing as Sarge taunts the now helpless terrorist.

"Blue Four Top Secret" is a three-page feature drawn by Rocke Mastroserio in which the gimmicks and devices featured in the main Sarge Steel story are described in further detail. Shown and described are the "Wail Wallet", "The Shoe", "The Stun Gun", "The Hypno Chair", and a full-page on the Talon-copter the enemy agents used.

This is issue is fully devoted to the high-tech environment of the Bond-like super-spy world. Gone utterly is the noir atmosphere of previous issues. This is reinforced as again the first-person narration is absent. Sarge is here completely dependent on gimmicks and gadgets to fight the enemy who likewise use a host of machines to wage battle. The helicopter is very like the helicopter in You Only Live Twice though even more high-tech. The hypno chair scene reminded me of Goldfinger and the Mercedes-Benz was just another version of Bond's Astin-Martin. Clearly the attempt is made, as is evident on the cover to play the super-spy angle to the hilt. It's a fun issue, but not quite as emotionally compelling as earlier installments of the series.

This is the last issue of the series to be titled "Sarge Steel" but that's not the end of Sarge yet.

More Sarge Steel to come.

This is a Revised Classic Charlton Post!  

Rip Off

Sarge Steel - File 107!

Sarge Steel #7 is dated January 1966. Once again Pat Masulli's creator credit is shown. The script is by reliable Joe Gill with lettering again by Jon D'Agostino. The big news here is that Dick Giordano returns for an issue on the artwork. The cover by Giordano is a version of the splash page with the figures of the two masterminds of P.O.W. included.

Part I of File #107 "The Day They Killed Sarge Steel" begins with that splash image. But the story begins in London where Peter Potter top British secret agent is attacked in his sports car by a grenade and killed. The scene shifts to Moscow where top Sovie agent Gorgie Fyankov is shot down while escorting a prisoner. The scene shifts again to a list held by a beautiful blonde woman named Roja who is holding a list called "POW Top Secret List of Elimination" with all the names on it crossed off save for Nicole Planchet of France and Sarge Steel of the U.S.A. She and her partner Eric Rinn run P.O.W. (Prosecutors Of the World) an organization of killers with the goal to blackmail the powers of the world and show their power by killing all the top espionage operatives. The scene shifts again to a helicopter pad where Bessie witnesses her boss Sarge Steel being gunned down. The news gets out Sarge was shot to death and pictures confirming that are taken and circulated. News also comes that Nicole Planchet has died mysteriously from a poison perfume. A man climbs the building holding Sarge's body to confirm his death, attempting to use the same gas that killed Planchet but Sarge jumps up and punches him in the gut causing him to inhale the deadly fumes. It's revealed that Sarge has been faking his death to give him free rein to chase down the P.O.W. killers.

"The Gift of Two Deaths" is a one-page text piece about a man named Koshinsky who dies but who has his body preserved untouched for three days by his wife since she believes he carries a family habit of reviving from his first death. This gift was given to the family as a reward by an old woman for saving a peasant child from drowning. The story makes a sensation in the media and after the three days the man revives.

Part II is titled "Live Bait in the Shark Tank!" and opens with Sarge getting a ride on a C.I.A. reconnaissance jet which is to take him to the Wetterhorn Valley. Sarge parachutes from a great height, lands safely and is immediately set upon by a Doberman Pincher who turns out to be a "paradog" belonging to Nicole Planchet who also faked her death to get at P.O.W. The trio jump the electrified fence and and use gas to get close to the headquarters. But they are caught and brought before Roja and Rinn where Sarge makes some insulting comments to Roja who is attracted to him. When she tries to scratch him, he uses that moment to throw her into Rinn and he and Planchet escape.

Part III is titled "The Murder School" and begins with Sarge and Nicole confronting a rifleman but Sarge stops him by using his steel fist to plug the barrel causing a backfire. Then the pair encounter several killers with knives and guns and fend them off. Sarge leaps through a window to the outside creating a distraction while Nicole plants an explosive. With only seconds to spare the pair leap off the cliff below the headquarters into the sea and a great explosion destroys the P.O.W. facility. After they get back to land Nicole gives Sarge a kiss to thank him on behalf of the whole human race. The last two scenes show Sarge in Washington DC and confronting his secretary Bessie who is quite upset to learn he has been alive all this time.

"Sport of Judo" is written and drawn by Frank McLaughlin and these three pages narrated by Sarge show how to use Judo, Karate, Hapkido, and Aikido techniques to battle multiple attackers.

This is a pretty good issue. One big change though is that Sarge's distinctive first-person narration is not used in this issue. That might be because of the ruse that he was supposed to be dead, but whatever the cause it really altered the tone of the story. The villains were a bit of a disappointment, as they were set up pretty well but there wasn't enough space to really devote to their demise. They seemed to get beat rather easily. But that's a minor criticism. They also didn't use the classic "The Case Of..." format for the title; that bugs the compulsive side of my character a wee bit.

More Sarge Steel to come.

 This is a Revised Classic Charlton Post! 

Rip Off

The Golden Derby - August 1966!

Fifty years ago this month Charlton was nearing the apogee of its Silver Age greatness. Both Judomaster and Thunderbolt were established comics with fantastic artwork by Frank McLaughlin and Pete Morisi (P.A.M.) respectively. Sarge Steel neared the end of his impressive run, though the title change on the book to Secret Agent was a clear attempt to allow the noir detective to glom onto the espionage craze of the time. (It would be a full year before the tenth issue of the series appeared.) Shadows from Beyond appeared, the one and only issue of that title, but evidence that Charlton was keen to move further into that genre, having just launched Ghostly Tales a few months before. The cover by Steve Ditko is one of the great iconic Charlton covers of the era. Charlton's long-running Lil Genius wrapped up its venerable run though with a title change too. Summer Fun featured not only the Genius, but other Charlton kid features like oldie Atomic Mouse and the brand new Johnny Boy. The book seemed clearly to want to snag the market of parents looking for a comic for their kid to keep them occupied on some trip or other. I cannot see any kid being attracted to a comic by the label "Parents' Approved". It seems antithetical to all that reading comics was about.

More next month.

Rip Off

The Golden Derby - August 1965!

The march to create the "Action Heroes" continued apace fifty years ago this very month. Captain Atom gets his final reprint tryout and next up will be brand new stories by the same Gill-Dtiko team that first created him. Blue Beetle battles to save the Earth as always with bravado and vast magical might, but he too is due for an update. Charlton's genre work continues with a dandy installment of its durable car comic Hot Rods and Racing Cars, one of the very few companies which ever tried to mine this field. And the Li'l Genius, a reasonably successful Dennis the Menace knockoff neared the end of his run, making way for new comics to enter the schedule. And in the third issue of Special War Series we find a rock solid war comic, but the very next issue will offer something rather different and very very memorable. The "Scarlet Smasher" is about to enter the fray.

More next month. 

Rip Off

Whistling Past The Graveyard!

There is a certain charm to Jon D' Agostino's rendition of Charlton's Timmy the Timid Ghost, especially in the 1962 cover above showing Timmy whistling his way through a tough situation, but not one you'd think which might intimidate the deceased especially.

But D'Agostino's image is actually a reworking of Al Fago's 1956 image of Timmy doing almost exactly the same thing. Fago's cover has more vigor as his drawing typically had more fluid motion than D'Agostino's but I'm hard pressed to choose between these two dandy comics. I like the way D'Agostino frames Timmy's noggin in the yellow moon, but then Fago offers up the added touch of Timmy about to step into a frying pan. What added mayhem this will create is anyone's guess.

Both of  course owe their inspiration, if not to this particular 1950 St.John's cover featuring Casper the Friendly Ghost, then certainly Timmy's very existence as one of the better knock-offs of the classic beloved character.

Rip Off

Jon D'Agostino RIP

It's always sad to hear another stalwart comics talent has passed away. Jon D'Agostino is a name associated with many classic Charlton comics, especially My Little Margie, Atomic Mouse, Li'l Genius, Go-Go, Atom the Cat, Freddy and my personal fave of his Timmy the Timid Ghost.










Above is a gallery of some of D'Agostino's mighty Charlton covers. Here's a link to Mark Evanier's obituary on the longtime artist.


Oh and here's my favorite D'Agostino cover, a master bit of production work done in tandem with art from Ghostly Tales artist Rocke Mastroserio.

Rip Off

The Sarge Steel Reports - File #107

Sarge Steel #7 is dated January 1966. Once again Pat Masulli's creator credit is shown. The script is by reliable Joe Gill with lettering again by Jon D'Agostino. The big news here is that Dick Giordano returns for an issue on the artwork. The cover by Giordano is a version of the splash page with the figures of the two masterminds of P.O.W. included.

Part I of File #107 "The Day They Killed Sarge Steel" begins with that splash image. But the story begins in London where Peter Potter top British secret agent is attacked in his sports car by a grenade and killed. The scene shifts to Moscow where top Sovie agent Gorgie Fyankov is shot down while escorting a prisoner. The scene shifts again to a list held by a beautiful blonde woman named Roja who is holding a list called "POW Top Secret List of Elimination" with all the names on it crossed off save for Nicole Planchet of France and Sarge Steel of the U.S.A. She and her partner Eric Rinn run P.O.W. (Prosecutors Of the World) an organization of killers with the goal to blackmail the powers of the world and show their power by killing all the top espionage operatives. The scene shifts again to a helicopter pad where Bessie witnesses her boss Sarge Steel being gunned down. The news gets out Sarge was shot to death and pictures confirming that are taken and circulated. News also comes that Nicole Planchet has died mysteriously from a poison perfume. A man climbs the building holding Sarge's body to confirm his death, attempting to use the same gas that killed Planchet but Sarge jumps up and punches him in the gut causing him to inhale the deadly fumes. It's revealed that Sarge has been faking his death to give him free rein to chase down the P.O.W. killers.

"The Gift of Two Deaths" is a one-page text piece about a man named Koshinsky who dies but who has his body preserved untouched for three days by his wife since she believes he carries a family habit of reviving from his first death. This gift was given to the family as a reward by an old woman for saving a peasant child from drowning. The story makes a sensation in the media and after the three days the man revives.

Part II is titled "Live Bait in the Shark Tank!" and opens with Sarge getting a ride on a C.I.A. reconnaissance jet which is to take him to the Wetterhorn Valley. Sarge parachutes from a great height, lands safely and is immediately set upon by a Doberman Pincher who turns out to be a "paradog" belonging to Nicole Planchet who also faked her death to get at P.O.W. The trio jump the electrified fence and and use gas to get close to the headquarters. But they are caught and brought before Roja and Rinn where Sarge makes some insulting comments to Roja who is attracted to him. When she tries to scratch him, he uses that moment to throw her into Rinn and he and Planchet escape.

Part III is titled "The Murder School" and begins with Sarge and Nicole confronting a rifleman but Sarge stops him by using his steel fist to plug the barrel causing a backfire. Then the pair encounter several killers with knives and guns and fend them off. Sarge leaps through a window to the outside creating a distraction while Nicole plants an explosive. With only seconds to spare the pair leap off the cliff below the headquarters into the sea and a great explosion destroys the P.O.W. facility. After they get back to land Nicole gives Sarge a kiss to thank him on behalf of the whole human race. The last two scenes show Sarge in Washington DC and confronting his secretary Bessie who is quite upset to learn he has been alive all this time.

"Sport of Judo" is written and drawn by Frank McLaughlin and these three pages narrated by Sarge show how to use Judo, Karate, Hapkido, and Aikido techniques to battle multiple attackers.

This is a pretty good issue. One big change though is that Sarge's distinctive first-person narration is not used in this issue. That might be because of the ruse that he was supposed to be dead, but whatever the cause it really altered the tone of the story. The villains were a bit of a disappointment, as they were set up pretty well but there wasn't enough space to really devote to their demise. They seemed to get beat rather easily. But that's a minor criticism. They also didn't use the classic "The Case Of..." format for the title; that bugs the compulsive side of my character a wee bit.

More to come.

Rip Off

A Spirited Read!

This is maybe my favorite cover-inside-a-cover image. Timmy the Timid Ghost is quite frightened it seems by the second issue of Ghostly Tales, at the time a new title for Charlton. Great bit of cross promotion here.

The Timmy cover is by Jon D'Agostino and the Ghostly Tales cover is by the great Rocke Mastroserio.

Rip Off