Happy Halloween Month! This month, DC SpecialCast is getting in on the spooky fun by reviewing DC Special Series #7 from 1978 – The Ghosts Special! And who else could be Paul’s guest, but the host of the House of Franklinstein himself, Chris Franklin! Join us … if you dare!
This month’s instocktrades.com selections:
https://www.instocktrades.com/products/feb257244/dc-finest-superman-kryptonite-nevermore-tp
https://www.instocktrades.com/products/may227166/house-of-mystery-the-bronze-age-omnibus-hc-vol-03
For Leo Dorfman and Ghosts, check out:
https://www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/creator.php?creatorid=221
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Dorfman
https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=1001
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WAIt Hero? I think the phantom’s horse is Champion!
and yeah there’s nothing so 70s as a ghost powered cb
Great story about the flaming car,Chris
Guessing the lion attack got past the code cuz it’s a dream
Fun show, gentleman!
Since I never had this specific issue, but your conversation as well as the gallery page certainly makes this one seem like something I’d like to read. The story drawn by Nino in particular looks really nice – but then again, I’m big fan of his art. In fact, probably the only artwork he ever did that I didn’t like was in that Batman story from the annual that Chris mentioned. Other than that though, he’s always produced top-notch work in my book.
On Jerry Grandinetti, yes, his work in the story you covered does sort of bring to mind Frank Robbins, but he’s done far better work. I know there were a few times that I thought I could see Will Eisner’s influence in his art.
And yes, Chris, I’m very much old enough to remember Merv Griffin, In Search Of… (watched that pretty regularly for a while) and CB radio – I recall the latter in particular was such a crazy big fad for a while in the late 1970s, and than just as quickly seemed to disappear from the public consciousness.
Of the various horror anthologies published by DC, Ghosts was my least favorite. It was, however, the book that I could most frequently find in the cheap bins.
Good episode, guys!
I wasn’t a particularly big fan of DC’s horror comics, but I did pick up a few issues of Unexpected (I especially remember #190) and I would buy Weird War Tales from time to time. I especially enjoyed The Creature Commandos in the latter book and The War That Time Forgot.
I think that I’m just a little older than Chris Franklin and so I too remember Merv Griffin, In Search Of …, and CB radios. Heck, my family had a CB radio back in the late 70s and I can still sing all the words to Convoy by C. W. McCall.
Speaking of TV series about strange and unusual phenomena, did anyone else watch Arthur C. Clarke’s World of Strange Powers? Wikipedia identifies it as originating on ITV and it was shown in here in the States on various PBS channels. I’m sure that I discovered it watching Doctor Who in the mid-1980s. Each episode focused on ghosts, stigmata, ESP, psychokinesis, and other such things.
Great show, Paul and Chris. I always feel like I learn something from y’all.
I remember Mysterious Worlds, it always seemed to start with Arthur C Clarke walking along a beach near his home in Bermuda or wherever – show off!
I was abosulutely wrong Phantom’s horse WAS “hero”
The phantoms horse was hero and wolf was devil .
Also in the phantom 2040 references are made to both hero and devil.
Anyways back to Goshts I’ve read a few horror anthologies . Mainly some skywald reprints I was lucky enough to get . But I tend to like stories better when they have a host . You should check out the shows
cinema insomnia , and sally the zombie cheerleader on YouTube there horror host shows that show old movies I think you’ll enjoyed them .
Ghosts! It sounds Sa art but, “I ain’t afraid of no ghost!”. It was stories like these that actually helped me get over my fears of spectral apparitions. As long as I didn’t ignore the warnings, visit abandoned mansions, get cursed by a shaman or murder anyone, I would be safe from ghosts! The stories in Ghosts were just as much morality plays as the superhero adventures that got me reading comics. If you did bad things, bad things would happen to you!
I didn’t read a lot of Ghosts. Comics since it was canceled not long after I started reading comics, the horror anthology I remember most was the rebranded House of Mystery, Elvira’s House of Mystery!
I almost never read GHOSTS–it always looked so dull, even compared to HOUSE OF MYSTERY or THE UNEXPECTED. It always seemed like one of those titles DC published just to take up rack space or fulfill obscure postal regulations.
Of course, that’s not fair, and the pages you posted do look more interesting than I ever would have given the series credit for. Interesting that the book sold so well that it got its own issue of DC Special!
I did love that panel of the guy getting a lion’s paw RIGHT IN THE FACE!
And Chris, I can’t believe the network hasn’t heard the “car on fire” story before!
Great to have another episode, and Chris is always great value. The Leo Dorfman focus was great.
I bought hundreds and hundreds of these DC mystery books, including Ghosts, but I never saw this one, unfortunately. It does sound like the stories aren’t above average, but sometime averages are high. So I’ve cleared that one up.
The Moor People sound like a great time. If Snark did exist, I’d be heading there right now.
Now, I’ve almost certainly told this story on the network previously, but I may have got the subtitle of Ghosts changed. It always bugged me that the cover said ‘True tales…’ but in the indicia there was the usual disclaimer about the characters and events being made up, so I wrote to Bat-Cousin Bob Rozakis, the Answer Man, and in the Daily Planet of 5 February 1979, there was my question:
/////
Q: Are the stories that appear in GHOSTS true? If so, why the line in the indicia about ‘the stories, characters, and events mentioned are entirely fictional?
– Martin Gray
–
A: Our GHOSTS writers research their hauntings as much as possible, though they often change names to protect innocent parties. As for the truth in the tales, it depends on whether you believe in ghosts or not.
/////
As it turned out, two months previously the TRUE had been replaced by NEW. Spooky coincidence?
That DC Finest Kryptonite Nevermore book you recommended, Paul, actually has a cracking ghost story in it set in the Tower of London, The Ghost of Clark Kent.
Art Saaf drew some Supergirl stories, you know.
You boys don’t know Teny Henson? Did you not listen to Ryan and me talk about him on the epic Midnight: The Podcasting Hour #11 back in 2017, when we discussed Unexpected #202’s legendary ‘What Comes Hopping Down the Bunny Trail’?
https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/midnight-11/
And if you want some Pete Ross talk, check out Episode 213 of the Digging For Kryptonite podcast from July in which host Anthony Desiato and I go deep into Pete Ross’s sodden tent.
I loved the ‘mystery’ titles with their horrific twist endings and ‘you reap what you sow’ supernatural justice. Of all of them, I bought Unexpected the most. Ghosts was the least purchased but did get now and then.
There is some gold in this issue. The Totem Pole story is great. The horror moon reminded me of the Atlantis Chronicles ‘death meteor’. But nothing beats the lion paw to the face. Brutal. Young Anj would have been giddy!
Gotta love all the references here. CB radios! ‘We got ourselves a convoy!’ The Merv Griffin show! But best of all the ‘science proves the psychic self!’ … insanity!
Great episode and great discussion!
Another fun episode, guys, even though this wasn’t about the spectral residents of tv’s Woodstone manor. Although, Lady Glynda in the moors story does resemble Hetty.
Having recently deceased loved ones in the home was a thing 100 years ago. The front entry room was referred to as a parlor, and was where guests were greeted and entertained. When there was a death, this is where the body would lay for mourners to pay their respects before the funeral. This may also be where the term “funeral parlor” came from
A question about last month’s episode — did Jack Kirby ever provide an origin for Lightray? I haven’t read all of the original Fourth World stories. Just wondered if this was a retelling, an expansion of the origin, or a brand new story.
Hi, Paul! I enjoyed this episode as always, but want to thank Chris Franklin for mentioning the “Hollywood Hauntings” feature that was sometimes published within the pages of “Ghosts.” It wasn’t as easy as you’d think to find out what issue it was, but I narrowed down the appearance of Vincent Price to #62. As luck would have it, my weekend activities included visiting a local comic book convention and I purchased the comic for my collection. I featured it on October 12 during the annual Countdown to Halloween for my blog, The Classic Horrors Club, and gave DC Special Cast a shout out wherever I could!
Great stuff again. I can’t expand my collecting focus to this title – I just can’t… but this cast makes it very tempting!
Great show, Paul and Chris. I never read Ghosts, but I appreciate them being direct about what kind of stories they’re telling. Interesting collection of stories. The Moor People coming to town once a year reminds me of the caddies getting 15 minutes in the pool at Bushwood Country Club in Caddyshack. Always fun climbing up on Uncle Paul’s knee to learn the story of a different creator. It’s a shame that Mr. Dorfman didn’t live long enough to cash in on that sweet Pete Ross money. I agree with Chris that the art on the Totem story was a lot of fun. While I’m sure books like Ghost didn’t get the superstar artists, it did provide other artists with the opportunity to do some unique storytelling. Great show.