WISHLIST WEDNESDAY - 60s MARVEL HORROR

Tower Of Shadows #1 unused cover by Jim Steranko

Welcome to Wishlist Wednesday, an occasional (probably VERY occasional!) series in which I'll look at collections I'd like to see, however improbable. Marvel Comics have, over the past couple of decades been collecting much of their 1960s and early 1970s output in a series of hardcovers (and later also in softcover) called Marvel Masterworks. Over 200 volumes have been published in the series to date, covering nearly all the superhero output, plus some Western (Rawhide Kid) and War (Sgt. Fury) titles. The series has also gone back to cover some of Marvels 1940s Golden Age material and 1950s books from the period when they were known as Atlas Comics. One area that has so far escaped collection though is the early 1970s horror titles. While I suspect that ongoing series such as Werewolf By Night and Ghost Rider will eventually be collected, I don't hold out much hope for the various one-off stories that emerged in Marvel's short lived horror anthology titles.
In 1969 DC Comics had done a major revamp of it's two long-running mystery titles, House Of Mystery and House Of Secrets. Both had in recent years shifted their emphasis from horror/suspense stories firstly to science-fiction, then to superheroes. Then, at the close of the 1960s, the books came full circle and returned to their roots with new mystery/horror stories by artists like Berni Wrightson. Neal Adams, Mike Kaluta, Jack Sparling, Joe Orlando and Alex Toth.
The re-imagined books obviously sold well enough to attract the attention of DC's main competitor, Marvel Comics. Their response was to launch two new horror/mystery anthology titles, Tower Of Shadows and Chamber Of Darkness. Both featured new stories by the industry's biggest names of the time. Adams, Jim Steranko, Barry Windsor-Smith (back in the days when he was plain old Barry Smith), Gene Colan and John Buscema all provided art for the new titles. Despite the talent involved  the books didn't sell as well as DCs and the new material was gradually replaced by pre-hero monster reprints before being relaunched as Monsters On The Prowl and Creatures On The Loose.
So what could we expect from such a Masterworks collection? Well, here's a list of those odd stories from Tower Of Shadows/Creatures On The Loose and Chamber Of Darkness/Monsters On The Prowl plus on odd story from Adventure into Fear. 

At The Stroke Of Midnight from TOS #1. 

Art  by Jim Steranko.

TOWER OF SHADOWS #1  
At the Stroke of Midnight! (Writer/Artist Jim Steranko)  

From Beyond the Brink (Writer/Artist Johnny Craig)  

A Time to Die (Writer Stan Lee; Pencils John Buscema; Inks Don Heck)

TOWER OF SHADOWS #2

Witch Hunt (Writer Roy Thomas; Pencils Don Heck; Inks Dan Adkins)

Look Out Wyatt! Automation's Gonna Get You (Writer Gary Friedrich; Pencils John Buscema; Inks John Verpooten)

One Hungers (Writer/Artist Neal Adams)

TOWER OF SHADOWS #3 
The Moving Finger Writhes (Writer Len Wein; Pencils Gene Colan; Inks Mike Esposito)
Midnight In The Wax Museum (Writer Gary Friedrich; Art George Tuska)
The Terrible Old Man (Writer Roy Thomas (from a story by H. P. Lovecraft); Pencils Barry Smith; Inks Dan Adkins and John Verpooten)

TOWER OF SHADOWS #4

Evil Is A Baaaad Scene! (Writer Allyn Brodsky; Art Don Heck) 

One Little Indian (Writer Marv Wolfman; Pencils Gene Colan; Inks Dan Adkins) 

To Sneak, Perchance To Dream! (Writer Denny O'Neil; Plot/Art Tom Sutton) 

TOWER OF SHADOWS #5

The Demon That Devoured Hollywood! (Writer Roy Thomas; Pencils Barry Smith; Inks Dan Adkins)  

Flight Into Fear (Writer/Artist Wally Wood)

Time Out! (Writer Gerry Conway; Art Syd Shores)

TOWER OF SHADOWS #6

The Ghost Beast (Writer/Artist Wally Wood)

Contact! (Writer/Artist Tom Sutton)

The Scream From Beyond (Writer Steve Skeates; Pencils Gene Colan; Inks Dan Adkins) 

TOWER OF SHADOWS #7
The Scream Of Things (Writer Allyn Brodsky; Pencils Barry Smith; Inks Vince Colletta)
Of Swords And Sorcery! (Writer/Artist Wally Wood)

TOWER OF SHADOWS #8
Sanctuary! (Writer/Artist Wally Wood)

TOWER OF SHADOWS #9
Pickman's Model (Writer Roy Thomas (from the story by H. P. Lovecraft); Artist Tom Palmer)

CREATURES ON THE LOOSE #11
The Underground Gambit (writer Len Wein; Art Herb Trimpe)

CREATURES ON THE LOOSE #12
Master And Slave (Writer Al Hewston; Art Syd Shores)

CREATURES ON THE LOOSE #13
Where Walks The Werewolf (Writer Len Wein; Art Reed Crandell)

CHAMBER OF DARKNESS #1
It's Only Magic (Writer Stan Lee; Pencils John Buscema; Inks John Verpooten)
Mr. Craven Buys His Scream House (Writer Denny O'Neil; Artist Tom Sutton)
Always Leave Them Laughing! (Writer Gary Friedrich; Pencils Don Heck; Inks Frank Giacoia)

COD #2 cover by John Romita

CHAMBER OF DARKNESS #2
Forewarned Is Four-Armed! (Writers Roy Thomas and Neal Adams; Pencils Marie Severin; Inks Herb Trimpe and Tom Sutton)
The Face Of Fear! (Plot Stan Lee; Script Archie Goodwin; Art Syd Shores)
The Day Of The Red Death (Writer Roy Thomas; Artist Don Heck)

CHAMBER OF DARKNESS #3
The Warlock Tree (Writer Gerry Conway; Pencils Barry Smith; Inks Syd Shores)
The Tell Tell Heart (Writer Denny O'Neil (from the story by Edgar Allen Poe); Art Tom Palmer)
Something Lurks On Shadow Mountain (Writer Roy Thomas; pencils John Buscema; Inks John Verpooten)

COD #4 cover by Marie Severin

CHAMBER OF DARKNESS #4
The Monster (Writer/Pencils Jack Kirby; Inks John Verpooten)
The Man Who Owned The World (Script Denny O'Neil; Plot/Art Tom Sutton)
The Sword And The Sorcerers (Script Roy Thomas;  Art Barry Smith)

CHAMBER OF DARKNESS #5
...And Fear Shall Follow! (Writer/Artist Jack Kirby)
The Music From Beyond (Writer Roy Thomas, based on the story "The Music of Erich Zann." by H. P. Lovecraft; Art Johnny Craig)
The Beast From The Bog (writer Denny O'Neil; art Paul Reinman)

CHAMBER OF DARKNESS #6
A Change Of Mind (Writer Len Wein; Pencils Sal Buscema; Inks Syd Shores)
Put Another Nickel In (Writer Mimi Gold; Art Dick Ayers)

CHAMBER OF DARKNESS #7
Gargoyle Every Night (Writers Roy Thomas and Bernie Wrightson; artist Bernie Wrightson)
Mastermind (Writer/artist Tom Sutton)

CHAMBER OF DARKNESS #8
Believe It... Or Not! (Writer/Inker Bill Everett; Pencils Dan Adkins)

MONSTERS ON THE PROWL #9
Desert Scream (Writer Allyn Brodsky; Pencils Jack Katz; Inks Barry Smith)

MONSTERS ON THE PROWL #10
One Last Wish! (Writer Gary Friedrich; Pencils Don Heck; Inks George Roussos)

MONSTERS ON THE PROWL #11
Escape! (Writer/Artist Ralph Reese)

MONSTERS ON THE PROWL #12
The Maiden And The Monster (writer Stan Lee; artist Leo Summers)

MONSTERS ON THE PROWL #13
In The Shadow Of Tragg (writer Gerry Conway; artist Syd Shores)

MONSTERS ON THE PROWL #14
Terror Of The Pterodactyl (Plot Al Hewston; Script Steve Englehart; Art Syd Shores)

ADVENTURE INTO FEAR #10 
The Spell Of The Sea Witch (Writer Allen Brodsky; Pencils Jack Katz; Inks Bill Everett) 

There are probably other odd stories I haven't yet come across, but what a collection this would make!

Well, I can dream, can't I?

I'll be back sometime tomorrow with the next edition of Fourth World Thursday.

See you then,

Steve