SKULL COMICS NO. 1

SKULL COMICS
Vol. 1 No. 1
March 1970
Rip Off Press
36 pages

The first issue of Skull Comics, published by Rip Off Press was subtitled “Tales Contrived to Flip You Out of Your (Skull) “, appeared in March, 1970, the first year of a new decade which would see still more societal excess and decadence, as well as the birth of a new pop culture phenomenon … disco, which, in this author’s opinion was more horrifying than anything that could be depicted in a comics magazine! The cover of Skull Comics #1 shows a man’s face split in half to reveal a grinning skull underneath. To the left of this image is a gallery of four colorful but morbid personages, Chicken Itza, The Wino Pervert, The Bogeyman, and The Brighton Axe Murderer, which succeeds in emulating the cover design used to great effect by E.C. comics less than 20 years before. There is even a circular “EC” logo in the top right, declaring this to be “An Exorpsychic Comic”. A warning stating “Adults Only, Kids!” completes the decidedly familiar, but also the aforementioned “contrived” subculture, feel of the book.

Unlike its predecessors, inside are sights never before seen in the likes of horror comics. Sure, there are plenty of frightful images, and this is really nothing new. What sets these books apart from their mainstream brethren is the generous dose of sex and outright depravity that is incorporated into the stories. There is also a hearty helping of exploding bodies, virgin sacrifice, and other motifs, all executed with a sadistic, perverse delight. These are horror comics with the gloves off and … everything else as well. These are funny books on steroids, Viagra, and unchained.

WARNING! This comic contains material intended for mature readers. Proceed accordingly!