MARVEL... THE NEW EC? (PART 2)

On sale just a month after TOWER OF SHADOWS, with a cover date of October 1969 (on-sale date July 15 1969), Marvel's second new horror anthology CHAMBER OF DARKNESS hit the spinner racks. The cover by John Romita (logo by Sam Rosen) includes the text "Tales of Maddening Magic!" Maddening, indeed, as -- aside from the addition of host Headstone P. Gravely -- this inaugural issue a a far cry from anything EC-inspired.

The trio of tales in this issue are tepid: "It's Only Magic!" with a script by Stan Lee, pencils by John Buscema and inks by John Verpoorten, is a bit of a hackneyed story about a kid unleashing a Djinn who plans to take over the world. A notch better is Denny O'Neill's "Mr. Craven Buys His Scream House!", illustrated by Tom Sutton, and "Always Leave 'Em Laughing!" is a worn-out time-travel tale by Gary Freidrich, pencilled by Don Heck and inked by Frank Giacoia.

Page of original art by John Buscema and John Verpoorten.

One wonders what Stan Lee was thinking after the debacle with Jim Steranko and this only average follow-up. In both titles, the stories are uneven with a paltry handful of gems (that included H.P. Lovecraft adaptations) and eventually, they would go out with a whimper, stuffing the last few issues with reprints from decades-old Atlas reprints.

Mercifully, CHAMBER OF DARKNESS lasted for only eight issues, from October 1969 until December 1970 with an all-reprint one-shot special in January 1972.

Despite their early fate, TOWER OF SHADOWS and CHAMBER OF DARKNESS are landmark issues and it wouldn't be too much longer when the turbo-charged Marvel Monsterbus would pull in with a boatload of successful new horror titles.

MARIE SEVERIN IN THE CHAMBER OF DARKNESS

Marie Severin (younger sister of John Severin) was often called up from the Marvel Bullpen to apply her many talents. Here are two examples of cover roughs that she did for CHAMBER OF DARKNESS #4 (1970) and TOWER OF SHADOWS #6 (shown with the final cover).

Marie Severin Chamber of Darkness #4 Preliminary Cover Rough Original Art (Marvel, 1970). Marie Severin was indispensable to the Marvel Bullpen in the 1960s and 1970s in a number of behind-the-scenes roles, including producing rough cover layouts to help speed the production process. This was a proposed cover for issue #4 of Chamber of Darkness, and it would have been a prophetic cover, because the story it illustrates is the Barry Smith try-out Conan the Barbarian style story! Another piece of Bronze Age Marvel history that shines a light on what has long been considered a backdoor key to the beginning of the Modern Age of comics. Produced in ink and wash on yellow-green paper with an image area of 7" x 10". In Excellent condition.

Marie Severin Tower of Shadows #6 Preliminary Cover Artwork Original Art (Marvel, 1970). Severin's first take on this cover is a tense stand-off on this bold cover with heavy use of black and shadows. A more immediate threat was required for the final cover design, featuring the rats coming in the hole. There's something nice about this restrained piece with its stressful impending doom. Created in marker and ink wash over graphite on paper with an image area of approximately 6.75" x 8". Light toning, with one marginal corner missing. Subtle rippling on the bottom edge, possibly from the wash itself. Overall in Very Good condition.