BLACK MASS by Various | Email

BLACK MASS by Various

The Witching Hour is approaching, with the terror of Hallowe'en coming to feast on your flesh and devour your eternal soul. Black Mass is our celebration of all things wicked, featuring a diverse plethora of writers delivering new stories of horror guaranteed to make you watch over your shoulder when darkness falls.

As an homage to the great monster anthology titles produced by Marvel in the 1970s, each series at Strange Tales has been renamed to reflect one of the magazines - accompanied by full-length companion stories by the greatest assemblage of writers we could round up. Light the candles and draw the pentagram...the Black Mass has begun!


  1. Savage Tales # 12 - featuring Werewolf by Night by Chris Munn and Conan the Barbarian by Josh Reynolds
  2. Chamber of Chills # 18 - featuring the Defenders by Chris Munn & Mike Rasbury and Jack O' Lantern by Matt Pierce
  3. Adventures Into Fear # 4 - featuring the Man-Thing by Josh Reynolds and Morbius the Living Vampire by Chris Munn
  4. Bizarre Adventures # 4 - featuring Moon Knight and Sleepwalker by Tom Moses
  5. Vampire Tales # 3 - featuring Dracula Lives by Curt Fernlund and Blade by Ian Astheimer
  6. Stories to Hold You Spellbound # 9 - featuring the Witches by Megan Curtis and Cloak & Dagger by Mike Rasbury
  7. Black Mass: The Haunt of Horror # 1 - featuring the Scarecrow by Thomas Deja, Solomon Kane by Josh Reynolds, and Darkhold by Chris Munn

 

Conan the Barbarian CONAN THE BARBARIAN |
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet." - Robert E. Howard.

Conan the Barbarian JACK O' LANTERN |
During the Manhattan Tunnel Excavation Project, college student Rueben Dennis made a discovery that would change his life. Buried in the earth was the Pumpkin Helmet, and when placed atop his head Rueben found himself transformed into the Jack O' Lantern. Following a single attempt at becoming a costumed hero (one that failed miserably), Rueben has found that the Pumpkin is now permanently bonded to his head..

Morbius MICHAEL MORBIUS |
An experimental cure for a rare blood disease transformed Nobel Prize-winning scientist Michael Morbius into the world's most fearsome predator -- a living vampire who is a slave to an addiction of blood. Until he can find a cure for his affliction he stalks the night, preying upon victims innocent or guilty -- and wrestling with his own tortured conscience.

Sleepwalker SLEEPWALKER |
A member of a race of alien dream police, the Sleepwalker patrolled the Mindscape until an event that led to him becoming imprisoned in the mind of human Rick Sheridan. Now, the Sleepwalker can only enter our world when Sheridan sleeps, continuing his mission of protecting humanity from the nightmares within and without.

Blade BLADE |
His mother was murdered by a vampire while giving birth to him. As a youth, he was determined to avenge her death. Blade became a vampire hunter, devoting his life to the pursuit of the undead. Not long ago, Blade was bitten by the pseudo-vampire Morbius - an act which transformed him into a half-man/half-vampire hybrid. He is the Dhampire, the Daywalker, and all creatures of the night tremble at his name.

Cloak CLOAK |
Tyrone Johnson was a young man with a stuttering speech impediment before the darkness was unlocked inside him. Cloak's body is a portal to the Dark Dimension, which compels him to absorb the life forces of other beings. He is devoted to his partner, Dagger, who is the only one who can appease his unnatural hunger.

Dagger DAGGER |
A rich girl who ran away from a neglectful mother, Tandy Bowen can generate and hurl psionic "light daggers" which can drain their target's vitality. As partner to Cloak, Dagger uses her power of light to appease his darkness and purge the addictions of those unfortunates that reside in the alleyways of New York.

Scarecrow SCARECROW |
With a haunting laugh that can fill even the bravest soul with fear, the Scarecrow resides within the Painting, an extra-dimensional home from which this unknown mystical entity emerges to protect the Painting's owners.

Solomon Kane SOLOMON KANE |
A Puritan Englishman living in the 16th Century, Solomon Kane has dedicated his life to hunting down monsters across the open span of the world. From werewolves in France to dragons in Germany, Kane has vanquished numerous creatures - including Dracula, the Lord of Vampires.

The Darkhold THE DARKHOLD |
Written by the Elder God known only as Chthon, the Darkhold - also known as the Book of Sins - is a book whose pages hold spells of unbelievable power. The book has passed through many hands over the centuries - its pages lost, scattered, and gathered again numerous times - and has successfully stolen the souls of those wary enough to read from its pages.