Adventures into the Unknown #7
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAdventures into the Unknown #7 is one brick in the foundation of an extraordinary landmark: the series it belongs to holds the distinction of being comics' first ongoing horror anthology title, predating EC Comics' horror output by roughly a year and a half and blazing a trail that would define the dominant genre of the next decade. Issue #7 — cover-dated October–November 1949, the seventh installment in that groundbreaking run — showcases ACG's consistent strategy of mixing reliable staff artists with high-caliber freelancers, pulling in a future EC stalwart (Johnny Craig) alongside Golden Age journeymen, demonstrating the book's ambition just over a year into its run. Its mix of voodoo, mummies, swamis, and spiritualist-debunking reporters illustrates the anthology's deliberately wide horror palette, touching supernatural subgenres that would become staples of the entire pre-Code era. Because the parent series survived the Comics Code era when most rivals folded — running all 174 issues from 1948 to 1967 — every early chapter, including this one, is part of an unbroken historical continuum unique in horror-comics publishing.
In "The Swami's Secret," Dr. Vance, along with Jean and Link, ventures into the jungles of Bengal to hunt the legendary Hanuman Ape, defying local warnings that the beast is a divine guardian of Siva. As they uncover eerie stone statues mirroring the ape, their expedition takes a supernatural turn when the creature awakens—only for Jean to use a sacred talisman to restore balance. Art by Ed Moritz, this 1949 tale blends jungle adventure with ancient mysticism, all rendered in bold, expressive lines on a cover also by Moritz.
In "The Swami's Secret," reporters Bill Carlton and Trudy Roland take on the dangerous mystic Swami Heshug, uncovering his dark ritual that conjures the spirit of the executed killer "Cat" Harris using burning herbs. As their investigation deepens, Trudy is captured, forcing Bill into a desperate showdown at the swami’s lair where the ritual’s power begins to unravel.
In the jungles of Bengal, Dr. Vance leads a perilous expedition with Jean and Link to hunt the fabled Hanuman Ape, defying local warnings that the beast is a divine guardian of Siva. As they venture deeper, they uncover eerie statues mirroring the creature, and the hunt takes a dark turn when the ape’s power awakens aboard a ship. The story’s eerie tension builds as Jean must confront the supernatural force with a sacred talisman—only to discover what truly binds the ape to its ancient prison.
An archaeological team uncovers the perfectly preserved tomb of Sesostris in Egypt's Valley of the Nile, but when a worker secretly tears a piece of the mummy's ancient wrappings, a chain of inexplicable disasters begins to unfold. As Dick, Tom Winber, and George Waverly find themselves caught in a web of supernatural mishaps tied to the stolen cloth, they must unravel the truth behind Sesostris's cryptic curse before the vengeance consumes them all. This haunting tale pushes the boundaries between rational explanation and ancient mystery in the best tradition of classic horror.
In "Drums of the Undead," illustrator Bill and his friend Sheila visit a museum to photograph a Haitian exhibit—only to witness a mysterious woman steal a sacred drum. When Bill captures her on film, the pair uncover a chilling truth: the thief is Erzulie Bocor, the Voodoo Goddess, who turns Sheila into a zombie in retaliation.
In "The World beyond the Mirror," Alice, drawn by a book of ghost stories from her uncle’s library, peers into a mirror—and finds herself on the other side, where ghosts live in quiet dread of the living world. Written by an unknown author and illustrated by an unknown artist, the story unfolds in just four pages, capturing a haunting moment of crossing between realities.
In "The Case of the Roman Curse," ex-GI Christopher Fenn takes on a haunting mystery when the ghosts of ancient Roman soldiers begin claiming lives on the estate of Pamela Hogarth. With the help of spectral Druids—ancient foes of Rome—Fenn must unravel the curse before the next victim falls, wielding a blade wrapped in a yew sprig to break the spell.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 16 grades ▾
Find on ebay
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Adventures into the Unknown was launched in Fall 1948 by American Comics Group (initially under the B&I Publishing imprint) under the editorship of Richard E. Hughes, who stewarded the title throughout its entire run and maintained what contemporaries and historians have described as a consistently high creative standard. By issue #7, the book had settled into a bimonthly rhythm and a reliable production model: staff artists like Edvard Moritz anchored each issue — Moritz both painted the cover for #7 and contributed interior pages — while freelancers with credentials elsewhere in comics were brought in, with Bob Lubbers (then a busy Golden Age gun-for-hire who would shortly move to the Tarzan newspaper strip) and Johnny Craig (soon to be synonymous with EC Comics horror) both contributing interior art to this issue. A short story contest winner, 'Ghost Mother' by Mrs. J. Yakayima, was also published here, pointing to ACG's engagement with its readership in these early years.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published October–November 1949 (cover date) by American Comics Group (ACG); 52 pages at a 10-cent cover price.
- Part of Adventures into the Unknown, widely recognized as the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title, launching Fall 1948 and running 174 issues through August 1967.
- Cover art and interior art by Edvard Moritz, the series' longtime staff artist and cover painter.
- Interior art contributions by Johnny Craig — at the time a freelancer who would soon become a defining artist at EC Comics — and by Bob Lubbers, a Golden Age veteran who would go on to illustrate the Tarzan newspaper strip from 1950–1954.
- Additional interior art by Jon L. Blummer, Pete Riss, R.S. Pious, and Pete Costanza; edited by Richard E. Hughes.
- Stories include 'Drums of the Undead' (a couple in Haiti encountering voodoo zombies and their master Erzulie Bocor), 'The Mummy's Cloth' (a cursed Egyptian relic spreading doom), 'The Ape Demon,' 'The Swami's Secret,' 'The World Beyond the Mirror,' and 'The Case of the Roman Curse,' among others — covering swamis, voodoo, mummies, and spiritualists.
- Includes 'Ghost Mother,' written by Mrs. J. Yakayima, identified as the winner of an Adventures into the Unknown reader short-story contest, reflecting ACG's early audience engagement.
- Issue #7 was reprinted in full color in the PS Artbooks hardcover 'ACG Collected Works: Adventures Into The Unknown Vol. 2' (2012, collecting issues #6–10), and is also included in the Dark Horse 'Adventures into the Unknown! Archives Volume 2' hardcover, which collected issues #5–8.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Out of This World #23 (1966), Creepy Worlds #64 (1967), Chilling Tales of Horror #2 [1] (1971), Secrets of the Unknown #168 (1977), Terror Under the Sea! #[nn] (1981), Creepy Worlds #240 (1987), Adventures into the Unknown Archives #2 (2013), Secrets of the Unknown #64
Key issues in Adventures into the Unknown
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.