Ghost Manor #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeGhost Manor #1 (vol. 2, October 1971) marks the first appearance of Mr. Bones — a re-animated, pale-complexioned skeleton butler who served as the series host for the entire 77-issue run of Ghost Manor's second volume, carrying the title through to Charlton's closure in 1984. The issue represents a deliberate creative pivot: when the original Ghost Manor series ended at issue #19 and its host Winnie the Witch migrated to the renamed title Ghostly Haunts, Charlton relaunched the Ghost Manor brand from scratch with a new number one and an entirely new supernatural host, a relatively unusual move for the publisher. Mr. Bones slotted into Charlton's well-populated stable of horror hosts — alongside Mr. L. Dedd (Ghostly Tales), Baron Weirwulf (Haunted), and Dr. M.T. Graves (The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves) — and distinguished himself through his butler persona and a tendency to be worked visually into the stories themselves rather than merely framing them from outside. For Bronze Age horror-anthology collectors, this issue is the foundational document for one of Charlton's longest-running host characters.
In "Who's Staying in the Secret Room?", a haunting tale from 1971, a centuries-old witch coven tries to spirit their essence into a modern descendant—but their ritual is interrupted by an unexpected act of faith. Written by Joe Gill and brought to life with eerie precision by Steve Ditko, the story unfolds with a chilling blend of supernatural dread and vintage suspense. The cover by Pat Boyette captures the moment’s tension in stark, striking detail.
In "The Shadow of the Cross," a centuries-old witch coven tries to possess a modern descendant, but their ritual is interrupted by a priest who uses a cross formed from two boards in a skylight—sending the witch’s body ablaze in a moment of chilling, supernatural consequence.
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Pat Boyette — the multi-hyphenate Charlton workhorse who was also a TV news anchor and filmmaker — designed Mr. Bones and drew the lead story 'Introducing Mr. Bones' as well as the cover for this issue, handling pencils, inks, and lettering himself. Scripts for the anthology stories are attributed (with a question mark by the Grand Comics Database) to prolific Charlton writer Joe Gill, who was the de facto engine behind the publisher's horror output. The issue was initially edited under the Charlton imprimatur of Sal Gentile's era, though George Wildman would take over editorial duties with issue #6 in August 1972 and steer the book until its cancellation. Steve Ditko — who had been a fixture on Ghost Manor vol. 1 — contributed interior story art to this first issue as well, with researcher Nick Caputo noting that 'The Shadow of the Cross' was Ditko's first turn depicting the newly designed Bones character.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Mr. Bones, the series' re-animated skeleton butler host, introduced in the lead story literally titled 'Introducing Mr. Bones' — penciled, inked, and lettered by Pat Boyette.
- Mr. Bones is depicted in-story as the butler of Farr Manor (nicknamed Ghost Manor by locals after the ghost of murdered carpenter Carl Jones traps its cruel owner Farnham Farr in a secret soundproofed room), giving the host a concrete fictional backstory rather than a purely framing role.
- Pat Boyette designed the Mr. Bones character and provided the cover art for this issue; he is also credited as sole artist on two of the interior stories.
- Steve Ditko contributed interior story art — specifically 'The Shadow of the Cross' — making this one of the early Bronze Age issues to feature both Boyette and Ditko in the same book.
- Scripts throughout the issue are tentatively attributed to Joe Gill by the Grand Comics Database, consistent with Gill's role as Charlton's dominant anthology writer of the period.
- The issue carries four stories hosted by Mr. Bones: 'Introducing Mr. Bones,' 'Who's Staying in the Secret Room?,' 'The Shadow of the Cross,' and 'R.I.P.' — the last penciled and inked by Charles Nicholas and Vince Alascia.
- The introduction story and 'Who's Staying in the Secret Room?' were both reprinted in Ghost Manor #73 (March 1984), the penultimate year of the series, demonstrating the enduring value Charlton placed on the origin material.
- In Ditko's 'The Shadow of the Cross' story, he playfully inserted cameo appearances by other Charlton horror hosts — Mr. Dedd, Impy, and Winnie the Witch — along with the long-dormant Dr. Haunt, last drawn by Ditko in 1958.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Ghostly Tales Album #11 (1980), Ghost Manor #73 (1984), Beyond the Grave #15 (1984), A Touch of Genius #[nn] (2021), Cryptology #4 (2025)
Key issues in Ghost Manor
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