Ghostly Tales #103

Charlton's Ghostly Tales #103 brings the chill in this 1973 installment "from the haunted house," with a cover by Steve Ditko that pulls you straight into something unsettling. A looming, shadowy figure watches through a cracked-open door, where a small, vulnerable person stands bathed in an eerie warm glow — the contrast between that inviting light and the surrounding green, web-draped darkness is quietly menacing. The cover's own teaser promises "a shocking story of murder, money and revenge" in a tale called "Last Laugh," and with interior work from Pete Morisi and writing by Joe Gill, this is a fine example of Charlton horror firing on all cylinders.