Ghostly Tales #132

Charlton's long-running horror anthology reaches issue #132 with a cover by Steve Ditko that instantly earns its keep: a snarling, luminous green creature surges upward from what appears to be a control panel, menacing a technician who seems woefully unprepared for whatever he's unleashed. The story title "No Smoking Allowed!" takes on a deliciously ominous meaning when you consider that swirling green vapor rising between man and monster. With Joe Gill writing and Ditko handling both the interior art and lettering duties shared with Charlotte Jetter, this 1978 Charlton package is a fine example of the era's compact, no-frills horror storytelling at its most entertaining.