Ghosts #1
Ghosts #1 was one of several horror-mystery-suspense DC series launched simultaneously in 1971, alongside The Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love and The Sinister House of Secret Love, collectively representing DC's most concentrated push into the supernatural anthology format since the pre-Comics Code era. Unlike all of DC's other horror-themed comics in the 1970s, Ghosts had no recurring host character for most of its run, making it structurally unusual among its peers and reinforcing its pseudo-documentary 'true tales' tone from the very first issue. According to DC writer and executive Paul Levitz, though Ghosts 'wasn't a fan favorite (then or in retrospect), it was a disproportionately good seller,' confirming that the mass newsstand audience responded to the premise in ways critics and fans did not always acknowledge. The series ran for 112 issues from September–October 1971 to May 1982, making it one of the longest-lived Bronze Age horror anthologies DC ever published.
In the dusty town of Tombstone, Arizona, where the graves of the West's most notorious outlaws lie silent, something stirs in the night—only one of them wasn’t meant to stay dead. Written by Leo Dorfman and brought to life by Tony DeZuniga’s striking art, Ghosts #1 (1971) kicks off with a chilling promise: “We Challenge You to Read On!” The cover, a haunting portrait by Nick Cardy, sets the tone for a tale where the past refuses to stay buried.
In "The Tattooed Terror!", Richard Forman’s past catches up with him in the most chilling way—his former partner, Burt Jorgens, returns from prison not with a grudge, but with a terrifying ritual. As Forman lies asleep, Jorgens marks him with cryptic tattoos, each one a portent of a gruesome fate. When the nightmares turn real and the line between terror and reality blurs, Forman must face the man who once betrayed him—before the final symbol seals his doom.
In "The Last Dream!", Frederic Beaumont flees to a remote mountain lodge, hoping to outrun a 400-year-old curse that has claimed every male ancestor before him. Haunted by the ghost of his family’s rival, Tybalt Fletcher, Beaumont’s desperate attempt to escape his grim fate begins to unravel as the past closes in.
In the dusty, forgotten town of Tombstone, Arizona, where the graves of the West’s most notorious outlaws lie silent, a chilling presence stirs beneath the moonlight. When a spectral coachman emerges from the graveyard, riding a phantom stagecoach through the streets, Jo finds herself caught in a haunting ride that defies death itself.
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The comic was created by Leo Dorfman, who wrote every story in the first issue; to avoid the appearance of a single writer monopolizing the book, editor Murray Boltinoff had Dorfman use the pseudonyms 'Geoff Brown' — drawn from his son's first name and his wife's maiden name — and 'David George.' The issue carried an on-sale date of July 1, 1971, with a cover date of October 1971, published under the National Periodical Publications imprint and approved by the Comics Code Authority. One researcher's account suggests the title was originally to be called 'True Ghost Stories,' which explains a production anomaly: when the name was changed, the indicia was updated by whiting out 'True' and 'Stories,' but the 's' was never added — leaving the indicia reading simply 'Ghost' while the cover read 'Ghosts.' This discrepancy persisted only for this first issue; beginning with issue #2, the indicia was corrected to match.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Writer Leo Dorfman and artists Nick Cardy (cover), Jim Aparo, Tony DeZuniga, Sam Glanzman, and Carmine Infantino all contributed to the first issue.
- Dorfman wrote every story in the issue but was credited under two pseudonyms — 'Geoff Brown' and 'David George' — at editor Murray Boltinoff's direction, to avoid the impression of one writer dominating the book.
- The issue contained five stories: 'Death's Bridegroom!' (Aparo art), 'Ghost in the Iron Coffin' (Glanzman art), 'The Tattooed Terror!', 'The Last Dream!' (both Infantino/Sy Barry, reprinted from earlier DC titles), and 'The Spectral Coachman!' (DeZuniga art).
- Two stories were reprints from the early 1950s: 'The Tattooed Terror!' originally appeared in Sensation Mystery #112, and 'The Last Dream!' originally appeared in Sensation Comics #107, both scripted by John Broome.
- The issue opened with a one-page introductory piece, 'We Challenge You to Read On!', illustrated by Tony DeZuniga, invoking famous historical believers in the supernatural including Abraham Lincoln, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Mark Twain.
- Nick Cardy served as cover artist not just for this issue but for the majority of the series' early run, covering issues #1–6, 8–15, and 17–36.
- Stories from Ghosts #1 were reprinted in the oversized Limited Collectors' Edition #C-32 (December 1974–January 1975), and the entire issue was later collected in Showcase Presents: Ghosts (DC, January 2012).
- The cover image from Ghosts #1 was given a retrospective tribute when it was reprinted on the splash page of issue #100.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Sensation Comics #107 (1952), Sensation Mystery #112 (1952)
Reprinted in Mi Gran Aventura #142 (1972), Doomsday #24 (1974), Spectral #1 (1974), Limited Collectors' Edition #C-32 (1974), Haunted Tales #19 (1976), Weird Mystery Tales #26 (1976), Weird Mystery Tales #33 (1978), Le Manoir des Fantômes #22 (1982), Showcase Presents: Ghosts #1 (2012)
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