Mysterious Adventures #18

In "Skin 'Em Alive!" from Mysterious Adventures #18 (1954), the Coffin-Keeper recounts the eerie tale of a college football place-kicker whose flawless kicks begin to unsettle his rivals. When they finally uncover the truth behind his so-called lucky ball, they learn its cover hides a far more unsettling secret than luck.

A bank robber fleeing Kansas finds refuge in the seemingly abandoned town of Buffalo City, only to discover it's far more desolate than he bargained for. When the townspeople emerge and mistake him for the late Horace Bell's nephew, he seizes the opportunity—but his deception unravels during a peculiar dinner where nothing is quite as it seems. In this chilling tale from 1954, what should have been the perfect hideout becomes a nightmare when he learns the terrible truth about his new "neighbors."

In "String 'Em Up!" from Mysterious Adventures #18 (1954), the gentle puppeteer Fritz Kurtz finds unexpected companionship when he rescues a young woman from despair. As her affection for his assistant grows, a dangerous secret begins to unravel—especially when Fritz’s beloved puppets seem to stir with a will of their own. Penciled with eerie precision by Hy Fleishman, this chilling tale weaves quiet kindness into something far more unsettling.