Spooky #3

History

Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost was conceived by animator Larz Bourne and brought to the comics page under editor Sid Jacobson, with art by Warren Kremer — Harvey's preeminent house artist, whose animation-influenced draftsmanship shaped nearly every major Harvey humor title. After debuting as a supporting character in Casper the Friendly Ghost #10 (June 1953), Spooky earned his own eponymous series with the November 1955 launch of the solo title; issue #3 followed in March 1956. Authorship of individual Spooky stories is largely unattributed, though Kremer, Jacobson, and Howard 'Howie' Post are all documented contributors to the character's development.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of Pearl ('Poil'), Spooky's ghost girlfriend, who became one of the most recurring characters across the Harvey Comics supernatural line.
• Published March 1956 by Harvey Publications; cover price 10 cents; 36 pages, full color.
• Pearl's introduction scenario: Spooky stumbles upon her house while playing truant from ghost school, fleeing a truant officer who turns out to be Pearl's own father.
• Issue also features backup stories starring the Ghostly Trio (who argue over which TV show to watch) and Nightmare the ghost horse (who poses for a photographer, forgetting ghosts don't appear on film).
• The Spooky series was only three issues old at this point, having launched in November 1955 — making this one of the earliest issues in a title that would ultimately run to #161 in September 1980.
• Spooky was created by Paramount/Famous Studios animator Larz Bourne; the comics were written and edited by Sid Jacobson and drawn by Warren Kremer.
• Spooky's character was deliberately written as a comedic counterpoint to Casper — embracing scaring where Casper rejected it — and Pearl's role was to embody the moral friction that drives nearly every story.
• The solo Spooky title later spawned multiple spin-off series, including Tuff Ghosts Starring Spooky (1962–1972), Spooky Spooktown (1961–1976), and Spooky Haunted House (1972–1975).

Cast · 2 characters