Strange Suspense Stories #42

This June 1959 Charlton anthology delivers that particular brand of eerie unease the title promises, with a cover by Dick Giordano that centers on a sneering, glowing face radiating waves of unsettling energy — the mysterious Pierre himself — while a crowd of terrified bystanders recoils below and a lone figure raises his arms against a city skyline. The cover copy teases "Pierre, the Magnificent" and his "strange unnatural power that filled people with fear," alongside a second tale promising a creature capable of causing an earthquake, making this a satisfying double-bill of mid-century suspense. At a dime on newsstands in 1959, Strange Suspense Stories #42 is a fine example of Charlton doing what it did best: compact, atmospheric chills rendered with confident craft.