Strange Suspense Stories #55

This September 1961 Charlton issue delivers the kind of unsettling spectacle the title promises — a massive, wings-spread bird of prey dominates the cover, its green-beaked head rearing menacingly while a coiling green serpent writhes below amid open flames and scattered debris. A human figure recoils in the background against a fiery, cavernous setting, giving the whole scene a wonderfully ominous atmosphere. Cover art by Bill Molno and Vince Alascia makes the most of every square inch, and "The Night Is Dark" sounds like it lives up to that brooding promise.