The Hand of Fate #10
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Hand of Fate #10 (April 1952) is a solid mid-run example of Ace Magazines' pre-Code horror line at its creative peak, showcasing the series' defining formula: the hooded figure of Fate presiding as a moralistic narrator over interlocking anthology tales of greed, supernatural retribution, and cosmic inevitability. Most remarkably, the story 'One Awful Night with a Fiend'—drawn by Mike Sekowsky and inked by Vince Alascia—depicts a Hollywood director who produces snuff films, making it one of the earliest explicit references to the concept in American popular fiction, years before the term entered wider cultural conversation. The issue exists as part of a broader publishing story rooted in legal conflict: the Hand of Fate series itself was born when Ace, forced by a court ruling in a lawsuit brought by American Comics Group, retired its 'Unknown' host character and relaunched him under the name 'Fate' in a new title beginning with issue #8 (December 1951). As one of Ace's four interlocking horror titles that ran until the Comics Code ended the pre-Code era, the series occupies a documented place in that chapter of comics history, even if it has historically been overshadowed by EC's better-publicized output.
In "One Awful Night with a Fiend," movie starlet Jane is drawn into a terrifying bargain: resurrect the undead Count Marko from his grave, or her dreams of stardom remain out of reach. As the night unfolds in a decaying estate, she discovers the horrifying truth behind the promise—she’s being forced to star in a real-life snuff film. With the help of a mysterious young producer who arrives just in time, Jane fights to escape the fiend’s grasp. Penciled by Mike Sekowsky and inked by Vince Alascia, this chilling tale of ambition and horror comes to life on a cover by Ken Rice, a 10-cent comic from 1952.
In "One Awful Night with a Fiend," movie starlet Jane is drawn into a terrifying bargain: resurrect the undead Count Marko by digging him up, and fame awaits. But when she learns she’s to star in a real-life horror film, her terror turns to desperation as she flees the fiend’s cursed estate—only to be saved by a young producer scouting for talent.
In a quiet London art gallery, three haunting paintings by Reginald Coleman draw curious eyes—each a chilling premonition of disaster. The first shows a boat that exploded, the second a skyscraper that crumbled, and the third a self-portrait that ended with the artist struck dead by lightning.
In "Beware of Siva's Flaming Wrath," an Englishman and his daughter in 1952 India unwittingly disrupt a sacred ritual of Shiva worshippers, awakening a wrathful curse that follows them like a shadow. As the cult’s vengeance takes hold, the daughter and her bridegroom face a terrifying fate in flames—no escape, no mercy.
In the hushed halls of Les Invalides, a nightguard stumbles upon the spectral figure of Napoleon Bonaparte astride his white horse, a ghostly rider emerging from the shadows of history. This eerie encounter unfolds in the timeless pages of "A Hand of Fate Mystery #6," a chilling tale from The Hand of Fate #10 (1952).
In "Bride of the Golden Skull," Clive Douglas flees a Tibetan temple with a stolen golden skull, only to be tormented by visions of its voiceless commands. A mysterious oriental woman appears, her calm presence drawing him into a fate he can’t escape—revealing herself as the ancient Bride bound to the skull’s cursed legacy. The line between madness and revelation blurs as Douglas confronts a truth older than memory.
In "Lure of the Zombie Diamonds," gambler Willie ventures into a cursed South Seas valley where only the dead may enter, drawn by the promise of a legendary treasure. What he finds leaves him shattered—alive, but barely—haunted by what he saw and what he couldn’t escape.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 18 grades ▾
Find on ebay
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Ace Magazines was a New York publishing house run by Aaron A. Wyn and his wife Rose Wyn, veterans of the pulp magazine trade since 1928 who pivoted into comic books in 1940. The Hand of Fate series grew directly out of legal pressure: after ACG sued Ace over the similarity of its 'Challenge of the Unknown' title and its host character 'The Unknown,' Ace rebranded the character as Fate and launched The Hand of Fate with issue #8 (cover-dated December 1951), continuing the numbering from the prior Men Against Crime title. Aaron A. Wyn served as managing editor and publisher throughout the run, with the indicia for issue #10 listing Humor Publications Inc. as the formal publisher imprint; the series was produced on a bimonthly schedule and ran through issue #25 in late 1954 before the entire Ace horror line was shuttered as the Comics Code came into force.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: April 1952; published by Ace Magazines (indicia imprint: Humor Publications Inc.); 36 pages; managing editor Aaron A. Wyn.
- The issue is part of the Hand of Fate series, which began with #8 (December 1951) after Ace renamed its host character from 'The Unknown' to 'Fate' following a legal dispute with American Comics Group.
- 'One Awful Night with a Fiend,' pencilled by Mike Sekowsky and inked by Vince Alascia, features a plot centered on a film director who produces snuff films—a concept rarely, if ever, addressed so directly in American comics of the era.
- 'Bride of the Golden Skull,' also by the Sekowsky/Alascia team, features the Fate character in his recurring host role, appearing within the story as a supernatural arbiter of justice.
- Lou Cameron is credited on 'Lure of the Zombie Diamonds,' though the Grand Comics Database flags this attribution as uncertain, noting the inking style is inconsistent with Cameron's known work (possible inker: Mario Rizzi).
- 'Beware of Siva's Flaming Wrath' is credited to Jim McLaughlin, one of the four most prolific contributors to Ace's entire horror output alongside Cameron, Ken Rice, and Louis Zansky.
- One story in the issue is identified by the GCD as a variation on W.W. Jacobs' 1902 horror classic 'The Monkey's Paw,' illustrating the series' practice of reworking literary source material.
- The issue was reprinted in PS Artbooks' hardcover Pre-Code Classics: Hand of Fate Vol. 1 (2018), which collects issues #8–12, and the complete issue is also freely accessible via the Internet Archive.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Mystic #39 (1963), Spellbound #39 (1963), Spellbound #40 (1963)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.