The Witching Hour #28

DC's long-running horror anthology delivers a genuinely unsettling holiday twist with this 1973 issue, whose Nick Cardy cover stops you cold: a skeletal Santa Claus seated on a throne-like chair, grinning from beneath his white beard and red suit, while a woman cheerfully ushers a group of unsuspecting children toward him with the words "Okay, kids — it's time to meet him!" Toys and a bulging sack spill at his bony feet, and a decorated Christmas tree glows in the background, making the contrast between seasonal warmth and creeping dread all the more effective. The story title "Never Kill a Santa Claus" promises that The Witching Hour is in fine, macabre form this February.