Mystery Comics Digest Number 5: Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery

First off I have to say that I have some doubles of these comics. A few are in very good shape. And some aren't.
This one is in deplorable condition.
I feel embarassed to post pictures of it.
I got it sight unseen on Abebooks  (http://www.abebooks.com).
It's chewed, and had suspicious stains on the first few pages that look like the comic was involved in a murder mystery of its own.
So it's either skip this entry or give it a go, in the hope that I track down a decent copy in future.
With that in mind, here we go:

Not bad you might say?
Check out the table of contents:

If you're still with me, I'll give it a go.
This is a so so Digest, there are three good stories. The Doctor Spektor artist is featured three times, and  these are; "Midnight Mysteries - The Boy and the Beast", a werewolf tale with a happy ending; "A Macabre Mystery - The Eternal Prince", another Egyptology story; and the first Doctor Spektor appearance in these Digests, "The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor - Of Inhuman Bondage", about vampire siamese twins. The best of the lot is "Boy and the Beast".
The other good stories are "Thriller - The Island" - in which a mousy bank employee makes off with the cash to an island paradise, and "Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery - The Man who Stole Immortality", a good story about a man who uses the magic of Merlin to become immortal, for a dark price.
There are two text stories, "Diary of a Demon", which runs for 21 pages, and a short story "The Phantom Rescue" all of three pages.
The cover art refers to a story about a typecast actor who gives a final performance in "Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery - Phantom of the Films".
There is also a cross over with Ripley's Believe it or Not! in a single page story called "The Dream". Later in a Ripley's Digest it expands on the story of a girl who dreams her lover is still alive after the First World War. Her determination drives her to find him trapped in the cellar of a ruined castle.
So there it is, an average Digest compared to later titles.

Mystery Comics Digest Number 4: Ripley's Believe It or Not!

 Interesting cover art, a desperate man throwing a flaming torch at a giant chained man, with horns, while hooded men lurk in the background. "Wierd Eerie! Authentic!"

The table of contents.
This is a good publication. As I had mentioned previously, the same artist is featured in the Digest. Here, the artist creates a lot of detail in his art, and this makes for better comics. "The Shadow Men", "Death Comes Knocking", "The Red Knight of Germany", "Proof of a Ghost", "The Fated Plane" and (I *think*) "Hounds of Death" are all his work.
Another artist is featured as well. This one doesn't have the detail of the first, his panels are more open in that regard, but nevertheless the stories are good; "The Vampires"; "Phantom Hands of Vengeance"; "The Mummy's Hand"; and "The Flaming Scar" and "The Phantom Visitor".
The cover art refers to a text story, "The Fiend of Beachy Head", about a 16th century curse. Beachy Head is a dramatic looking cliff area of England with a reputation as a suicide spot over the ages, with the unfortunates hurling themselves off the cliffs.
http://www.beachyhead.org.uk/uploads/pics/home06_01.jpg
There are also several of the Ripley's Believe it or Not! single page cartoons.
The "Doctor Spector" artist also makes an appearance with several stories; "A Macabre Mystery - The Hug of Death"; "Midnight Mysteries - A Tree Grows in Transylvania"; "Tales of The Macabre - Where There's Smoke There's Fear".
The standout stories are mostly from the first artist. "Death Comes Knocking" is about a Filipino ghost story and tradition where three ghosts knock on the door of the dying. A very good tale. I also really liked the art and story of the Red Baron in World War One, "The Red Knight of Germany". The other standout is from the second featured artist, "The Flaming Scar". Interesting story.

Mystery Comics Digest Number 3: The Twilight Zone

A very attractive cover on the third book introduces the Twilight Zone to the Mystery Comics Digest series. Also it has a pretty common theme in the entire series, Egyptology.
Here are the table of contents;

One thing that is noticeable is that within a Digest, often the same artist is featured throughout. We see that with the following stories; "The Last Sixty Seconds";"Experiment in Purple";"The Last Battle", and "The Ordeal of Bluebird Three". In all four you will see the same faces. I think the artist either was a narcissist or kept drawing his favorite uncle or something like that. Strange. See what you think:

There are a couple of text only stories, "Palace of Knossos", "Strange Sleep"; and The Bewitched Baroness". These are just two pages long.
Also there are some short segments similar to the Ripley's short segments, a collection of single pictures with some text; "Calling The Twilight Zone"; "Lost in the Twilight Zone"; "Voices From The Twilight Zone" (about Abe Lincoln); and "Time Travel into the Twilight Zone".
There are also two stories that look like the "Doctor Spector" artist did them; "Tales of the Macabre : Secret of the Jungle Lord"; and "Midnight Mysteries : Cry of the Dire Wolf". I have to say I've never been a fan of the art or the stories. However the artist does have an appreciation of female beauty, and pretty girls are featured throughout these style of comics.
Generally the stories in this Digest are quite good. A mix of artistic styles, the best stories are "The Bridegroom", about a couple of scammers and heartbreakers who get pulled into the Twilight Zone. There is a similar story called "Voyage to Nowhere", as pathos and a desire to help a beautiful woman has the same result. "The Secret of the Key" is quite good, with an historical switcheroo.
The final story is tied to the cover art, "The Queen is Dead-Long Live the Queen", where a long dead Queen is revived and demands a sacrifice. Long before Katy Perry, there's a throne room scene that is reminisent of her video.

Mystery Comics Digest Number 2: Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery

Here's the cover:

The table of contents:

This comic carries on the text stories like the very first Digest, with two embedded within. There are two very good medieval based stories, at the beginning and the end. Nice artwork and interesting stories.
"Comet With A Curse" is a stupid story That runs for 11 pages. The main character's hair looks half pulled out, and you might do the same with this silly story about a talking comet. Another long story is "A Cage For Hassan" that runs over 20 pages. Irony and ugly art make this a chore. There's a real story that could have been a Ripley's, about Major Martin, a corpse that was planted for the Nazi's to find along with some false documents.
A repeat from the first Boris Karloff digest is here, "Voyage of No Return", about a cruel sea captain who finds justice. This is an effective story with good artwork.
Overall impression? A weak presentation, and not the first on any list.
A couple of pictures of the knights in the first story "The Sorcerer's Potion" and the last "Vengeance of the Armored Arm".

Great artwork!