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 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.

The First Book?

The first book to consider is an outsider of sorts. While strictly speaking it is not part of the 26 Mystery Comics Digest, it is of the same format in many ways.
Here's the dramatic cover:

It is listed as "Boris Karloff Story Digest Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 1970.Produced by Periodicals Department of Golden Press. Authorized Edition. Printed in the U.S.A. Published four times a year by Western Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright @ 1970, by Boris Karloff.

Here's a picture of the contents:

 The book is a series of stories with a couple of single tone orange/red tinted drawings to illustrate a certain scene or two. The first story, "The Black Pearl" is about the finding of a cursed pearl, and how the hero must return it to the ocean bed, with the help of a jeweller who reveals the true nature of this evil find.
Next is "Restless Hands", an unusual first person narrative about a sculptor whose talent brings life to his creations. Unfortunately, his talented hands were as another being he could not control, and he ends up suffering for their deeds.
"The Strange Fate of E. Neadle" is a story about a grave robber in England, who is scared into confessing by the ghosts he disturbed. It has a rather dramatic and gruesome ending.
"Cry Wolf" is another first person narrative. The narrator is rescued from a hunting trip near Seattle by a doctor, and soon a strange transformation takes him over.
"Voyage of No Return". This is the story about a cursed ship's captain, who was the cruel sole survivor of a wreck. He is accused of killing his surviving crew in order to save himself. He stands before a board of inquiry, but is let off as there were no witnesses. Then a mysterious stranger appears and signs him as captain of a new ship.
(This story later appears in Mystery Comics Digest).
"The Well of Fear" A newspaperman is drawn to Cairo by a friend who has found an opening to Hell.
"Vengeance of The Castle Creature".A man is hired to rebuild a ruined Scottish castle.
"The Iron Mask". A man in New Orleans impersonates a famous magician, and meets him unexpectedly.
"The Quill Pen".A very short story about the consequences of using a famous person's pen.
"Old Jeb's Bitter Secret".An old sailing vessel refuses to be scrapped until it's dark secret is revealed.
"Escape into Fear".An army deserter finds justice in the past.
Overall, the stories aren't bad, but I bought the comic online expecting, well, comics. Certainly unusual, but as you may know, the short stories did carry over into the Mystery Comics Digest line, and some were quite good.

A couple of illustrations, typical of the issue. The first is from "The Strange Fate of E. Neadle", and the second is from "Escape Into Fear".