Random Happenstance

Ok, my cover for this one is dinged a bit, but the stories beat the last issue of this title we saw! From 1974, Weird Mystery Tales #13, featuring "Come Share My Coffin" Written by Jack Oleck, art by Jess Jodloman; "His Master's Voice" Written by Jack Oleck, art by Alfredo Alcala, and "Search for a Werewolf" Written by George Kashdan, art by Alex Niño.

"Come Share My Coffin" could be titled, "When Gaslighting Goes Wrong." Since their father left everything to simple older brother Peter, John and his wife Myra hatch a scheme: first, John fakes his death. Then, he 'returns' as a vampire for his wife. Peter drives John away with a cross, but later Myra tells the cops he's crazy. Since John's body is back in the coffin by the time the cops check it, they don't do anything; and Peter doesn't bother to call them later when John returns. Dismayed that Peter isn't going insane fast enough, they decide to escalate their plan to murder; but when Myra goes to see if it's done, a very much alive Peter caves her skull in with a lamp! The confused Peter had no idea why Myra would be in his room in the middle of the night, thought she was a vampire, and pow. The cops, not buying Peter's story, take him down to John's coffin to show him the 'vampire' is still in there. And of course he is! Peter had nailed the coffin shut, and John had suffocated...Is there a name for when gaslighting blows up on you? I'm thinking about it.

"His Master's Voice" has a dog mourning his dead boy, and is too sad to even go into. I didn't come here to get my heart broken, comic! In "Search for a Werewolf" a movie director goes to great lengths to make his movie as authentic as possible, and said werewolf dies what might be the lamest werewolf death I've ever seen, but at least I hadn't seen it before.