| Chamber of Darkness | |
|---|---|
 Chamber of Darkness #7 (Oct. 1970), cover art byBernie Wrightson. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Bi-monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | 1969–1974 |
| Creative team | |
| Artist(s) | Tom Sutton,Syd Shores,Tom Palmer,Don Heck,Bernie Wrightson |
| Penciller(s) | John Buscema,Marie Severin,Barry Windsor-Smith,Jack Kirby,Sal Buscema |
| Inker(s) | John Verpoorten,Herb Trimpe |
Chamber of Darkness is ahorror/fantasyanthologycomic book published by the American companyMarvel Comics. Under this and a subsequent name, it ran from 1969 to 1974. It featured work by creators such as writer-editorStan Lee, writersGerry Conway,Archie Goodwin, andRoy Thomas, and artistsJohn Buscema,Johnny Craig,Jack Kirby,Tom Sutton,Barry Windsor-Smith (as Barry Smith), andBernie Wrightson. Stories were generally hosted by either of the charactersDigger, agravedigger, or Headstone P. Gravely, inundertaker garb, or by one of the artists or writers.
After the eighth issue, the title changed toMonsters on the Prowl, and the comic became almost exclusively a reprint book.
Designed to compete withDC Comics' successful launchesHouse of Mystery andHouse of Secrets,[1]Chamber of Darkness, like its companion comicTower of Shadows, sold poorly despite its selected roster of creators. After its first few issues, the title, published bimonthly, began including reprints of"pre-superhero Marvel" monster stories and other SF/fantasy tales from Marvel's 1950s and early 1960s predecessor,Atlas Comics.
The anthology, in addition to running original stories, also included writerRoy Thomas' and pencilerDon Heck's loose adaptation ofEdgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death", as "The Day of the Red Death", in issue #2 (Dec. 1969). WriterDenny O'Neil andTom Palmer adapted the Poe story "The Tell-Tale Heart" as "The Tell Tale Heart" in issue #3 (Feb. 1970). Thomas andEC Comics veteran Johnny Craig adaptedH. P. Lovecraft's "The Music of Erich Zann" as "The Music From Beyond" in #5 (June 1970).[2]
Industry notableJack Kirby, in a rare instance of scripting for Marvel before leaving for rivalDC Comics for a time in 1970, wrote and penciled "The Monster" in #4 (April 1970), and "And Fear Shall Follow" in #5 (June 1970), both inked byJohn Verpoorten. Kirby, inked by fellowGolden Age greatBill Everett, also drew the latter issue's cover. Everett himself wrote and inked (with pencilerDan Adkins) the story "Believe It...Or Not" in #8 (Dec. 1970).[2]
Marvel published the all-reprintChamber of Darkness King-Size Special #1 (Jan. 1972).[2]
RetitledMonsters on the Prowl with issue #9 (Feb. 1971), this version ran one new story each issue through #13 (Oct. 1971) with the remaining content consisting of reprints fromAtlas Comics, Marvel's 1950s predecessor, and"pre-superhero Marvel", primarily drawn byJack Kirby orSteve Ditko. It expanded into a double-sized, 25-cent comic for two issues (#13-14, Oct.-Dec. 1971). Some issues of the reprint books featured new covers byJohn Severin,Marie Severin,Gil Kane, andHerb Trimpe.[2]
A 10-pagesword-and-sorcery story starringKing Kull, "The Forbidden Swamp", by writer Thomas and art by the Severin siblings, appeared in issue #16 (April 1972); it continued the story fromKull the Conqueror #2 (Sept. 1971), during a 10-month hiatus before that series resumed with #3.[2]
A flashback adventure pittingsuperheroes against Marvel monsters appeared in a 2005one-shot comic with the covertrademarkMonsters on the Prowl, and thecopyrighted titleMarvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl, as given in its postalindicia.[3]
Chamber of Darkness stories reprinted in other Marvel comic books or black-and-white horror-comics magazines: