Van Helsing’s Terror Tales rises from the grave

By John Freeman on May 25, 2018

Martin Asbury wrote and drew “One Man’s Meat” for House of Hammer

Available now direct from its original editor is a smashing collection of “Van Helsing’s Terror Tales“, strips first published in House of Hammer back in the 1970s.

Unashamedly capitalising on the huge interest in the horror genre of the time, not only in the cinemas but thanks to late night film screenings on the BBC, combining a screening of a Universal “classic” film with a Hammer Films gem, House of Hammer debuted from publisher Top Sellers / Warners in 1976, edited by Dez Skinn.

Leading with a wonderful adaptation of a Hammer film, the magazine also included backgrounds features and interviews – and a short, complete twist-in-the-tail comic strip entitled “Van Helsing’s Terror Tales”.

Memorably macabre – Dave Gibbons provides the art for “Mrs Murphy’ Murders”, written by Steve Moore and Anne Gleeson, for House of Hammer Issue 23

As with the lead strip, the creators on the strip included the top talent of the day – writers such as Donne Avenell and Steve Moore and artists such as Martin Asbury, Jim Baikie, John Bolton, Joe Colquhoun, Dave Gibbons, Trevor Goring, Brian Lewis, Angus McKie, Steve Parkhouse, Patrick White and more – and all feature in this 80-page limited hardback edition, available only by direct order.

Needless to say, there are people here on the downthetubes team who are hugely enthused by the release, including Richard Sheaf.

“It’s like a proper annual and everything,” he notes over on his Boys Adventure blog, in awe of the writers and artists whose work is included.

“It’s an essential purchase. Well done to Dez Skinn for getting this published!”

• To get you hands on a copy of Van Helsing’s Terror Tales, pay via PayPal to Dezskinn1@yahoo.co.uk

• House of Hammer Magazine on Facebook

• Dez Skinn’s Monster Mag Facebook page

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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.