The ISB Guide To Writing: Silver Age Horror Comics

Like a lot of comics bloggers out there, I have serious aspirations to one day become a professional comics writer myself. That's why when I read a comic or go through the back issue stock at work, I don't just do it for the enjoyment, I study them to see how the pros work their craft.

And recently, I've stumbled onto one of the secrets of the trade. I know how to write Silver Age DC Horror Comics.

It's a lesson in writing that I'm going to pass on to you, on the off chance that you ever find yourself in a situation where you've built a time machine, gone back forty years, and replaced Robert Kanigher.

How do you write Silver Age DC Horror books? Easy. Put skeletons in a place where there aren't supposed to be skeletons. It can turn any situation from mundane... to horrifiscarifying.

Deceptively simple, I know, but take a look for yourself:

"Good Lord! >choke< Bruce is really... a skeleton!"

"Cheese Louise! The stripper we got for Charlie's birthday is really... a skeleton!"

"Ginchy! Frankie Avalon's actually... a far-out hot-dogging skeleton!"

"Oh no! Gordie Howe and the 1979 Hartford Whalers are actuallly... Stanley Cup-winning skeletons!"

And my personal favorite...

"¡Dios Mio! ¡Ese caballero es realmente... un esqueleto!