Jacob Steingroot covers All Star Comics 19

Original cover by Joe Gallagher; DC 1943. Jacob Steingroot's website is here.

Spectre #10

Spectre #10 (On Sale: March 18, 1969) has a pretty good cover by Nick Cardy as this title limps to its death.

We begin with "Footsteps of Disaster" drawn by Jerry Grandenetti and George Roussos.Charles A. Felix has been a criminal since he was young. He is repeatedly caught and punished for his crimes, but he never learned his lesson. Many times his punishment was foretold by a creaking staircase as an authority figure climbed the stairs to get him. After killing his former partner, Felix hears the creaking stairs again. This time it is the Spectre who is coming to get him. Felix collapses from fear and dies.

Next is "Hit and Run" drawn by Jack Sparling. Small-time hood Johnny Stull is haunted by dreams of hitting a kid with his car while fleeing police. The Spectre watches as Johnny's dream becomes prophetic and plays out in real life. However, Johnny acts to save the kid by swerving out of the way instead of hitting him. As a result, Johnny crashes the car and is killed, but the Spectre concludes that Stull isn't as evil as he originally thought.

That is followed by "How Much Can a Guy Take?" also drawn by Jack Sparling. In high school Allie Johnson was thought to be a nice guy who would grow up to become a lawyer or doctor. Instead Allie became a shoe shine man who can barely feed his family. Nichols, a former classmate, has become a financial success and taunts Allie daily while getting his shoes shined.

After considerable humiliation, Allie breaks down and tries to steal a briefcase from Nichols that supposedly contains a fortune. Nichols catches him, so Allie pulls a gun. The Spectre stops him from shooting, then shows him that the briefcase is empty. He also shows Allie that Nichols is a criminal. After preventing Allie from becoming a murderer, the Spectre takes retribution on Nichols.

We end with "Will the Real Killer Please Rise?" another Jack Sparling drawn story. The Spectre investigates two murders which he believes were committed by Vargo the Ventriloquist. The victims were former associates for whom Vargo carried a grudge. The Spectre tries to pull the truth from Vargo's mind, but he can't read it. He continues to watch Vargo in order to protect Sarah Frame, his next likely target. The Spectre barely discovers the truth in time that Vargo has been disguising himself as his ventriloquist dummy. The human Vargo is a robot which had no mind for the Spectre to read. The Spectre prevents Sarah's murder, and Vargo is arrested.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Spectre #9

Spectre #9 (On Sale: January 16, 1969) has a cover by Nick Cardy.

We begin with an untitled story by Mike Friedrich and Jerry Grandenetti. Detective Jim Corrigan and a police sergeant track down a criminal known as Sharky. When they try to make the arrest, the sergeant is shot. This causes the Spectre to emerge, and he kills the shooter. Corrigan is upset with the Spectre and lapses into unconsciousness after denying the Spectre access to reenter his body.

The Spectre is called before the powers that created him. He is pronounced a failure and forced to relinquish his power. He is given a book and tasked with the responsibility to observe and judge the lives within.

Next is "Abraca-Doom" by Denny O'Neil and Bernie Wrightson. This would be Bernie Wrightson's second strip for DC and his first super-hero work (if you consider the Spectre to be a super-hero). The Spectre investigates the life of Fredrick Foost, a small-time magician. Foost bargains with the Devil, who gives him a magic wand known as Abraca-Doom. Foost uses the wand to achieve fame as a professional magician. He then begins amassing power by making himself the ruler of a small country. The Spectre continues to withhold judgment, until Foost presses for additional power. Foost then encounters his old assistant Willard who made the same bargain with the Devil as his old boss. The two magicians then must pay the price for their demonic bargains as the Devil collects their souls. Reprinted in House of Mystery #224.

Lastly is "Shadow Show" by Mark Hanerfeld and Jack Sparling. Mark Hanerfeld was an assistant editor at DC and the original model for Abel, the soon-to-be host of the House of Secrets. This is the first of two stories he would write for DC. Mark belonged to a Queens' comic book fan group called T.I.S.O.S., or The Illegitimate Sons of Superman. Other members included Marv Wolfman and Len Wein. In the photo above are Hanerfeld, Wolfman and Wein.

A crook named Hickey evades police by hiding in the shadows. However, as he escapes, the crook begins feeling paranoia. Hickey feels the shadows chasing him, so he tries to remain in the light. When he finally reaches his home Hickey meets the Spectre and is apprehended. Reprinted in House of Mystery #225.

Edited by Dick Giordano.