One of the best pieces of obscure Marvel history shared by Sean Howe as promotion for his (very good) Marvel Comics: The Untold Story book? Probably this memo from Roy Thomas to Stan Lee in 1972 about a series of proposed horror comics:
Suggested titles and comments:
(1) Beware! This Magazine Is… HAUNTED! This is one of Fawcett’s old titles from ’50s and, non-horror-reader that I was, it always grabbed me. The word “haunted,” which is not used in any DC book or as the strict title of a Charlton book, should not be overlooked as we did “Ghosts” until too late (“Ghosts” was one title we kicked around before TOWER OF ETCETERA a couple of years back; now DC has it)
(2) At the Stroke of MIDNIGHT! (Since we can’t do “Witching Hour” — and since this seems to be a very effect title, having been used on 500 Timely horror stories over the years.)
There’s more at the link.
Not only do I love the idea of a comic called Beware! This Magazine Is… HAUNTED! (Please, Marvel! Is it too late to change the title of the new Morbius to this?), I’m also surprised at how clearly the horror line was intended as a reaction to DC’s horror books, with both Ghosts and Witching Hour getting named specifically. Also, how can you not love overly-long titles that end in ALL-CAPS?
