Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery Vol. 2 Dark Horse 2010

🔍 Boris Karloff: Tales of Mystery, Volume Two by Gold Key Comics (1963-1965), collected and published by Dark Horse Books (2010) — a hardcover archive reprinting issues #5 through #10 of the original Boris Karloff horror anthology comic series. This copy is factory sealed and unread.

QUICK FACTS

• Host: Boris Karloff (1887–1969), legendary horror film actor
• Publisher: Dark Horse Books, Milwaukie, OR (original: Gold Key/Western Publishing)
• Year: 2010 (collecting 1963–1965 originals)
• Format: Hardcover, shrink-wrapped, new/unread
• Issues collected: #5 through #10
• ISBN: 978-1-59582-428-8
• Condition: New, factory sealed

THE STORY

Boris Karloff hosted this anthology comic series for Gold Key Comics from 1962 to 1969, lending his name and likeness to a weekly horror host format. The series ran for nearly 100 issues across two decades. This second volume collects issues #5 through #10, featuring tales of suspense, crime, intrigue, horror, and irony — from spirits possessing a housewife through a Ouija board to a phantom ship seeking a new captain and a WWII-era dead body carrying a deceptive message to Nazis.

THIS EDITION

Dark Horse Comics reprinted the complete Boris Karloff series in their Archives format: oversized hardcover, high-quality paper, faithful to the original color separations. Volume Two was released in October 2009 (Diamond code OCT090018) with a new introduction by Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner, connecting the comics’ campy horror aesthetic to the broader pop culture of the era. Original cover price was $49.99 U.S.

COVER ART / ILLUSTRATIONS

The front cover features the iconic “BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY” title in bold yellow distressed lettering on a black background, alongside a black-and-white portrait photograph of Karloff in suit and tie. Below the title, a dynamic painted illustration shows riders on horseback in fantastical, grotesque costumes — a central figure in a red cape with striped headdress, another holding a flaming torch — evoking the macabre energy of the stories inside. The back cover carries atmospheric horror artwork in dark blues and grays, with a descriptive blurb and full publishing details including the barcode (9 781595 824288).

WHY IT MATTERS

• The Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery series was the longest-running horror host comic in American publishing history, spanning nearly 100 issues from 1962 to 1980
• Gold Key Comics (an imprint of Western Publishing) was the only publisher to successfully license Karloff’s name and image for a comic series during his lifetime
• Features art from some of the finest comics storytellers of the 1960s, including Dan Spiegle, Tom Gill, and painted cover work by George Wilson
• The Dark Horse Archives editions are the only complete hardcover reprint of the series in quality format — essential for collectors of both Karloff memorabilia and vintage horror comics

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? Dark Horse Archives Volume 2, published in 2010. It collects the original Gold Key issues #5-10, originally published 1963-1965.

What condition is it in? Factory sealed and unread. The shrink wrap has minor handling creases but the book underneath is in new condition.

Is this a complete series? No — this is Volume 2 of a multi-volume set. The complete Boris Karloff series ran for nearly 100 issues; other volumes collect the remaining issues.

FOR COLLECTORS

This factory-sealed copy of the Dark Horse Archives edition preserves a piece of horror comics history — the only licensed Boris Karloff comic series, reprinted in archival quality with a Hugh Hefner introduction that ties the series to its 1960s pop culture moment.

Boris Karloff:
Tales of Mystery, Vol. 2

Dark Horse Comics Archives

Contains Tales of Mystery Issues #5-10, originally published in 1963 to 1965

Factory sealed, NEW, unopened, unread volume.

Will ship promptly upon receipt of payment, carefully packaged.

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