Harvey’s comic with the same title was cancelled in 1954, shortly after Senate hearings about comic books and juvenile delinquency. These proceedings were spurred on by Dr. Frederic Wertham’s book, Seduction of the Innocent, which claimed comic books and inappropriate content in them were the prime causes of bad behavior in children.

In the early 1970s, Marvel editor Roy Thomas wanted to get back into the horror and science fiction comic genres, so Marvel planned four new titles which took advantage of the changes in the newly relaxed Comics Code Authority. These titles were Journey Into Mystery (Vol. 2), Chamber of Chills, Supernatural Thrillers and Worlds Unknown.

Harvey Comics title of the same name was cancelled in 1954.

Marvel had two early predecessors in this genre – Tower of Shadows and Chamber of Darkness. These two titles were mainly original stories, but these new series from Marvel would consist mainly of reprints and the re-envisioning of classic stories put together in a neat anthology-style format.

Chamber of Chills #1 contains three stories, the first being an original tale written by sci-fi novelist George Alec Effinger, called “Moon of Madness, Moon of Fear.” It was drawn by P. Craig Russell (then only Craig Russell.)

The second story was a reprint of an old 1950s Atlas story by Stan Lee called “They Wait In Their … Dungeon!” It first appeared in Menace #1 in 1953. Russ Heath drew the artwork.

Finally (and perhaps saving the best for last) is an adaptation of a Harlan Ellison short story (and the story featured on the cover of this comic) called “Delusions for a Dragon Slayer.” This story was adapted by Gerry Conway with artwork by Syd Shores.

This series would be a mish-mash of original stories and reprints until Chamber of Chills #7, when the series became entirely reprinted stories. Many well-known creators worked on this anthology, including talents like Frank Brunner, Gardner Fox, Doug Moench, Val Mayerik, Steve Gerber, P. Craig Russell, Gil Kane and John Romita, Sr.

In gloomy Bavaria, a man runs through the countryside, beset upon by wolves. All seems lost, when suddenly the story switches gears, and we’re taken to the Bavarian village of Frachtdorf during the daytime. Some college-age tourists are getting ready to spend the night camping in the woods, but are warned of the wolves outside the town by an eerie old woman. It goes without saying that the young adults don’t really care about what she has to say.

Now we return to the man running through the countryside, and one of the guys from the group of campers spots the wolves chasing the poor runner. Determined to intervene, he jumps into the fray and manages to chase the wolves away, bringing the victim back to their campsite. Frightened, with wolves howling all around them, they put a blanket around the man and wait in fear for the sun to rise.

CAPSULE REVIEW: For a brief, six page story, this one doesn’t disappoint. The surprise ending is worth it, too, and the art by P. Craig Russell and Dan Adkins doesn’t hurt. It would have been better if this was the story at the end of the comic, as the last one titled “Delusions for a Dragon Slayer” is the best of the three.

What do you think would happen if your own life flashed before your very eyes? Warren Glazer Griffin experiences just that in this final story in the inaugural issue of Chamber of Chills. Taking an innocent shortcut through a construction site, he’s right in the blast area when the wrecking ball ignites an unknown gas line.

Instead of everything going dark, Warren is seemingly transported to another time – a time of heroic fantasy! He awakens with a body that is not his own in a fantastical land. Surprised, he soon learns that he’ll be experiencing heaven – or his destiny – based on the choices of his life. It’s a cerebral story that I’m not going to spoil here, and well worth reading.

Will Warren Glazer Griffin’s life choices allow him to enter heaven, or have the decisions he has made doomed him to a less-than-pleasant afterlife?

CAPSULE REVIEW: This was the best story in the entire issue. Having Harlan Ellison as the author of the source material is helpful, and Gerry Conway tackles the story in a thoughtful, emotion provoking manner. The artwork by Syd Shores is competent and not overdone.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d give the first issue of Chamber of Chills a 6.9. It’s a good issue, but I’m not so sure it would have kept me buying future issues on the newsstand back in the 1970s. It will be interesting to compare future issues to this one.

As always, I am – Wally (AKA Paint Monk)