Table-Top Diorama (House of Mystery, 1973)

From the rear cover of the oversized Halloween edition of House of Mystery (C-23, 1973) comic book, here's a diorama featuring a gargoyle in a graveyard.



Below is a dazzling computer simulation of how the final product might look once its all taped together.

If you're wondering who "Cain", the devilish figure leading the gargoyle on a string is, he's the mascot and host of the House of Mystery. If you don't find him particularly scary, that's because this is a cutified rendition by cartoonist Sergio Aragones (Mad marginals, Groo).

This oversise (10" x 14") special Halloween edition features not only the usual scary stories with their ironic twist endings, but pages of games and activities. Aragones provides the artwork for all the fun activity pages.

Like this "Page 13" fortune-teller, which you use as a dartboard, dropping a pencil from above to receive humorous (and slightly subversive) predictions. Suggestive entries like "This TRIP Will Cost You", "Your Parents Will Find Out the Truth", "Don't Trust Your Steady" and "You Will Be Drafted" (topical!) make it clear the intended audience is older teenagers (or little kids that wanted to feel older!)

Here's another page that might raise parents' eyebrows... a "groovy" game that encourages you to kick and hit your friends, give away your stuff, and generally act like an idiot. I can just imagine the parental interventions this game must have caused. Fun stuff!