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{{Infobox comic book title| <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->

|image=Cover_of_Strange_Suspense_Stories_no._16.jpg
|caption= Cover of ''Strange Suspense Stories'' #16 (Jan./Feb. 1954), the first issue of the title published by [[Charlton Comics]]. Cover art by [[Dick Giordano]].
|schedule=Bi-monthly
|Horror = y
|genre = [[Suspense (genre)|Suspense]]<br>[[Science fiction comics|Science fiction]]<br>[[Horror comics|Horror]]<br>[[Fantasy comics|Fantasy]]
|format=Anthology
|publisher=[[Fawcett Comics]]<br />[[Charlton Comics]]
|date = vol. 1: <br />June 1952 – Feb. 1953 (Fawcett)<br />Jan./Feb. – Nov. 1954 (Charlton)<br />Oct. 1955 – Oct. 1965 (Charlton)<br />vol. 2: <br />Oct. 1967 – Sept. 1969
|startmo = June
|startyr = 1952
|endmo = February
|endyr = 1953
|issues= vol. 1: 63<br />vol. 2: 9
|main_char_team=
|writers= [[Joe Gill]], [[Steve Skeates]], [[Denny O'Neil]]
|artists= [[Steve Ditko]], [[Jim Aparo]], [[Pat Boyette]], [[Rocke Mastroserio]], [[Frank McLaughlin (artist)|Frank McLaughlin]], Bill Molno, [[Sheldon Moldoff]], [[Joe Shuster]]
|pencillers=[[George Evans (cartoonist)|George Evans]], [[Charles Wojtkoski|Charles Nicholas]]
|inkers=[[Vince Alascia]], [[Sal Trapani]]
|letterers=
|colorists=
| editors = [[Pat Masulli]], Sal Gentile
|creative_team_month=
|creative_team_year=
|creators=
|TPB =
|ISBN =
}}
'''''Strange Suspense Stories''''' is a [[comic book]] that was published in two volumes by [[Fawcett Comics]] and [[Charlton Comics]] in the 1950s and 1960s. Starting out as a [[Horror comic|horror]]/[[Suspense (genre)|suspense]] title, the first volume gradually moved toward eerie [[Fantasy comics|fantasy]] and weird [[Science fiction comics|science fiction]], before ending as a vehicle for the [[Superhero comics|superhero]] [[Captain Atom]]. The title's second volume was more in the horror/suspense vein. Altogether, 72 issues of ''Strange Suspense Stories'' were published.

Notable contributors included [[Steve Ditko]], [[Vince Alascia]], [[Jim Aparo]], [[Pat Boyette]], [[George Evans (cartoonist)|George Evans]], [[Joe Gill]], [[Frank McLaughlin (artist)|Frank McLaughlin]], Bill Molno, [[Rocke Mastroserio]], [[Sheldon Moldoff]], [[Charles Wojtkoski|Charles Nicholas]], [[Denny O'Neil]], [[Joe Shuster]], and [[Steve Skeates]].

== Publication history ==
=== Vol. 1 ===
[[Fawcett Comics]] debuted ''Strange Suspense Stories'' in June 1952, featuring artwork by (among others) [[George Evans (cartoonist)|George Evans]] and [[Sheldon Moldoff]]. The title ran for five issues under Fawcett. In 1954–55, Charlton acquired a stable of comic book properties from [[Fawcett Publications]], which was shutting down its comics division. Charlton continued publishing two of Fawcett's horror books—''[[This Magazine Is Haunted]]'' and ''Strange Suspense Stories'', initially using unpublished material from Fawcett's inventory.<ref>[[Don Markstein]] notes in [http://www.toonopedia.com/charlton.htm Toonopedia] that Charlton's acquisition included unused artwork from a number of Fawcett titles.</ref>

In a quirk common to the publisher, Charlton's ''Strange Suspense Stories'' started not with issue #6 (continuing the Fawcett numbering) nor with issue #1, but with issue #16, continuing the numbering of a cancelled [[Crime comics|crime]]/[[Horror comics|horror]] series, ''Lawbreakers Suspense Stories'', which itself had continued the numbering of the crime comic ''Lawbreakers''. Both of those earlier titles were decidedly pre-[[Comics Code]] books, featuring murders, gruesome covers, and scantily-clad women.

Artistic chores were then handed to [[Steve Ditko]], whose moody, individualistic touch came to dominate Charlton's supernatural line.

Charlton's ''Strange Suspense Stories'' ran seven issues to #22 (Nov. 1954) before being temporarily retitled ''This is Suspense!'' After four issues under that name, the title reverted to ''Strange Suspense Stories'', picking up with issue #27 (Oct. 1955).

Artwork from ''Strange Suspense Stories'' was used as inspiration for artist [[Roy Lichtenstein]]'s 1965/1966 ''Brushstroke'' series, including ''Brushstroke'' and ''Big Painting No. 6''. The panels in question came from the story "The Painting", with art by [[Dick Giordano]], in issue #72 (Oct. 1964).<ref>Schjeldahl, Peter. [http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2001/11/19/011119craw_artworld "The Art World: Lucky Strokes"], ''The New Yorker'' (Nov. 19, 2001).</ref><ref>Waldman, Diane. ''Roy Lichtenstein'' (Guggenheim Museum Publications, 1994), p. 151.</ref><ref>Antonia Boström, Christopher Bedford, [[Penelope Curtis]], John Dixon Hunt. ''The Fran and Ray Stark Collection of 20th-Century Sculpture at the J. Paul Getty Museum'' (Getty Publications, 2008), p. 96.</ref>

As the industry moved into the [[Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]], Charlton shifted ''Strange Suspense Stories'' to a more heroic vein, reprinting short [[Captain Atom]] adventures beginning with issue #75 (June 1965). With issue #78 (Dec. 1965), Charlton renamed the title ''Captain Atom''. The Captain Atom title lasted until issue #89 (Dec. 1967) before being cancelled.

=== Vol. 2 ===
In Oct. 1967, Charlton revived the title for another run, this time with a more straight-ahead horror focus. Stories were written by [[Steve Skeates]] and [[Denny O'Neil]], and the book was edited by Sal Gentile. ''Strange Suspense Stories'' vol. 2 lasted nine issues until Sept. 1969.

== References ==

=== Notes ===
{{reflist}}

=== Sources consulted ===
* {{gcdb series|id=13806|title=''Strange Suspense Stories'' (Fawcett)}}
* {{gcdb series|id=11472|title=''Strange Suspense Stories'' (Charlton vol. 1a)}}
* {{gcdb series|id=1095|title=''Strange Suspense Stories'' (Charlton vol. 1b)}}
* {{gcdb series|id=11471|title=''Strange Suspense Stories'' (vol. 2)}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.dcindexes.com/charlton/gallery-browse.php?seriesid=2958 ''Lawbreakers / Lawbreakers Suspense Stories / Strange Suspense Stories / Captain Atom'' cover gallery]

{{Steve Ditko}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strange Suspense Stories}}
[[Category:Comics magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:Charlton Comics titles]]
[[Category:Defunct American comics]]
[[Category:Horror comics]]
[[Category:Fantasy comics]]
[[Category:Science fiction comics]]
[[Category:1952 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1965 comics endings]]
[[Category:1967 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1969 comics endings]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1952]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 1965]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1967]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 1969]]
[[Category:Defunct science fiction magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:Bimonthly magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:Comics by Steve Ditko]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Strange Suspense Stories|access_date=2026-03-06}}