Al Hewetson

Al Hewetson was a Scottish-Canadian writer and editor who shaped the tone of American horror-comics magazines in the 1970s, particularly through his work with Skywald Publications. Born Alan Hewetson on August 30, 1946, in Scotland, he later moved to Canada. He is best known for developing what he called the "Horror-Mood" sensibility at Skywald, a distinctive approach that infused the publisher's titles with a grim, atmospheric dread. Hewetson wrote extensively for Skywald's flagship magazines, including *Nightmare*, *Psycho*, *Scream*, and *Fright*, and his work also appeared in *Creepy* and later in *Gwandanaland Comics*. His career in comics was relatively concentrated, with credited writing on 44 issues between 1971 and 2019. After his time at Skywald, Hewetson shifted focus entirely, becoming a publisher of city magazines in Canada. He died on January 6, 2004. While he did not receive major industry awards, his editorial vision and writing helped define a short-lived but influential era of horror comics, and his "Horror-Mood" concept remains a notable footnote in the genre's history.