Ghost Manor #13
Ghost Manor #13 (July 1970) marks the first appearance of Winnie the Witch, the blue-skinned, mod-styled horror hostess created by writer Joe Gill and artist Steve Ditko. Winnie replaced the generic 'Old Witch' who had narrated the book's first twelve issues, and her deliberately countercultural design — long black hair, oversized shades, a purple cape, and a white mini-skirt — represented a sharp departure from the stoic or sinister hosts populating Charlton's horror line at the time. Her debut here set the stage for her long tenure as the face of Ghostly Haunts, the title Ghost Manor became with issue #20, carrying her character through 39 issues and into the broader Charlton horror ecosystem. As one of the few recurring female protagonists in Bronze Age horror anthology comics, Winnie stood apart from contemporaries like DC's Cain or Abel by projecting a playful, acrobatic omnipresence rather than the dour authority of a conventional host.
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Ghost Manor vol. 1 launched in July 1968 under editor Sal Gentile and ran bimonthly for 19 issues; the series bore the tagline 'Echoes of the Spirit World' and was part of Charlton's coordinated wave of horror anthologies alongside Ghostly Tales, Haunted, and The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves. Issue #13 was the first issue to feature Steve Ditko as a contributor to the title, and it was also the deliberate creative pivot point where Gill and Ditko introduced Winnie to replace the undistinguished original host — a decision confirmed in the letters column of Ghostly Haunts #40, which credited the two creators explicitly. The cover for this issue was provided by Pat Boyette, another of the series' regular contributors, and the interior art was split among Ditko, Gill, Charles Nicholas, and Boyette.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Winnie the Witch, the mod, blue-skinned horror hostess, in Ghost Manor vol. 1 #13 (July 1970, Charlton Comics).
- Winnie the Witch was created by writer Joe Gill and artist Steve Ditko, as confirmed in the letters section of Ghostly Haunts #40.
- This was Steve Ditko's first contribution to the Ghost Manor title; prior issues featured no Ditko work.
- The cover of this issue was drawn by Pat Boyette and depicts Winnie alongside a devil figure.
- Interior stories include 'The 3rd Player' (art by Ditko), 'A Ghost's Revenge,' 'The Accursed Mist,' and 'The 13th Guest'; art credits are split among Ditko, Charles Nicholas, and Pat Boyette.
- The first twelve issues of Ghost Manor were hosted by 'The Old Witch,' an undistinguished traditional hag figure; Winnie's countercultural, glamorous design was a conscious redesign of the host role.
- Winnie went on to host Ghostly Haunts (issues #20–#58, 1971–1978), which directly continued Ghost Manor's numbering after the title change with issue #20.
- At least one story from Ghost Manor #13 ('The 3rd Player,' pencils and inks by Steve Ditko, script attributed to Joe Gill) was later reprinted in Ghost Manor vol. 2 #49.
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A ghost takes an active hand in a chess game meant to swindle his heirs out of their estate.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).