Ghosts #5
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeGhosts #5 (June 1972) is a representative artifact of DC's distinctive approach to the Bronze Age horror anthology: unlike its companion titles such as House of Mystery or House of Secrets, the Ghosts series carried no recurring host character, letting the stories stand on their own moral weight with twist-ending vignettes about supernatural justice. At 52 pages and a cover price of twenty-five cents, this issue exemplifies the 'giant-size' format DC used in the early run of the series to deliver maximum otherworldly content to newsstand readers hungry for the horror boom of the early 1970s. The series of which it is a part proved, in the words of DC executive Paul Levitz, to be 'a disproportionately good seller' despite never becoming a fan-favorite critical darling — a distinction that speaks to the genuine populist reach of these morality-driven ghost stories. Issue #5 was significant enough to have two of its original stories — 'Death, the Pale Horseman!' and 'The Hands from the Grave!' — selected for reprinting in the DC treasury-format Limited Collectors' Edition C-32 (1974–75), an oversized showcase reserved for content DC considered worth wider exposure.
In "Death, the Pale Horseman!", the ancient and peaceful resting place of the Mongo horde is shattered when reckless Chinese soldiers disturb their tomb, unleashing a spectral force of retribution. Written by Leo Dorfman and brought to life with haunting detail by artist Art Saaf—both in pencils and inks—this eerie tale unfolds with a chilling sense of dread. The cover, a striking collaboration by Nick Cardy, captures the grim spectacle in vivid, gothic style.
In "Death, the Pale Horseman!" from Ghosts #5 (1972), the restless dead of the Mongo horde stir beneath their silent tombs when a band of reckless Chinese soldiers desecrates their resting place, unleashing a spectral force of ancient wrath. The story unfolds with eerie stillness and mounting dread, as the Pale Horseman rides forth from the grave to claim his due.
In "The Hearse Came at Midnight," Colin Miles revels in his cruel pranks—until the day his latest joke costs his friend Dennis Travers his life, leaving behind a curse that lingers in the silence. Unfazed at first, Colin continues his dark games, but when midnight strikes one fateful night, the grim reaper arrives in the form of a black hearse, and the tables turn.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Ghosts series was conceived and launched by writer Leo Dorfman and editor Murray Boltinoff, with Dorfman scripting the lion's share of the early issues — sometimes under pseudonyms to avoid the appearance of a single writer monopolizing the title. By issue #5, the formula was well established: Dorfman provided multiple scripts per issue, with art spread across a roster of workhorse Bronze Age pencilers and inkers. The cover, like those of the surrounding issues in the run, was painted by Nick Cardy, who served as the series' signature cover artist for a large swath of its first three dozen issues. One story in the issue, 'The Telltale Mirror,' was not original to the series but reprinted from the earlier DC anthology House of Mystery #13, with inking credits for penciler Jerry Grandenetti on that story remaining unconfirmed by comics scholars.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: June 1972; published as part of Ghosts Vol. 1, the fifth issue of a supernatural anthology series that ran for 112 issues from 1971 to 1982.
- Runs 52 pages — the oversized 'giant-size' format DC used for the series during its early years — at a cover price of twenty-five cents.
- Cover art by Nick Cardy, who illustrated covers for Ghosts #1–6, 8–15, and 17–36, making him the visual identity of the series' first half.
- Contains six stories: 'Death, the Pale Horseman!' (script: Leo Dorfman, art: Art Saaf); 'The Hands from the Grave!' (script: Leo Dorfman, art: John Calnan); 'The Telltale Mirror' (pencils: Jerry Grandenetti — inking credit unconfirmed); 'Caravan of Doom' (script: Leo Dorfman, art: Jack Sparling); 'The Phantom from the Fog' (art: Ruben Moreira); 'The Hearse Came at Midnight' (script: Leo Dorfman, art: Jerry Grandenetti); plus the text piece 'Death Rolls on Red Wheels.'
- 'The Telltale Mirror' is a reprint, originally published in House of Mystery #13, making issue #5 one of several early Ghosts issues to blend new stories with archival DC supernatural material.
- Edited by Murray Boltinoff, who steered the series from #1 through #72 and was the primary architect of its anthology identity alongside chief writer Leo Dorfman.
- Two stories from this issue — 'Death, the Pale Horseman!' and 'The Hands from the Grave!' — were reprinted in DC's oversized treasury format, Limited Collectors' Edition #C-32 (cover-dated December 1974–January 1975), alongside material drawn from Ghosts #1, 3, 4, and 6.
- The series stood apart from other DC horror titles of the era by having no recurring host character for most of its run, instead opening each issue with a one-page framing piece titled 'Ghosts and the Supernatural' — a structurally unusual choice in a genre dominated by iconic hosts like Cain and Abel.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints House of Mystery #13 (1953), House of Mystery #123 (1962)
Reprinted in 2 grufulde timer #[nn] (1973), 2 ruskiga timmar #[nn] (1973), Groot uur griezelen #[nn] (1973), Shock Classics #12 (1973), Skräckens timmar #[nn] (1973), Mi Gran Aventura #146 (1973), Skräckmagasinet #7/1973 (1973), Skrækmagasinet #6/1973 (1973), Skrekk Magasinet #7/1973 (1973), Horror #12 (1973), Limited Collectors' Edition #C-32 (1974), Spectral #4 (1975), Ghosts #40 (1975), Doomsday #25 (1976), Haunted Tales #18 (1976), Doomsday #27 (1976), La Maison du Mystère #8 (1978), Haunted Tales #45 (1981), Showcase Presents: Ghosts #1 (2012), Das Geisterhaus #7, Weird Mystery Tales Album #9
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