Anyway, Here's WonderWalpurgis Night: The Red Shoe Die-ries

BAFFLING MYSTERIES! It's pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. Mysteries...that are baffling! That is, strange, unsolvable, and perplexing, not in the muting sound definition of the word. Well, I s'pose you could nail a few hundred copies of this comic up to the walls eight or ten deep and it would help to baffle the sounds...of the screams of terror from people reading Baffling Mysteries!

Submitted for your approval: a ballerina who's seen Black Swan one too many times. Nothing can stop her as she pirouettes into murder!


from "Doom Dancer" in Baffling Mysteries #21 (Ace, July 1954), pencils and inks by Jim McLaughlin, with Leroy lettering

Today in Comics History, June 23, 1944: The real baffling mystery is how Heath's suit turned green

Oh no! Heath is a lowly yeller-bellied war deserter coward. Why, I've half a mind to stop eating his delicious toffee covered with chocolate candy bars!


from Baffling Mysteries #11 (Ace, November 1952), pencils and inks by Gene Colan, with Leroy mechanical lettering
I think it would have been funnier in that last panel above if it had been Death saying "That's what you think!" instead.

Oh no! Years later, the comrades he deserted finally catch up with him! But what's the worst they can do? Oh no...aieeeeee! He's going to have to pick up the tab for everybody because the dead don't carry American Express!


Moral of the story: don't do that there thing.

This post was suggested by faithful reader and frequent commenter Blam, who's provided a lot of date references in comics that I'll spotlight throughout 2023 in this series. Thanks, Blam!

Today in Halloween Comics History, October 31, 1927 and 1870: The real Baffling Mystery is what that story is under the tear in the page

"Baffling Mysteries #3" from Baffling Mysteries #6 (Ace, January 1952), creators uncredited and unknown