Dead of Night #2 (Marvel Comics 1973)

Dead of Night #2 delivers five complete horror and suspense stories in a single 36-page Marvel digest from 1973. Scripted by Stan Lee and framed by Harry Anderson’s original cover, this issue captures Marvel’s experimental approach to genre fiction during the early Bronze Age.

Story Breakdown

The opening narrative follows a criminal figure who inherits a property containing a cemetery and secures a steam shovel to clear the burial ground. “The House That Fear Built” shifts to science fiction, tracking John and Mary as they explore a structure that materializes overnight beside theirs, only to uncover it as an ambush engineered by Venusian invaders. Psychological tension drives “The Nightmare!,” which documents a woman’s therapy session recounting her recurring visions of a suffocating domestic routine. The anthology closes with two standalone features: “The Girl Who Didn’t Exist!” illustrates clean linework by Paul Reinman, while “The Frightened Man!” highlights heavy ink shading by George Roussos.

Edition Specifications

Originally priced at $0.20 for newsstand distribution, this release maintains the standard U.S. magazine dimensions and standard newsprint stock characteristic of Marvel’s 1973 horror line. The compact runtime and multi-premise layout functioned as a practical single-issue purchase for readers seeking anthology variety rather than serialized continuity.

• 36 pages of continuous horror, urban thriller, and science fiction narratives
• Credits feature Stan Lee scripts, Harry Anderson cover, and inside artwork by Paul Reinman and George Roussos
• Represents pre-MPA guideline Marvel storytelling with unrestricted thematic premises
• Physical verification required before acquisition due to age-related paper brittleness and staple corrosion common to 1973 digest formats

Review the listed grade to assess corner sharpness, spine flex, centering, and surface wear. This issue operates best as a structural complement to vintage Marvel horror series or as a preserved example of 1970s American anthology publishing.