This was the fourth of four issues published by Superior Comics featuring the master sleuth, Previously Ellery had appeared as a character in some stories in Crackerjack Funnies, beginning in 1940. He went on to have his own title for two issues published by Ziff-Davis in 1952 and in three issues from Dell comics in 1962.
As for this issue, here is a current description from e-Bay: "Art by Jack Kamen and others. Adventures of the famed detective from Canadian publisher Superior, also featuring some early horror classics. A romantic weekend is interrupted by by mystery, adventure -- and the secret of The Crooked Mile. A beast-man stalks the unwary...or does he? Cover by an unknown artist is a crazy over-the-top mash-up pf romance and horror comic cover tropes. The Case of the Seventh Raven; The Crooked Mile; The Werewolf. final issue of the series. 32 pages. Full color." (This particular copy is going for $180.00, plus $6.90 Economy Shipping.)
- The Case of the Seventh Raven - "Having a wonderful crime might have been written on the cards Ellery sent his friends from the country...if he ever had any time between murders to send any cards! This yarn would seem to prove that intrigue will follow Ellery Queen wherever he goes...even along the grisly trail leading to the clue of The Seventh Raven..." On vacation, Ellery, his father, and Nikki Porter (who carries a torch for Ellery but he is too much of a dim bulb to realize it) stop by the sleepy village of Cliffside for the night. Nikki is frightened by a raven in her room, but by the time Ellery and Inspector Queen get there the bird is gone, leaving bloody claw prints on the bed linen. They are interrupted by the appearance of a girl -- the hotel maid -- who tells them that Mr. Throckmorton fell over the cliff and is dead. Who is Throckmorton, and why is he dead? Ellery does not think this was an accident. Suspects include the maid, the hotel janitor, the widow, and Throckmorton's assistant. It turns out that Throckmorton loved birds and he owned seven rare black birds. Hmm...
- Too Lucky to Live! - "Lovely Linda Haynes won the golf championship and found that the prize was...DEATH! If you've ever celebrated at the end of a hard match, this yarn will have a familiar ring, but you've been lucky! No grim spectre waited for you in the locker room! Another thrilling Ellery Queen mystery unfolds as he solves the weird puzzle of the Murder at the Nineteenth Hole!" Ellery is Nikki's caddy during the golf match (no explanation why Nikki is playing in this match; but we know Ellery is called into duty because of a caddy strike) as tensions ramp up between Linda Haynes and her rivals, including Vivian Marshall and Jessica She-doesn't-really-need-a-last-name. After the match, the girls drink champagne from a bottle supplied by Vivian's father, and...Linda dies. Can Ellery untangle the threads of professional jealousy to catch the culprit? Is the sky blue?
- The Model and the Monster - Famous model Mary Jones is dead, strangled! Clues include a man's size 15 shirt, a train time-table for Chicago, and a stranger who cheated a taxi driver out of a $19 fare, . Dogged police work solves the case because "Police data will always prove Crime Does Not Pay!"
- The Crooked Road - "It all started as a lovely evening, but ended as a nightmare! Before it was over, Ellery Queen and his beautiful assistant experienced a night of terror such as few have ever known...or ,lived to tell about! Your blood will freeze along with that of the two benighted travelers as Ellery follows a bloody trail to a bloodier ending in the tale of The Werewolf of Walpurgis Hollow!" A fierce storm, a dangerous mountain road, a creepy old house, a creepier old family, murder, and...oh, yeah, they went there...a werewolf!
I read Ellery Queen's mysteries in the early 1960s and loved THE CHALLENGE TO THE READER feature. I failed those challenges numerous times! I'm going to take your advice and save $180 plus shipping and go to link you so generously provided!
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