The Witching Hour #17 is an issue of the series The Witching Hour (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1971.
Synopsis for "This Little Witch Went to College"
A young student named Claire joins a witch coven that is operating on her college campus. The witches are led by a leader named Gina who charges Claire with the task of eliminating an enemy of the coven. The targeted enemy is a university professor named Frederick Stokes. Claire befriends and romances him and then injects him with an elixir that puts him in a hypnotic stupor. Claire leads the professor into a cavern where the witches congregate. They soon come upon the dead body of a student named Mary Wells who had recently disappeared. Gina explains that she overdosed on an elixir but her death is being kept a secret so that the coven can remain safe. Gina reveals that she plans to place the body of the dead professor next to the dead student so that he will be blamed for the death. Claire realizes that she does not want to go along with the sinister plot and runs off with the professor with the other witches in pursuit. At one point Claire draws a circle on the ground complete with a hex sign. The witches refuse to cross into the circle and Gina's power over them stops abruptly. Gina then disappears as the other witches awake from their hypnotic state. Professor Stokes declares that he will notify the authorities about the death of Mary Wells and he is confident that they will eventually find Gina and charge her with the death. Unknown to everyone, it is revealed that Gina burned her way back down into the ground where she came from.
Appearing in "This Little Witch Went to College"
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- The Hecatae (Host)
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Synopsis for "The Corpse Who Carried Cash!"
A funeral home employee embezzles from his boss and decides to hide the money in the casket of a recently dead person overnight. He realizes the error of his ways when his boss informs him the following morning that the man had been cremated.
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Synopsis for "The Man in the Cellar"
Miser Ephraim Dark meets a kind stranger through a mirror that he keeps in his cellar. The stranger pulls Ephraim through the mirror and offers him a meal but Ephraim can only think he's being spied on so the stranger can steal his money. When Ephraim notices a painting ajar, he knows that he's located the man's safe. He steals the money and flees back through the mirror, but he panics that they might be able to follow him through the mirror so he burns the money. Still not satisfied that he is safe, he breaks the mirror. When he checks his own money hiding place he is shocked to discover his money is gone. The face of the stranger appears and Ephraim realizes the stranger is himself living another life if he had not been a miser. Ephraim realizes that the money he stole and destroyed was his own.
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Synopsis for "Fingers of Fear!"
This story is reprinted from Sensation Comics #109.
A man named Albert Tisdale goes on a killing spree eliminating 5 of his fellow colleagues in the jungles of Brazil. He plans to keep a stolen treasure all to himself. The treasure was obtained from an ancient Indian tribe who attempted to stop Tisdale but he successfully escapes the jungle with his loot of gold and jewels. Tisdale returns back to civilization to enjoy his spoils but then he notices that the fingers on his left hand have transformed. The fingers have taken the shape of the victims he murdered to obtain the treasure for himself. The figures declare that they intend to get their revenge on Tisdale. The sinister figures take every opportunity to kill Tisdale. They attempt to get him to shoot himself or chop off his hand with an ax but Tisdale successfully protects himself from their murderous actions. He covers his cursed hand with gloves but the figures on his fingers still find ways to attempt their murderous goal. At one point Tisdale is suffocated to death when his uncontrollable fingers cover his nose and mouth and Tisdale falls dead unable to breath. The authorities find his dead body but they do not notice that his hand has turned dark and black.
Appearing in "Fingers of Fear!"
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Synopsis for "The Second Life of Simon Steele"
This story is reprinted from House of Secrets #46.
A prosecutor named Tad Miller brings charges of art theft against a man who has no legal representation. A lawyer name Simon Steele then mysteriously appears and offers to defend the accused thief. Steele commences to prove that the stolen items in question are fake and they can in no way convict his client. The case is abruptly dismissed. The prosecutor whose name is Tad Miller is dumbfounded as he tries to figure out how his case fell apart. In yet another trial, Steele convinces the court that a female witness is unreliable and her testimony cannot be trusted. He seems to hypnotize the female witness to the point where she seems to be hallucinating. The judge sees that the woman cannot provide trustworthy testimony and the trial is once again dismissed. Tad Miller then recalls that the mysterious lawyer looks familiar. He resembles a lawyer from 150 years in the past that went up against one of his ancestors who also happened to be a lawyer. Simon Steele seemed to posses the powers of a wizard that he used to win cases. He was finally defeated by Millers ancestor when he accused Steele of not being certified to practice law. Steele suddenly disappeared but he swore to take revenge someday. The newspapers soon take up the story of the ghost lawyer. The story is picked up by a wanted criminal named Willy Lawson. Lawson had been in hiding from authorities but he now sees an opportunity to clear his name. He hires the ghost lawyer to defend him in trial and Lawson turns himself in to authorities thinking that his name will soon be cleared. He then discovers that he is a victim of a hoax invented by Tad Miller to bring him out of hiding. Miller had invented the story of the ghost lawyer to draw out Lawson. During Lawsons trial, the ghost of Simon Steele actually makes an appearance in court. He begins to defend Lawsons but Miller then reminds that court that Steele is not licensed to practice law in the state. Once he makes that accusation, the ghost of Simon Steele disappears forever. Willy Lawson is left standing in court without a lawyer.
Appearing in "The Second Life of Simon Steele"
Featured Characters:
- Tad Miller (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Chet Baxter (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Simon Steele (Flashback and main story) (Single appearance)
- Danny Clay (Single appearance)
- Mike Framer (Single appearance)
- Will Lawson (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Miss Whalen (Single appearance)
- Tad Miller's ancestor (Flashback only) (Single appearance)
- Pete (Single appearance)
Locations:
- An undisclosed city
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