Ready for another mid-’70s Marvel Comics mystery?

Back then, Marvel reprinted many 1950s horror stories which had first been published before the existence of the Comics Code Authority. Such was the case with “He Lurks in the Shadows,” originally seen in Uncanny Tales #6 (March 1953).

Twenty-two years later, when that story was slated to appear in Crypt of Shadows #16 (March 1975), there were two differences — its premise was no longer considered cover worthy — plus this time around, the Comics Code needed to approve each page before it was published.

“He Lurks in the Shadows” is about a killer who uses his ill-gotten gains to buy gifts for a wife who’s always giving him presents as well, only — surprise — that wife turns out be a killer, too, in a twist lifted from “The Gift of the Magi.” The Comics Code took issue with that.

Here’s the solution which was presented to Marvel to make the story publishable: “Wife is a crook and also kills her husband. She must be punished, according to the Code. Please put in caption to effect that she was caught and convicted.” So a caption was written and lettered …

The over-the-top caption, silly in its sudden change of tone, read: “The police found Claudia sobbing over his corpse. They booked her, tried her, convicted her, put her away. For life. She died in prison.” Whoever wrote that caption surely felt it as ridiculous as the request.

By now you’re likely asking — where’s the mystery I mentioned at the start of this thread? Scott promised us a mystery! Well, here it is — “He Lurks in the Shadows” was ultimately published in Crypt of Shadows #16 exactly as it had appeared 22 years earlier. No caption! But why?

Did the Comics Code Authority, on seeing the actual lettered caption, realize their suggestion was foolish? Or did the request come in too late, due to Marvel’s now legendary Dreaded Deadline Doom, which meant the printer was unable to strip the caption in place?

Or (and this one is a stretch) did Marvel create the caption merely to placate the CCA, with no intention of ever actually printing it?

After all these years, your guess is as good as mine.

We’ll likely never know.