Bold Fashion Choices--Winnie The Witch!!

Horror anthology comics have a long history of employing "hosts"--supernatural characters to introduce their tales, sometimes narrate them, sometimes even take part in them. Think The Mysterious Traveler, Cain, Able, Doctor Death, etc.

Sometimes, though, we had a host who gave the artist an opportunity to provide a little bit of cheesecake into an otherwise dark tale. Such was the case of Winnie The Witch, hostess of Charlton's Ghostly Haunts.

These tales were published in the 1970s, and the artists tool advantage to present something of a more mod host, who also liked to pose a bit provocatively on occasion.

Winnie had a definite "uniform" for the first several issues, but note the deviations the artists made, particularly hair style, glasses, the necklace, belt buckle, garter, and...ahem...skirt length.

Pete Morisi:

Sam Glanzman:

Jean Elier:

Charles Nicholas:

Fred Himes:

Artist unknown:

Pat Boyette:

Steve Ditko:

Steve really liked Winnie involved every page, as in this strip that ran down the center of 6 panels, with the witch commenting (and posing):

More Ditko:

Fred Himes:

Winnie sometimes even showed up on the cover (Ditko!!):

Pat Boyette:

Pete Morisi:

By issue #25, they were getting a bit bored, I guess, as they started varying her look (Pete Morisi):

Fred Himes:

Ditko:

Maybe DC can bring back Winnie someday...?

From Ghostly Haunts #20-25 (1971-1972)