Comic Book Cats, number 124: Yellowjacket Comics #1, drawn by Bill Allison, published by Charlton Comics in September 1944.
As was the case with the majority of Golden Age comic books, Yellowjacket Comics #1 contained a variety of back-up stories. One of those was an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Black Cat.” Published in 1843 in The Saturday Evening Post, Poe’s story of psychological horror has been adapted on numerous occasions in various mediums over the decades. This adaptation is illustrated by Bill Allison, who opens the story with a symbolic splash page featuring multiple black cats, representing the narrator’s fear & guilt.
I have not been able to find out all that much about Bill Allison. The ever-useful Lambiek Comiclopedia provides the following information:
“Bill Allison worked as a comic book artist during the 1930s and 1940s, doing art on mostly western features. Educated at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, he did advertising art during the 1920s. His work on comic books was done through shops like the Chesler Studio, Funnies Inc. and Iger Studio.”
The complete issue of Yellowjacket Comics can be read on the Comic Book Plus website.
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=15494
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/a/allison_bill.htm
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