Richard Matheson - The Original Stories: The Mystery Digests

In the first two parts of this ongoing series, I looked at Richard Matheson's short fiction appearances in Playboy and the Sci-Fi Pulps. For this installment, I turn my attention to his work that appeared in mystery digests.

My goal is to include basic bibliographic information, cover shots and interior illustrations where possible, and a listing of the subsequent Matheson collections in which the stories appeared. I plan to interject other bits of trivia along the way, and if there's anything in particular you'd like to see, please let me know by posting a comment. -John Scoleri

The Original Stories - Part 3: The Mystery Digests

While not as prevalent as his dozens of appearances in sci-fi digests (which will be covered across several future installments) Matheson sold a number of short stories to the leading mystery markets of the 50s, including Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

"The Children of Noah"
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
March 1957, Vol. 2 No. 3

Subsequent appearances: Collected Stories HC, Shock!, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet: Horror Stories, Collected Stories TP v2

Editorial description: While your corpulent correspondent is among the first to admit he would be willing to shed a few pounds, he is shudderingly averse to losing them as did Mr. Ketchum in the sleeping town of Zachry, pop. 67!

Illustration by Richards

Notes: In his interview with Stanley Wiater for Collected Stories TP v2, Matheson states that he believes he adapted the story for Dan Curtis, although it was never produced. This issue of AHMM was the last before a format change to magazine, or bedsheet, size, and not only included a story by Matheson's close friend Robert Bloch, it also contained a story by an even closer acquaintance, Logan Swanson.


"I'll Make it Look Good" as by Logan Swanson
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
March 1957, Vol. 2 No. 3

Subsequent appearances (under Matheson's original title "A Visit to Santa Claus"): Collected Stories HC, Shock Waves, Collected Stories TP v2

Editorial description: Do you realize that, give or take a few, we have but 275 shopping days to Christmas? That happy event virtually upon us, permit me to introduce a father taking his son to see "Santa Claus"—without, I might add, the slightest good will toward men, or his spouse.

Illustration by Tom O'Sullivan (?)

Notes: Those familiar with Matheson's pseudonym Logan Swanson are aware that it normally came into play in the event the author was not happy with the rewriting (The Last Man on Earth) or editorial tinkering (the original Playboy Press paperback release of Earthbound) with his work. In this case, it was done to mask the fact that there were two stories by the same author in the magazine.

"The Faces"
Ed McBain's Mystery Book
No. 1, 1960

Subsequent appearances (as "Day of Reckoning): Collected Stories HC, Shock II (as "Graveyard Shift"), Shock Waves, Collected Stories TP v3

Editorial Comment: Richard Matheson ("The Faces"), foremost exponent of the modern tale of terror, leads off the Graveyard Shift department.

Notes: This is speculation on my part, but I believe Dell incorrectly retitled the story "Graveyard Shift" when it was reprinted in Shock II based on the department title in the magazine.

Illustration Uncredited

I assume Matheson had indicated that "The Faces" was not his title, as it is referenced as the original title in the copyright information in that volume. But clearly "Graveyard Shift" was not his title, either. Why else would the story reappear two volumes later, in Shock Waves (with no reference to either prior title in the copyright notice), under the only title it has been reprinted under since? This premiere issue of Ed McBain's Mystery Book also contains an Ed McBain 87th Precinct novel and a Shell Scott story by Richard Prather.

"What Was In The Box?"
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
April 1959, Vol. 33 No. 4

Subsequent appearances (as "The Big Surprise"): Collected Stories HC, Shock II, Collected Stories TP v3






Editorial Comment:

Notes: This is a unique entry into Matheson's body of work. Originally created as a Reader's Contest story, in which readers were invited to send in their suggested conclusion to the short story for a chance of winning $25. Unfortunately, it appears that the readers of EQMM were never told who won the contest, nor was the winning entry published in any of the 1959 issues (special thanks to our resident EQMM expert Peter Enfantino, who went ahead and checked every issue between the April '59 contest and Matheson's second appearance in the magazine ten years later). The story, with Matheson's own ending, has since been collected as "The Big Surprise." He later adapted it for Rod Serling's Night Gallery.

"Needle in the Heart"
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
October 1969, Vol. 53 No. 8

Subsequent appearances (as "Therese"): Collected Stories HC, Shock Waves, Collected Stories TP v3

Editorial Comment: Do you believe in voodoo? No, we suppose you don't. But "there are more things in heaven and earth." dear reader, "than are dreamt of in your philosophy"...

Notes: Once again the editors replaced the title to this short-short story which has only been reprinted under Matheson's title of "Therese." William F. Nolan adapted the tale as one of the often forgotten segments of Dan Curtis' Trilogy of Terror.

"Till Death Do Us Part"
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
September 1970, Vol. 56 No. 3

Subsequent appearances: Collected Stories HC, Collected Stories TP v3

Editorial Comment: Smiling fiercely, Merle began to jab pins...

Notes: The short-short story became a stock in trade for Matheson at EQMM.
It's an area that his son Richard Christian Matheson would subsequently master.

Uncredited spot illustration

"Leo Rising"
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
May 1972, Vol. 59 No. 5

Subsequent appearances: Matheson Uncollected Volume 2

Editorial Comment: An ultimate array of squares, semisquares, and adverse conjunctions...

Notes: Until recently, this remained one of the few Matheson tales left uncollected, an oversight finally corrected with the release of Matheson Uncollected: Volume 2 from Gauntlet. While Matheson Uncollected: Volume 1 was made up primarily of stories Gauntlet had released as chapbooks offered as incentive to purchase Matheson limited editions directly, this volume does a better job at filling in the holes of Matheson's previously published pieces that had gone uncollected. Thanks are due to fellow Matheson fan and scholar, Paul Stuve, who provided most of these rarities to Gauntlet. Paul was also a key contributor to The Richard Matheson Companion, co-edited by Matheson expert Matthew Bradley.

Spot illustration credited to HM

"CU: Mannix"
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
April 1991, Vol. 97 No. 5

Subsequent appearances: Matheson Uncollected Volume 2

Editorial Comment: An unusual crime for EQMM, and all the more fascinating for that—entrapment, not so pure and simple...

Notes: After almost 20 years, Matheson re-appears in EQMM. Despite being described as a short-short story, this one clocks in at 11 pages!

"The Frigid Flame"
Justice
October 1955, Vol. 1 No. 3

Subsequent appearances: American Pulp, edited by Ed Gorman, Bill Pronzini, and Martin H. Greenberg.

Editorial Comment: Dave loved Peggy—despite the ugly rumor that she had murdered her husband.

Illustration uncredited

Notes: This is an abridged version of Matheson's first novel, Someone is Bleeding (and not the last you'll be reading about here). I was pleased to provide the copy of Justice that was used for American Pulp.

"Now Die In It"
Mystery Tales
December 1958, Vol. 1 No. 1

Subsequent appearances: Matheson Uncollected Volume 2

Editorial Comment: The voice on the phone called him "Tyler" and said he was about to die. Was it a terrifying case of mistaken identity? Or was a coldblooded, revengeful hood really on his way to end Don martin's life? A respectable suburban husband and father faces his trial by terror in Richard Matheson's latest nerve-tingling suspense yarn.

Illustration uncredited

Notes: In his new book Richard Matheson On Screen, Matthew Bradley points out that "Now Die In It" was subsequently expanded into Matheson's novel Ride the Nightmare.

"Crickets"
Shock
May 1960, Vol. 1 No. 1

Subsequent appearances: Collected Stories HC, Shock II, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet: Horror Stories, Collected Stories TP v3

Editorial Comment: MEMO FROM LULUBELL: Now, here's the kind of story I really like. It proves that everything turns out for the worst in this worst of all possible worlds.

Notes: The star-studded lineup in this issue also includes numerous reprints from Ray Bradbury ("The Crowd"), Theodore Sturgeon ("Bianca's Hands"), Henry Kuttner ("Graveyard Rats"), and W.W. Jacobs ("The Monkey's Paw").

Uncredited spot illustration

There's more to come! Stay tuned for future installments of Richard Matheson - The Original Stories!

An Annotated Guide to The Zombie Chronicles

by John Scoleri

The Zombie Chronicles was an illustrated 8.5 x 11 fanzine devoted to the zombie cinema of George A. Romero published between 1995-1996. Edited by Keith Milford, six quarterly issues were produced. While it was narrowly focused, to be sure, it was a very nicely designed fanzine that I'm proud to have contributed to. As it remains undocumented on the web, I wanted to correct that oversight, particularly in that the name has since been appropriated for a number of zombie stories, anthologies and direct to video drivel.

Volume 1 Issue 1

May/June 1995, 8 pages

Contents:
The Dead Walk! Editorial
Dead Reckoning by Keith Milford
Exclusive Interview with Bill "Chilly Billy" Cardille
Dawn of the Dead: What Went Wrong? by John Milford
Living Dead Legacy (real-life zombie folklore)
Dawn of the Fan by Brooke Perry
Zombie of the Month (Dawn's airport zombie)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: Right off the bat Milford served up some meat for zombie fans to gnaw on. Cardille's interview gives a nice perspective to Night that was fresh at the time of publication. Milford contributes his reasoning as to why the films have lasting power, while Perry specifically details how Dawn changed his life. John Milford offer his reasoning for why things went awry for the characters in Dawn of the Dead—and while the easy answer is that's the way George wrote it, he provides an interesting analysis. The zombie folklore is obviously filler, and the one-panel zombie cartoons were never to my taste, but they certainly didn't detract from the other content.

Volume 1 Issue 2

July/August 1995, 10 pages

Contents:

Interview with the Zombie: David Emge Part One by Keith Milford
The Last Time I Saw Night... by John Milford
The Other Day of the Dead by John David Scoleri
Dead Reprints Gazette
Zombie of the Month (Dawn's zombie Stephen)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: With this issue, I think TZC established its legitimacy. Keep in mind this was before the days where everyone turned up in an audio commentary, or on the convention circuit. The Emge interview is clearly the centerpiece of the issue, and a nice treat for Dawn fans. John Milford offers up an almost stream of consciousness analysis of Night. My piece on Day was a revision of an article I originally wrote for our Scream Factory NOTLD 25th Anniversary tribute, and the DRG is an article on the skeleton rented for Dawn that was subsequently believed to be real human remains.

Volume 1 Issue 3

September/October 1995, 10 pages

Contents:

Interview with the Zombie: David Emge Part Two by Keith Milford
Night of the Living Dead... The Opera?
TZC Emergency Broadcast Network - News
Dead Reprints Gazette
TZC Quotes Crypt
Zombie of the Month (Night's zombie Johnny)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: The conclusion of the Emge interview dominates this issue as well. The article on The Opera is primarily a press release with information about the Pittsburgh production. John Milford discusses Romero having created a new genre of horror films. The DRG is an article from a Florida paper about the filming of Day in Fort Meyers, Florida. The quotes include blurbs from fans of the first issue, including Joe Bob Briggs.

Volume 1 Issue 4

November/December 1995, 10 pages

Contents:

A Cut Above the Rest: Various versions of Dawn by John David Scoleri
Reviewing Squonk Opera's Night of the Living Dead: The Opera by Terry Thome
TZC Review (Japanese Dawn Perfect Collection LD) by John Scoleri
Dead Reprints Gazette
Letters From the Other Side
Zombie of the Month (Day's Bub)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: As with my piece on Day, the lead article was a revised and updated version of the Dawn portion of my TSF article. The NOTLD Opera gets an actual review this time out. The DRG is a great lengthy feature article from the Philadelphia Inquirer on the making of Day.

Volume 1 Issue 5

January/February 1996, 12 pages

Contents:

Interview with Keith Wayne Part One by Brooke Perry
Dead Reprints Gazette
TZC Review (Document of the Dead) by John Scoleri
A Horror Movie Character's Survival Guide compiled and edited by Keith Milford
Skeletons in the Closet: Night of the Living Dead by Keith Milford
TZC Emergency Broadcast Network - News
Letters From the Other Side
Zombie of the Month (Night's zombie Karen)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: Brooke Perry provides the first of an important two part interview with Keith Wayne, as it sadly turned out to be his last. The DRG is another lengthy piece, this an interview with Romero during the making of The Dark Half from the Miami Herald. The Survival Guide seemed somewhat out of place, as it doesn't directly tie to Romero's films, but with the increased page count, who's to complain. Skeletons provides some interesting trivia about NOTLD, most of which is now common knowledge.

Volume 1 Number 6

March/April 1996, 12 pages

Contents:
Interview with Keith Wayne Part Two by Brooke Perry
Remembering the Dawn by Rees Savidis
Is This A Zombie I See Before Me by Adam Burton
Dead Reprints Gazette
Zombie Psychology by Jeffrey Kauffman
Letters From the Other Side
Hero of the Month (Night's Ben)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: Fortunately the zine survived long enough to run the conclusion of Brooke Perry's conversation with Keith Wayne. Rees Savidis provides another fan's take on Dawn. Adam Burton delivers an interesting comparative analysis of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Romero's Living Dead trilogy. The DRG is an article on Roy Frumkes' Document of the Dead documentary from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Jeffrey Kauffman's piece is an extremely brief explanation of the positive psychological impact of watching Romero's dead trilogy. The coming attractions box notes the next issue would be an anniversary issue, and include "Dawn of the Dead—the midnight movie experience."

There was hope that the zine would continue, but it was not meant to be. While there were certainly still numerous cast and crew members that could have been interviewed, one can also argue that there was only so much to be said about three films. In preparing for this article, I was able to contact Brooke Perry, one of the zine's other key contributors, to discuss his experience writing for The Zombie Chronicles.

JS: I assume you also connected with Keith Milford through AOL. How did you come to write your first article for the premiere issue?

Brooke Perry: Keith and I met on the original horror message boards on AOL back in 1994. In fact, we were two of the old school members on the "Modern Horror" boards (as were you, if I recall correctly). After discussing a mutual love of zombies, Keith contacted me about starting up his own zine and asked if I wanted to contribute. I jumped at the chance, naturally.

JS: How did you connect with Keith Wayne for the interview you did with him? Was that his last?

BP: Yes, it was indeed his last interview. I'm thinking of contacting Joe Kane if he updates his recent "Night of the Living Dead" book and offering him the material to include.

I had watched the Joe Bob Briggs NOTLD reunion and they mentioned Keith lived in Carey, NC as a chiropractor. I called directory info for Carey and found his office number. I called, got him on the phone, told him who I was and asked for an interview. He was very polite and enthused and gave me his home number. We set a date for about a week later and I recorded the entire conversation on a micro-cassette, which I still have. What happened was very, very tragic and it was Keith Milford who actually informed me that Wayne had taken his own life. When the two issues of TZC came out, I sent copies to Keith's widow Brenda. She sent me a very nice card back thanking me and mentioned it would mean a lot to his children. I got quite emotional reading that card and I still have it. During the interview, Keith was talking about future plans to dabble in film and tv again. He spoke fondly of his medical practice and his power lifting and weight training. There was no indication whatsoever that anything was wrong. He was genuinely thrilled and humbled that I had gone to the trouble to locate him. I never got to meet him, but I do have an autograph of his courtesy of Bob Michelucci. Having done that interview still means the world to me.

JS: It's great that it's out there for fans, however it does deserve to be seen by a much wider audience. I was fortunate enough to meet Keith at the 25th anniversary Zombie Jamboree in 1993. He (and most of the surviving cast members, really) was so gracious to be on the receiving end of so much love from the fans. My lasting memory of Keith came when I gave him a copy of our 25th anniversary tribute magazine, as he insisted that I sign it for him. That certainly caught me off guard, and when the rest of the cast members followed suit I was suitably embarrassed and proud. His death came as a complete shock, as he really did seem revitalized by all the attention. A truly sad loss, as so few fans had an opportunity to thank him directly for his contribution to Night.

Did you have any other articles for TZC in the works when it folded?

BP: I was trying to pin down Lori Cardille for an interview. Keith had provided me with her number. I also wanted to do a series of articles on the soundtracks to the Romero zombie films. I had an address for John Harrison at the time, which would have provided material for Day of the Dead.

JS: That's my favorite Dead score — I would have loved to read that interview, too! The last piece I submitted was the first in a series of wish-fulfillment articles describing my idea for a toy line based on Romero's zombie films. I went into great detail on the characters and their accessories (all the main characters and featured zombies that you would expect), vehicles (Ben's truck, the WGON helicopter, and John's helicopter) and playsets (the farmhouse, the mall, and the underground bunker) that would make up the line. What's particularly surreal is that as I write this, I have a case filled with licensed figures such as a 12" cemetery zombie from Night, three zombies from Dawn (zombie Stephen, the airport zombie and the hari krishna zombie), and two from Day (Dr. Tongue and Bub). Go figure.

Did you ever have a chance to meet any of the Milfords?

BP: Sadly, no. They always seemed like a great bunch of guys. Even though I was sad that they folded the zine to pursue other interests, I still have the utmost respect for what they accomplished. I couldn't have done it.

JS: I know you've also been published in Scarlet Street, Carpe Noctem and Film Threat. What other subjects have you written about?

BP: I've written extensively about the music of Star Trek and horror films in general. Music is a love of mine. Richard Valley, the founder and editor of Scarlet Street, lost his battle with cancer a few years ago. The magazine now operates under a different title. Scarlet, I believe it's called. They still have several film reviews of mine that, sadly, were never published.

JS: What else have you been up to these last 15 years?

BP: I've taught theatre, film and English at a couple of universities here in the southeast. I'm also a participant in a theatre company called Pillar of Fire. It's a spiritual collaboration between us and Ray Bradbury, who is our mentor and inspiration. We perform stage versions of his stories as well as staged readings of other genre authors like Bloch, Lovecraft, Bierce, George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson, etc.

JS: Sounds very cool! Folks can check out the Facebook page here.

BP: Lastly, I'm also in a band called Mos Teutonicus. Doom metal with tastes of thrash thrown in is what you'd call us, I guess LOL. Our gimmick is simple: I write songs about our favorite horror movies. Nothing politically or religiously motivated. Just fun horror stuff. So far, I've written songs based on The Devil's Rain, Shock Waves, Maniac (Lustig), Fear No Evil, Men Behind The Sun and The Beyond. We also have a track I wrote for our buddy Ken Foree, a fast punk track simply titled WGZK (World's Greatest Zombie Killer).

JS: Glad to hear you're still finding ways to wave the horror flag. Looking back, what do you think it was it about The Zombie Chronicles that made it so special?

BP: It was a true DIY effort, which I loved since I was still reeling in my punk days from the 80's, LOL. I even created home made flyers that I would pass out at metal and goth concerts, wherever I thought there would be an interest. It was fun spending phone time with Keith brainstorming ideas for the zine. His enthusiasm was contagious.

JS: I recall that about him, too. It was clear the zine was born out of a true passion for the films. Hopefully he'll stumble across this article and we can capture the Milford perspective as well. Thanks Brooke!

The Complete Guide to Manhunt Part 3

by Peter Enfantino

Continuing an issue-by-issue examination of the greatest crime digest ever published.

The editorial in this issue states that "there was no way of gauging what the print order for the first edition should have been. We took a stab at 600,000. Now we know that a million would have been a better guess."

Volume 1 Number 2 February 1953

The Imaginary Blonde by John Ross MacDonald

(10,000 words) **

Famous PI Lew Archer stumbles across his latest case when he stops for some shut eye at a motel in California. Archer awakes to the screams of a hysterical woman covered in blood outside his room. Later, after Archer checks out, he finds the owner of the blood parked in his car along a beach highway, very dead. When the motel manager hires Archer to find the murderer, the trail leads him to Palm Springs and a web of double identities and bone-crushing thugs.

Sex Murder in Cameron by Michael Fessier

(3000 words) **

The town of Cameron buzzes when wealthy, handsome bachelor Cass Buford marries homely Linda. They buzz even more when Linda buries a hatchet in Cass’ head. Michael Fessier (1907-1988) was a San Francisco reporter when he began writing short stories in the 1930s. His novel, FULLY DRESSED AND IN HIS RIGHT MIND, was published by Knopf in 1935, but his claim to fame was the several movies he wrote and/or produced, including THE MERRY MONAHANS (1944) and RED GARTERS (1954).

Dirge for a Nude by Jonathon Craig

(5000 words) *1/2

Swingin’ piano player Marty Bishop is harrassed by his ex-girlfriend, the beautiful and bountiful singer Gloria Gayle. The harrassment stops when her vivacious nude body is found by Marty in the front of his Caddy. It’s up to Marty to piece together the puzzle of “who killed the babe” before the cops come calling. Ding-Dong-Daddy-O dialog has never done anything for me and Craig’s hip dialog sounds phoney even for its time.

Stabbing in the Streets by Eleazor Lipsky

(5000 words) ***

District Attorney David Wiley investigates the stabbing of a young seaman by a Spanish-speaking man, claiming self-defense. A good cast of supporting characters builds this into a well-done crime drama. Provides no real answers to the puzzle, but I think that makes it even more satisfying. Eleazor Lipsky is best known for writing the novel THE KISS OF DEATH (1947). The movie version made a star out of Richard Widmark who, in a memorable scene, tosses a wheelchair-bound woman down a flight of stairs. KISS was remade in 1995 by director Barbet Schroeder and starred Nicolas Cage and David Caruso. The remake was unjustly savaged by critics and largely ignored by the public but the original (which also starred Victor Mature and Brian Donlevy) remains a high point in noir cinema. “Stabbing in the Streets” was Eleazor Lipsky’s only story for Manhunt.

Carrera’s Woman by Richard Marsten (Ed McBain)

(4500 words) *1/2

Jeff McCauley has his hard-earned ten grand ripped off by an obese Mexican bandit named Carrera, but Jeff holds an ace card of his own. Carrera’s beautiful, but equally dangerous wife. Harlequin Romance done Manhunt-style. Comes off like one of those Grade-Z 1940s mystery flick quickies.

Attack by Hunt Collins (Ed McBain)

(1500 words) **1/2

A cop on his honeymoon comes back to his cabana to find his wife beaten to death and the perp making tracks in the sand. About as noir and violent as the 1950s got. Too bad the story’s rushed and the characters thin (we never even learn the name of our hero) but the literal bang at the climax saves the day. Under the Hunt Collins name, McBain (and yes, I know he was also named Evan Hunter but I'll refer to him as McBain rather than McBain/Hunter/Lombino/Collins/Marsten/et al constantly) wrote a rare science fiction novel, Tomorrow's World (Avalon, 1956), reprinted in paperback by Pyramid as Tomorrow and Tomorrow (1965) and the crime novel, Cut Me In (Abelard-Shulman, 1954), reprinted as The Proposition (Pyramid, 1955).

Everybody’s Watching Me by Mickey Spillane

(Part 2 of 4) (see Volume 1 Number 1 for details)

So Dark for April by John Evans

(7500 words) **

A dead body with no socks in his office in the dark part of April gives PI Paul Pine a big headache. Convincing the cops he had nothing to do with the murder, Pine begins his own investigation to find just who did in the nattily dressed corpse. Stolen collectible stamps and greedy in-laws provide the whys and whos. Not a lot to get excited about, and I just hate two-page expositories detailing scenarios our narrator couldn’t possibly know.

Paul Pine starred in four highly-regarded novels, HALO IN BLOOD (1946), HALO FOR SATAN (1947), HALO IN BRASS (1949) and THE TASTE OF ASHES (1957). A fifth novel, unfinished because Browne had become bored with detecive fiction, was later published, still unfinished, as THE PAPER GUN (1985).

The pulp Mammoth Detective was a favorite stomping grounds to John Evans, who also wrote under his own name, Howard Browne, and the psuedonym William Brengle. In addition to the Pine stories, Browne also created a real estate troubleshooter named Lafayette Muldoon and the department store detective Wilbur Peddie. Max Allan Collins has said that “among the post-Chandler private eye novels of the 1950s, there is no finer example than Howard Browne’s THE TASTE OF ASHES.”

Howard Browne had a fascinating life and career. He was editor of the science fiction digests Amazing (1950-1956), Fantastic (1952-1956), and Fantastic Adventures (1950-1953), and later went on to a successful television career, writing for such shows as Maverick (the classic episode “Duel at Sundown” co-starring a very young Clint Eastwood), The Virginian, Ben Casey, Mission: Impossible, Mannix, and The Fugitive.

The Lesser Evil by Richard Deming

(7000 words) **

Three wise guys want Manville Moon to take over as faux-Godfather to scare off a big syndicate that’s muscling in on their territory. Moon agrees for a price but then regrets it when guns start blazing. One-armed detective Manville Moon shot his way through many short adventures and three novels, THE GALLOWS IN MY GARDEN (1952), TWEAK THE DEVIL’S NOSE (1953), and WHISTLE PAST THE GRAVEYARD (1954). Richard Deming (1915-1983) also ghost-wrote at least ten novels as Ellery Queen and his name can also be found on several MOD SQUAD and DRAGNET TV tie-ins. He wrote competent, enjoyable mysteries but today is pretty much unknown, even to vintage mystery fans. You won’t find much ink on Deming in contemporary studies such as William L. DeAndrea’s ENCYCLOPEDIA MYSTERIOSA (MacMillan, 1994). (1)

As I Lie Dead by Fletcher Flora

(5000 words) ****

Cousins Cindy and Tony muse on their grandfather’s artificial beach how nice Acupulco would look if only they had the old man’s money. Being a take-charge kind of guy, Tony sees to it that Grandfather meets a watery demise. Unfortunately for the kissin’ cousins, their crime is witnessed by a rich neighbor. Being wealthy means this blackmailer wants something a little more warm: Cindy. Excellent cross-double cross story with a literal big bang climax.

Fletcher Flora (1914-1969) wrote dozens of short stories for such high class digests as Alfred Hitchcock, Ellery Queen, Mike Shayne, and Hunted. Flora’s novels include the superb THE HOTSHOT (1956), which explores the seedy world of high school basketball betting, and SKULLDUGGERY (1967), a novel that, much like “As I Lie Dead”, involves money-hungry relatives.

This issue also featured MUGGED AND PRINTED featuring author bios of Mickey Spillane, Michael Fessier, John Evans, John Ross MacDonald, Richard Deming, and Eleazar Lipsky.

Footnotes:

1 The exclusion of Deming from the DeAndrea book should come as no surprise. This somewhat snobbish “comprehensive guide to the art of detection in print, film, radio, and television” is anything BUT comprehensive. Other authors snubbed by DeAndrea include Jonathon Craig, Vin Packer, and Gil Brewer. Enough space is afforded though to such tripe as Robert Conrad’s made-for-TV movie ONE POLICE PLAZA.

Check back next Friday for the next installment of The Complete Guide to Manhunt!

It's An Entertaining Comic! Part 2: Crime Suspenstories

by Peter Enfantino

In the grand scheme of things, Crime SuspenStories (27 issues published October 1950 through March 1955) falls somewhere in the middle of the EC line as far as quality goes but somewhere near the bottom of the heap of the core titles in terms of respect. There aren’t many essays written (or, in the case of Tales From the Crypt, whole books) fondly recalling CSS and most critics (and readers, for that matter) prefer its vastly superior sister title, Shock SuspenStories. That could be because most of the issues of CSS seem, at times, to be slapped together in a hodgepodge of artists and subpar storytelling. There are a handful of superior stories found here, but most run along the lines of:

Librarian Blanche, working overtime, worries she may be the target of a maniac who’s terrorizing her town. Blanche is convinced that the mysterious man lurking in the library stacks after hours is the crazed murderer. We find out in the end that, in fact, Blanche is the maniac and the mysterious man becomes her next victim.

(“Maniac at Large” CSS #27)

As with The Haunt of Fear (and the other EC titles, for that matter), the CSS writers enjoyed “dipping into other sources,” which led to borrowing liberally from such stories as Samuel Blas’ “Revenge” (morphed into “Murder May Boomerang” in CSS #1), Louis Pollock’s “Breakdown” (transformed into “The Corpse in the Crematorium,” CSS #2), and Jonathon Craig’s “The Quiet Room” (see “The Squealer” in CSS #25).

Several stories excel in the art department but fall woefully  storywise. “Two for the Show” (from #17) comes immediately to mind. Will Elder’s stark, almost underground, pencils (which Elder would sharpen fuller a few years later in Mad) liven up what is essentially the same old “Cuckolded husband finally has enough, kills wife, and is done in by a stupid mistake” tale that crammed the pages of Crime SuspenStories. Another story found in the same issue, “Fired,” finds the dream team of Al Williamson and Frank Frazetta wasted in a role-reversal of “Two for the Show.”

Whatever problems the interiors had, one can’t complain about the cover art. Several standout issues include the aforementioned #17 (a man literally blows his own brains out); #6 (a queasy rear-angle shot of a broken-necked man, complete with noose); #19 (a woman being throttled underwater); and the infamous #22, whose beheaded female drew the ire of the Senate Subcomittee in 1954.

"Jury Duty" (CSS #6)

Art: Graham Ingels/Story: William Gaines/ Al Feldstein.

In his indispensable notes to the Crime SuspenStories library, Max Allan Collins calls “Jury Duty” a “wryly humorous but nonetheless creepy excursion into the Ingels/Feldstein universe.” It’s that and much more. The appropriately named Peter Kardoff is hanged by the neck ‘til dead for the crime of murder. His body is cut down and taken away to be buried by his servant, Boris. On the way to the grave, Boris is more than a tad shocked to find out his boss isn’t actually dead. Kardoff has survived the hanging, but is grotesquely misshapen. He sets out on a revenge trail with a slightly skewed view of the path. After several of the jurists are murdered, the remaining jurymen band together and bury Kardoff alive, musing that the act is not murder, since Kardoff had already been pronounced dead.

Gaines and Feldstein’s obvious influence for “Jury Duty” was the 1939 Boris Karloff film The Man They Could Not Hang, but there are also echoes of the Ygor character that Bela Lugosi played in Son of Frankenstein (1939) and Ghost of Frankenstein (1942).

"Out of the Frying Pan" (CSS #8)

Art/Story: Johnny Craig.

Laid up in the hospital, old Charlie enjoys telling his bedridden roommates about the lovely day and exploits of locals outside his window. Meanwhile, Hank Bowers catches his old lady gettin’ it on with another guy, loses his temper and chases the guy down an alley. Hank blows the guy away but sustains a minor injury during the fight, leaving him temporarily blind. The police haul him to the hospital and it’s there that Charlie and Hank cross paths. Listening to Charlie’s descriptions of a beautiful park across the street, Hank conjures up the perfect escape once his eyesight begins to return. Unfortunately for Hank, he doesn’t take into account that old Charlie is actually blind and that the non-existent park is actually a brick wall.

The six-panel first page (an alternative to the usual splash plus) hints at the goofiness Johnny Craig has in store for us in “Out of the Frying Pan.” The double-sized panel depicting Hank’s five foot flight into the brick wall is priceless and draws as many guffaws as anything EC ran in MAD.

"Rendezvous" (CSS #16)

Art/Story: Johnny Craig.

Joe Haines is a free-wheeling playboy stuck in a low-paying accountant’s job. To keep his girlfriend Nickie happy and well-jeweled, he’s been appropriating funds from work. When the boss gets suspicious and voices his concerns, Joe realizes he’s going to have to think up something fast. His salvation comes in the form of a time bomb and a timely business trip. Joe places the bomb in his boss’ luggage just before the man takes off, then flies to the spot in the desert where he’s calculated the crash will occur. Joe gets his expected comeuppance when he becomes part of the crash.

Not a great story in terms of the plotline and the contrivances needed to pull it off (does Joe really think he can dig through the flaming wreckage to cover up any proof of the bomb?), but livened up by what could be one of the most sadistic characters in comics. To cover up his own foolishness, Joe thinks nothing of killing hundreds of lives. It’s also a tough story to read in the wake of 9/11. Back in the 1950s, monsters like Joe Haines populated comic books, not desert training camps and 747s.

"Come Clean" (CSS #16)

Art: Al Williamson / Story: Gaines/Feldstein.

Ralph Jansen is about to be executed for the murder of Lillian Smith, a woman he picked up in a bar for a one-night stand. The prosecution’s evidence consists of the testimony of the landlady who saw him in Lillian’s apartment and his coat, which was seen on a man running from the apartment after the murder. Jansen spends his last months going over the night in his head, trying to come up with a missing piece. Unfortunately for Ralph, the missing piece arrives in his brain just as the switch is flipped. A wild, pessimistic story with no expository final panel. The executioner didn’t do it. No gleeful, guilty sheriff. We know Jansen is innocent, but we never find out who or why Lillian is killed.

"From Here to Insanity" (CSS #18)

Art: Reed Crandall / Story: Gaines/Feldstein.

A murderer terrorizes a poor old woman, forcing her to give him shelter while on the run from the cops. When the police come to the door, he tells her not to open the door and what to say. The O. Henry to this one is that the old lady is deaf and the police know this. How could she be answering questions through the door? The final panel shows the maniac, now insane, giggling in his padded cell. Crandall’s creepy artwork almost out-Ghastlys Graham Ingels. Two sources claim that this was later filmed as an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but I can find no proof of that.

"More Blssed to Give" (CSS #24)

Art: Bernie Krigstein/Story: Jack Oleck.

A wonderfully told (and illustrated) story about Molly and Stanley Talbot, married for eleven years and, we find out quickly, that’s eleven years too long. We see the two develop their plans to knock one another off in facing panels over the course of seven pages, illustrated by Krigstein in a stark, bare manner. Krigstein’s style must

have been daring for its day, as I’ve not seen any other artist of the time with a design such as his. The comment could be made that his style, in fact, is too...well, stylish... for simple horror/crime comics.

Author Jack Oleck later went on to write the novelizations of the two EC movies released by Amicus in the 1970s, as well as the two fairly scarce House of Mystery prose paperbacks released by Warner in 1973 (with illos by Berni Wrightson!). More importantly, Oleck contributed several highlights of the 1970s DC mystery line (House of Secrets, Weird Mystery Tales, etc.) and the fabulous, undiscovered “Space Voyagers,” a collaboration with artist Alex Nino that ran as a backup in Rima, The Jungle Girl.

"Dog Food" (CSS #25)

Art: Reed Crandall/Story: Oleck.

Sadistic prison guard Lester Hoag keeps his prisoners and his guard dogs equally starved, making an escape next to impossible. With nothing to lose, the prisoners devise a plan to rid themselves of Hoag by baiting the crazed dogs with strips of meat and stealing up to Hoag’s house to kill him. The boss uncovers the plan and baits his own trap.

Most critics (and fans, as well, actually) point to “Foul Play” from Haunt of Fear #19 as the grisliest example of EC gone too far. I’d direct those who like that kind of thing (retro-splatter?) to “Dog Food,” a classic with an unusually nauseating climax by, of all artists, Reed Crandall. To me, Crandall is primarily known for tamer exercises in horror such as “Double-Crossed” in the previous issue of CSS or his later work in the Warren magazines. Don’t misunderstand me, Crandall was a fine artist, with a hand for beautiful line work such as that found in the aforementioned “Double-Crossed” or “Curse of the Full Moon (found in Creepy #4), but those who admire Crandall’s work have to be shocked by the final panel of “Dog Food.” The story itself is maybe a bit too familiar (it’s a swipe of the classic “Blind Alleys” from Tales from the Crypt #46) but it’s all in the presentation as they say.

"Just Her Speed" (CSS #27)

Art: Bernie Krigstein/Story: Oleck.

Marty stole Shirley from Ed and Ed has been tracking the pair for the two years since, finally finding Marty working in a dingy diner. When Ed confronts Marty, gun in hand, the terrified cook knows that if he can only stall Ed for a half hour, a state trooper will come in for his nightly cup of coffee. When the time arrives, the state trooper zooms by the diner chasing a speeding car. The passenger, ironically, turns out to be the adulterous Shirley, with her latest conquest. Another amazing job by Krigstein and Oleck.

NEXT UP: Weird Fantasy

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RECOMMENDED READING

The EC Library: Crime Suspenstories. 5 hardcover volumes. (Russ Cochran, publisher. 1983). Reprinting of the entire series, with story-by-story notes and critique by acclaimed crime writer Max Allan Collins.

Crime SuspenStories (27 issues, EC Comics, October 1950-March 1955). (reprinted by Russ Cochran/Gemstone, November 1992-May 1999).

Illustrating the Day After Doomsday: Patrick Jones

Interview by John Scoleri

In 2009, the Easton Press released a five-volume set titled The Day After Doomsday, including Earth Abides by George Stewart, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, On the Beach by Nevil Shute, Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, and Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. As described on their website:

By virulent disease...by nuclear war...by catastrophic natural disaster. These are the breathtaking novels that envision the end of the world as we know it and incisively portray the effects on the handfuls of survivors. Each book features an original frontis illustration by renowned science-fiction artist Patrick Jones.

As a huge fan and collector of all things I Am Legend, I sought out artist Patrick Jones to discuss his work on that book and the others in the Day After Doomsday series.

bb: How did you get involved with the Easton Press Day After Doomsday series?
Patrick Jones: I had done plenty of work for them before and they knew I was crazy for SF & fantasy illustration.

bb: Had you read any of the five books prior to the assignment?
PJ: I had only read I Am Legend and was a big fan of Richard's work, especially Legend and The Shrinking Man, so that was the real thrill for me, with the other books as a bonus (I'm intrigued by tales of the last people on Earth). The other real surprise in the package was Earth Abides which was superb. There wasn't a single copy in Australia and I had to buy one from the US for $1 plus $20 postage!

Earth Abides

bb: How did you approach each illustration? Were you looking for some thematic or stylistic consistency between the pieces?
PJ: I wanted the books to have that fifties feel, that sense of wonder.

Alas, Babylon

Frankenstein

bb: Do you approach creating a frontispiece differently than you would a cover assignment, in that you don't carry the burden of working around the placement of extraneous or other design elements?
PJ: I strangely had to fight my instincts, after years of conditioning I still leave the top third uncluttered for type to fit. Sometimes though I get liberated as in the Frankenstein piece I did for them and fill the shot. The irony here is that I would have liked some retro type on my Legend art to give it the full fifties flavor. It's crying out for it!


bb: Who do you count as your major influences as an artist?
PJ: Boris Vallejo and Frank Frazetta. There were many more to come but these two guys hooked me for life and still inspire me.

Lucifer's Hammer

bb: What is your process for creating an illustration? I know the final pieces were created digitally—can you elaborate on how many iterations you go through in finalizing a concept?
PJ: Usually I'll read the manuscript with a highlighter at hand to mark character descriptions, then do some warm up sketches until I find a mood. After that process I scribble down three comps with notes for the art director. When they pick a comp I'll send a tight sketch for final approval and maybe a colour rough.

On the Beach

bb: Did any of your pieces change significantly based on editorial/art director feedback?
PJ: With Easton Press I pretty much get total freedom to create, which in turn brought about some of my favorite art. I don't remember having to change anything major, or at all.

bb: Do you have a favorite of the final works?
PJ: Without doubt, I Am Legend. I think it hit the mark, although the Spectrum jury voted Earth Abides as the stronger piece.

bb: What are some of your other works that sci-fi fans might be familiar with?
PJ: Frankenstein is popular (I know it's considered horror but it's still sf in theme), it won me world's best concept art award, Asia/Pacific region, from Massive Black, and my art on Simon Green's long running Deathstalker series got a wide release in paperback.

Deathstalker Destiny

On I Am Legend

bb: Can you walk me through the specific process with the creation of the I Am Legend illustration. I'm interested in the order in which the concepts were created, and what led to the changes. It appears that you had three distinct concepts: Neville in the pit, Neville on the car, and Neville standing with the rifle. I'm also interested in the approximate size of the pieces.

PJ: The warm up sketch is A4 and is the earliest taste of what's to come. This stage is the most changeable as the art director never sees it, it's just my first feelings when reading the script. The art director comps are usually four rectangles on an A4 sheet in pencil, I then scan them and add tone on computer. If I have time enough to do the art in oils then all these stages are done with paint.

My first comp focused on Neville's loneliness so the comp order started with the pit idea, then moved to a more heroic idea, having Neville use an overturned car as a vantage point, but with the same sense of loneliness. In the end I came back to my original musings showing him walking the lonely streets defiant. Luckily the art director choose that comp.

bb: With Legend, were you familiar with any of the cover art that had been used on prior versions? If so, did that influence you in any way, either inspiring you to go a certain direction or in fact avoid a particular concept?

PJ: I think I first read the Corgi edition many years before with Neville standing over his wife by the pit but can't be sure, I was more aware of the Gold Medal Book art for some reason, so the pit was in my mind to begin with. I remember the Charlton Heston movie tie in image from way back so maybe that influenced me toward the heroic (I was a huge fan of The Omega Man as a kid).

I Am Legend

bb: Do you know if Matheson has seen the piece, and if so if he had any feedback?
PJ: I have no idea, it would have been a great thrill if he had done. I rarely make contact with the authors as I deal directly with an art director.

To find out more about Patrick Jones and his work, I encourage you to check out his website. All five Day After Doomsday images (along with Frankenstein and many of his other works) are available in his store as signed and numbered giclees limited to 100 copies.