Thursday, November 28, 2019

Journey Into Strange Tales! Atlas/ Marvel Horror Issue 48






The Marvel/Atlas 
Horror Comics
Part 33
December 1952 Part II
+ The 20 Best of 1952





Burgos
 Spellbound #10

"How Many Times Can You Die? (a: Bill Everett) ★1/2
"The Living Mummy" (a: Manny Stallman) 
"When Grugg Goes to Sleep!" (a: Tony DiPreta) 
"Where There's Smoke" 
"Don't Turn Your Back" (a: Bill Benulis & Jack Abel) 

Investment partners Phil and Harry are in a heap of trouble when their customers demand their money back and the boys will have to admit to fraud. But Harry, the brains of the duo, comes up with a foolproof plan: Phil will take all the money, fake a suicide, and flee to California, where Harry will join up with him when the heat dies down. Harry's even paid for false ID to make it easier for Phil to assimilate himself into a new environment. All well and good until Phil decides to stab his partner in the back by leaving a note fingering Harry for embezzlement and for Phil's murder! Even though a body is never found, Harry heads up the river for a dozen years and exits prison one very embittered man.

He tracks his old friend down, demands his cut of the dough, and then ventilates the back-stabber. Harry is arrested for murder but he's convinced he can't be tried for murdering the same man twice. The police tell him they have no idea what he's talking about; this man's name was David, not Phil. Turns out the fake ID Harry got for Phil was worth the fortune he paid for it! "How Many Times Can You Die?" has a fairly literate script with a nice, ironic twist and some  fabulous art by Bill Everett. The uncredited writer fools with our expectations from the get-go; I was convinced Harry was going to be the double-crosser since Phil came across meek as a mouse. Nice to be wrong now and then.

The mummy of Egyptian king Tut Al-Amaan may be the key to discovering eternal life. At least that's the skewed view of a nut who breaks into the museum, kills a guard, and then injects Tut with a regenerating drug. "The Living Mummy" then decides freedom is just the ticket. He murders his savior, wraps him in bandages, and escapes the museum. My chuckles usually turn to groans when I come across these scientists/professors/amateur geniuses who have the skill and intelligence enough to come up with formulas that can bring dead Egyptians to life just so the egghead can discover the secret of eternal life! Why not cut out the middle man and keep experimenting until you've found what you're really looking for? I will say I probably enjoyed this "Living Mummy" much more than Tony Isabella's 1970s version in Supernatural Thrillers.

"When Grugg Goes to Sleep!," the poor Trrosstian has nightmares of transforming into Earthlings. Seeing a psychiatrist may help. A quick bit of Stan Lee-penned fluff with some cute captions and a funny fourth-wall breaking in the final panels. DiPreta's aliens are delightfully goofy. Silas Henning, the miser of "Where There's Smoke...," is so cheap he won't allow his wife to use the heating despite the sub-freezing temps in their cabin. Silas convinces his wife they're dirt poor but, in fact, he's got a boatload of greenbacks hidden away. But it turns out that Silas was out counting his money when they handed out brains since his hiding place is the old wood stove in the corner of the shack and the old lady just fired up the stove! Seriously? In the stove? In last place, both literally and figuratively, this issue is "Don't Turn Your Back," a deadly dumb vampire tale about a wealthy Englishman, whose estate may or may not be infested by vampires. There's not a single panel in this nonsense that isn't predictable.





 Suspense #25

"Men with Fangs" (a: Joe Sinnott) 
(r: Chamber of Chills #14)
"Where the Werewolf Prowled!" (a: Tony DiPreta) ★1/2
"I Died at Midnight!"
"The Man Who Sold His Soul!" (a: John Romita) 
(r: Crypt of Shadows #15)

Ellen is beside herself when she discovers the bait in the rat traps in the cellar has been taken but... no dead rats! She drags hubby Jim down to the cellar for a look-see and while he's meandering, Ellen is stolen away by man-sized rats. Jim tracks his into a nightmarish underworld city populated by giant erect vermin, finding her chained to a brick wall. The rat-men (calling themselves were-rats!) deliver their ultimatum: allow them to bite Jim and his wife and transform them into were-rats or die a horrible death. Jim agrees, providing the monsters release his wife first. The group unchain Ellen, who then reveals herself to be one of the were-rats, delivering the fateful bite.


So much to love here. Sheer lunacy packaged as kid's entertainment. Ellen strolls around, baiting rat traps in the cellar, dressed in an evening dress (and why is there an immense, foul cellar beneath what appears to be a swanky pad?), and then looks, for all the world, like a Shudder Pulp cover when chained to a brick wall. And an odd twist to the were-rat mythology in that a human can't become a monstrous mouse with just a bite; there has to be a declaration of commitment as well! Joe Sinnott does his best Heath imitation and delivers the cherry on top with his hilarious rat-men (think Lady Gaga with fur and fangs). I'd put "Men With Fangs" in a class with "Enter the Lizard," stories by writers that throw what they can at the wall and see what sticks. Most of it sticks.


"Where the Werewolf Prowled" is a lifeless and utterly predictable yarn about an old doctor in a European village, who tries to help his neighbors overcome a rash of vicious murders. From the moment the doc says "Even the person who is afflicted with this horrible malady does not know it is he who is the werewolf!," we know exactly who the werewolf is! Even the usually reliable DiPreta sputters here, though that may be due to a lack of interesting moments and a plethora of talking heads. "I Died at Midnight!" is yet another variation/rip-off of Owl Creek Bridge, this time starring a small-time hood who gets sent up for murder and is heading for the chair when Death appears and gives him a second chance to avoid his midnight rendezvous. Leading to the obligatory "he was in the chair the whole time" last panel.

Last up is the over-long "The Man Who Sold His Soul!," about a gravedigger who wants to be a toreador but lacks the training. He'll give his soul to be "a brave and fearless fighter" in the arena and, in the final panel, he gets his wish. The script drags on and on but the twist is a good one and John Romita puts a big nasty sheen of grime on his graphics to give the proceedings a perfectly dingy atmosphere.




Maneely
Mystic #15

"The Silent One" (a: John Romita) 
"The Mark of Death" (a: Jay Scott Pike) ★1/2
"The Man Who Closed His Eyes" (a: George Tuska) 
"House of Horror" (a: Bill Benulis & Jack Abel) 
"No Trespassing" (a: Vic Carrabotta) 

Importer Harrison Dunlop falls for the ultimate in souvenirs: the priceless idol found in the Chapel Temple in Darjeeling. Cursed it is, or so they say, but that doesn’t stop Dunlop from committing murder to lay his hands on the statue. "The Silent One" has some great Romita art and a nice twist in its tail.

In "The Mark of Death," a doctor enters into an unholy pact with a grave robber, but when the police catch on (the ghoul leaves a green skull on the tombstone of the graves he robs — not very subtle), the doc realizes his corpses need to be fresher if he’s to give his wife all the good things in life she deserves. Unfortunately, our ghoul is not the sharpest tool in the shed and he leaves green skulls on the doors of his victims. The doc has had enough and he refuses to take the final corpse, telling his partner the business is closed, and heads home… to find a green skull on his door. Nothing new here, with the climax having been used several times in horror comics.

Romita, "The Silent One"

George Tuska's art is the only thing to recommend when it comes to "The Man Who Closed His Eyes," a yawner about who can't get a moment's sleep without ghosts popping into his head. Not much better is "House of Horror."  Grogan’s carnival has fallen on tough times, so when a stranger approaches Grogan with an offer to drum up business, the carny figures, “whatta I got to lose?”  That’s how Grogan’s carnival acquired its House of Horrors and, just like the man promised, business booms. Grogan finally gets a chance to experience the inside of the House one night and discovers its secret: the stranger is Satan and the House is a gateway to Hell! The reveal is not much of a surprise but didn’t any of the local authorities catch on that no paying customer ever exited? I like the cartoony and exaggerated stylings of Benulis and Abel.

Can't say the same, however, for Vic Carrabotta's ugly and amateurish work, but it fits perfectly with the setting of the plot for "No Trespassing." Two escaped cons brave the dangers of the swamp, but disregard all the “No Trespassing” signs one time too many when they stumble into a snake farm! The final panel, of one of the hoods beset by thousands of snakes, is a howler.




Uncanny Tales #4

"Worse Than Black Magic" (a: George Roussos) ★1/2
"She Married a Werewolf" (a: Jack Keller) ★1/2
"The Girl in the Grave" (a: Cal Massey) 
"Nobody's Fool" (a: Joe Maneely) ★1/2
"The Old Lady's Treasure" (a: Manny Stallman) ★1/2

Kurt Brown is an odd one, eschewing society and the companionship of another soul for the study of black magic. Kurt's always wanted to be king of the hill, ruler of the world, and he's convinced the answer is in the pages of one of those old tomes. The more deeper his nose gets into the volumes, the darker his heart becomes. Finishing college, he pushes aside his father nad goes to work in a graveyard, hoping the atmosphere will lead him to greater things. Finally, after years of research, Kurt stumbles upon the proper spell to conjure a demon and request the power he's always wanted: to be The Flash!

Yes, Kurt wants to be the fastest man alive and the friendly demon is only too happy to grant the fledgling sorcerer his wish. With his speed increased 1000 times the normal rate, Kurt is able to (what else?) rob banks without fear of capture. But after a very short career of crime (one bank), Kurt discovers his limbs are aging and, as he lay dying, the demon reappears to explain that in order for the would-be ruler of the world to live 1000 times faster than a normal man, he must also age at the same rate! "Worse Than Black Magic" is not a bad little thriller. Sure, it uses an ages-old concept (but sidesteps Satan in this case) but the twist is fresh. A lot of these lesser pre-code artists pretty much melt into each other's styles, which is why I pegged this as a Sekowsky until I saw the Roussos credit. Though George's art is way too rushed, sketchy, and cartoony for my tastes, I'll allow there are a few flashes of brilliance (such as the one reprinted to the right).

Walking through town one morning, Ella is chased by a werewolf and seemingly saved at the last minute by a dashing man named Mark. The mysterious, but cuddly, savior drives Ella home and soon they become inseparable. Eventually, Mark pops the question but adds an asterisk to their happiness: he's the werewolf that chased Ella that morning! A bit shocked but willing to work a little harder for their relationship, Ella recommends that she and Mark talk to Ella's parents. They'd know what to do.

Indeed, Ella's father recalls a Dr. Vardon, who's "performed wonders with cases like Mark's" and suggests they all pay a visit to the scientist. Just then, Mark begins his change into a hairy beast and Ella's pop hustles the young man down into his basement where he keeps a locked cell (!). All present decide, as they watch Mark transform into his alter ego, that a visit to Vardon is definitely the ticket. Operation completed, Mark is a new man but Ella and her parents want to make sure so they lock him in his cell during the coming of the full moon and watch as,,, nothing happens! Cured! With relief, Mark exits his prison cell and sighs that now he's a "hundred per cent human flesh and blood." Which is perfect for Ella and her folks because they are vampires!

Yep, I agree "She Married a Werewolf" has an incredibly silly finale but the whole megillah is so laugh-out-loud enjoyable, I just have to give it a light recommend. Of course, after reading that last (silly) panel we understand why Ella was so calm as Mark spilled the news about his personality change and why a middle-class family would have a dungeon with a locked cell, but as I'm reading I'm thinking writer Carl Wessler (who went on to fame as an EC scribe) was having one over on us. Tired of pumping out the same old five-page werewolf/vampire story, Wessler inserted a few eyebrow-raisers (such as Ella's dad immediately recommending a doctor who cures lycanthropy) that might be overlooked by the kiddies but appreciated by those of us who dissect the details. Fred Hembeck once compared Jack Keller's art to that of John Severin but I see flashes of Heath in there now and then (especially that final panel). That elevates Keller into my second tier of Atlas pencilers, an artist whose work I wouldn't necessarily seek out but one I wouldn't avoid.

Grave-robber Blackie Garrett is sick and tired of toiling away and ending up with worthless baubles, so a news bulletin alerting the world that a recently-deceased "millionairess" will be buried with her priceless gems strikes his fancy and, before you can say "dig deep," Blackie is unearthing the woman's remains. An odd series of obstacles (solid concrete and solid steel coffin) do not deter the determined ghoul and, very soon, he's got a heavy sack of loot and an ear-to-ear smile. The smile, however doesn't last when Blackie spies a discarded newspaper that contains the "rest of the story": "The Girl in the Grave" was encased in concrete and steel so that her deadly infectious disease would not contaminate any other person. Too late. You have to laugh out loud at the panels of Blackie pulling first, a pickaxe, and then an acetylene torch out of his bottomless bag of accessories, to cut through the layers above the corpse. The rest is utter boredom. Equally bad (but at least illustrated by the great Joe Maneely) is "Nobody's Fool," about Bradbury Bulldozer, a bullying horror comic publisher who can't find a good scary story anymore. When Whitely Whibble enters Bulldozer's office to sell him a werewolf tale, the publisher scoffs at the writer's plot about a lycanthrope who assimilates himself into regular society. "Ridiculous," Bradbury screams, and then Whitely shows the blowhard why it really isn't all that ridiculous.

Last up is "The Old Lady's Treasure," about a trio of hoods on the lam who suffer a blowout and must spend the night at an eccentric old woman's mansion. Things look up when the old bird mentions that her basement is filled with treasure. Immediately, the toughs begin sketching their plans. But when they finally get past the old lady and break into her basement, they discover her treasure is a room full of killer snakes. Not much logic here; we have no idea why this woman keeps her house stocked with cobras (at least, that's the way Manny Stallman draws the reptiles) or where she got them from. We're obviously just supposed to be so shocked we won't question the plot holes. Let's move on then.




Everett
Strange Tales #13

"The Witching Hours!" (a: Ed Goldfarb) ★1/2
(r: Vault of Evil #2)
"Death Makes a Deal!" (a: Ed Robbins) 
"The Hiding Place" (a: John Tartaglione) 
(r: Vault of Evil #2)
"The Bugs" (a: Larry Woromay) 
(r: Vault of Evil #2)
"The Secret of Christopher Morse" 
(a: Ed Winiarski) 

While judging a beauty contest, Tony Marden believes he sees a witch at her cauldron under the bleachers but no one will give his astonishing claim a second listen. Obviously bi-polar, Tony forgets the incident in about ten seconds and falls in love with a beautiful redhead entered in the pageant. A whirlwind romance follows and the two are married. After the wedding, Tony begins seeing the witch again but his wife tells him to settle down and stop being so mean to her mother. A humorous pay-off and some bits of brilliance from artist Ed Goldfarb are the only aspects of "The Witching Hours!" to recommend.

"The Witching Hours!"
"Death Makes a Deal" is yet another one of those stories that makes you question how the grim reaper ever had time to actually show up and claim his prizes when he was always hanging out making bargains with losers. This time, death agrees to give a boozed-up reporter tips on upcoming deaths so that he can scoop the other cubs in town only to mimic Satan in the end by pulling a fast one on the boozer. "The Bugs" is another disastrous EC swipe. Scientists collect samples from a far-off planet and take them back to their lab for study. Once under the microscope, it's revealed that the scientists are aliens and the specimens are humans! Holy cow, what a revelation.

"The Hiding Place" holds a fond place in my heart as I recall vividly reading this in Vault of Evil as a wee lad. Three toughs hide a fortune in a creek and then spend the rest of the story doubting each other's loyalty. The brains of the bunch, Nick, holds out to the last but when his pals go out on the town he hoofs it to the creek and leaps in. Nick gets stuck at the bottom while reaching for the bag and, as he breathes his last, he notices his two buddies in the same position at the bottom of the creek. I question why these knuckleheads would throw a bag of money into a body of water (the writer might have made it a bit more believable had it been a jewelry heist) but, otherwise, this is a fun (and quick) read, with some delightful graphics by John Tartaglione. The artist seems to be channeling Dick Briefer with his bug-eyed, flat-headed Nick. I love that crazy final panel.

Tartaglione Briefly
Christopher Morse is the most handsome actor on Broadway but his latest play, "No Time For Love," is a disaster, bleeding greenbacks by the minute. To complicate things, Morse, who's never been involved with any women, falls in love with the play's co-star Helga Frome, and the two decide to marry. Morse's agent approaches his client with a new project, a horror show, but the idea of make-up on his handsome face makes the pretty boy cringe. After "No Time" closes, Morse is desperate and agrees to take a part in the  scare show provided he's allowed to do his own make-up. On opening night, Christopher Morse is a hit with his terrifying guise. Later that evening, while entertaining Morse, Helga accidentally spills an entire pot of coffee on his face! Going mad, the actor stabs Helga to death and then kills himself. Later, when his friends arrive at Helga's, they find the two bodies and discover Christopher Morse's secret: his handsome face was actually the make-up!

Yep, this story has been done a million times since (in fact, a variation of this plot, Roy Thomas' "The Demon That Devoured Hollywood" from Tower of Shadows #5, May 1970, with killer artwork by a young Barry Windsor-Smith, scared the crap out of me as a kid) but this one has a bit of a nutty charm to it. So many questions. How could Helga be smooching with putty face and not notice? Is she joking when she asks innocently "Does it hurt?" while watching her fiance's face melt before her eyes? Did the coffee melt Christopher's teeth as well? I love this story! Artist Ed Winiarski (who often signed his name Ed-Win) worked for Timely/Atlas not long after the company started producing superhero comics but his best-known work is the horror stories he did for Strange Tales and Journey Into Mystery. His art for "Christopher Morse" is odd in that the first half of the story finds Winiarski supplying calm (some would say generic) visuals but once Morse shows his true colors, out comes the ECesque-Ed-Win!




Astonishing #20

"Mystery at Midnight" (a: Gene Colan) 
"The Cheap Skate" (a: Ed Winiarski) 
"When You Die" (a: Carl Burgos) 
"Just a Little Farther" (a: Vic Carrabotta) ★1/2
"Living Doll" (a: Jerry Robinson) 

A string of mysterious murders has the police baffled. Victims are found stomped to death (or dead from fright) and all clues point to Igor Rill. Problem is, Igor has an iron-clad alibi; several people saw him sitting in his run-down jalopy outside his apartment at the same time the murders were committed. In fact, another murder occurs while the police chief is questioning Igor! But the suspicious cop keeps at it and eventually he discovers the grisly secret. Years before, Igor was in a terrible train accident and was cut in two and now his lower half strolls into the night (with, evidently, a second brain in there somewhere to tell it what to do) to do evil while Igor sits in relative innocence.

The overwhelming percentage of Atlas horror stories are based on a foundation of silliness and impossibility. It's up to the writer to sell the nonsense in such a way that the reader will become involved and put aside any such distractions. But some stories just can't get over that hump and "Mystery at Midnight"is definitely one of those. The idea that Igor's lower half is committing these violent crimes without benefit of sight or sound is just too asinine to ignore. Gene Colan, usually a reliable go-to guy to distract readers, here seems hell-bent on patching together art based on photos (the police chief is obviously Winston Churchill) that have a very "posed" look to them. None of it flows together and that pay-off panel, of the two halves of Igor reunited side-by-side, is laugh-out-loud ridiculous.

Unfortunately, the other four stories this issue are not much better. "The Cheap Skate" sees Lester, our titular protagonist sucking up to the old and feeble Clarence Dolbridge, a doddering old fool who appreciates Lester's company but continually comments on the cheap knick-knacks Lester brings as presents. When Clarence admits he's leaving Lester his fortune, our scheming miser buys a time bomb (no, seriously!) and mails it to Clarence, with the bomb set to go off at exactly the moment Clarence is handed his mail. Of course, since Lester is "The Cheap Skate," the parcel is returned to him for more stamps. Boom! I've read a very close variation on this plot before but since I've ingested literally thousands of horror stories over my lifetime and, sadly, didn't always take notes, I can't cite story title and issue number. Ed-Win does his best EC imitation yet, with quite a bit of Jack Kamen sightings here (and then goes full-out George Tuska big-teeth in the final panel), and his art does just save "The Cheap Skate" from utter disaster.

"When You Die" is a Stan Lee quickie head-scratcher about embattled aliens on other worlds wishing they could die and go to heaven and the final panel shows the State of Liberty with the rhetorical caption "How do you feel in America... where each day you're living in heaven?!" What, no Russkies, Stan? Vic Carrabotta delivers a mightily ugly visual display on "Just a Little Farther," a highly predictable groaner about two murderers slogging through the desert with their water supply (and patience) running low. By that final dismal panel, my patience was equally low. Finally, "Living Doll" resuscitates the killer doll genre which had only been dormant a few months. A doll shop owner fears the toys in his store window are committing heinous crimes at night but can't convince the cops his fears bear investigating. When a cop witnesses a murder and then chases a doll back to the store, the police are finally willing to give the old man an ear. But, alas, they are too late; the dolls have killed their maker who, in a ridiculous twist, turns out to be a wind-up toy himself. So, who made the maker? The final panel reveals that, after the police found the old man's body, they set up a 24-hour guard over the doll collection, waiting to see if any of them move. Why not simply destroy the monstrous imps? It's Astonishing how bad this issue is.


Mystery Tales #6

"Skull-Face" (a: Tony DiPreta) 
"Thief in the Night" (a: Edward Goldfarb) 
"The Face in the Mirror" (a: Louis Zansky) 
"The Old Hag!" (a: Carl Hubbell) 
"The Traitor!"(a: Ed Winiarski) 

Tony DiPreta's art is the high point of "Skull-Face," about the re-release of the famous "Skull-Face" thriller that grossed millions its first time around. Now, the studio attempts to drum up excitement with a publicity stunt involving a scientist zapping a skeleton with millions of volts of electricity in an attempt to create a genuine Skull-Face. Of course, the faux-resurrection turns deadly and a monster is on the loose.

Edward Goldfarb, Louis Zansky, and Carl Hubbell each contribute some of the ugliest and most amateurish art we've yet seen in a back-to-back-to-back deluge of mediocrity. "Thief in the Night" details the attempted robbery of a priceless ruby aboard a docked freighter by two of the stupidest thieves in the annals of larceny.

In "The Face in the Mirror," millionaire Howard Mullins searches for the perfect anniversary gift for his wife and settles on a mirror that once belonged to Lucrezia Borgia. The glass reflects the "true character of the person looking into it" and, once the Mrs. has a gander, Mullins is convinced she's having an affair with their limo driver. He's wrong. Lucrezia's having a little laugh at the rich man's expense. The finale is out of left field and doesn't make much sense. Worst of the trio is "The Old Hag!," virtually unreadable trash about a man who marries a rich old woman and then... surprise, surprise, surprise... conspires with his girlfriend to murder his new bride. After searching the house, the couple find the hidden stash of greenbacks but manage to ignite a deadly fire that turns their fortune into a pile of ashes and their faces into melted putty. As a rule, I don't rate these stories any lower than one star, other wise "The Old Hag!" might have warranted my first zero rating!

Herman Dobbs, a scientist at an atomic research facility, becomes enraged when he is passed over for promotion and becomes "The Traitor!" Dobbs sells the plans for a bomb fuse to some dirty stinkin' Russkies for one million in silver dollars but the joke's on him when the fortune arrives and the opening of the box triggers an atomic bomb! As noted endlessly during this journey, I'm not a big fan of the Red-baiting tales that Stan and the boys used to dump in the laps of USSR-hating Americans on a monthly basis, but "The Traitor!" is a hoot, thanks to its grisly finale. Ed Winiarski's art is very rough but it seems to blend perfectly with the dark humor of the script. Easily the best story in an otherwise weak issue.




THE TWENTY BEST STORIES FROM 1952

1952 was a good year for Atlas horror stories. 106 issues were published, containing 438 tales. 78 of those merited 3 stars or more (with 4 rating the full four stars). Here are the twenty that scored highest:


  1  "Death and Dr. Parker" Russ Heath (Suspense #14)
  2  "The Iron Door" Joe Maneely (Adventures Into Weird Worlds #2)
  3  "A Playmate for Susan" Bill Everett (Astonishing #12)
  4  "Enter the Lizard" Harry Lazarus (Adventures Into Terror #8)
  5  "The Growing Terror" Fred Kida (Suspense #19)
  6  "Iron-Head" Dick Ayers (Journey Into Mystery #1)
  7  "Fame" (Strange Tales #8)
  8  "Uninhabited" Russ Heath (Strange Tales #6)
  9  "The Frightful Feet" Bill Benulis (Strange Tales #10)
10  "Horror Story" Bill Everett (Spellbound #2)
11  "The Killers" Bernie Krigstein (Adventures Into Weird Worlds #10)
12  "The Blood Brothers" George Roussos (Suspense #22)
13  "It Waits in the Box" Manny Stallman (Journey Into Unknown Worlds #13)
14  "Witch Woman" Carmine Infantino  (Journey Into Unknown Worlds #13)
15  "The Monster" Paul Reinman (Marvel Tales #106)
16  "Skeleton in the Closet" Manny Stallman (Uncanny Tales #2)
17 "Skin Deep" Fred Kida (Uncanny Tales #2)
18 "The Man Who Vanished" Joe Sinnott (Marvel Tales #105)
19 "Tin Cup" Don Perlin & Abe Simon (Uncanny Tales #3)
20 "Mad Dog" Joe Sinnott (Spellbound #4)




In Two Weeks...
Don't Look Now But...
Here Comes 1953!






























3 comments:

  1. Okay, I'll admit it. I actually kind of love "Don't Turn Your Back!" in Spellbound #10.
    The design for the vampire is fun, and there's tons of kooky nonsense such as how quickly the vampire transforms before anyone can catch on that he's there and the fact that the main guy knew there was a vampire there the entire time, but wanted to claim it as his trophy without anyone fussing over him or his safety. That guy is a badass.

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  2. Glowworm-

    The beauty of Atlas is that one man's garbage is another man's gold. I'm sure there are more than a few titles on my Best of list I could be roasted for.

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  3. It's so true, Peter, some of these stories are unintentionally hilarious or off the chain insane, that it's truly hard to hate them. For example "The Death of Agatha Slurl" in issue 9 of Spellbound had me laughing really hard when the rather obvious reveal of our narrator and killer of the title character, "Joe" is shown at the end of the story. It's just so darn ridiculous that it's great!

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