Sunday, July 15, 2007

Return of the Ghoul

Here come the ghouls! Superior Comics 1953 issue of Journey Into Fear #15 contains one of my favorite golden age zombie stories. Return of the Ghoul possesses everything I love about pre-code horror all rolled up into one killer package. You get cool art, gruesome ridiculousness, and not one, but a couple bizarre story twists from straight outta left field. Enjoy!









12 comments:

Anonymous said...

this ones great, he isn't really a ghoul though is he? I mean he's more like a skeleton

Mr. Karswell said...

And his skeleton face sorta reminds me of the aliens from John Carpenter's THEY LIVE. Another observation, the panels on page 3 with the cops chasing the ghoul through the alley are also reminicent of Fred Dekker's Night of the Creeps. You have to wonder how much influence alot of these great old comics had on filmmakers like Carpenter and Dekker when they were kids. This is actually a topic I'd like to explore in future posts.

Drazen said...

Oh Yeah!
fantastic Blog!

Mr. Karswell said...

Thanks man! Happy Undertaker is amazing by the way... I've added your link to my blog too (located at the bottom of the page.) When's the next episode?

Drazen said...

thanks I really appreciate that,!
I've got a stack roughed that I haven't been able to finish but I should have one next week.
I'm finishing up a big kids book project (cover and 50 black and white) and the deadlines looming. I'll add your link soon too.
I love this stuff!!!

Mr. Karswell said...

Sounds good, please keep me informed on the kid's book too, I definitely want a copy! Talk soon!

Anonymous said...

night of the creeps that movie rules!!! wish it would come out on dvd. tom atkins is the man!!!!!

Anonymous said...

And let's not forget Arthur G. (Peter Cushing) from TALES FROM THE CRYPT.

Mr. Karswell said...

I wonder if anyone ever said to Peter Cushing, "You the man!!!"

Anonymous said...

absolutly the most rediculous horror comic story i've ever read! I love it! This blog rules!

Brian Barnes said...

This story made me feel sorry for a cop-killing murder skeleton!

I do like how he is seemingly murderous at time and other times very apologetic about his murder. This is a entertaining spook story that bounces around all over the place, and the whole doll thing comes out of left field (as you say) and then the insurance fraud come out of the left field bleachers, evidently!

Bullets can shatter bones, BTW!

Jordan179 said...

I am guessing that, in life, he was a rather amoral but not evil person -- which is why he died in the first place. He would have rather just enjoyed his second life, but people understandably reacted with hostility and horror and fear to his gruesome appearance, and of course at best he was a homeless man with no place in the world of 1953. Rather tragic, actually.