Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Dr. Paul Barer

From the same Spook Comics issue as The Obi Makes Jumbee comes this kooky Dr. Paul Barer bonus story in what amounts to his one and only comic book appearance ever (unless someone knows otherwise.) It’s a creepy cute, Caligari-esque bit ‘o fun filler, and just oddball enough for inclusion here at THOIA.
From the 1946 Baily Publishing Company one-shot issue of Spook Comics #1






10 comments:

Anonymous said...

>Caligari-esque bit ‘o fun filler

EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING WHILE READING THIS.........THE HAT AND CAPE ON THE DOC, THE LANKY BLACK WONDER CORPSE. THE COMEDY IS A BIT DATED BUT ITS STILL A FUN LITTLE TALE. I REALLY LOVED BOTH THE POSTS TODAY, THANKS!

The Vicar of VHS said...

WTF?

I admit I expected Paul "Barer" to be an exhibitionist with that name. Still, we do get some nice nurse cheesecake--some of my favorite kind! And she works at the "Booby Hatch"! Nudge-nudge, say no MOOAH!

I can kind of understand the shiny heads on the pall bearers on pg. 1, but what's with the shiny silhouette on the last page?

BTW, can anyone name the celebrities on pg. 5? I can see Mae West, and that's either Sigmund Freud or George Bernard Shaw with the beard...

Mr. Karswell said...

>can anyone name the celebrities on pg. 5?

Well I'd like to say the guy in red is Burt Reynolds but I think he was about 11 or 12 when this comicbook came out. Maybe Gable, but the ears aren't big enough. So yeah, Mae West for sure, probably Lou Costello in the black tails and fireman's hat, Freud would make sense considering all the nods to Caligari in this story (and his leering over Mae's cleavage) and obviously Frank Sinatra with the mic (don't you watch old WB cartoons?) "Ooooooo Frankieeee!" Maybe W.C. Fields in orange? Keystone Kops in purple.

The next panel I'd say William Powell and Myrna Loy (or Joan Crawford.)

The Vicar of VHS said...

>>obviously Frank Sinatra with the mic (don't you watch old WB cartoons?) "Ooooooo Frankieeee!"

I thought that, but for some reason was thinking the time frame would have been pre-Frankie mania.

Actually those old Looney Toons with the star cameos are some of my favorites. Esp. when Humprhey Bogart shows up asking for a dime as a recurring gag, or in full Return of Dr. X gear. Classics. They sure don't make 'em like that anymore.

Anonymous said...

Love it!

Balaoo said...

A great comic! Funny!

Anonymous said...

Silly,but fun,i think i can identify the celebs too.

Anonymous said...

>>Well I'd like to say the guy in red is Burt Reynolds but...

Stalin, don't you think? In red, after all.

Mr. Karswell said...

>Stalin, don't you think? In red, after all.

Sounds good to me.

Max the drunken severed head said...

I think the figure in the hat and chomping a cigar is meant to be Churchill, and the man being touched by the G-Man is Thomas Dewey!