From the January 1954 issue of Men’s Adventures #25
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The Shrunken Head vs. Devil Drums
Two-For-One Day here at THOIA, with a big, grisly, 24 hour, Double (Severed) Header! Its Atlas voodoo vs. Harvey jungle witchcraft as Mac Pakula takes on Warren Kremer in this no holds barred fight to the death! Who will win? And whose shrunken head winds up on the dusty mantle for display between the stuffed Tijuana Toads and the Precious Moments?
From the January 1954 issue of Men’s Adventures #25
From the January 1954 issue of Men’s Adventures #25
Nice pair, sir. I've always had a weakness for shrunken heads. There are all too few of them in the world. Why, even in the best of households, one is often struck by the complete absence of any shrunken head display whatsoever. Bloody hell, there aren't even any decent GAFFS around!
ReplyDeleteHARUMPH! Well...
Both stories have their merits, but my vote is for The Shrunken Head. The gritty quality of the artwork suits the tale, and the story line has a couple of nice touches -- the "cold fire" idea, for one.
Of course you have to love the Devil Drums approximation of "native language" -- "Bataa-yaa naootacha!" This well-known expression of the Stunken People means "These hemorrhoids are itching me to death!" (For some reason the Stunken are plagued with 'rhoids.) How it made it into this story I can't imagine.
Wow, that Carl was a nasty piece of work, wasn't he? His ultimate fate might have been a bit predictable, but the fact that he really had it coming makes up for it.
ReplyDeleteLove those jungle terror stories. And love those fake jungle languages. EC comics had them too ("Toombah!Toombah! Vanah Tamba!").
ReplyDeleteI liked both stories, but the first one was surprisingly graphic - loved that the narrator's hair turned all white within a couple of months though.
ReplyDeleteOoh eeh, ooh ahh ahh
ReplyDeleteTing Tang
Walla walla bing bang!
Damn, those were some violent tales! I enjoyed both of them, but in my opinion, 'The Shrunken Head' wins this duel. It was grittier than 'Devil Drums' and Carl the Hunter was one of the biggest jerks I've ever seen in a comic. I really got a kick out of when he finally got what was coming for him.
ReplyDeletethe museum i worked at had shrunken heads. they were no longer on display and were stored in the "vaults". employees were occasionally allowed in to see them. creepy, creepy...
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ReplyDeletePretty effective little tales, those. And I admire the natives' sour wit in making Carl a little mini-eyepatch for his little mini-head.
ReplyDeleteI got a real Cannibal Ferox vibe from the first story. For those who don't know, what plot there was in that movie involved the evil white man enslaving and tormenting natives while forcing them to mine emeralds, and ultimately getting what he deserved in spades. No shrunken heads were involved in the film, however.
ReplyDeleteCannibal Ferox was released in the US (heavily censored) as Make Them Die Slowly. It isn't really all that.
Both comics are very good ; if I have to compare them , I'd say the "Shrunken Head" has a better story ,while "Devil Drums" wins in the artwork department , in ant case Thanks for sharing !
ReplyDeletePS - for a better enjoyement of these two gems , I'd suggest a soundtrack of THE CRAMPS or YMA SUMAC - you decide what's better ...
I know I'm a day late, but MAN am I happy to see more Warren Kremer art posted here. Always a welcome (and disappointingly rare) sight. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDevil Drums was worth the wait. I like the jungle version of tough love.
ReplyDeleteThese are both great fun! I want both of those heads hanging over my rearview mirror. But first, I need a car.
ReplyDeleteI took Silvano's advice and put on my rare "Yma Sumac Sings The Cramps" LP, and it really did set the mood.
Well, Carl's whacking the lantern with his machete and running around on fire was a nice piece of irony, but I actually liked Devil Drums a little better. The art was really solid!
Eerie Publications actually swiped the plot pretty blatantly for a story called "The Head Shrinkers" which is in the nifty Zombie Factory book. It also reminds me of a McCain campaign ad, but that's another story.
Both a lot of fun but I'll go with DEVIL DRUMS. I love those Harvey pre-code horror books!
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