Saturday, November 8, 2008

Kill, Clown, Kill!

Ahh, everyone loves a clown, except of course for the people who are freakishly terrified of them. The two stories I have for you this weekend might not feature the scariest clowns of all time (that would be THIS GUY ), but these mean old pre-code cut-ups definitely do some scary things.

And with that, here comes our first Killer Klown Weekend yarn, from the April 1953 issue of Uncanny Tales #7.







And a sweet Bill Everett cover too!

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SAD NEWS: Forrest J. Ackerman, founder of seminal sci-fi/horror fan magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland, has been ailing for the past few days and is not expected to recover.

More info on this as it becomes available.

14 comments:

  1. Anonymous11/08/2008

    Damn,that's even creepier than Eisner's "Palyichi" story from THE SPIRIT,the fact that there's not a drop of humor in the story also builds a great contrast with the carnival atmosphere(the great art didn't hurt either).Lastly,it's just great to see a comic book story where plastic surgery is depicted realistically instead of being performed in a day with the power to transform anyone.I'll also keep an ear out for Forry.

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  2. Ah, the Romance Of It All....

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    Poor Forry. What a great guy, and what a sucktastic last ten years it's been for him. I hope the next part is not too uncomfortable and includes all the loving friends and family he deserves to have around him at a time like this. Out here in the ether my thoughts are with him too. Keep keeping the faith, Mr. Ackerman, you've always been a hero and you always will be.

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  3. Anonymous11/08/2008

    I always did hate clowns!

    Never say that twist coming - with her being blind. I fall for these comic book stories every time!

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  4. Great story, I never saw the twist coming, either. Damn clowns!

    Sorry to hear about Forry.

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  5. Anonymous11/08/2008

    COOL STORY, BUT YOU ARE RIGHT, THE LINK YOU STUCK IN THERE OF THAT OTHER CLOWN IS THE MOST TERRIFYING THING I'VE EVER SEEN! HAHA WTF?????

    HAVE TO ADMIT I DIDNT REALISE THAT ACKERMAN WAS EVEN STILL ALIVE, SAD NEWS FOR SURE.

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  6. Anonymous11/08/2008

    Oh sure, Felix. The world's gonna think you're the funniest clown in the business. You just keep stalking around with that Ted Bundy rage in your eyes and it's just bound to happen.

    Forry's last few years have sucked, but if you've ever met him, he still seems to be filled with joy. We should all have that kind of resilience. Really just a wonderful guy.

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  7. All those years I lived in LA and I never once made it to the Ackermansion either. I scheduled a visit a few times but it always got cancelled for a variety of reasons by Forry. I hope he recovers but it doesn't sound hopeful.

    Okay, in keeping with the Killer Clown theme this weekend, anyone out there with a honest to goodness TRUE clown phobia? Care to share any terror stories?

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  8. Anonymous11/08/2008

    When I clicked on the picture link, I thought it'd lead me to a photo of Pennywise, but what I ultimately saw was even far more terrifying!

    The story's punch line was kinda weak, but the art was simply sublime. Does anyone know who the artist is?

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  9. Stinking creepy clowns!

    Just heard about Forry a few minutes ago. Really sad news to get this morning.

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  10. Anonymous11/08/2008

    nice story, love the clown theme, but I hate clowns though!! always have from when I went to the circus when I was a kid

    atlas site says the artwork is harry anderson

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  11. dammit, i was determined not to be depressed today...

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  12. hah! just saw the little "death" note, that cheered me up!

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  13. This was one of the wonkiest stories I've read. I don't know if it was genius, or laziness, but the writer sure knew how to keep you guessing. Felix kills Angelo, and you think he's just going to take advantage of Angeleo's absence as himself, and rise to the limelight, but no, he hides the body and impersonates Angelo, defying logic and clear thinking. If Angelo's body is discovered, who else could be the culprit, but whoever is pretending to be Angelo. Then after deciding he can only win over Helena if he is Angelo he visits the plastic surgeon. Here I thought Felix was going to unwittingly hand the plastic surgeon a photo of Angelo in his clown make-up and find himself permanently a clown, but no, I'm thrown again and Angelo's back to the circus where he's apparently been discovered and identified as Felix by a cop when everyone who knew Felix and Angelo couldn't tell the difference. And that twist ending? Wow. That Helena that Felix was so mad about, he didn't even know she was blind. He really was psychotic!

    That second panel on page 3 is fantastic though.

    As for Forry. He's been battling pneumonia since about Halloween. He's at home and being well cared for and is being visited by close friends regularly. He's on the decline and not expected to recover, but if anyone can pull past this, he can. A lot of people, including myself, have written to him over the past week letting him know how appreciated he is.

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  14. This Everett's cover is simply wonderful!!!

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