Russ Heath's turn today, as we morbidly roll along, fresh in our first week of a month long look at pre-code
Atlas horror comics! And if that splash doesn't kill you, the final panel on page 7 will...
From the February 1952 issue of
Suspense #14
NEXT: A creepy Double Header that will really get under your skin!
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Vintage Ad
Jiminy Cricket!
ReplyDeleteoh and yesterday's story was nice, too!
I think the moral here is not to do that.
ReplyDeleteIncredibly creepy story that takes no prisoners.
ReplyDeleteI remember that "John Sill" bodybuilder ad. When I was a little kid, the old comics (I think they were DC comics, because I only read Superman comics) used to have that ad in it.
ReplyDeleteSo nuclear bombs and death rays can't hurt this guy, but a couple of giant bugs can tear him limb-from-limb? Just checking.
ReplyDeleteThe bodybuilder ads always crack me up... I don't know about you guys but I don't know a single person who is interested in beefy body building AND reading comic books.
ReplyDeleteAnd FYI: Pappy's got a slew of nifty Manny Stallman tales posted today over at his blog, two of them from Atlas and one from Witches tales--- chegg'em out!
Loved that last panel!
ReplyDeleteBTW I have a suggested story for the blog. Check out The Gypsy's Curse, Adventures into Darkness #12, 1953. It's a great story and the opening panel is a hoot!
Now that's what I call a HORROR comic. When a story has the guts to go that far, I can forgive a few lapses of logic...
ReplyDeleteOF ALL THE HEATH STORIES YOU EVER POSTED THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE!! HARD TO BEAT THOSE BRAIN POSTS BUT THAT SPLASH AND FINAL PANEL ARE JUST AMAZING........TO ME THE BEST PRECODE STORIES ARE THE ONES THAT MAKE ME LAUGH AND GIVE ME THE CHILLS AT THE SAME TIME! THIS ONES GOT IT COVERED! THANKS KARS!!!
ReplyDeleteDoc Parker's plan for world domination kind of reminded me of the underwear stealing gnomes from that one 'South Park' episode.
ReplyDeleteStep 1: Become immortal.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: World domination.
But seriously: awesome story and great art – what more could you ask for? The final panel is disturbing and silly, bizarre and tragic, all at the same time. And yikes! – that scrawny old man on the splash page gave me the creeps!
That might be my favorite splash panel of all time!
ReplyDeleteCool, twisted, disturbing, and memorable - even by THOIA standards. One of the better ones, despite a couple of plot holes.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. This is one of Atlas's very best. The old 'becomes immortal, find out it sucks' plot has been done to death(pun intended), but is rarely handled this well.
ReplyDeleteI love the bottom panel on page five of him groping his head in despair, with everyone else colored in monochrome to symbolize his isolation and loneliness.
I'm surprised Parker hasn't been used as a villain in modern comics; like an evil Ulysses Bloodstone. I wonder if it inspired Peter David's 'final' Hulk story which also had mutated bugs?
awesome post thanks
ReplyDeleteTry getting THAT story outta your heads, folks!
ReplyDeleteAnother good one, Karswell!
Fantastic opening panel... with a very creepy end.
ReplyDeleteThis must be one of the top five horror comic stories of all time.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping you'd get around to this some day.
Thanks for this...this is the cream.