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Dry Death
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Thing That Grew / Dry Death
A couple weirdies from Harry Lazarus kick off July, and the first story is from the Dec ’51 issue of Advs into Terror #7; this is a continuation of our summer long look at Atlas Comics (for more info on the Atlas poll check the comments section of yesterday’s post for the results, as well as a preview of THOIA’s upcoming horror plans for July.) And today’s second tale is an ACG “True-Vision” bone chiller from the April 1954 issue of Advs into the Unknown #54, a request filled for Ivan Briggs--- and his mom!
THE THING THAT GREW! WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO *YOU*?
ReplyDeleteRorschach blots as comics monsters. LOVE IT! :)
I love a good mad scientist tale, but I have to say, the Doc here should have stayed in Mad Scientist school. He's awfully clumsy ("Blast! I cut myself AGAIN!" This happens all the time), and pretty high strung. I mean, I'm sure that if he spent more than a SPLIT SECOND thinking about it, he could have come up with some way to outsmart the throbbing blob of protoplasm that *didn't* involve suicide.
Incidental observations:
* Horror comics lesson #38: Whenever a character says "I feel strange...it's as though my blood were being drawn from me! But why?"--the answer is *always* BECAUSE HIS BLOOD IS BEING DRAWN FROM HIM!
* Doc goes from "Neat! Let's toss a couple of rats at it!" to "OH NOES! CAN NOTHING STOP YOU?" in half-a-panel. Think it through, man.
* "How to get rid of a pulsing glob of protoplasm? I'll try STABBING IT!" Where'd this guy get his PhD?
As for me, I have to admit when I read the title "The Thing that Grows!" my mind went somewhere else entirely. Porn version, anyone? ;)
THE DRY DEATH is a great piece too, with a nice bleak ending--I assume that despite the defeat of Larrabe, everyone's dead and the land's still blasted. Too bad the hero didn't have som Popsicles! ;)
That splash is pretty amazing too. What beats a Death Man on a Skeletal Wind-swift Steed? Nothing, I say. The coolness factor was lessened considerably as the villain & horse put on flesh.
GREAT HORN SPOON, Karswell! A cool offering as usual! ;)
Bunnies,
The Vicar
thanks, karswell! dry death was plenty creepy, no wonder my mom still remembers it 55 years after reading it as a little girl. i printed the story and will give it to her when the family gets together for the 4th -- she'll get a real kick out of it, i'm sure! -Ivan
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Ivan! You must have a really cool mom!
ReplyDeleteAnd good to see The Vicar creeping around THOIA again too! Bunnies (and popsicles indeed!)
Just two questions:
ReplyDelete1) Why "Dry" Death?
2) Why does Dobie say "I'm gonna follow that guy" when he sees a skeleton man riding a skeleton horse, but then on the next page, he's all "Holeeee shit, thet cain't be alive!" when he sees a skeletal snake?
blobs of any kind have terrified me ever since i saw "Beware! The Blob" at a theater when it came out. i went home and told my mom how scared i was that it was going to ooze under my door that night and get me and she just goes, "well, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it!". my mom was NOT the coolest...
ReplyDeleteHAAAA! FUNNY STORY PROFESSOR. AND TWO COOL POSTS KARS, ACTUALLY LIKED THE ACG ONE BETTER BUT ONLY BECAUSE I THINK I REMEMBER THE ATLAS TALE FROM ONE OF THE 70S REPRINTS. STILL GOOD THOUGH, I LOVE BLOB STORIES TOO. AND I'M STIL SURPRISED THAT THE TRUE VISION CONCEPT DIDNT STICK AROUND LONGER OR BECOME MORE POPULAR. I THINK ALL THE BLACK DEFINITELY ENHANCES THE ART AND HORROR MOOD.
ReplyDeletemotherfukin incredible as always!!
ReplyDeletethx a lot for the scans!!
saludos from argentina and keep up the good work!!
I love how he talks to the Blob like it was a person. The color scheme of the story is quite nifty too, particularly the red sky and the green veins.
ReplyDeleteSadly, it appears the Blob survived and has resurfaced in the sewers of Carolina: [url] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcKpx2DxGwY&feature=related [/url]
And no Professor Quatermass in sight.....
I think I'll drive the blob to the water's edge where it will die, and then incidentally drown myself also because it's not as if readers will miss me.
ReplyDelete