Sunday, August 9, 2009

Isle of the Doomed

Here's another doozy from the May 1953 issue of Mysteries Weird & Strange #1. And for old times sake let's have ourselves another contest like we used to do, your choice: Casting Call (cast the film version of this story with famous movie star names), or Theme Song (what popular, or unpopular song goes best with this story?) Pick whatever you want, you can even make up your own contest, re-write the ending, etc... the most inspired comment entry gets a THOIA tee shirt, or if you already have a shirt I'll send you something else from my personal overstock of horror comics or dvds or whatever--- just have some fun with it goddamnit!






13 comments:

Mr. Karswell said...

A little more info on the contest: you have until the next post (roughly two days) to get something in to me, you can post it here on the blog for all to see, or email it to me privately at my email address karswell @ hotmail.com and this time I will be judging--- so make it good!

Unknown said...

He can use "a sharp-edged shell" to cut off her hair from which to fashion a noose, yet he cannot cut himself with said shell?

Then again, the ending apparently is supposed to be romantic. So, um.

I'd cast Amy Winehouse as Jane and Blake Fielder-Civil as Ken.

Trevor M said...

He braided his own hanging rope out of his murdered newlywed's hair? That is seriously messed up. LOL

Contest:
I'd cast Jane with Jennifer Connelly simply because I'd pay money watch Jennifer Connelly read the phone book, and I'd like to see some make-up guy fail to make her "ugly".

I'd cast Ken with Carrot Top. Partly just to piss people off with Carrot Top french kissing Connelly, and partly because Ken looks like he's into bodybuilding, and Carrot Top is obsessed with it, so I'd get to turn him into a blimp which would screw with his head.

I'd also change the ending. In "heaven" they'd both end up on stage at a Carrot Top show doing a prop gag with an adult toy.

Prof. Grewbeard said...

i choose theme song-

"i don't want her , you can have her, she's too fat(and ugly and dead)for meeeeeeee!..."

Anonymous said...

CRAZY ENDING! SUPERIOR IS ALWAYS GOOD FOR AN OBNOXIOUS SUICIDE OR TWO. THE GIRL LOOKS LIKE BARBARA STEELE IN A SOME OF THE PANELS SO SHE IS MY CHOICE FOR JANE........... AND RAY LIOTA WOULD BE GOOD AS KEN WITH A LITTLE HAIR DYE AND SOME PADDING!

jpmorgan said...

The nice-looking version of the couple could be played by any any good-looking actors... the dead-and-bloated version could be played by John Goodman and Roseanne Barr.

Tamfos said...

Has anybody else noticed that the "bloated corpse" versions of the newlywed Ken and Jane don't so much resemble bloated corpses as they do middle-aged versions of Ken and Jane who've let themselves go, the way so many couples do too soon after being newlywed. But certainly that must merely be a matter of coincidence. Certainly not anything like wry commentary by the writer and/or artist. Certainly.

Trevor M said...

I'm convinced, Tamfos, that this story was written/drawn by some angry middle-aged person who was going through exactly what you suggest. It occurred to me while I read it. But then, this kind of thing happens in a lot of the 50's horror comics; a whole lot of angry people writing/drawing during the "perfect picture" post-war boom in US and England. Sort of like how so much of the best horror comes out of Victorian times and Reagan era America.

Mr. Karswell said...

>Sort of like how so much of the best horror comes out of Victorian times and Reagan era America.

Excellent observations... I like where this thread is going.

Tamfos said...

Oh, it's a theme in lots of horror, especially comics' horror, but it's usually not quite so blatant. I mean, if the artist had drawn them looking like actual floaters, we'd still be talking about it, right? But why make them look so, well, mundane in their hideousness? It's just too funny, you know? Or too tragic. Take your pick. Certainly this art choice makes a very odd story stand out all the more.

I could go on about how I see what the significance of the ship that passes them up might be, and how it leads both protagonists/antagonists to make a very interesting choice about the value of his/her loved one's life, but I got an alimony check to write.

Mykal Banta said...

Karswell: I love that the minute their looks are gone they want to kill each other; and the moment they are attractive again (even in death) they fall in love again. Been there, done that.

I'd cast Juliette Lewis as the woman and Brad Pitt as the man. Lewis because first and foremost, she is one of the sexiest women in the world, yet she seems to teeter always on something unwholesome (plus, she’d be into it big time). Pitt because that little pig nose of his gives him a face that could go over into hideous with only a slight push.

Theme song? Bye, Bye Love by the Everly Brothers. -- Mykal

Unknown said...

They looked more like they packed a lot of hard living into a very short time than that they were undead. Age...it just ain't purty!

Anonymous said...

[COMMENT NECROMANCY!]

Here's another possible theme song, by Tom Lehrer:

Since I still appreciate you,
Let's find love while we may.
Because I know I'll hate you
When you are old and grey.

So say you love me here and now,
I'll make the most of that.
Say you love and trust me,
For I know you'll disgust me
When you're old and getting fat...