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The Werewolf Wasp
NEXT: The Thing!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Test of Terror! / The Werewolf Wasp
Double Header Day, and the first story by Jack Sparling comes to us from the August 1953 issue of Tales of Horror #6. It’s your typically spooky fraternity dude hijinx in a haunted house... but wait, you think you know how it ends, right? Eh, you probably do. And, because some of you asked for it, our second tale is another one from Dell’s Ghost Stories #1. It’s actually not a bad little yarn, and the art is wonderfully creepy, but it all just sort of ends right as things start getting good, leaving you hanging with one of those aggravatingly abrupt, non-endings. Who’s the artist?
The 2nd story seems like a fine antidote to all the Catholic werewolf tales.
ReplyDeleteWhat a kooky setup. Bobby sure was a good judge of character!
ReplyDeleteMight as well have called it the Frankenstein fly.
I kind of enjoyed the tame quaintness of "Test of Terror," and it doesn't hurt that we get a nice look at early Sparling art in the bargain.
ReplyDeleteMy feelings about the "Werewolf Wasp" can be summed up by the expression on the face of the dog depicted in panel three of Page Two of the story.
Karswell: The Wasp was super creepy, and offered so many excellent tidbits for a much larger story - the mad Dr. Larvay killing only boys "from the wrong side of the tracks," the well off snob child (who wears a bowtie and suit) having a life-changing and growing experience as he recognizes them as "human beings" and in trouble; the werewolf wasp being released on the world, etc, etc. An odd but great little germ of a possible classic. -- Mykal
ReplyDeleteThe giveaway was in the name: Larvay. Larvay=Larvae? duh!
ReplyDelete"Test of Terror" had a nice touch when the corpse spoke up and complained. Wonder if the makers of the 1962 film RING OF TERROR had seen this? (The film has a similar story, but no talking corpse.)
ReplyDelete"Werewolf Wasp" was kind of neat... could it have been trimmed down from a longer tale because of time and budget restraints?
I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET GCD TO WORK ALL WEEK IS ANYONE ELSE HAVING THIS PROBLEM? I WAS GOING TO CHECK THE STORY TITLES TO SEE IF MAYBE THE WEREWOLF WASP STORY CONTINUES IN GHOST STORIES #2
ReplyDeleteI also like that musical note in the wasp's buzzing as he leaves. Is he giving Bobby a cheery good-bye?
ReplyDelete'The Werewolf Wasp' was certainly not what I had expected. I agree, the ending came rather abruptly and the story was kind of pointless as it didn't even bother to shed some light on Dr. Larvay or the werewolf wasp. Still, thanks a lot for posting it, Karswell!
ReplyDeleteCan't 'open' Test Of Terror's first page. Could you post it again? Thanks.
ReplyDeletei really liked the coloring in Test Of Terror(as well as the art)and i thought it had a neat twist. i had already read The Monster of Dread End(excellent)& Werewolf Wasp somewhere else but i don't remember where, maybe Stanley Stories?...
ReplyDeleteAnyone else having problems with the first page of Test of Terror not opening? Works fine here, and I tested it on a couple other machines... seems ok to me. Sorry anon, trying emptying your cache.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments today. And don't forget, there's a DRAW BOB HOPE CONTEST going on until midnight tonight! (for info scroll down a couple posts.) Get your THOIA-ized illustration of 'ol Slope Nose in ASAP, cuz this weekend we'll be voting!
Wow! Thanks! Your posting of “The Werewolf Wasp” resolves and old personal mystery. Although I'd forgot the title and the wasp itself, I'd remembered once reading a story, in a comic book owned by someone else, about a boy who'd discovered that some old man whom he knew was actually a sort of spider creature, who'd wrapped other boys in webbing, as prey upon which to feast.
ReplyDeleteAh, poor Mr. Glynn just wanted to show he wasn't so bad after all.
ReplyDeleteI loved the abrupt ending of 'The Werewolf Wasp', it's open to all kinds of interpretations. I wonder if the whiole town was infected?
Now that I think about it, both stories are about young men who have their pre-conceptions about hermit-like figures shattered. A common-theme post!
Creepiest thing in both stories are all those kids / high school students looking like they're in their late 30s / early 40s and the anti-science stance of the second story.
ReplyDeleteSeems like I'm the only one, but I really liked the Werewolf Wasp story - it's almost like it's set in some sort of parallel universe, which almost looks like ours, but doesn't feel quite right somehow.
That actually isn't so shocking when you consider the many vets that re-enrolled in high school.
ReplyDeleteInfected with what?
ReplyDelete