A surprisingly gripping, atmospheric "old dark house" entry from Superior Comic's November 1953 issue of Mysteries Weird & Strange #4. Starring Camille Keaton as Gwen, Cheryl Ladd as Kay, Sigourney Weaver as Sandra, and Kevin McCarthy as Richard.
Nice story but it could have been more interesting if Kay had been the real murderer - so she could inherit everything herself. A week prior she could have visited the island and murdered her ex, then set up the other two women so they could be eliminated one by one by her evil hand. In the end the ex could have exacted his revenge for his murder in the manner dipicted in the story. Also a cell phone might have helped the other girls!! Alfredo the bad ghost.
I was actually half expecting Sandra to be the real murderer, myself...or at least to have been willing to take advantage of the circumstances. She gave an awful lot of exposition on Richard's habits and the situation they were in. She went in alone to the kitchen to see Gwen's body. And there's also Kay's wistful "You're nice, Sandra...and to think that I never liked you before!"
Here's how I would have finished the story: Sandra pretends to go to sleep. Richard shows up to kill Kay. After Kay's untimely death, Sandra (who was just waiting for Richard to reveal himself) shoots him. She gloats over the dead bodies because now she'll have Richard's "inheritance" all to herself. Maybe she even thanks Richard for eliminating the competition. But then Richard comes inexplicably "back" to life (of course, he was dead all along, but Sandra didn't know that). He chases her down to the beach and the story plays out as written from there.
Or maybe Sandra and Richard were in on it together all along, and Sandra ends up double-crossing him. Except Richard died a week ago and Sandra didn't know it until she tried to kill him.
I have definitely read too much pre-Code horror. :X
I LIKED THIS ONE ALOT, TOOK ITS TIME AND BUILT UP SOME GOOD SUSPENSE. ART SEEMED A LITTLE INCONSISTANT THOUGH AND IT IS A GOOD THING THE WOMEN HAD DIFFERENT HAIR COLOR BECAUSE THE WAY THEIR FACES CHANGED FROM PANEL TO PANEL IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP THEM STRAIGHT. I ALSO LOVED THE BIG SKULL ROCK ON PAGE 6!
Poor gals! :( What did they ever do to their ex-husband to deserve such a grisly fate? I really liked that you didn't get to see Richard's face until the end, but I could've done without the supernatural twist. Like, isn't a homicidal old guy living on a remote island scary enough? Loved the art, too, especially the splash page.
I'd cast: Rachel Weisz as Sandra Cameron Richardson as Kay Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Steve Buscemi as Richard
Great tale. I was thinking the same as Goblin about what those girls did to deserve such a fate from beyond the grave (er...watery grave). They seemed pretty innocent, outside of the little piece that Sandra was carrying.
The Richard role played by Kevin McCarthy was right on. I'm also digging the alternative plots and casting calls in the comments. Looking forward to the next story!
Yes, everyone has some interesting alternative ending ideas, makes me wish I'd done this as a contest now as well as including another rousing round of OFFICIAL casting call.
>what those girls did to deserve such a fate
Aside from the obvious bad guy/girl, what horrible bloody fate does anyone really deserve in horror comics, film etc...? and I don't mean just because you have a little sex on a boat dock or smoke some weed either!
I agree some reason for the ending would have been nice: some revelation they wronged him, or he was not really the villain at all, anything. But then, I never was much for sheer sadism, which I suppose is the point.
Anyone else wonder why they refer to the first death as decapitation when the head and body appear right there together? Anyway, page one is awesome.
Karswell: Brilliant casting. -- Mykal
ReplyDeleteNice story but it could have been more interesting if Kay had been the real murderer - so she could inherit everything herself. A week prior she could have visited the island and murdered her ex, then set up the other two women so they could be eliminated one by one by her evil hand. In the end the ex could have exacted his revenge for his murder in the manner dipicted in the story. Also a cell phone might have helped the other girls!!
ReplyDeleteAlfredo the bad ghost.
>Brilliant casting.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mykal!
>been more interesting if Kay had been the real murderer
Wow, you're the first person around here to actualy want a Scooby-Doo ending over a supernatural one.
I was actually half expecting Sandra to be the real murderer, myself...or at least to have been willing to take advantage of the circumstances. She gave an awful lot of exposition on Richard's habits and the situation they were in. She went in alone to the kitchen to see Gwen's body. And there's also Kay's wistful "You're nice, Sandra...and to think that I never liked you before!"
ReplyDeleteHere's how I would have finished the story: Sandra pretends to go to sleep. Richard shows up to kill Kay. After Kay's untimely death, Sandra (who was just waiting for Richard to reveal himself) shoots him. She gloats over the dead bodies because now she'll have Richard's "inheritance" all to herself. Maybe she even thanks Richard for eliminating the competition. But then Richard comes inexplicably "back" to life (of course, he was dead all along, but Sandra didn't know that). He chases her down to the beach and the story plays out as written from there.
Or maybe Sandra and Richard were in on it together all along, and Sandra ends up double-crossing him. Except Richard died a week ago and Sandra didn't know it until she tried to kill him.
I have definitely read too much pre-Code horror. :X
I LIKED THIS ONE ALOT, TOOK ITS TIME AND BUILT UP SOME GOOD SUSPENSE. ART SEEMED A LITTLE INCONSISTANT THOUGH AND IT IS A GOOD THING THE WOMEN HAD DIFFERENT HAIR COLOR BECAUSE THE WAY THEIR FACES CHANGED FROM PANEL TO PANEL IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP THEM STRAIGHT. I ALSO LOVED THE BIG SKULL ROCK ON PAGE 6!
ReplyDeletePoor gals! :( What did they ever do to their ex-husband to deserve such a grisly fate? I really liked that you didn't get to see Richard's face until the end, but I could've done without the supernatural twist. Like, isn't a homicidal old guy living on a remote island scary enough? Loved the art, too, especially the splash page.
ReplyDeleteI'd cast:
Rachel Weisz as Sandra
Cameron Richardson as Kay
Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen
Steve Buscemi as Richard
Great tale. I was thinking the same as Goblin about what those girls did to deserve such a fate from beyond the grave (er...watery grave). They seemed pretty innocent, outside of the little piece that Sandra was carrying.
ReplyDeleteThe Richard role played by Kevin McCarthy was right on. I'm also digging the alternative plots and casting calls in the comments. Looking forward to the next story!
Yes, everyone has some interesting alternative ending ideas, makes me wish I'd done this as a contest now as well as including another rousing round of OFFICIAL casting call.
ReplyDelete>what those girls did to deserve such a fate
Aside from the obvious bad guy/girl, what horrible bloody fate does anyone really deserve in horror comics, film etc...? and I don't mean just because you have a little sex on a boat dock or smoke some weed either!
I'm not complaining but was the real point of setting the story on an island just a reason to get Sandra in a swimming suit for the last page?
ReplyDelete>just a reason to get Sandra in a swimming suit for the last page?
ReplyDeleteHaha, hence my casting of Sigourney Weaver in this role... a tribute to her getting down to her panties for the end of Alien.
UP NEXT: An Atlas Double!
I agree some reason for the ending would have been nice: some revelation they wronged him, or he was not really the villain at all, anything. But then, I never was much for sheer sadism, which I suppose is the point.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else wonder why they refer to the first death as decapitation when the head and body appear right there together? Anyway, page one is awesome.
W-well, K-Karswell, y-you're r-right about one th-thing -- th-this st-st-story was due f-for a c-casting c-c-c-c-c-contest!
ReplyDelete