Sunday, November 8, 2009

Blood and Old Bones

We're looking at the entire Nov. '53 issue of Strange Mysteries #14 for the next few posts, and halfway there now with what is probably my favorite of the four stories. Fans of films like Poltergeist ('82) and Witchcraft ('64) will enjoy the similarly spooky plot about graveyard desecration leading to supernatural venegeance... but this one has a bonkers twist ending that could only come from the likes of Superior Comics.








NEXT: Hers was a simple little hobby-- MURDER FOR MONEY!

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Are you a fan of the Phantasm films, or a fan of artist Scot Ryersson? If you answered "YES" to either, then check out the latest addition to my Arcanifact collection by clicking HERE!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

FIRST COMMENT YIPPEEE! I ALWAYS LOVE THE MAD GIBBERING IN THESE SUPERIOR STORIES-HEE HEE HO HO HO! EVERYONE GOES TOTALLY OFF THE RAILS OF THE CRAZY TRAIN.......

AND WOW THAT PHANTASM THING IS AWESOME. I LIKED THE BLACK LAGOON ONE YOU GOT TOO. I WOULD LOVE TO GET ONE FROM DAWN OF THE DEAD.

goblin said...

Awesome story! I agree, the ending was utterly insane, but I absolutely loved it.

Thanks a lot, Karswell and welcome back!

Turok1952 said...

I loved this, especially the panel wherein Luther pops the old man right between the eyes with his revolver. Great shot! Great angle!
I too love that meshuganer dialogue!
I remember a story from childhood in which a spinster becomes a mortician after poisoning her hated husband.
"Ho-heee! Joke's on me!" I remember. What outstanding stuff Superior did!

Prof. Grewbeard said...

totally awesome, great ending! "i'll never get clean!"

Anonymous said...

hee hee hoo ha-ha
ting tang walla-walla-wing-wang

Mr. Karswell said...

Is there any reason why he couldn't just become the new blood supplier to blood banks?

Hey, when life gives you lemons...

Mykal Banta said...

Karswell: What a whopper of a story - and what an ending! Can you imagine what a great modern day Twilight Zone type show tis would make. Blood raining from the sky! How prophetic! -- Mykal

8thRay said...

I remember a story from childhood in which a spinster becomes a mortician after poisoning her hated husband.

Ah, one of those married spinsters. ;-)

Mr. Cavin said...

"He forgot that, if oil is where you find it, so is DEATH!"

Uh, this story didn't wait till the end to get utterly insane. I love that splash--Luther traipsing along with his crazy coffin book-bag amid all the rising ghosts, the night sky crammed with criss-crossing electricity. Apparently, even the narrator thought that Luther Hunt was going to be getting killed by the end of this thing--"If ever a man dug his own grave, it was Luther Hunt!"--but all he really got was wet.

I love Luther's professed reasoning for wanting to buy a cemetery: "I'm a total sicko! I want to raise the dead!" Well okay mister. And I'm not sure I totally get why Luther was worried those same ethically corrupt and desperately impoverished authorities would blame him for shooting spree-killer "Old Crazy Ben" in self-defense. But hey, I wasn't there, and this narrator is an awfully unreliable witness.

Anonymous said...

Poor Denny...

sfdoomed said...

Wow, this was a (chuckle) wacky tale. I was also digging the coffin backpack in the splash and...(hey, I just realized the unintended pun!) I have to say that a gusher of blood is not the worst fate the could strike a character in a pre-code story. Luther Hunt is a relatively fortunate soul.

Great issue so far. Glad to have you back, Karswell!

THE APOCOLYTE said...

How can you not love a guy who desecrates graveyards with a bulldozer? Sick fun, as always a great post, Karswell!
PS - Looks like the art in the final panel was patterned after 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch!

Anonymous said...

Hi, just discovered your blog. Utterly fantastic. THANK YOU!

Adam

Mr. Karswell said...

Thanks again for all the great comments, glad everyone is enjoying this full issue presentation too. And as always, it's great to see some new faces around here, as well as hearing your voice too. Comments are important so keep them coming!

Bill the Butcher said...

Man, that ending was so silly that it was actually almost good. Luther can't have been much of an oilman if he sank all his money into an oil well below a single leased graveyard. I'm not an oilman but aren't oilfields typically slightly larger than a single graveyard? How much did he think he would get out of it?