Sunday, February 28, 2010
Death's Bleak Birth! / Acid Test!
Closing out February with another double header, our first story from the May '74 issue of Tales of the Zombie #5 is a favorite of mine and contains one of the saddest, most chilling endings in any horror story ever. And for you people jonesin' for some damn 50's style pre-code already, I've included the Stan Lee / George Tuska reprint classic "Acid Test!" from the Oct. '73 issue of Tales of the Zombie #2, (originally presented in the July '53 issue of Menace #5 under the title "Nightmare!")
I love the black and white. It gives it that special creepy atmosphere that color, no matter how glorious, can never quite achieve.
ReplyDeleteKarswell: These zombie tales are killing me. "A cadaver rife with stench and festering with foul purtresence . . ."
ReplyDeleteMan, I love that stuff. Reminds me of my beloved Clarke Ashton Smith.
And, as you say, world-class ending. More of these tales, I beg you, oh denizen of death. -- Mykal
TWO MORE EXCELLENT STORIES! LOVE TUSKAS ART ON THE SECOND STORY BUT YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT THE FIRST ONE AND THE ENDING......... WOW!! I CANT WAIT TO GET THAT ESEENTIALS COLELCTION NOW
ReplyDeleteAcid Test, there's the good ol' reliable stuff right there. I love how tough guys always wore skipper hats back then, and pants that buckled up somewhere above the navel. Great story!
ReplyDeleteMaynard and Creach, those two sleazy moths! Doug Moench's writing is top notch on this one. And I agree with Cheesemeister on the power of black and white. Nothing tops the 70s B&W horror mags for me; as much as I dig pre code horror, mags like Creepy and Erie will always hold a stronger nostalgic sentiment since those were the books that first hooked me into this dark realm of comic lure.
ReplyDeleteThanks Karswell!
Wow the first story was sad. Instead of craving human flesh like normal zombies, he decided he wanted to save his lovely wife. I'm when she does come back, will she be back to normal or start to rot? As far as Acid Test, was the bartender the devil? What did he have to gain by giving hunk what he deserved or did he just want to %#@! with him? Hunk definitely got his just desserts but for some reason, I want to take a pair of scissors and shear those two hair horns off. Bet that would wipe that cocky smirk right off his face.
ReplyDelete>love the black and white. It gives it that special creepy atmosphere that color, no matter how glorious, can never quite achieve.
ReplyDeleteAlso true with film... though both of course come with their own sense of mood and advantages.
>More of these tales, I beg you, oh denizen of death.
No doubt about it Mykal, you will see more in the near future as well. Maybe not all at once but scattered a bit more throughout the months.
>CANT WAIT TO GET THAT ESEENTIALS COLELCTION NOW
You'll have to let us know if this collection does include the non-Simon Garth tales (and the bonus film pictorials and stuff), for some reason I think it doesn't, but I could be wrong.
>Acid Test, there's the good ol' reliable stuff right there.
We'll be getting back to the old reliables here shortly, March is going to be full of 'em!
>mags like Creepy and Erie will always hold a stronger nostalgic sentiment
I know alot of people who feel this way, I'm sort of the same though at the same time I was buying the Marvel / Atlas reprints too so I was getting exposed to the best of both horror worlds.
>when she does come back, will she be back to normal or start to rot?
That's for you to decide, the thing I love about this story is as you feel the chill of this man's sacrifice, you also really have no ideas what will happen.
Well, 10 posts in February was about all I could muster, hope you all still felt it packed with plenty of the good stuff. Lots more on the way next in March, got a few requests and a submission or two to still get to as well... annnnd here we go again!
Forgot to mention we're kicking off March with a two-part Wally Wood story... anyone interested?
ReplyDelete. . .Forgot to mention we're kicking off March with a two-part Wally Wood story... anyone interested?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to get Woody!
Great post. That first ending was so sweet and sad, and the second one actually made me jump in my seat!
ReplyDelete