Vintage AD
And head over to my other blog today by clicking HERE for some nearsighted Mister Magoo insanity!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
"The Dead Rise"
Another grisly tale from the Jan '52 issue of Dark Mysteries #4. Just gaze upon that splash... yep, this one isn't going to win any great art awards, but also know it most certainly will not win any great awards for writing either. In fact, this story is so wanky-wonky in every aspect that you probably can't resist loving it anyway for all the wrong reasons. "The Dead Rise" also contains the stupidest female character in the history of precode horror... like, whoa.
Vintage AD
Vintage AD
First, what a great title for a story: “The Dead Rise” Those three brutal, blunt words hold such incredible power – like “Call Me, Ishmael.” Perfect in its ability to capture the mind of the reader.
ReplyDeleteI love that ad, harkening back to the day when advertisements weren't full of tricky, manipulative wordplay or bullshit catch phrases (Do the Dew!). “Be a Master Not The Slave!” demands this ad. Again – the power of simple, declarative words. And who would not want to force others to see “what a rough, tough, scrapping, deadly-efficient hellion you can be”?
Great post and great story.
What?...WHAAAT?!?...
ReplyDeleteyou're right, this was completely awfulsome!
Phillip was a class alpha schmuck.
ReplyDeleteI hate his guts for being cruel to that little terrier.
I would like to see him try it with my hundred pound labrador.
Turok would have his trachea as an hor d'ouvre.
I cannot figure why these nutty dames go for the idiots, the worthless, and the criminal.
One of the things I like about pre-code horror comics are the nocturnal graveyard scenes. As bad as the art is in this story, at least the cemetary has a freaking skull sticking right up out of the ground!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful early stuff!
ReplyDeleteKarswell:
ReplyDeleteDid the ad come from the same comic book? (BTW, do you usually take your vintage ads from the same mag as the "main event," or are they selected at random?) Just curious.
>who would not want to force others to see “what a rough, tough, scrapping, deadly-efficient hellion you can be”?
ReplyDeleteAre you revealing some deep inner secret to us, Mykal? haha
>you're right, this was completely awfulsome!
Okay, it's totally time to start a new blog called Completely Awfulsome, thanks Prof!
>I cannot figure why these nutty dames go for the idiots, the worthless, and the criminal.
I agree, and unfortunatly I know a few girls like this in real life too. Same goes for d00ds that go for idiotic, worthless, criminalettes too.
>the cemetary has a freaking skull sticking right up out of the ground!
Haha, only the best graveyards come with badly buried corpses! If there isn't a rotted head or limb sticking out somewhere in plain view then it ain't worth a hollow socket full of bloated maggots.
>Beautiful early stuff!
Really Jeff? Yeah, I guess there's some decent panels here... my initial intro might have been a bit harsh.
>Did the ad come from the same comic book?
Yes, this ad is from this issue of Dark Mysteries. I usually try to keep the ad bonus from the same issue but sometimes I use whatever I have in my back-up folder. Some issues contain tons of great ads so I scan them all and save/use 'em later whenever.
Thanks for the comments, we have one more Dark Mystery coming up, and later next week I have an amazing, (possibly unpublished?) rarity submission that will blow your coffin lids open! See ya then...
thanks for this useful information
ReplyDeleteI really like this creepy little story. There are some amazingly bad panels (when in doubt, throw a shadow on it), but it still works for me.
ReplyDeleteI always have trouble making the Dead rise. I think I always put them in too warm a place and I kill the yeast.
ReplyDeleteFirst: I share that guy's madness, I guess. Dead bodies and little dogs upset me, too. Just us freaks, right?
ReplyDeleteAlso: there is a bat stuck to every window in this story. No telling why anybody would go nuts in this infested town.
Last: that doctor wanted to drop acid at the hospital. I'm pretty sure he's safer buried in the basement. Safer for us.
Yeah, they do seem to have a LOT of bats flying around that town.
ReplyDeleteSuperb timing there at the end! "Oh yeah, and he also died."
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that would make the final "Oh, no!" better would be those amused trombone sounds. WAH-waah!