["The Skin-Rippers" is also a remake, but its original story was published much later. Flash-forward to read "The Black Death" here! -- Nequam]
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Skeleton / The Skin-Rippers
Our second Eerie Pub Double Header this month is a bonkers boney bonanza! Seriously, if "The Skin-Rippers" from the July 1974 issue of Tales from the Tomb Vol. 6 #4 doesn't make your flesh crawl then nothing will... but first, "The Skeleton" from the October 1976 issue of Terror Tales Vol. 7 #4, it's an insanely violent remake of an already violent pre-code classic from Mysterious Adventures #17, (this one may even shock a few of you more jaded gorehounds with its carnage and brutality!)
["The Skin-Rippers" is also a remake, but its original story was published much later. Flash-forward to read "The Black Death" here! -- Nequam]
["The Skin-Rippers" is also a remake, but its original story was published much later. Flash-forward to read "The Black Death" here! -- Nequam]
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14 comments:
real nice--love the black and white
oh, the humanity!...
Just 3 comments: 1. There's something I don't understand about both stories. They're black and white which suggests "post-code" to me. However, the subject matter (at least to me!) seems very pre-code! Were the "Comics Code Authority" people on vacation that week or something!
2. The first story has a very "EC comics" feel to me. Were any of the old "Tales From The Crypt"/"Vault of Horror"/"Haunt of Fear" people still working in comics at the time these were printed? (Unfortunatly, I could see such talent being at least *informally* blacklisted after the Comics Code Authority was imposed; if not given the full "Sen. Joe McCarthy/Senate Commitee on Un-American Activities" treatment!)
3. *unless they shared vital organs; 9in the second story) why didn't the "old hermit" (good butcher) guy just cut off his dead brother? (Oops; never mind! Forgot about major blood vessels!)
DBurch7670
@ Dburch: Any story published by Eerie Publications in their black and white mags were 9 times out of 10 originally precode horror stories. Eerie simply updated, or modified the art (and sometimes the storyline a little) to suit Silver Age tastes. Most of the time they simply reprinted the original stories as they were, because let's face it, some of them were gruesome enough as is!
I've uploaded quite a few side-by-side comparison posts over the years of the original version vs. the Eerie "remake." Use the my search engine for more examples, you can also visit Mykal's Bloody Pulp blog for more:
http://www.bloodypulptales.com/
Eerie Publications not only used material from defunct pre-code comic book publishers for their source material, they also updated their own rip-offs over the years.
"The Skin-Rippers" is a redrawn version (with inferior artwork but almost identical text) of the original pre-code comic book story "Black Death." I can't site the original 1950s source (perhaps Karswell knows it), but Eerie Publications reprinted the original art version (in black and white format) in WEIRD MAGAZINE, vol. 1 no. 12, October 1966. Then for some reason Eerie had the tale redrawn with a new title in 1974, instead of simply reprinting it a second time. (Perhaps they thought the updated artwork would look less dated.)
According to GCD, "The Skin-Rippers" is based on 'Terror Below' originally presented in Haunted Thrills (Ajax; Farrell, 1952 series) #12 (November 1953). Whether it is or not you can decide by giving it the old comparions yourself, I posted it as well here at THOIA back in July of 2009:
http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/2009/07/they-crawl-by-night-terror-below.html
Additional reprints via GCD:
Tales of Voodoo (Eerie Publications, 1968 series) v3#1.
Weird Vampire Tales (Modern Day Periodical Publications, 1979 series) v5#3 (March 1982)
Terror Tales (Eerie Publications, 1969 series) v7#3 (July 1976)
Terrors of Dracula (Eerie Publications, 1979 series) v1#4 (August 1979)
...whew! --K
I beg to differ.
"The Skin Rippers" is a rework of the story "Black Death", taken from Fantastic Fears #4 (Ajax, Nov 1953). Got the proof in black and white: Suarez printed it in his Tales Too Terrible # 4. Actually a sad and moving tale of terror and despair.
The aforementioned "Terror Below" is a similar story with seafaring and crabs in it, but no marooning and ants. Makes a difference.
I had my doubts about that too Space Lord, so thanks for letting us know... GCD is an essential site but occasionally not always correct with the info! :(
Actually, both Karswell and SpaceLord are correct!
Over the years, Eerie Publications put out two entirely unrelated stories called "Skin Rippers," each taken from a different Ajax-Farrell 1950s horror comic, as noted above.
Considering all of Eerie's rip-offs, redrawing, and title modifications, trying to keep track of all this gets complicated!
Love the opening panel of The Skin Rippers!
Boy, that Amos was a real douche bag! That ending was an interesting twist.
Thanks so much for posting this particular story. It was one of two I remember from my childhood that began to warp my very being!
Oops, ignore my previous entry. "The Skin-Rippers" here is not the original artwork, but I still fondly remember this story. New blog is "The Carnival of Weird", although it's just called "Carnival of Weird" on blogspot.
[COMMENT NECROMANCY] "The Skin-Rippers" is credited to one Martha Barnes! Women artists in comics are still pretty unusual, and especially doing lurid horror pieces like that one!
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