Sunday, October 9, 2011
The Creature
From the April 1952 issue of The Thing Vol. 1 #2, lurks a weird, colorful creature feature from Albert Tyler and Bob Forgione, a team that paired-up on quite a few of the more wildly memorable moments in pre-code horror history. Thought I already posted this story years ago... but apparently I did not. Or did I?
And as you may have already seen / read (lumbering monstrosity aside), this tale is highlighted by an ickily overgrown Earth setting, bursting with strange fungus and bizarre plantlife, reminding me alot of Philip M. Fisher's tremendously disgusting (and awesome) short story "Fungus Isle" which first appeared in Argosy All-Story Weekly back in 1923. If you've never heard of it or read it, it's definitely worth seeking out. --K
ReplyDeleteI wonder if what you posted in the past was the prequel to this. I cannot find it, either. This just about has to be a second installment, judging from the way it is written.
ReplyDeleteCharlton had a way of building up a story and then crashing it with deus ex machina endings. This is one of those, but it also holds open the possibility for a third chapter.
Still, this is a good story and I wonder what the planet Erewon (Nowere) was like and who Dr. Riko was, and how the Creature came to be trapped within the T-34.
Oy vay! My curiosity has been whetted!
Not as many open mouths as "The Vampire's Coffin" but this has charms of its own.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the author's first language was something other than english? Very oddly worded.
ReplyDeleteThe plot was like a disjointed dream or a bad acid trip!
1. That was a T-34? I assumed it was supposed to be some kind of US?other UN country tank!
ReplyDelete2. (Until I remembered that the *comic; not the Story* was called The Thing"; I was going to say "That poor Ben Grimm got blamed for everything before he met the Fantasic Four!:)"
3. Did anyone thing this story was kind of tame; (NOT BAD, JUST TAME!); compaired to the kind of movies that I call "Human Vegematic"; (you know the kind of movie where a group of H-rny, underage drinking, drug-using teenagers get sliced, diced, and julienned by some kind of psyccopath, or sociopath, or some kind of "-path) that were popular starting, I don't know, about 30 years ago? How did these get banned but those were OK? Incidently my niece loves those movies!
DBurch7670
you couldn't call this predictable...or sane.
ReplyDeleteTruly mind-blowing!
ReplyDeleteLeaves you dazed and confused.
I sympathize with the crazed scientist on page three.
Apparently, the first issue of "The Thing!" had a nine pager by Tyler and Forgione, also, and it was titled "The Creature From Dimension 2-K-31."
ReplyDeleteI'll bet dollars to doughnuts this is the story that could clear up a lot of the mess.
Nobody take Turok1952's bet, unless you wanna be making a trip to Krispy Kreme and then to the post office. “The Creature from Dimension 2-K-31” was reproduced at the Crypt of the Cramps a little less than 2 years ago.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Daniel!
ReplyDeleteYep! That's it, alright!
I wonder if Charlton originally planned to make the Creature a mainstay in this comic? There is no telling, as Charlton had many bad ideas born of good ones. So many of their 1950s stories had great character introductions, especially in the space series. Unfortunately, none of them I am aware of ever follwed through with a sequel.
Now I am curious as to whether or not the Creature ever reappeared.
Plus, I am wondering if they originally planned to call the Creature the Thing, but hesitated because of the movie starring the late James Arness which was released two years earlier.
Again, many thanks!
Its as if someone took the script to a full length movie and chopped it into a comic
ReplyDeleteGood story; though! (And *there's* where the T-34 came from!:)
ReplyDeleteDBurch7670
Excellent! I appreciate the tracking down of the origins... not sure if it helps the actual story make any real additional sense, but still-- YAY!!
ReplyDelete