Friday, August 17, 2012
The Tentacles of Death
Jumping back into the full issue presentation of the February 1955 issue of Amazing Ghost Stories #16, it's now Tuska's turn to deliver the exceptional art skills and tentacled thrills with a tale more on the sci-fi side of things than actual "ghost story" --none the less, it's still a fun, 6-page, B-movie monster romp through the crazy age of precode horror. ENJOY!
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THOIA also would like to say THANKS to everyone clicking the FOLLOWERS button, it took half a decade but we finally reached (and exceeded) the 1000 mark-- WOW! Thank you thank you!
Tuska does a great job on making the evil people look evil, and the good people look good. In place of black and white hats are scrunched or round faces!
I was with Tuska on the monster until he gave it eyes.
I was with him until they named it.
"Oh, so that's what Octeel means..."
This story is an excellent illustration of exactly what I love about this stuff. One, I can't tell you how much I dig high octane, unapologetic, full-tilt absurdity. There's nothing cynical or ironic or tongue-in-cheek about this--it's just weird. Made by weird people, for weird people. Two, those top two panels of page six are screamingly, heartbreakingly beautiful to me. Imagine how much more wonderful they would be without the unnecessary word balloons. I'd tattoo that on my body.
On page six top left panel the beastie looks a bit like a brain bat from venus (which was in my humble opinion one of the top 10 horror comics done by Basil Wolverton)
This was a fun sci-fi/horror tale. Great find Karswell
I agree about the naming the monster thing -- threw me right off. It all got way too earnest that way. Otherwise, I liked this one with its primary color intensity and Bat Brain style monster.
It's like a brain bat mated with a Wham-O Water Wiggle... but still, when it comes to monsters, the more ludicrous the better, I say.
>Imagine how much more wonderful they would be without the unnecessary word balloons.
The words are a little neccesary in the one panel, he thinks The Octeel is dead-- why else would he wade into it's lair? But I do know what you mean, any time a panel can work without balloons, the better.
I really like the Octeel. It is downright Ditko-esque in its form...it is definitely something alien. It has, though, only six tentacles, so should it not have been called a Hexteel?
Did Tuska draw the old newspaper comic "Buck Rogers in the 25th century"? I vividly remember panels that look like his work. Especially, I remember a story where Buck fought men with nails sticking out of their palms, an adaptation for climbing.
Does anyone remember an old pre-code story in which an ancient egg hatched? It began with two dinosaurs battling. One of the dinosaurs looked more like it had a human Nosferatu-like head on it. I bet it is a classic.
Will you also please post the "Dr. Osborne" story too? I love the space stuff. Kirby was my favorite but Tuska also rules! I love the way the greens, reds, and violets blend in this tale of human fallibilities.
A dank eych a touzant zeyten!
Well, I answered my own question about the Tuska-Rogers connection. I still have yet to zero in on the story with the nail-palmed cliff dwellers. I remember Buck being given a "pain test" and being told he had a high tolerance for pain, but it was "nothing like that [nail-palmed fellow] can dish out."
I am still searching for the dino-story. It seems like the Nosferatu-headed dinosaur story was called "Egg of Evil," "Ancient Evil," or something of that sort. It ended with the Nosferatusaurus dead but another egg was about to hatch.
Oy vay.
wow! geo Tuska is great! nice layouts--solid inks!
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