Sunday, November 11, 2012
The Two-Timer
Perfectly gloomy, atmospheric graveyard art (and a SUPER splash panel) highlight this story of a selfish slob and his interest in Dollys... from the May 1954 issue of Adventures into Weird Worlds #29. The Atlas Tales site has no illustrator listed for this one-- though I'm sure we can all figure out who wrote it-- anyone wanna take a stab?
This sickening schmuck Eddie is so much like many today who cannot accept responsibility for what they do or fail to do. He did not deserve the wife he had. He thought of only his own wants and needs. And in the end, he could not comprehend that he had actually caught himself with his failure of self-discipline and utter lack of any redeeming character, even blaming his poor wife's corpse for his own weaknesses and stupidity. I would have liked the next-to-last panel to have shown him being fried in the electric chair and the last panel to have him being welcomed to h-e-double hockey sticks by the Prince of Darkness.
ReplyDeleteI agree about at least one extra panel for this one. Following the last panel, I'd love to see another big splash from this strong illustrator (who is this?) of Eddie frying in the electric chair as he screams something like: "But she was lying about the electricity! Lying...the NO GOOD TWO T--T-T-T-T--!"
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this, Karswell.
I like the suggestion of a slight ironic smile on the wife in the last panel.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with the addition of an electric chair panel; make your point, don't hit them over the head with it. The last panel is great, and the story was very effective with the red herring of Dolly going to the police to make you forget about the gas. Well written little story.
ReplyDeleteKars: Get working on an Atlas book. We really need one! I think, by volume, the most prolific pre-code horror publisher, and there isn't a lot written about them (at least that I've read.) What *did* Stan do? Who else was there writing? Who were some of the missing artists?
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ReplyDeleteLike the spooky atmosphere and splash here, it's almost enough to distract me from noticing that it's a just a crime story dressed up as horror. Least he coulda done was hack the poor girl up and bury her at work that night, tan her skin into a sexy jacket for his girl Wednesday, polish her teeth into a nice necklace and matching earrings. That might have played hell with the patented Stan gotcha, but then it woulda been horror at least. Plus, the idea of his actually giving his wife to his girlfriend seems like a logical progression.
ReplyDeleteDig that Maneely cover!
The central gimmick is lifted from the classic story "Murder in the Kitchen" by Milward Kennedy: http://www.unz.org/Pub/SayersDorothy-1932-00202
ReplyDeleteIn the story the victim actually recovers consciousness in the gasless oven as the police arrive to investigate.
Just lovin that skull on the splash. Beautiful work.
ReplyDeletethank you for the new comic story. I love playing with my juicy hairy pussy and reading these stories for free
ReplyDeleteHaha, of course that isn't spam...
ReplyDelete@Brian: 'we' do talk a lot about Atlas over at the Timely/Atlas group. And these books are being reprinted, if only at a snails pace and with rising prices, too. Dic Vassallo knows mre about them than anyone, he even has the records of some of the writers. I myself have been looking into the writing of Stan Lee (and wrote about it in Alter Ego) and I can say for sure he didn't write this story. Two things: Stan always signed everything he wrote (and wrote everything he signed), apart from a few exceptions. I have also never seen him use 'through' instead of 'thru' in his entire career in any of the signed stories. Now he wasn't the only one using 'thru', but the appearance of the word 'through' in a story (as in this case) means Stan didn't write it. Now, you may question that but intul you find a signed story where Stan uses 'through' I am sticking with the greater overall truth.
ReplyDeleteThe art may be by Bill Savae, I think. Again, ask Doc.
Thanks for clarifying, Ger!
ReplyDeleteGer, thanks for the great information. It's quite the community you've built here, Karswell. This kind of stuff is the life blood of collecting these tales.
ReplyDeleteOnce again a "GREAT THANKYOU" for all this brilliant material. Can I make a request?
ReplyDeleteI`ve always loved the fusion of Horror & War stories. Such as those found in "Weird War Tales", etc. Is it possible?...Do you have any such stories?...Could you post anything?
Another "GREAT THANKYOU" in advance. You`ll make a middle aged comic reader in South London very happy.
There's some Weird War Tales in the archive, Gengi, just use the search engine... and keep checking back, I may upload more in the weeks to come! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great example of the best in pre-code:
ReplyDeleteBad things happen to bad people.
As a kid, I could handle the horrors as long as they were unleashed on the deserved! lol