Sunday, April 5, 2015
Terror of the Boa Constrictor
Jon D'Agostino has not one, but two illustrated stories in the October 1953 issue of Dark Mysteries #14 (see our last post too.) And like our last tale, it follows a well tested horror plot we've all seen before; this time it's voodoo from beyond the grave, but it's still pretty interesting none the lesssssss. Among the problems of the story (of which some things I'll let you guys point out because I know a few of you think this blog is MST3000-- ugh!), is D'Agostino's inability to draw the leading lady with some consistency from one panel to the next-- though I do appreciate that she's a dead ringer for Cheryl Ladd in the center of page 3! Neat skeleton cover by Hy Fleishman.
This was a good tale- a powerful but corrupt man who will won't let anything get in his way of getting what he wants, a loving couple whose happiness is threatened, an older woman with knowledge of the black arts killed by an evil man who seeks revenge form beyond- it seems to be the kind of tale they would have portrayed on Night Gallery, and not because the story featured a painting as a plot device.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, Mr. Karswell... it is a nice story.
ReplyDeleteI was gonna come over here and snark about how, uh, ironic it is to always see Haiti portrayed like antebellum Georgia in these fifties stories (trees, plantations, lotsa white people parties), but then I got to the Bessie-headed Damballah fight, and that looks just like authentic folk art. Bad ass!
ReplyDeleteI love any voodoo story, but it's even more just exactly right on Easter. It's like you read my mind!
Forgot to mention that this entire issue is now posted here, check the archives for Fingers of Doom, The Skeleton's Revenge, and of course our last post, Escape to Death!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments
I think the art on this might have been rushed; it's good in places and poor in others, but it does hang together relatively well. D'Agostino could certainly do better based on the other examples.
ReplyDeleteOne thing about this, from a writers perspective -- do you need the accent in the words? It doesn't really change the story and it just makes it harder to read, and I imagine everybody is Gambit. I never really felt that necessary.