Friday, December 18, 2015
Gargoyle Every Night
Creepshow fan "Tony" found his way to THOIA via a google search for the comic book adaptations of the film that I've posted in the past (check the archives) --this in turn has created a new fan of Berni Wrightson as well, and Tony asked to see more of Berni's fantastic work. I've always loved this gargoyle tale that originally appeared in the October 1970 issue of Chamber of Darkness #7, reprinted here for our viewing displeasure in the August 1975 issue of Giant-Size Chillers #3.
Another great story that was criminally reduced in size and published in "pocket", B/W horror anthology books by Editoriale Corno, exclusive publisher of Marvel Comics in Italy in the Seventies-early Eighties. Awful, the original size is much better. Unfortunately, most of the horror material of the 70's (Marvel, Warren, DC etc.) was reduced to pocket size.
ReplyDelete"Gargoyle Every Night" is more horrifying a pun than the story!
ReplyDeleteLet's talk about Berni a bit. Every bit the master artist, especially in horror. But it's hard to not see him as a version of Ghastly. He is a great artist in his own right, but every time I look at his art it makes me sad to think what Ghastly could have done in those 70s mags.
The shadow and rope draped gargoyle at the end was a great piece of art.
The twist of this story depends on a character, who is all alone, monologue-ing without mentioning the most obvious things, even going so far as to call himself a "man." It's a bit unfair!
Ok, that one actually managed to catch me by surprise.
ReplyDeleteEven though I own this one, I haven't read it in a long while, so I didn't see the twist coming.
ReplyDeleteIt also reminds a little of THE GOLEM. Or at least, the sculptor's appearance makes you think of the rabbi in that story.
And to some degree it's like Lovecraft's "THE TERRIBLE OLD MAN" - with the "harmless" character whose home is being invaded by the robbers.
Now this is the kind of Wrightson stuff I love best (well, except for those awesome Frankenstein illustrations--those are what I actually love best). I need to pull all my seventies horror out of the boxes again. The fifties stuff you post is all totally new to me, but I own much of these seventies stories. Especially the stuff by Bernie.
ReplyDeleteI'll have more vintage Wrightson for ya's in 2016-- stay tombed!!!
ReplyDelete