Friday, May 27, 2016

The Vampire Goes West!

Had a request for "something stupid", so here ya go, funny guy. From the Oct '54 issue of Tales of Horror #13, pretty sure it doesn't get much stupider than this-- which means "A MUST READ!"

FYI: back to THE THING up next...













10 comments:

Brian Barnes said...

Next up, vampire in space, still with the damn cape!

This thing is fun from beginning to end. It actually does one better than some of the completely baffling ones you've put up before -- the ending isn't unannounced; only half-announced -- we are given the silver bullet early on so it doesn't come out of nowhere. Of course, the story goes way out of it's way to present this item, basically hitting us over the head and demanding we look. It's not chekhov's gun, it's chekhov's nuclear missile!

I wish he would have rode in on the zombie horse.

I like how every time the vampire gets shot, it's not "I'm going to kill that fool" it's instead "ha ha, you just filled me full of lead but I didn't die, now to list the things that DO kill me!"

Great read and the exposition problems make it even better.

"You, too, can be tough!" Uh, probably not. Thanks for thinking of me, silly comic ad, but I don't think your ju-jitsu book is going to help!

Anonymous said...

Man, laid the phonetic accents on a bit thick, didn't they? (Though, ironically, NOT for the vampire himself!)

Glowworm said...

Yeah, this is pretty darn stupid. Nobody suspected the weird stranger wandering around town? Even if no one in the West knew anything about vampires, surely a hick town like this would have been a bit superstitious of a weird looking guy like him.
I also laughed every time Rudolf referred to Sam as "The elderly gentleman."
I kind of saw the ending coming--obviously what was in the little bag was something that would kill a vampire, unfortunately it wasn't in the badass showdown manner I was hoping Sam would have with Rudolf at the end.

There have been better ways of mixing the old west with the supernatural in comics. I'd suggest "Adventures Into the Unknown #49" for a tale called "The Sheriff and the Witch" which is much more satisfying.

Glowworm said...

It also would have been awesome as anything if they made Rudolf the new sheriff--it would have been ironic yet amazing all the same--vampire sheriff!

Darci said...

Oct 1954 -- is that the first occurrence of the vampire out West? There was an echo of this in Son of Dracula (1943), but that was in the swamps not the plains. There was Return of Dracula (1958), but that was set in the present day. Universal's Curse of the Undead (1959) was closer, but more was made of Robles' gunfighter skills. It fell to Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (1966) to see it fully realized.
Thanks!

Grant said...

brandiweed is right about the language.
I immediately tried to test whether I could say "orneriest" without stumbling over it, then tried to say it three times quickly. Somehow I did.

Mr. Karswell said...

thanks for the comments and the story suggestion-- we'll detour one more time into cowboy territory then before we return to THE THING-- see ya in a few!

Mr. Cavin said...

"Pore ol' gentlemany retired Sheriff, got so upset 'bout losing his job he up and kilt thet perfect stranger. Welp, string him up boys."

Pretty sure my favorite panel is that second one on page three. Hot!

gerard said...

Horror and the wild west.Never thought that would work but it does.Great story!

Uncle Ernie said...

With the popularity of westerns and horror in the 50's, I wonder why more of these mash-ups were not produced.