Saturday, February 3, 2018
Crawling Death
You know you want insane precode horror, and friends, it seriously doesn't get much more bonked out than this one! And as with our last post, todays adventure into doom is also from the April 1952 issue of Chamber of Chills Magazine #7. Yes, if horribly giant, half human crabs are what you crave then this is the tale for you. And if you love dialog like "I'm gonna kill it!! It might be some rare species!!" then this is also your cup 'o crab meat (dipped in melted butter!) Lord, do I ever adore the inspired design of those fang-filled crab claws. The story might be a real head scratcher, but the art somehow pulls it all together. Somehow. And FYI: this would be a good double feature with Bride of the Crab which can still be found scuttling around in the THOIA archive right HERE. Yes, make yours a crabby date night tonight!
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12 comments:
This one really plays out like a nightmare: no logic, disturbing images, intensity and lingering dread. The art is pretty damn cool. That last panel on page 3 is really sticking with me as he leaps into the sea like a madman with his knife in hand! Wow. Thanks for posting this one.
Some of those drawings are a bit inconsistent. The monster crabs have torn Bill's pants to shreds in one panel--but in the next, his pants are still in tact. In another part, Carol has more flesh on her when Crab Bill is about to eat her than earlier when he sees the crabs feeding upon her corpse.
The creepy part is that there are actual giant crabs out there in real life--nothing nearly as big as these guys clearly but coconut crabs and spider crabs can look pretty nightmarish regardless.
Also, I think I have a soft spot for monster crabs--I blame Disney's Moana for this. Also, got to love those teeth filled claws!
Now this is how Attack of the Crab Monsters should have been filmed back in 1957.
The sight of Carol turned into a crab feast and then Bill feeding on her as a giant crab was unadulterated horror.
One crazy tale that pushes all the right buttons, a perfect addition to THOIA.
That's a wild one, with some great monster noises!
Funny you should mention that 3rd page final panel, Morbid, as I'm pretty sure it's an EC swipe.
very enjoyable read, good Mr. Karswell !!!
Nightmare logic, No morality, Zero consequences..... that's how Iike my pre code comics!
I suspect this story initially had a longer page count and was shortened, and the artist wasn't paying the best attention as they drew it. Therefore, it makes little sense and is inconsistent.
Nobody mentioned the very ... vagina ... like crab openings. I'm not going to!
Crab do have grips on their claws, but here they are draw as extra mouths, which is actually a pretty cool image. This could make a decent monster in a movie.
The final panels seemed like a waste. We don't need an explanation (especially one that doesn't explain half of what happened!). Extra panels for more of the story would have been better. Overall, this is a great example of bonkers pre-code. I love it!
Yeah, glowworm2, coconut crabs are big, horrific..and can climb trees!
Guy Callaway--yeah, just the fact that they can climb trees is kind of terrifying--not to mention just how strong those claws are!
Pretty impressed that page four takes it all the way, baby. For me the story would have been a tad more successful if I'd known the characters a little bit better. Still, the second, third, and fourth panels on page four are some of the best I've seen. I like the colors across the board here, too. Whoever was working the CrafTint screens on this Chamber of Chills issue was really killing it.
There's only been one mention of "Attack of the Crab Monsters," but this stories really resembles it more than a little. (Although with a lot more gruesomeness.) Was there a real connection between the two?
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