Saturday, April 13, 2019
Save Me... The Coffin is Closing
Saturday Night Shocker time again, as THOIA presents a frighteningly fun thriller with heavy horror overtones and lots of atmosphere-- from the March 1953 issue of Suspense Detective #5, --the last issue in fact from this doomed, but still decent, short-lived Fawcett series. This is the sort of spooky story that would've made a great Hitchcock Presents or Boris Karloff's Thriller episode.
I thought this was excellent work. It's a great example of what I like about this coloring strategy, too. With the colors themselves guiding the readers eye--delineating depths, revealing focal points--it gives the artist so much more leeway to over-egg each frame with moody detail--furniture, waving flora, cross-hatching--without cluttering up the experience of reading. All that stuff is present, but it's effect on each frames composition is mitigated by the color scheme, even as the emotion of each frame is heightened.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the art for the great, beefy line work. This had a pretty bold and marky artist. I wish I knew who it was. Page two is great--I love how the menace of the hounds is so present throughout, and that figure in panel six is dashing as hell. Pages five and ten are also standouts.
Anyway, great romance story! Pretty neat twist ending too. I don't know about you, but I really didn't think Mark was coming back.
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ReplyDeleteI'm a horror fiend, but I am also SUCH a sucker for a happy ending. This was both -- loved it!
ReplyDeleteRemember Joe E Ross? "ooooh oooh ooh" I liked it! Wonderful splash. Starts as a nice mystery, ends as a good suspense/horror tale. Flows like fast paced thriller. I agree that the colors help highlight the nice array of emotions and add to the moonlit terror. Interesting the taps were the only sound effects. A nice cinematic outing. Thank you Mr. K. so very much.
ReplyDeleteSeems like the Mystery/Horror genre had higher quality artists and colorists than straight Horror. More lushly illustrated. Maybe because the "real world" elements required a better eye and references?
ReplyDeleteThis one is actually quite terrifying. You're unsure if Mark will make it in time--or even come back for Margaret. Thank goodness he caught on when he literally smelt that something rotten was going on within the house.
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time with this one, because Mark is kind of ... an ass. If he really cared for Margaret that much, he should have just stuck it out. If he did, none of this would have happened, and frankly, though it was off panel, the work didn't seem all that awful.
ReplyDeleteI would have rather seen Margaret save her own skin -- she was nothing but a prop in this one -- instead of depending on Mark to wise up. There had to be enough weapons around that house, she could have taken care of it pretty easily!
The coloring works well in some places but not others, but this colorist had a strong sense of depth and shadow, so it works pretty well over-all. The art is nice, some good twisted faces and the emotions on Margaret are nice.
I just wish Margaret wouldn't have been such a nobody.
I'm definitely with Wendy. Those downbeat endings are all right here and there, but this story practically cries out for the other kind.
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