Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Werewolf Husband
Louis Zansky delivers the hairy scaries today, as THOIA's Werewolf Wednesday rises to the ominous occasion like a full moon over a rich man's castle! And despite some slight color registration problems, this is definitely one of the better lycanthropy tales I've posted here in a while, I think... from the November 1954 issue of Baffling Mysteries #23.
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9 comments:
I like the wolfwoman (I'm going to stick with the proper terms, wolfX is when you get wolf-like, werewolf is when you turn into a big wolf) in the party gown!
Oh Lucille, in the grand tradition of comic greedy black widows, there's not a thing redeeming about her. She's just straight up evil, from narration to bitter end.
There's a lot to like about the art, the elongated wolfman face, page 4/panel 2 is a great painting like scene, and the artistic page 5/panel 1. The artist really stretched out on that panel.
Poor Count Yarno, he didn't deserve this fate. He was cursed (not by his doing), he did his best to keep it under control, and in the end, got done in for his "riches."
The magenta and yellow plates were probably the farthest off I've ever seen on one of this comics. I know nobody cared, but wow is that a bad job.
The coloring is pretty bad here. When we first see the Count, I almost thought he was sporting a pompadour. Also, once the Count kills off Lucille's new pet, he suddenly has a full head of hair--when earlier, he was clearly balding. It only lasts for a page though. I love how one of the cops brings a bow and silver arrow with him to the castle. Why, was he out of silver bullets?
I agree about "Poor Count Yarno," but in some ways they're really well-matched. She uses that poor dog as a guinea pig pretty much EXPECTING what happens. And he ends the engagement (for now) with violence. (And I don't think anyone should say "Well, it was the 50's," because I think that was probably a little "WTF" moment WHEN it was written.)
Even though Lucille usually sounds pretty down to earth, the story gives her at least one big "purple passage." Instead of "The moon is full," it's "The moon has rounded again into fullness at last."
I really liked the werewolf in this one. I always thought realistic lycanthropes would be just like this--malformed but mutable, monstrous and predatory in an opportunistic and animal-like way, looking as little like a literal wolf as the Elephant Man looked like Dumbo. This one's a realistic villain, too: One of those Mr. Hyde-type wolfmen who whinge and mew, trying to play on a girl's sympathies. I almost always like stories about cute blond monster hunters. And if she was a slayer more practical than some, and none too squeamish about making a buck on the side, who am I to begrudge her? Too bad nobody hipped her to proper biohazard management, though. Maybe she should have stuck with monsters that were less contagious.
…."Your wounds have completely healed already." The counts' quick thinking reply -"Uh, yes, its a hereditary trait from my ancestors, that's why they were so feared in battle as warriors. No matter how badly wounded they were, they healed quickly and returned to battle. That is why you don't see me every evening, I have been working with physicians to isolate the healing agent in my blood so it can be used to heal American Soldiers in battle."
That might have thrown the conniving gold digging black widow off the trail.
I think there was an anthology movie made in the 70's or 80's where a werewolf would take a massive dose of tranquilizers before the full moon and sleep through several nights without hurting anyone. Too bad the Count didn't think of that one.
I can't shake the tune, "You took a long time to leave me, Lucille."
I wish the ending were a little less ho-hum, but the first six pages of this are like pure fan service for us, the most fun I've had in ages.
The wonderful splash makes me think of Diana the huntress. Thank you Mr.K., you are wonderful too but not as pretty.
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