Friday, January 10, 2020

Sinister Snake Cult of Brother Rath!

We've seen an unholy plethora of horrors here at THOIA over the years: monsters roaming the night in search of gory feasts, epic terror from beyond the stars, pissed off xmas trees, etc. But one thing possibly more terrifying than all others, is the all too human religious fanatic performing bat$hit evil in the name of "God." As is the case of todays atmospheric action adventure featuring the crime fightin' wits of "The Echo", ie: a mild-mannered ventriloquist with the occasionally convincing ability to throw his voice around and, okay whatever, plus his siblings (uh, Dr. Doom?!!) vs. a viciously violent, snake handlin' psychopath cult! The story clips along nicely, with the real highlight being the frantically fun, oddly eerie artwork (and lettering) by Paul Gattuso which adds a whole other level of unique crazy to the peculiar proceedings. Originally featured in the Oct '45 issue of Dynamic Comics #16, this one also slithered its way into Mike Howlett's super chilling SNAKE TALES hardcover collection. CLICK HERE for more info!















Wanna check out something a little more sleuthy silly, and on the grave robbin' side of this same Dynamic Comics issue-- just CLICK HERE!
at

9 comments:

  1. Brian Barnes1/10/2020

    I love the art! It's dynamic, cartoon-ish but realistic, and has a lot of elongation in it. Like the last panel on page 4. The artist had a really recognizable "O" face (quiet down, peanut gallery) for women -- the cover, the splash, panel 5, page 2, on and on.

    I'm not to sure about the ventriloquism in a comic because it kind of breaks the contract with the readers (that word balloons point to the speaker) but it was followed up with the ragged text and you knew only one character could be doing it.

    That cover is awesome. I especially like the owl and vulture as silent observers.

    Ah, wacky 40 super-heroes! So fun!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glowworm1/10/2020

    Just the fact that The Echo's brother is named Dr. Doom--and he's one of the good guys tickles me. Well that and the obvious other reason being that he shares his name with that of a more famous and notorious Marvel comic villain.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr. Cavin1/11/2020

    Awesome. I knew this thing was going to rock when I saw that cover. There's something so modern about the retro look here it's hard to believe the stuff is really from the forties. Somehow it seems so canny, so ironic and observant about old timey comic art design, that it feels like it just has to be looking back at them from the future. The blooming spotlights and weird mod background color shapes are just so hip. That confusing three-page punch-up at the end reads like satire. I totally love all the period Metropolis dames running around in this western town. The Black Nugget. Texas Tea.

    And thanks for pointing out the lettering. That's really the icing on this one.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Guy Callaway1/11/2020

    A do-gooding, two-fisted ventriloquist. Doesn't get cooler than that.
    Great stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  5. JBM1/11/2020

    Thank you Mr.K. for some more fun fun fun! I love the cover too. The subtle wolf on the moon especially. The triangular bodies scream early cartooning. The splash's echoing logo is so perfect. The don't tread on me serpent. Angles, angles , angels. Just great, effective cartooning. Nice nourish plot too. A great time was had by all, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mr. Karswell1/12/2020

    Glad everyone enjoyed this one, and hey, we might hear from The Echo again in the coming weeks weeks weeks (that's my attempt at an echo joke), so stay tombed!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Grant1/13/2020

    I'm so funny about reptiles of all kinds that I'm okay with any given story that lets a VENOMOUS snake survive. (I was almost sure it would be "taken care of" before the last panel.)

    ReplyDelete
  8. DJ_Man2/05/2020

    You should always count your ill-gotten cash in front of an open window ... it helps move the plot along.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Grrrrrrrace2/13/2020

    I absolutely ADORE this fantastical artwork, with all those jutting limbs and exaggerated motions! The eyes on page 5, panel 4--dang it, what do they remind me of? The sort-of triangle missing in each pupil and the tremendous eyebrows!
    And the text, the glorious text! So beautiful.
    Interesting how they don't have any indication that the gun has gone off except talking about it--"AHHG!" and "Echo! Doc! He got me in the arm!".

    Now if only seeing proof that goes contrary to one's beliefs would make a fanatic change their views, instead of entrenching them further. >sigh<

    ReplyDelete