Friday, February 14, 2020

Vampire Bride

Time to really nail this month long theme right where it counts-- with a blood lusting vampire bride on the loose tale, from the May 1952 issue of Web of Mystery #9. Happy Valentine's Day everyone, hope it's filled with plenty of X's and O's! And chocolaty coffins and creme-filled crypts too!















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Also, the special Vampira issue of PLAYGHOUL is now available. Limited to 666 copies, and presenting a chronological collection of Maila Nurmi magazine appearances (as herself and as Vampira) from 1950 to 1964, plus comics and more. If you're like me, you've probably already seen about 95% of the content, (and for the hefty price tag, some of the scans are aggravatingly low quality), but for Vampira collectors it's certainly a worthy addition to your horror book shelf. CLICK HERE for more info and to order your batty old self a creepy copy today.

6 comments:

Brian Barnes said...

There's some interesting elements in this one, and it's certainly a good Valentine's Day story!

I like the female vampire, and I like the bat statues, thought the art seems really cramped in places. The ending is good, it's action packed and you don't see enough vampire bat slicing in comics!

Bottom of page 6 are some good panels, I especially like her looming over the bed. It's clean art, kind of in the Johnny Craig sense. I can't help but think page 3, panel 1 is drawn from a photo. It looks ... familiar.

Happy V(ampire)-Day!

JBM said...

Thank you Mr.K. for this beautifully black dark art. I loved the servant bowing her head when the mistress was greeting her guest. I agree the close-up was wonderful. I liked the fat bats. The sexy flying were-bat. The classic French sailor suit. Page four last panel, is he there just to break the fourth wall? "Are you looking at me?" For me it's a super panel when we finally see the bat's piggy faces. The shadowy figure on page six panel six had me confused a little. Then you see it's there to supply the bat slicer. The eyes of the wife's vampire form made me think of Frank Robbins' work. Fun stuff!

Bill the Butcher said...

Aiiiee! Vampires! Bats! Vampire bats! Vampires that are controlled by vampire bats! In Europe! Which has no vampire bats! Aiiiee!

Mr. Karswell said...

> In Europe! Which has no vampire bats!

What're you talking about? The greatest vampire bat of all time is from Europe.

And thus ends our Valentines Massacre 2020, thanks for the comments. I apologize for the lag in posts here over the last week. I've been dealing with a nagging case of pneumonia, but slowly recovering. Back in a bit with more... stay tombed...

Todd said...

I really like this one, too. There's something sweet about a vampiress going around killing everybody else but too in love with her husband to do him in. I'd expect him to be a little more upset at the end, but what do you want for ten cents?

Mr. Cavin said...

Yeah, I really dig this gothic and melodramatic take on vampires. The inner struggle of a werewolf tale, the figurine fetish of a witch's curse--all the spookies rolled into one. I like the idea of a vampire haunting the night aswirl with familiars: Bats that are her bloodhounds, her henchmen, and her masters all at the same time. That's pretty cool stuff.

Zansky has several art habits that annoy me (all that zig-zaggy posterizing for one thing--just quit it with the pitch black backgrounds if you don't like it, Louis), but lord help me I love the man's weird, stiff work anyway. I had a LZ frame as the background on my phone for, like, eight years.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!