Wednesday, May 20, 2020
The Unexpected! / Immortality!
Two more from the maddenly macabre March - April 1953 issue of Mister Mystery #10, and first up we invite you along for a shuddery seance, followed by a terror-filled trip out to the spooky old science lab / greenhouse! Yep, it's another double dose of dreary fears as only startlin' Stanley Morse and Mister Mystery could deliver 'em!
I love the splash on "The Unexpected." I could ramble on about that, and so I shall! Not only does it go three layers deep, but the final layer is actually the first panel of the comic, and there's a direct line of sight from Mister Mystery's hand, to the swami's head, and the crystal. Very clever work.
ReplyDeleteI love the ghosts, too, and the way they are rendered.
What I don't love is half page ads, though I have to say that swap-a-comic seemed like a pretty good racket. I should look up postal rates so I can calculate the in take of that, though I don't think I'd be willing to pay to trade for some unknown comics, and pay for the privilege!
The faces on the first story we all great. This artist has a pretty excellent facility with character design (and consistency from panel to panel, too). A lot of the Moe Marcus stuff I've seen before has employed a very controlled fine line texturing in details like hair and wood grain, but I think I like the strategy of this inker here, at least for today's story: Relying on big, indelible lines and solid black shadows effectively makes the ghostly seance heads pop right out of the frame.
ReplyDeleteI must have missed this issue! The endings are a bit sudden for me, but the stories are enjoyable, and it's nice to see mister Mystery taking a more active rôle!
ReplyDeleteFun stories.
ReplyDelete(1) I din't expect that ending in ... what was it called? Oh. "The Unexpected." I should have expected the unexpected.
(2) Immortal dialogue. "Amazing discovery Dr. Lyons. We've been waiting years for it!" Waiting years for immortality. Rather an understatement. Why, I'd guess that the world has been waiting for it even longer!