Here's a bizarre one for you, from the March 1953 issue of Strange Terrors #7. It reaches for a Quatermass and the Pit type level of ancient legend and superstition mixed with a sudden shocking science fiction alien invasion swerve. It almost works too-- until it doesn't-- becoming disappointingly muddled just as it starts getting good, (and that rushed ending doesn't really help either.) But those bonkers, Mardi Gras-headed, Matt Fox-esque beings from outer space added to the otherwise realistic approach to all of the other highly detailed art, just makes for a super surreal story on par with some of the best 1950's sci-fi monster films. Who's the artist here?
"The creatures aim was faulty!" Well, they just woke up after 800 years, and their faulty aim shouldn't surprise anybody as they hit a CLIFF trying to aim at a large group of humans!
ReplyDeleteThis is another of the very many horror tales where our hero does ... nothing other than cause and/or start the trouble ... and then just lucks out at the end. BTW, he's with the army, you think maybe they'd want a look at spaceships or laser guns?
BTW: Got to give the author credit on this one as it actual announced in the opening caption that they just met on the train; this helps re-enforce the eventual twist that it's the monk in disguise, and no, stop asking questions!
This one is a lot of fun. I love the big head aliens. I swear they might have been swiped from somewhere, though.
Concerning the story, it looks like they made it up as they went along: The monk was an accused sorcerer, but was trying to contact spacemen, who were never considered to exist in the dark ages, they plan to take over the planet even though there are only five of them, etc.- I can hear Logic screaming and running out the door concerning this tale.
ReplyDeleteI think this tale would have worked better if the monk contacting the aliens had occurred a century ago rather than 1100 AD.
Another wild tale from the annals of horror comics.
This one gets really weird once the spaceship is unearthed and Fred turns out to be Palzner in disguise. How would a long dead monk even know how to imitate an American G.I.? How'd he even return in the first place? It's not like his ancient burial site got disturbed or something? I love the gnarly purple and green color scheme for him though. The aliens are pretty epic looking as well, but sadly,once they show up, the story immediately finds a way to get rid of them, as well as the wacky old monk. Also,"Donnerwetter!" Looks like I've found me a new pseudo swear word!
ReplyDeleteReading through this the first time, I was struck by the idea that the soldiers would suggest digging up the town landmark as a reaction to the missing horn. That does not make a whole lot of sense unless one of the soldiers is a reincarnated space-worshipping monk hell-bent on rescuing his buried alien friends. Then it makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteSo I don't know why anybody in town was remotely surprised how things turned out. And I guess maybe they weren't. They opened up the sluice gates fast enough.
Loved the aliens. "Let's really wow 'em!" the editor said. They kind of look like Balinese folk monsters. Their water guns look like blow dryers.
Boy, you didn't exaggerate—this one is crazytarts! I love the ones that play out like fever dreams; if you're going to stray from logic, go all the way weird. I almost wonder if the writer dreamt this, woke up, and wrote it out before he forgot it. Awesome insane stuff.
ReplyDeleteEven though 800 years isn't thousands of years, this story shows that SF comics were already into the "Chariots Of The Gods" kind of thinking to some degree.
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