Apologies for the delay, but I'm finally back up after a week of crummy internet connection. I was also attempting to dig up some better quality scans of this particular story (they're pretty small rez, still very readable though), as my usual / occasional donator hasn't been available, so we'll just have to make due with these "Famous Tales of Terror" images for now. From the December 1944 issue of Yellowjacket Comics #4, and starring Edgar Allan Poe himself even!
Welcome back!
ReplyDeleteAfter the last couple of Poe stories, all of which felt really roomy, this one seemed almost perfunctory. I enjoyed it--I love all the weird green and the sort of robotic staccato of the dialog between Poe and old man Usher--but I'd love to see it done in a couple extra pages.
The top row of page six steps fully into cosmic horror... which is paid off by an honest-to-god meteor! I don't remember this from the Corman version! I gotta say, if you've gotta go revamping Poe texts for the nuclear age, a brilliantly literal smiting by the void seems perfectly apropos.
I liked this version of Roderick Usher portrayed as a sickly old man, it really sells the idea of Usher's decline. In many versions I have seen, Usher is portrayed as youthful, but in this version, he is portrayed as truly frail, really emphasizing the effects of the house on Usher's health.
ReplyDeleteEstablishing Poe as Usher's friend was a nice touch.
The splash page is fantastic. Thanks for saving this tale from comic oblivion.
Oh yes, I almost forgot, I know how you feel when the net is down due to a lousy connection,
ReplyDeleteits as bad as losing phone service.
Definitely my least favourite Poe piece, and this comic adaptation has done bouton to change my mind. I do like the idea of making Poe a character in his own tale, but I wish they'd saved it for a more worthy story.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure about the meteor device -- in the story, and I think Usher goes so far as to say this (it's been a long time) the house is alive and the twins are tied together, and as they die, the house basically rips itself in two.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mr. Cavin, this could have had another page or two to breathe, especially as the story they read ties into the sister breaking out of her coffin.
Still, for a comic adaptation back in 44, that's some good work! The splash is great!