Here's one for all the guys out there who found themselves a fresh new love on Valentine's Day. Hope things are working out for ya. and uhhhmm, well, you do know what s-s-steps in a serious relationship come next, dont'cha? That's right, --meeting lovey's parents! And real quick, there's also a lesson to be learned here about over-reacting and jumping the gun a little, so be sure to take some notes, for cripes sake! From the August 1953 issue of Astonishing #26, art by John Forte.
I'd bet that Dolores on page 2 is traced from some poster/pin-up/movie star. That's really spectacular work. As a piece of good girl art, page 2, panel 5 is one of the best.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one, I wonder if it's Stan or somebody doing his darker sense of humor? It's a good gag, though the story really stretches plausibility in a lot of places -- I mean when he first sees her she doesn't dress, act, or look like her family in absolutely any manner.
I very much like the witch mistake. That's clever for a 50s horror tale because it's so expected. You immediately believe it to be true because you've seen so many tales like this.
What was his mania about meeting her parents, anyway?
ReplyDeleteSo, do you think the hotel bathroom came stocked with poison or that these newlyweds traveled around with some "just in case"? So Shakespearean.
ReplyDeleteIs this story some kind of sly subversion of the gendered social norms prevalent in the fifties or what? This guy couldn't care less that he meets cute with some weirdo in a moon trance wondering around in the forest. But give her a broom and some cookware and she's gotta go. Course, I guess all I've drilled down to here is the misogynist social hysteria driving every witch hunt. I'd like to see a story that's as cavalier about lampooning American class prejudice. Here we just have another example New Yorkers dunking on poverty-stricken Appalachians.
But this thing starts with an excellent existential bang. I love page one, from the medias res splash to the wonderful way in which Mark retreats into the void of his own anxiety and nostalgia: "I'm going to spend the few minutes of life that I still have left remembering!" Nihilism as reflexivity seems very fresh to me.
This story seems to start as a good Johnny Craig tale and end as a bad Al Capp send up. A shame, because I thought the opening was great, but the denoument fell far short for me.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad, I always enjoy when Atlas does the horror set-up and then pulls the ol switcheroo rug out from under us with a comedic ending. And if it's Al Capp inspired-- all the better for me too! :)
ReplyDeleteThe story would work a lot better if Mark weren't able to just walk out the door! Instead, he murders Dolores and himself as if that were that!
ReplyDeleteAt the very least, the story could have him sort of gaslight himself into thinking he can't escape her, but it doesn't.
So that's my one problem with it.