This story was one of my first encounters with a Gold Key comic that truly frightened me. I mean, I was just a dopey little kid, but that evil Jack Sparling spirit with those claws and teeth --that nobody but the victim could see-- really did me good for a few sleepless nights. It also kind of reminded me of the Haunting record fiend in the old ads. From the December 1970 issue of Ripley's Believe it or Not #23.
We know why it stopped, it got that great deal to be a spo(o)kes-specter for a scary record company!
ReplyDeleteI suspect there might be a news item behind this because a lot of the "true" urban legends you hear have very similar endings where the haunting just ... stops. The "could it start again" is almost always the ending.
One thing I like about this is how the people are really listening to logic here. They start out with the "no way" but when they see scratches appear before their eyes, they then try to combat the ghost. Bravo, doctors!
This is an excellent example of an artist committing to making (some of the) characters look Asian--in this case Filipino--without falling back on tired race clichés. Bravo. I think the moody, atmospheric illustration on page one is especially excellent, and I dig the hospital scene at the top of the last page, too.
ReplyDeleteI guess one of the special attributes of a "based on reported events" type of story is that they don't actually have to conform to any storytelling rules like, um, exposition or character-building. Or even an ending. I mean, the simplest urban legends usually have a point. Here we have an action, something that happens, but no reason for that thing has been given, and no climax to the situation that has arisen is depicted. It's very fertile ground for an imaginative reader to keep developing what isn't detailed in the material. I can see how this is the sort of thing that might stick with you if you read it as a kid.
Also the cover of this ish is pretty great. What a difficult concept that must have been to get into just one illustration.
While poking around the net I found a few horror tales dealing with The Philippines, namely a place called Tulong, which is The Manila Film Center, and a type of were-creature called the Aswang. It seems every culture has its own version of the boogeyman running amok.
ReplyDeleteConcerning the story, the doctor on page three, wearing thick glasses, looks like the stereotypical mad doctor from horror films and comics.
Considering the population of The Philippines is predominantly Catholic I a msurprised no one thought to call in a priest to chase away the invisible horror.
This was a spooky pre All Hallows thriller, a welcome horror dose for August.
The Ripley’s story of Spring Heeled Jack got to me… terrifying cover too as I recall…
ReplyDeleteThe doctor's glasses were a great deal scarier than the invisuble biting ghost.
ReplyDelete