Time for a macabre lil stroll through the ominous 'ol Ozark mountains, where wicked weird witchcraft still runs rampant-- and all just a mere hop, skip, and one jittery jump away from Karswell Manor as well! Ace Mag art pro, Jim McLaughlin, lays the atmosphere on thick as a hick with a tick about to explode on his di-- errrr, okay, --time to lay off the alliteration for awhile, I seriously do believe *gag! From the August 1952 issue of The Hand of Fate #12, plus we have one more from this eerie ish up next too-- so stay tombed!
7 comments:
There is a really bizarre mix of eras in the art. Until the last panel of Page 2 you'd think it's set in the 18th century, then suddenly they have, let's say, 1950s clothes, but then Luke has a horse drawn cart from circa 1900, and then again it's back to a modern dam with sluice gates (which the witches for some reason needed Witch!Luke to open instead of doing it themselves any old night).
Professor Broussard, Werewolf Hunter.
Amos Whitcombe, witch hunter.
Too bad these guys never had a chance to do a crossover adventure together. Amos said he had been hunting witches for a long time, he must have had other adventures against witches and warlocks, its a shame his previous adventures were never revealed in other comics.
On page two, middle left panel, seeing the horrors of the woods, I could have sworn that this was the work of Lou Cameron. Maybe McLaughlin was unintentionally copying Lou, though if you have to copy, copy from the best.
I had read somewhere that the ones to fear are not the witches, but those who burned witches at the stake, and did so with satisfaction. Words to ponder.
It's kind of interesting when silver objects are used, not just to destroy werewolves, but basically any type of supernatural creature, be it vampires or witches as well. It's especially intriguing that here, the silver objects aren't bullets but silver tipped arrows. I also love how the father in this story knows what witches smell like so he can figure out where they've wandered off to. I love the second panel of the second page where Sarah actually looks scared and vulnerable and not the creepy old witch she actually is. The shadowy panels of the witches in reds and yellows, blues and greens are awesome. Luke's transformation is pretty darn silly looking though. I especially love the hairy chest and suddenly ripped sleeves.
If you are a witch, it's probably best to not hang out in the forest near Amos, who pretty much cuts through witches like their were made of slightly hexed tissue paper!
Lots to like about this in the art! Some great monsters in panel 3, page 2. Really good horse -- I know it's weird to point that out but animals are sometimes troublesome for pre-code artists ... and the witch-man! Fun transformation panels, I love his gruesome frown and hulk like appearance.
I'm going to guess there's some kind of magical rule which requires the witch-man to turn the sluice, but Amos had already seen a witch-man before and knew what to do.
We can say a lot about victims in these horror stories but man, monsters just aren't smart enough to leave the area with the very guy who is an expert at hunting them!
Pages three and four are the best! I love it when the sanctimonious witch-hating old man whips up a... murder potion... to put a stop to the old women performing... life-saving roadside surgeries? So I'm sorry, who are the bad guys here again? The boys hate witches enough to become witches! I mean, if I was one of the well-read women of these Ozarks, I'd wanna sluice that sausage party too.
Recommended!
My favorite part is the father making them wait to announce their wedding plans until he's through telling them about his witch killer potion. Father knows best!
JMR777 and Mr. Cavin's comments are very interesting. It's funny how many vengeful witches in stories start out as wrongfully accused ones instead of guilty ones. Sure, they usually try to get their revenge on the accusers' DESCENDANTS - who never did a thing to them - but the other thing still keeps the story from being black and white.
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