Friday, April 11, 2008
The Thing in the Mirror
FYI: The next couple of days will be about filling requests, and thanks to everyone emailing me at karswell@hotmail.com; you guys definitely keep me on my toes with your ideas and generous pay pal dollar donations. Today I have a real rarity from the 1952 one-shot issue of Phantom Witch Doctor #1 (for Andre.) The story is okay I guess, sort of a low rent rip-off of Le Fanu’s Green Tea, but it features some great artwork from Everett Raymond Kinstler.
Kinstler's splash page really grabs ya' - don't it?
ReplyDeleteThe story has a great payoff as well.
Ooh, nice one! I have always had a morbid fear of looking into a darkened mirror and seeing something in the glass that isn't there when I turn around and look at the room... *shudder* Really, even if it was a slavering psycho, when I turn around to look, I would almost prefer that it BE THERE. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat art, great story. Keep it up!
I GUESS THIS ONE STILLS FALLS UNDER THE HAIRY AND SCARY CATAGORY RIGHT? COOL STORY, HAVE YOU EVER POSTED A KINSTLER STORY BEFORE? REALLY NICE ART. I'M PRINTING OUT THE GREEN TEA STORY NOW TO READ OVER THE WEEKEND, I'VE ALWAYS HEARD THIS IS A HORROR CLASSIC. THANKS!
ReplyDeleteFrom the last panel, I love the freak circus. There are some strange things in the New York World's Fair 1939-40 Medicus film archive, like Folga the Headless girl, the frozen alive... follow www.archive.org
ReplyDeleteI wasn't paying attention and when I opened this link and I thought it was a Bill Everett story inked by Raymond Kinstler. And then I thought, wait, that's not Everett's signature! This is great, I've not familiar with Kinstler, thanks!
ReplyDelete>Kinstler's splash page really grabs ya' - don't it?
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should change comic terminology from splash page to grab page... like how it's referred to with adult magazines.
Vicar, switching from horror comics to horror film for a minute, isn't it funny how the idea of the thing in the mirror has become updated to the thing haunting a cell phone. Used to be, "Don't look in the mirror!" Now it's "OMG! Don't answer your text message!"
Maurizio, thanks for the link, I'll be checking this out NOW.
And Frank, now my minds'a'bogglin' at the notion of a Bill Everett story inked by Kinstler! Thanks... it's gonna be a long long weekend.
No All-caps,this isn't a faithful version of "Green Tea" at all,sorry.but it IS a very good story,great art too.i like how in contrast to yesterday's post the outcast(Dana)does get his justly warranted revenge.
ReplyDelete>this isn't a faithful version of "Green Tea" at all
ReplyDeleteI don't think Karswell meant that it was, but I've read both stories now too and agree some elements are certainly similar......small green monkey monster haunting a guy? Makes sense to me!
Here I come galloping to my own defen--- oh wait, my horse has to stop for a sec and poop...
ReplyDeleteOkay, galloping on now, what part of "low-rent rip-off" is unclear? I was merely using Green Tea as a semi-reference point considering many pre code comic book stories are obviously inspired by works of classic horror fiction, no matter how big or how little they actually borrow from them. Bah... it's all subjective, next time I'll just keep my stupid mouth shut.
"... isn't it funny how the idea of the thing in the mirror has become updated to the thing haunting a cell phone. Used to be, "Don't look in the mirror!" Now it's "OMG! Don't answer your text message!"
ReplyDeleteMirrors are still creepier IMHO. You see a solid-looking world that you know is really just your own world turned left-to-right - but what if it's just pretending? What's really round the reflected corners? Who is that guy who looks like you? Stare in there hard enough, long enough and you just might get a glimpse of the truth...
>Stare in there hard enough, long enough and you just might get a glimpse of the truth...
ReplyDeleteNicely put... you're like Rod Serling reincarnated!
1. When did "Green Tea" come out? 2. When? 3. Who is it by? 4. What is it about?
ReplyDeleteP.S. Liked first story better!
DBurch7670
"Green Tea" was written by the same person I mentioned in the intro above, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, and published sometime in the 1870's. You can find tons more info about the story by googling it...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the 411 (information); Karswell. I wnt right to that story!
ReplyDeleteDBurch7670