Monday, June 20, 2011

Singing Slaves

The already horrific concept of slavery becomes even more horrific in this Don Perlin and Abe Simon classic, our last tale (featuring a dynamite final panel) from the May 1953 issue of Horrific #5.








Vintage AD

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. I *bet that slaver wishes he had surrendered to the British; ( Don't know what the punishment for running ILLEGAL slaves was under British law, but at least he'd have gotten a trial first!)

2. Why is it always some innocent; (like the diver in this story) who always freaks out? He's nothing to them; and they were only a legend to him. Probably not even related to the villian!

3. If I were one of these slaves; I'd be thinking, "OH GREAT GOD/GODDESS (fill in blank) WHEN CAN WE REST IN PEACE"? I mean aren't they just as dam-ed as the villian?

DBurch7670

Mr. Cavin said...

Because of the way this story works, of course the reader will spend the last two or three pages anticipating what he or she just knows is going to be a kickass final panel with a bunch of chained up underwater chorus stiffs. In this case I felt like the final panel did not quite live up to an expectation that was, in part, also fed by better art throughout the rest of the story. I liked the splash panel too, Karswell, but honestly I think the best work here was in those prosaic panels where the sailors are just standing around talking to one another.

Mr. Karswell said...

>Why is it always some innocent; (like the diver in this story) who always freaks out?

Well someone had to get the horror aspect of the story started. Don't tell me you've never heard of an innocent person in a horror story, or movie?

>I felt like the final panel did not quite live up to an expectation

Guess I was thinking about it more along the lines of how it would actually be viewed underwater beyond the bounds of a single panel: nothing there at first, then through the haze of the murky bottom these figures chained together would slowly be seen making their way towards you, dragging this doomed asshole for all eternity. It would be muffled, but maybe you could hear them singing, and etc etc... anyway, it worked for me.

Mr. Cavin said...

"...through the haze of the murky bottom these figures..."

See, and when you describe it, it sounds fantastic. Underwater murk and bloated blue cadavers covered with barnacles, eyes upturned, kelp lolling from their distended mouths, lurching though the coral graveyard chased by feeding fish, dragging a scraped raw screaming corpse for all eternity.

Coulda been the whole last page.

Mr. Karswell said...

Okay, but we're talking about Don Perlin and Abe Simon here, not "Ghastly" Graham Ingalls or Berni Wrightson. Maybe I should hold a contest where artists "improve" the final panel? Anyone interested in participating?

Daniel [oeconomist.com] said...

DBurch7670—

The penalty under the Act of 1807 was forfeiture of the ship and its gear, and a whalloping large fine against each owner or officer of £100 for each slave.

As to the singers, imagine perhaps that their gods liberated their spirits upon death, and simply made use of the bodies to punish the perpetrator.

Anonymous said...

Karswell, Daniel, you make good points!

DBurch7670

Anonymous said...

Claven.

Mr. Karswell said...

No takers on the contest? Okay... new post coming up soon. Thanks for the comments.

Frank Forte said...

real nice!!! love the ad!