According to the Romans, June is the most popular month to get married (named after Juno, protector of women, goddess of love, childbearing, etc), --annnnd now you understand why I'll be posting macabre marriage stories occasionally all throughout the month. So let's slide right into one now, a spooky little tale from the August 1972 issue of Grimm's Ghost Stories #5... yes, marriage can definitely be scary!
If there is anything to say about Gold Key in the 70s is that they had some rocking covers. This one is obviously no different -- there's a great sight line between Grimm and the bride, the clock and the mirror outline her, it's awesome. That said, I hate that they dropped text on each of these covers. It's a striking imagine that already conveys what the text says.
ReplyDeletePage 1 splash -- skeleton with boobs again. BTW, I've already claimed "Skeleton with Boobs" as my new band name. Also, skeleton with boobs needs to be in the tag list!
Being a short story our murderous husband has to out himself relatively quickly but man, what a dope!
The image of the hung bride is pretty ghastly, and let's give the artist credit (or maybe the writer) as they pre-announces the scarf she later uses. That's some good planning and skill.
Yeah, that cover is awesome. What I'd like to know is if the homicidal hubby to be murdered an actual child or a teenager, as the only definition we get is that Gretchen was a "young girl". Either way, that's pretty creepy as we never find out why Carl murdered her in the first place. I also like the idea that the ghost bride is actually trying to help warn Janice rather than harm her. That's quite refreshing, not to mention, aside from Janice being a bride to be, there's no other motive for why the ghost is helping her.
ReplyDeleteI might be mistaken, but I think Fletcher Hank's Fantomah might have been the first skeleton with boobs in comics, although Fantomah was human part of the time.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator Hephzibah wouldn't have been out of place in Creepy or Eerie, I can only imagine how the artists form those terror magazines would have drawn her.
I'm also as fond of those Gold Key covers as the actual stories.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to wild ones with a little less of the subtlety than Brian Barnes mentions (or a lot less), one of the great ones is Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery # 36.
I certainly agree with everyone that this is a real banger of a cover, but I think I like the version of the illustration in the splash a little better. The facility with which the artist and the colorist represent the translucent bride is just dynamite, and I really dig the repetition of draped fabric used as a motif there: From ghost to vanity, this whole panel is hidden under sheets.
ReplyDeleteI've began collect the old Gold Key books recently. These were some real gems back in the 1970's. Thanks for sharing.
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