Here's another horrific heartbreaker from the October 1953 issue of Weird Mysteries #7. And like our previous post (which I seem to be saying a lot), this one has also been featured HERE before in the THOIA Archive, but only in a re-titled, black and white reprint form. I think you'll all agree, this story definitely benefits from a bit of the feminine flesh tones and good 'ol spurtin' red stuff. And be sure to fully enjoy that classic Bernard Baily cover illustration too!
5 comments:
Wives are nags and mother-in-laws are deadly. Man, it's not wonder a lot of boys grew up a big toxic in the 50s! :)
I kind of like the B&W a bit better here but that's probably a bit because of the printing. Either one is fine, actually, I just love to see all the really cool line work in stark B&W sometimes, but both versions are cool.
I love the absolutely unnecessary bottom panels on the first page! The host is right, Frank is a big lug!
The artist looks like he was trying to draw his own version of an E C narrator, and it looks like he did a slightly more menacing look.
I once saw a poster that read "When mom ain't happy no one is happy" this tale featured one mom you don't want to make unhappy.
Ooh, another one it's nice to finally see in color.
This tale's relationship with toxic gender roles is really interesting. Frank Ford is repeatedly framed as boorish for displaying a lack of interest in his wife's manipulations, his refusal to prioritize sex and violence in his life. Diane Ford and her mother are, of course, presented as ineffective but waspish manipulators. Meanwhile, we the audience are put into a position to ogle her and to judge her husband. Ultimately when he is the victim, we are supposed to feel like he's earned his comeuppance because of his transgressive behavior. Mom may be a psychopath, but didn't he have it coming?
I found the presentation of manliness here refreshing, even if the women were still two-D mustachio-twirling villains. Nice art too!
I know it's meant to be for all the wrong reasons, but "Forget about him" sounds like a good attitude for a husband to have when it comes to someone staring at his wife like that.
Instead - even before #MeToo - people have always approved of someone getting furious over something as small as staring.
Heh, this one was funny. Hard to get choked up about a guy that cartoonishly self-absorbed.
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