An interestingly simple little sci-fi horror premise from the September 1952 issue of Weird Tales of the Future #3: Two scientists working on a special generating fluid in an isolated desert castle accidentally spill the experiment on an ancient suit of armor, thus bringing it to violent life. Tony Mortellaro's koo-koo art works this one fast paced 'n full-tilt fun, and I totally adore the questioning climax with the bug eyed, bewildered scientist barely comprehending any of the possible outcomes to what he has just created. What have they done, indeed? What. Have. They. Done?!
5 comments:
Good question. What had they done? Killed a psycho hiding in the armour?
I believe there was a DEAD body already inside the armor, the generating fluid brought it back to life. OR: (and more interestingly) perhaps the generating fluid somehow began to CREATE life from scratch inside the armor.
"A lifetime of work...gone!"
So in following the Mad Scientists creed, he never kept notes to duplicate his experiment. I guess this is why no one has ever duplicated Dr. Jeckyll's formula.
As far as creating living cells is concerned, this was done in real life outside of comic books-
The Leading Edge:
Artificial Cells: Revealing the Secrets of Life
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/scienceview/archives20120505.html
I can't get the video to load since it was first shown back in 2012, but science fiction is turning into science fact!
I don't usually make these connections, but at a glance, Cowles looks like some spooky Jose Bea character in a Warren magazine.
At least, if you ignore the size of his head.
This is basically the precode Saturn 3. Very ahead of it's time!
I dig the artwork here (and the Wolverton Cover, natch). It leans toward the deformed sort of figure drawing Gahan Wilson would really run with a decade later, while also staying super duper clean and tight. Everybody has huge tear ducts! The slightly big heads and short bodies make this look like a bunch of elementary school kids putting on a stage play. If only! I just love the panel where the suit of armor runs into the wall.
I read the end as meaning that the serum had grown a set of biological innards within the echoing cavity of that suit of armor. I am more horrified by the idea that there may have been a unknown body trapped inside there all along, though. I'm gonna imagine that whenever I see armor on display from here on out. Shudder.
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