The highly unlikely, artistic credit guess in our previous post HERE sent me on quest to find an actual story containing actual art by joltin' Jay Disbrow. And I believe I found a good one, (well, good for me anyway because I love tragically unhappy endings!) --this time from the March 1954 issue of Ghostly Weird Stories #122. Please scroll down and compare the two posts. You will immediately notice that there is, in fact, no comparison. Disbrow has a very distinct style (especially with faces, as one example), which is absolutely non-existent in the "Revenge!" story. But enough complaining, prepare to blast-off into the brutal reality of scary space with this sizzlin' Star Publications, sci-fi screamer, complete with an extra awesome, blacklight poster-esque L.B. Cole cover. (Don't forget the Kleenex, you whiners!)
I found this tragic tale absolutely hilarious. Especially the "captured by Homo sapiens" and the space axe. Not just any axe, a space axe! Barely noticed the not at all pregnant looking Wendra in Page 3 Panel 1 in comparison.
ReplyDeleteSo how did the Captain escape after being attacked by the "horde of alien space men"?
Guest appearance by Krang!
ReplyDeleteOne interesting thing about these space stories is how they can be earth bound stories, too. If you replace the rocket with a ship, and the crew looking from some mythical island, you can basically run the same plot. It goes to show how plots and their mechanics are infinitely transferable. Sure, you get to do all sorts of fun alien stuff, and get to have a super nova (the science is a little bad in this one but it is a comic in the 50s) but it would work just as well in an adventure comic.
Love the cover, love the sleek 50s rocket spaceships.
Extra props to Disbrow here. Great figures, great expressions, aliens, ships, etc. A real treat. You can probably note that this one feels a good bit EC-ish, too, there were very similar EC stories.
The pulp elements aside, this reads as one of the more tragic, grimmest tales I’ve read on this site….
ReplyDeleteThis is a tour-de-force. It's god an amazing splash on almost every page. Lotta times a cover image as good as this one sets me up to be underwhelmed by the story inside. Not this time.
ReplyDeleteSide note though: With these Disbrow cheekbones, that hat, those glasses, and the pipe--well Woodruff can't help but remind me of a hard boiled space-faring Dave Berg. If only he had a plaid space suit! The Lighter Side of Space Immolation.