We're spending the first week of July 2025 going through the awesome evil archives of Scotland Yard's greatest horror hit maker, the ever brave Bentley, --and here's another hot lil number from the January 1943 issue of Pep Comics #35! And no, he isn't taking on 80's heavy metal, or the PMRC, but *gasp!* blazin' 'ol Beelzebub himself in his unholy, bloody birthday suit-- or is it!? Can you solve the mystery in time, or will you Barnes it up in utter failure, and die trying?!! Go!
6 comments:
I didn't notice the bandage, but I clocked Neville as the killer for the simple reason that he was the only one not at Bruce's side instantly as soon as he cried out for help. But I still don't understand why he'd want to use such a complicated murder method...or how he, and he alone, knew of the fireplace mystery entrance.
It’s an old comic book story, just try to have some fun while reading it
Yeah no failure here, this one was super easy. The bandage was a dead giveaway and really stuck out on the panel.
Bentley is 2 for 2 on his criminals committing suicide!
This always has one of my favorite things about comics, how people can cobble together such realistic costumes and complex plots. The same thing with Scooby Doo, these villains are so ingenious if they'd just turn that ability to good they'd make a lot of money!
This has the best art of the bunch; the fight with the devil is dynamic, the splash isn't as gruesome but it's still a cool image, and the last image is also great, though I think Bentley said "come down or I'll shoot" in a very "no, don't go" way.
You overlooked the fact this devil didn't have underpants on, a surefire (no pun intended) way to know it wasn't a real denizen of down below. Maybe underwear is part of ol' scratch's dress code, but I am just guessing.
The bandage was the giveaway for me as to who the killer was.
One detail that left me wondering, why didn't they dynamite the rock to look less devilish? Was there a belief that if anyone tampered with the rock misfortune would befall the defiler? One unanswered question in the realm of comics.
I didn't catch the bandage but also guessed Neville because he was the only one who didn't immediately rush over to Bruce after his little brush with the Devil. Also, he was the one doing most of the talking. Everyone else didn't really say enough to warrant any suspicion. I love the battle between Bentley with the Devil. Just grabs for the poker and has a swordfight with him. Couldn't help but be amused by Edna admiring Bently and Rachel calling her a hussy. Also, Edmond being way too casual at the end stating that the curse claimed another family member was unintentionally funny to me.
Whatevs. Edmund McMurdock totally killed Brucie. I like the way the plot uses poison to explain away the lack of pitchfork holes all though the corpse and his clothes. But any tool who's all "It's just a heart attack guys! Welp, there's no saving him now" pretty much insures the prediction. I sure hope that guy isn't around when I have my heart attack. Whatever doctor they called might have been able to diagnose and prevent the strychnine poisoning as well. We'll never know.
I haven't really been paying any attention to the clues in these stories, just using the laws of comics mystery fiction to solve them. Who is the least likely killer, the one with no hinted at motive so far? The girl's own father? Of course he killed her and put her gory head on a gatepost because she found out he's a spy. The pretty, likeable wife? Of course she's really a scheming bigamist. The other characters had motives on the page, these characters were left without any hint of their baggage. These misdirects were a little too unsubtle to persuade me. I'll totally fall for it when the obvious killer is the actual killer after all.
Post a Comment