Time to take it to the stars for a story of outer space love, all wrapped up rather nicely in some over the top insanity and isolation as only Robert Q. Sale can do it! RQ unloads a startlingly bonkers one here, so sit back and tune in to a true terror tale of tomorrow-- and b-b-b-beyond! From the February 1954 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #24.
Well, the Heath story I originally wanted to post today didn't quite work out, (no amount of clean-up attempt in the world was gonna make that one presentable here-- sorry!) So instead, let's take a look at another sizzlin' Joe Maneely quickie from the October 1951 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #7. I kind of felt like Satan was getting a little ignored during our Atlas Festivities lately anyways...
If you're suddenly overcome with a creeping sense of deja vu, it's because yes, just last month we had another post also called "The Perfect Mate" (Atlas had a thing about re-using story titles!) But you have my word that this "perfect mate", from the August 1952 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #12, is quite different than the last one! And as mentioned in our previous post, today's Double Header is also a double shot of Marty Elkin eeriness, two atmospheric entries from the glorious, golden era of comic book shock spookery! Now, "Once Upon a Corpse", from the June 1952 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #11 might leave a few of you less imaginative fiends scratching your head in the end. But I like to think that 'ol Marty simply delivered one of the more original supernatural tales-- featuring a vampiric grave with an appetite all its own! Oh, did I just spoil it for you? Too bad...
We've been looking at old time stage magic over at AEET this month HERE, so how about we bring a little bit of the 'ol slight of head-- errr, HAND-- over here to THOIA as well, eh? This is a fun, Atlas quickie from the June 1952 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #11, with Harry Lazarus and George Klein teaming up on art duties... and fyi: there's nothing up my sleeve (or inside my collar), but we might just lose our heads in the next post as well, so stay tombed for that coming up next-- I swear, it's gonna be a seriously wild weekend Double Header that you know you won't wanna miss out on!
Our awesome All Atlas August Fest continues now, and as mentioned I have quite a line-up of THOIA fan favorites coming up! If names like Russ Heath, Robert Q. Sale, Marty Elkin, etc sound exciting-- then you are definitely tombed to the right blog! And of course you can't have an Atlas Fest without some really good dick, --aka Ayers that is-- and saaaay, here he comes now, creepy crawlin' atcha from the joltin' June 1952 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #11.
We now conclude our Bernie Krigstein Fest with a black magically macabre entry from the February 1953 issue of Strange Tales #15. Lots of great panels here, and yeah, the ending will leave you with a lot of big buts, BUT it's still a ton of fun anyway. Hope everyone enjoyed this extended look into one of the more unique and original Atlas masters. And if you missed our magically moronic Dumminger post over at AEET, grab a tube of lipstick and CLICK HERE when you're all finished up with Bernie today. Stay tombed for lots rots more Atlas classics coming up next, as well as all month-- I've got a full line-up of the biggest, baddest hitters on deck!
We have a few more tales to go with our spotlight artist of the month, Bernie Krigstein, and it's time for a unique, psychological doozy from the September 1953 issue of Spellbound #17. Brian will likely comment on the amount of "talking head" panels, and yeah, he's right. But see how Bernie again mixes it up with interesting angles, close-ups, and cinematic style perspectives, not to mention going against the usual Atlas norm here, and delivering the typical big "twist reveal" in the middle of the second to last page-- NOT the final panel, as so often happens in these types of stories. But as we've seen with some of our previous Krigstein entries, --there is always another evil card up his sleeve still yet to play too! YIIIII! This would have made a great Roger Corman quickie starring Susan Cabot as Genevieve, Russ Tamblyn as Herbert, and Richard Johnson as Doctor Hargreaves.
As mentioned in the previous posts, we're experiencing another creepy case of Atlas over-analyzation this month, and more specifically for the next week or so with an in-death-- errr-- in-depth look at the wild work of bad ass Bernie Krigstein! And this golden era gem from the November 1950 issue of Suspense #5 may be short, but it certainly ain't sweet. That is, unless you're a fan of kissing wrinkled mummy lips, or perfect lines of narrative such as, "...the living hand jerked convulsively, like a giant spider on the grave's surface..." ::shiver! Great writing, and even greater artwork.
I promised you more Bernie Krigstein, and here he comes like a terrifyin' tidal wave of weirdness, via the August 1952 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #12. Okay, the coloring here might be a bit off and washed out (I did my best to clean it up), but it's really such a wild and wonderfully written tale with a super clever and very funny double twist ending-- I believe it to be one of the very best Atlas crime horror posts on this blog now! So sit back and relax, kick up your heels and pour yourself a lil drinky for 'ol Kriggy, as All Atlas Month continues to pull you in, and drag you under...
With barely a dozen Bernie Krigstein stories nestled in the THOIA Archive, I feel like I've stumbled upon yet another back-stabbing travesty of epic proportions around here! I guess what I'm trying to say is: how can you have an All Atlas Fest August without some kooky spooky Krigstein?! His unique vision and expert sense of intense story telling really cuts to the bone-- so here we go, a whole new month of posts, and we're revvin' it right off the starting block with a couple of killer Krigstein klassiks! Wait, did I say a couple? Yep, stay tombed for him in our next post as well. But for now, enjoy this atmospherically wicked little walk in the park, from the June 1952 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #11.
