It's been a bit since we had ourselves a kreepy Krigstein klassik. So fly that freak flag high, you way-out weirdos, this witchcraft laced sideshow oddity comes from the June 1952 issue of Adventures into Terror #10, and is guaranteed to tie you and your nightmares into a nutty 'ol tangle of knotty nots!
OK this is a super interesting Krigstein job it's like he's trying to fit in a bit more. He's less himself and more kind of ... Atlas style? I mean there wasn't one of that but less angular? It's hard to describe. Is it the inking? I don't think there's a lot to read into this but it's a less stylistic job. Again: Interesting!
ReplyDeleteGreat job with the body horror at the end.
Also, another tale where there really isn't a lot of evil going on. He kept his bargain! He kept visiting the witch, yeah, he got busy and screwed up, but it wasn't out of trying to cheat the witch, and the witch wasn't particularly trying to cheat him (she did warn him.)
We keep getting horror stories where the characters fall into terror is more ... mundane. Which is actually extra creepy!
Krigstein's other witches tale, Mary and the Witch, featured a clever practitioner of the dark arts, one who was most likely wise enough to conjure up food with her powers. Too bad the witch in this story wasn't as skillful.
ReplyDeleteThis is another instance of someone failing to follow specific rules and facing the consequences for it.
Since this guy had money coming in by the bucketful, he should have offered a place for the old witch a secluded house and grounds rather than have her stay in a cave.
If she refused to leave, then he should have equipped it with a gas powered generator, a fridge and freezer and a comfortable bed. He also should have hired someone to be her bodyguard or run errands for her, like do her grocery shopping.
Some guys never think about improving the lives of others once they become rich.
Odd detail, There are actual cave homes in this day and age, not Flintstones residences, but homes built into mountains and caves found in Matera, Italy, Cappadocia, Turkey, The Loses Plateau in China, Matamata, Tunisia and Utah and Arkansas.
Thanks for this tale of a rubberman who ended up stretched out of shape.
Feels like Stan having a larf at Plastic Man.
ReplyDeleteIt really is interesting work from Krigstein. What I most associate with his art is the use of widely varying line widths, and that is certainly present here. I also feel like Bernie was very influenced by--or literally collaborating with--Kutzman, and that effects his usual look. There is less of that look here, for sure. If it does seem so different from usual, that might just be the nature of the side gig, too. I'm sure Bernie was plenty busy over at EC, and keeping his hand in at Atlas can't have been afforded much room in his schedule. So maybe this is a look at what the man drew like when he was being brisk? I love the raw and energetic portrait at the bottom of page two--half the credit goes to the colorist--and that four-panel montage at the bottom of three.