Random Happenstance

As I write this, artist Ramona Fradon retired at the age of 97; luckily, we just so happen to have an old one of hers handy! From 1974, House of Secrets #116, featuring "Like Father, Like Son" Written by Jack Oleck, art by Nestor Redondo; and "Puglyon's Crypt" Written by David Michelinie, art by Ramona Fradon.

I feel like Satan, or evil in general, wins out a lot in DC's horror books? Not just like bad guys getting their just desserts, but legit wins. In 1783, a hunchbacked beggar makes a deal with a witch, and along with the usual sell-your-soul, he also has to bring a pretty young barmaid to the cult, in exchange for fifty years of wealth. They kinda lowballed him there, they didn't even fix his hunch? The beggar can get out of the deal in fifty years, if he's willing to sacrifice his own child, but who would be that craven? Yeah, well...the barmaid's mind is destroyed by whatever the cult does to her, so the hunchback takes his gold, and marries her, claiming it was set up prior to her, you know, losing the power to speak. That rates a shrug from the locals; since hey, at least he was taking care of her. She then dies in childbirth...ick...and the hunchback dotes on his son, until the day he says he wants to move to America. The hunchback has to contact the witch, to move his payment date forward...yeah, there's a twist; rest assured the hunchback gets his.

"Puglyon's Crypt" is a miser story; with the Scrooge-like Puglyon generally being a dick to everyone, because he can, he's rich. He lowballs a local merchant, undercutting his business until he could buy it in the bankruptcy; but is furious to find gypsies staying in the warehouse. Pretty sure "gypsy" is considered a slur now, and stuff like this is why: Puglyon sees them as robbing beggars, when they're rather cheerful wanderers. He throws them out, telling them to think real hard, maybe they'll find somewhere else to stay; then gets back to another concern: premature internment. You know, buried alive. Puglyon's doctor points out the unlikelihood of that happening; but Puglyon's dad had often locked him in the tombs as a child to punish him for whatever. Puglyon had the cash to deal with this problem: not with therapy or treatment, but by having his crypt built so he could get out, if needed: nice air circulation, coffin chamber that opens from the inside, he should be all set, right? So, when his car crashes after speeding to a meeting in the snow, Puglyon is injured and paralyzed, and ambulance drivers take him directly to the morgue. (An old Super Dave joke I liked, after one of his stunts predictably went awry: "Don't take me to the hospital, take me straight to the morgue.") Still, with his precautions, he should be fine, right? That would be ridiculously unsatisfying. Come on.