Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Sometimes, silent panels might not be the best idea.
Even in context, it takes the next page to figure what's happening. Looks cool, though.
From "Gorilla Man" Originally from Men's Adventure #26 and reprinted in Chamber of Chills #23, art by Robert Sale?

Just a quick one today. It's that time of year where I work a bunch of overtime under the theory that I'll make some extra money for more comics and toys. To date, it's never worked out that way, and with the economy flaming out and spiralling in, I don't know if I see it happening this time either.

I did get out to look for the remaining DC Superheroes I hadn't picked up yet, and Target hadn't restocked them yet. I only bought two the first and only time I've seen them so far, and I'm hoping it doesn't bite me in the ass in finding Penquin, Red Tornado, and Batman. Whatever they're calling the retro-seventies style Batman, I forget.

I haven't seen Cloverfield yet, although I do want to. Although, my first thought from some of the reviews, was that it's only what, under eighty minutes? I'm not expecting a three-hour tour, but damn, do I get credit towards another movie? I've also managed to avoid seeing what the monster looks like yet, if there's even a good look to be had in the film. I do wonder if my wife will like it at all, if we end up going, since I have at least one friend that got a good dose of motion sickness there.

No!  No!  Not...the housing market!  No!
I mentioned a couple weeks back that I got a ton of old Marvel horror reprints. I'll be charitable and say, they aren't as good as EC Comics. The above panel is from "Where Lurks the Ghost!" Written by Stan Lee, art by Steve Ditko, and originally presented in Tales to Astonish #25. It's a little hackneyed: guy who doesn't believe in ghosts bets he can spend the night in a haunted house, where he runs into the old night watchman/caretaker. Guy spends the night peacefully, until the next morning when he boasts about his feat and his friends point out the night watchman died ten years ago. Yeah, that was probably an old story then, especially--
A sign showing where a mansion was?  Get used to that if the economy tanks.
since Stan had done that one before, in "I Was Locked in a Haunted House!" From Uncanny Tales #7, reprinted in Chamber of Chills #15, art by Joe Maneely. In this 1953 version, there's the added wrinkle of the house disappearing as well afterwards, which only works if you're new to the neighborhood or not very observant. It's not bad, but I have to admit, if I could get Ditko to re-draw one of my stories, why not? I'm not bagging on Stan, either--this is from the era when they figured the pool of comics readers turned over every so often, so this would be new to the new crop of readers.

I've mentioned before that I've read a good amount of Marvel horror, a spot of EC's reprints, and almost none of DC or other companies output. How to remedy that...try hitting up The Horrors of It All, which has a bloody ton, as it were, of horror comics, news, and links to old public domain movies. Finally saw Dementia 13 over there the other day. Check it out, and there's a couple more new sites in the sidebar, too. I have to finish up on tomorrow's post, so check now!

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