Also, now I'm remembering a pretty terrible horror movie...actually not remembering it, which probably explains why I think I've seen it twice; Down, also released as "The Shaft," with a killer elevator. And Naomi Watts, but don't let that sell you on it; you can watch better Naomi Watts' movies! Anyway, I don't know if the SyFy Channel still does them, but if you have an antenna H&I's annual? Semi-annual? Whatever, their Twilight Zone marathon starts today. I'm usually just trying to catch 'New' Twilight Zone episodes from the 80's; maybe some year they'll finally get the 2002-03 Forest Whitaker-hosted episodes in there...And, since I brought it up, let's look at yet another Gold Key issue! From 1975, The Twilight Zone #63; sadly, as usual, no cover credit.
In the opener, "No Perfect Crime," a little girl at the fair is gifted a power--and a terrible burden--by a fortune-teller; to see through people and know what they had done, and what they would do. She promises to only use her power for good, and grows up to become a devastatingly effective lawyer, seemingly making criminals confess at her will. Her technique does kind of seem badgering, but that's probably just shorthand for lawyer-stuff in comics, so...She gets on with a big firm, but one of the partners approaches her about a case, to maybe take it easy on a murderer who was also "an important leader in the community," as in, probably kicking back to the firm. Refusing, she knows her number was up, and is later murdered after winning her case. But, she gets the last laugh, as she had carefully taped notes with how her killer did it, the holes in his alibi, and where he would be afterwards. Well, she went out on top, at least. (Written by Himilce Novas, art by Frank Bolle.)
Next, "In Their Own Time" is one with no Rod Serling opening or closing, which probably means it was produced to slot into any of Gold Key's books like Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery or Grimm's Ghost Stories. An elderly couple finds a pair of Hong Kong "immortality statues," which start to turn them younger. The wife felt they had lived a rich full life already, but the husband is gung-ho for his thirties again: she dies peacefully in her sleep, he's killed in an atomic war instead! (Art by Jack Sparling.)
The cover story, "Going Up?" isn't so much about a killer elevator, but a mean little blackmailer that uses the security cameras for blackmail, until he starts see giant bird attacks in the elevators, that no one else sees. Sent away for a rest, he probably should've taken the stairs...or maybe jumped, instead. (Art by José Delbo.)
Finally, and appropriately so, "Last Request" finds a scurvy scallawag of a soldier, during the French Revolution, facing execution for his crimes. He asks for a second chance, and seemingly gets it, but can he change his ways? Maybe a little, although it maybe doesn't help him out much. (Art by Adolfo Buylla.)
Huh, I'm almost never timely with this kind of post; I'm in the Zone! Hopefully a charming one where I learn a lesson and live...
4 comments:
Well Pluto & Paramount both have the classic original Twilight Zone but not the others. Wonder why.
Licensing snafu, probably. I don't have Paramount+ now, but I'm not sure they even still have the most recent Twilight Zone anymore. It was OK. Black Mirror has kind of eaten Zone's lunch, but the returns are maybe diminishing there as well.
The current IDW comics are interesting; I need to sort out my mess and re-read those.
Very true on that part! Yeah Black Mirror does modern Twilight Zone better than modern Twilight Zone does modern Twilight Zone. Of course unlike the Twilight Zone, Black Mirror’s never really seen their possible futures be realized so quickly in real time. Kind of the same problem The Onion is having; they’re pretty much rendered obsolete because real life is far surpassing their ability to satirize current events.
Hmm, I would have expected that lawyer girl to look in the mirror and see something about herself that killed her or see her death and accidentally cause it by avoiding it. That’s how these stories usually go. I guess there still are some good ones left after all. And good on that statue one for acknowledging that they’re ripping off Dorian Gray.
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