EC-Like Dynamism

Chamber of Darkness #2 (Marvel, December 1969, 15 cents)
"Forewarned Is Four-Armed!" Editor: Stan Lee, Script: Neal Adams and Roy Thomas, Art: Marie Severin, Inks: Herb Trimpe and Tom Sutton.

Hosted by Headstone P. Gravely, this horror anthology comic has never been collected. The opening seven-page story features the classic "insane man tells his story to the authorities" structure, with an expected—though still fun—twist. There are several art highlights, including the second panel on p. 1, the EC-like dynamism of p. 2's final panel, pp. 4-5 in their entirety, and the hands on the last panel of p. 6.



"The Face of Fear" Story by: Stan Lee, Script by: Archie Goodwin, Art by: Syd Shores, and Lettering by: Jean Izzo.

Long-haired Freddy Garricks sees a creepy face in the mirror while shaving and flees his parents' apartment, only to avoid a disastrous elevator mishap. Will he see the face again? Will he ever shave? Did the vision almost cause the accident, or avert it? Who dares speculate?



"The Day of the Red Death" Editor: Stan Lee, Scripter: Roy Thomas, Artist: Don Heck, Lettered by: Sam Rosen.

Hosted by none other than Smilin' Stan, who name drops Saki, Lovecraft, and Ambrose Bierce, this story updates an Edgar Allen Poe classic. Weaponized poison gas has "devastated the globe," and eight wealthy people—including the arms manufacturer responsible—play cards to determine who will be "king of a newborn planet." Six men vie for the affection of two surviving women until one of the men is overcome by guilt. The ending is fine comeuppance.

The stories are decent enough, and the art is fine—but this anthology comic falls a little flat. Regardless, I'm glad it existed. I wish there were more like it today.

Availability: This series has not been collected. Though dealing primarily with pre-Code horror comics, we recommend the books The Horror! The Horror!: Comic Books the Government Didn't Want You to Read! and Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s.

Adventure Comics

Adventure Comics #378 (DC, March 1969, 12 cents)
"Twelve Hours to Live!" Script: Jim Shooter, Layouts: Jim Shooter, Pencils: Win Mortimer, Inks: Jack Abel, Letters: Joe Letterese, Editor: Mort Weisinger.

A tale of the Legion of Super-Heroes, this comic book features Superboy and other members of the LSH. It is Brainiac 5's birthday, and because of some undetected poison—Rakurga—Karate Kid, Superboy, Duo Damsel, Princess Projectra, and Brainiac 5 himself have only 12 hours to live.



They spend their remaining time in different ways. Brianiac uses his twelfth-level brain to find an antidote. Superboy visits Smallville before saving a Martian city from a glacier, rescuing a Space Roc, and otherwise "devoting even the last hours of his life to the good of the galaxy!" Duo Damsel second guesses the value of her powers and spends time with her mother and father in the suburbs. Karate Kid goes on a suicide mission against the Fatal Five—a team of villains worth revisiting, perhaps. Pp. 11-17 are pretty incredible.

Princess Projectra moons over Karate Kid before going to a senso-theater. In Metro Square Park, she meets Myron Marks, park-bench philosopher, who shows her how to face death calmly. The group reconvenes to write their will on a steel tablet, bequeathing various items to the Legion before sinking into comas. The issue also features a one-page letter column, "The Letter Outpost," which features correspondence as prose rather than as discrete letters.

A Solidly Serious Hero

Daredevil #28 (Marvel, May 1967, 12 cents)
"Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Planet!" Writer: Stan Lee, Artist: Gene Colan, Inker: Dick Ayers, Letterer: Sam Rosen.

When Matt Murdock's identity as Daredevil is compromised in the previous issue, the best he could come up with at the time was that he's not really Matt, but Matt's brother Mike, a bit of a goofball who is, in fact and all actuality, Daredevil. But not Matt. Um... OK.



Murdock maintains the ruse to throw off Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, who is strongly crushing on Karen. Then he continues to Carter College, where the attorney is scheduled to lecture on the possible legal rights of aliens, should there turn out to be UFOs. Professor Tom Brewster, who contends he's previously encountered aliens, does so again—attracting the attention of Daredevil.

As goofy as the Matt/Mike aspect is, the alien threat is very real, and they plan to steal the sight of everyone on the planet. Luckily, Daredevil's already blind. Kind of a strange, "monster of the week" issue, but enjoyable all the same.

Read Also: Daredevil #27



Daredevil #29 (Marvel, June 1967, 12 cents)
"Unmasked!" Writer: Stan Lee, Artist: Gene Colan, Inker: J. Tartaglione, Letterer: Sam Rosen.

Murdock intends to propose to Karen—but can't decide whether to do so as Matt or the erstwhile Mike. (Just how long does this dual identity play out?) The Boss assumes leadership of the mob formerly led by the Marauder—which then kidnaps Karen.

I am confused why Daredevil arrives pretending to be Murdock pretending to be Daredevil, before escaping only to return and fight both gangs as Daredevil proper. The whole forced dual identity thing is just too goofy. There's a sketchbook-like page that comments on consciously deciding not to include sound effects and thought balloons, a Stan Lee cameo, and a crazy Not Brand Ecch-like panel: "Snap! Snap! Va-Voom! I feel as giddy as a guppy in a goblet!"

Daredevil as comedian? Hmm...