Baffling Mysteries #25 (Ace, July 1955, 10 cents)
The four stories included in this Golden Age reprint book are all seven pages long, apparently a standard page count. The first piece, "Riddle of Pete Dunn's Last Fight," was drawn by Jim McLaughlin and originally appeared in The Beyond #6 four years prior. Following the death of his wife, the ghost of a boxer returns from the grave to win a championship bout.
"Mark of the Cat" first appeared three years earlier as "Mark of the Sinister Cat" in Web of Mystery #7, drawn by Lou Cameron and Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio. It was slightly redrawn to meet the terms of the Comics Code Authority.
The third story, "Flee the Other Self" was drawn by Ken Rice for The Hand of Fate #9. It's a cautionary tale warning against taking advantage of the people you're closest to—and trying to escape your fate. This story, too, was redrawn to better meet the Code. The character Fate was replaced with another figure drawn by Louis Zansky, and word balloons originally typeset in Leroy were hand lettered.
Rounding out the issue, "Night of Strangeness" was drawn by Gene Colan for Baffling Mysteries #5 four years prior. Also altered to meet the Code, the piece highlights a productive mine vein discovered with the help of the victims of a cave in 10 years earlier. Talk about ghostly prospects! Colan's art is occasionally goofily cartoony, reminding me of Jack Cole in some panels. A highlight of the issue.
There's also a one-page "Baffling Mysteries #4" about a ghostly bird, as well as a three-page text piece, "Secrets Behind the Bloodstains." The issue also includes a statement of ownership that indicates no print run or circulation data. Frustrating!
Availability: The original Baffling Mysteries series has been collected in two volumes: Baffling Mysteries - Volume 1 and Baffling Mysteries - Volume 2. The Beyond has also been collected. So has Web of Mystery and The Hand of Fate.
Showing posts with label Gene Colan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gene Colan. Show all posts
Friday, August 31, 2018
Thursday, December 07, 2017
A Tour of the Supernatural
The Tomb of Dracula #1 (Marvel, October 1979, $1.25)
This 68-page black-and-white newsstand magazine was published after the 70-issue full-color comic book run and freed the creators and publisher from the constraints of the Comics Code Authority. The first issue featured four pieces: a 43-page uninterrupted comics story and three journalistic articles about various aspects of Dracula film fandom.
The comics piece is the highlight, written by Marv Wolfman, drawn by Gene Colan, and inked by Bob McLeod. "Black Genesis" is a story about Sandy Sommers's self-esteem and relationships with men, the wife of a wizard and her mysterious ring, and a "tour of the supernatural" that takes a group of Americans to Dracula's castle in Transylvania.
The group of tourists goes to the site of his castle, recently destroyed, and the woman with the mysterious ring finds "the final remains of—Dracula!" Somehow, Dracula soon lives again. That is bad news for Betty, for the reporter with the crucifix, for most everyone. But it's good news for the reader because the story is adequately dark and looming—black and white is particularly well suited to this book. There are some appropriately horrific moments—the rats and David Lorning in the old London hotel—and being non-Code even allows some showing of breasts, tastefully done and suitable for the erotic nature of the vampire myth.
The story behind Florence Ebers's ring is promising. While the effect on the bearer is unclear—panel six on p. 32 suggests that touching the original meteorite killed Gholen Yazdi, its finder, but he didn't actually die—its powers to "make reality out of thought" are ample. Ebers and Dracula team up to find the rest of the jewel—so she can revive her husband Augustus. But he has other plans. A good read.
Jason Thomas contributes "The Newest Dracula," a five-page article about the 1979 Dracula starring Frank Langella. (Laurence Olivier as Van Helsing!) It is mostly a walk through earlier film versions of Dracula from Nosferatu to Love at First Bite. The 1979 film followed a Broadway play that also starred Langella—and featured Edward Gorey set designs! The rest of the piece describes the plot of the then-new movie.
Tom Rogers's three-page "Love at First Bite" recounts the American International spoof starring George Hamilton. It mostly retells the plot with some light review elements. Finally, Rogers's six-page "Legend: According to the Movies" draws on the rich history of vampire cinema to address how to find and destroy a vampire. You know, just in case.
That article includes a surprisingly wide range of movies, including Scream, Blacula, Scream; Does Dracula Really Suck?; The Vampire's Coffin; Curse of the Blood-Ghouls; and Dracula in Istanbul. Rogers really did his research, and the piece provides an awesome list of vampire movies. Comic aside, that last article is enough reason to track down this magazine, which sits squarely between horror comics and monster movie fanzines. More of these, please!
Availability: The Tomb of Dracula #1 was reprinted in Tomb of Dracula - Volume 3 (Tomb of Dracula Omnibus).
This 68-page black-and-white newsstand magazine was published after the 70-issue full-color comic book run and freed the creators and publisher from the constraints of the Comics Code Authority. The first issue featured four pieces: a 43-page uninterrupted comics story and three journalistic articles about various aspects of Dracula film fandom.
The comics piece is the highlight, written by Marv Wolfman, drawn by Gene Colan, and inked by Bob McLeod. "Black Genesis" is a story about Sandy Sommers's self-esteem and relationships with men, the wife of a wizard and her mysterious ring, and a "tour of the supernatural" that takes a group of Americans to Dracula's castle in Transylvania.
The group of tourists goes to the site of his castle, recently destroyed, and the woman with the mysterious ring finds "the final remains of—Dracula!" Somehow, Dracula soon lives again. That is bad news for Betty, for the reporter with the crucifix, for most everyone. But it's good news for the reader because the story is adequately dark and looming—black and white is particularly well suited to this book. There are some appropriately horrific moments—the rats and David Lorning in the old London hotel—and being non-Code even allows some showing of breasts, tastefully done and suitable for the erotic nature of the vampire myth.
The story behind Florence Ebers's ring is promising. While the effect on the bearer is unclear—panel six on p. 32 suggests that touching the original meteorite killed Gholen Yazdi, its finder, but he didn't actually die—its powers to "make reality out of thought" are ample. Ebers and Dracula team up to find the rest of the jewel—so she can revive her husband Augustus. But he has other plans. A good read.
Jason Thomas contributes "The Newest Dracula," a five-page article about the 1979 Dracula starring Frank Langella. (Laurence Olivier as Van Helsing!) It is mostly a walk through earlier film versions of Dracula from Nosferatu to Love at First Bite. The 1979 film followed a Broadway play that also starred Langella—and featured Edward Gorey set designs! The rest of the piece describes the plot of the then-new movie.
Tom Rogers's three-page "Love at First Bite" recounts the American International spoof starring George Hamilton. It mostly retells the plot with some light review elements. Finally, Rogers's six-page "Legend: According to the Movies" draws on the rich history of vampire cinema to address how to find and destroy a vampire. You know, just in case.
That article includes a surprisingly wide range of movies, including Scream, Blacula, Scream; Does Dracula Really Suck?; The Vampire's Coffin; Curse of the Blood-Ghouls; and Dracula in Istanbul. Rogers really did his research, and the piece provides an awesome list of vampire movies. Comic aside, that last article is enough reason to track down this magazine, which sits squarely between horror comics and monster movie fanzines. More of these, please!
Availability: The Tomb of Dracula #1 was reprinted in Tomb of Dracula - Volume 3 (Tomb of Dracula Omnibus).
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