Longbox Junk Halloween Horror Part 7 - Tales of Evil #1 (1975)

Welcome to Longbox Junk, the place to find comic reviews you never even knew you wanted!

It's PART SEVEN of the 2023 Longbox Junk Halloween Horror Party, and we're just getting started!

Hmmmmm. . .something seems to be missing.  Let's see.  Swamp monsters. Ghosts. Aliens. Assorted weirdness.  GOT IT! We're missing some of the classic horror favorites. . .werewolves, vampires, and SATAN!

Let's remedy that, shall we?  WE SHALL!

TALES OF EVIL #1

Atlas Comics (1975)

COVER: Larry Lieber

THE COVER:

Now THERE'S a great Halloween cover.  A Classic Universal monster movie-style werewolf looming over his unfortunate victim while a woman screams in the background.  Can you get any more Halloween than THAT?  This is one of my favorite Halloween covers and it makes regular appearances on my October "Wall 'O Covers".  

The only thing I DON'T like is that the werewolf's face seems a bit sloppy with the colors.  Other than that, when I think Halloween comic covers, this is the sort of thing that comes right to mind.  Let's get inside!

THE STORIES:

Three full-length stories with no fillers for ONE quarter! Let's check 'em out!

SPAWN OF THE DEVIL!

SCRIPT: Russ Jones

PENCILS: Jerry Grandenetti

INKS: Jerry Grandenetti

THE STORY:

We begin in England, at an ancient circle of stones, where a dark magician completes a ritual that allows the spirit of Satan to inhabit a strange doll moments before he is discovered by the authorities and taken back to the asylum he had escaped from.

Later, a young girl named Anna discovers the doll.  Almost immediately, she is possessed by the evil spirit.  Soon, Anna has prepared a secret altar to Satan in a spare room and pets in the neighborhood begin to disappear as Anna kills them for blood sacrifices.  

Anna's parents become concerned about her strange behavior, but it isn't until her mother discovers a bloody knife that she connects the missing pets to her daughter.  Anna's horrified mother discovers the secret room and witnesses her daughter praying at the bloody altar!

Anna's father rushes home to discover the bloody body of his wife, a secret room with a bloody altar, and his daughter mocking him with an adult's voice.  His mind snaps as he witnesses the spirit of Satan leave his daughter's body and reveal itself!

A fire breaks out, burning down the house.  Anna's father is the only survivor. . .a broken wreck of a man babbling about the devil.  He's committed to the asylum, where he meets the magician, who is preparing another doll. . .

THE END.

THE REVIEW:

A nasty little tale of the devil indeed!  There's really not much to it, but the overall atmosphere is just creepy.  A big part of that comes from the art, which reminds me of some of the pre-code horror comics I have, with chunky, dark lines, and a nightmarish, twisted exaggeration.  

 Bold splashes of color continue the homage to the kind of horror comics that gave us the Comics Code.  Just LOOK at the panel below and tell me it doesn't look like something straight from 1952!

Overall, a creepy little tale backed up with some outstanding Golden Age homage art!  This one's gotten us off to a good start for this issue.  NEXT!

A MATTER OF BREEDING!

SCRIPT:  Russ Jones

PENCILS:  Mike Sekowsky

INKS: George Roussos (?)

THE STORY:

We begin  our tale as a bestial, yet human, creature violently kills a man and a woman in a laboratory. 

But how did we get here?

Irene and Andre are business partners in the hairpiece industry.  Andre is a scientist and is experimenting with a world-changing hair replacement product, but their funds have ran dry.  

Luckily for them, a well-known millionaire comes to them, promising to pay any price if they can make his hair grow back.  Andre immediately takes advantage of their good fortune by completing his final experiment and creating pills from wolf hormones that he gives to Chester, their new millionaire partner.

They are all astounded when Chester returns with new hair growing on his head!  The millionaire begins to pour more money into the project, with their first mass shipment coming soon.

Unfortunately for Chester, over the next four days the side effects progress from mild headaches to horrific nightmares of blood and death.  Chester finally realizes to his horror that he's not suffering nightmares, he's turning into a beastlike creature and committing murder each night!

Enraged that he's been turned into a bloodthirsty monster, Chester confronts Irene and Andre and kills them both. . .but not in time to stop the first large shipment of pills from going out. 

THE END.  OR IS IT?

THE REVIEW:

An interesting twist on the classic werewolf story.  Instead of the moon turning a man into a beast, it's SCIENCE!  Once again we have a story that delivers a homage to the Pre-Code horror comics that gave us the Comics Code.  

From the scheming couple to the innocent man caught up in their greed and having his revenge, to the dark, bold lines of the artwork, this story could have easily been in an issue of something like EC's Vault of Horror (a pre-code comic I have an issue of that will be making an appearance later on during this little party).

Overall, I'm really liking the Golden Age horror throwback feel to this issue.  This story was a great little read, and I'm hoping the Golden Age style continues into the last story.  Let's find out!

STAKE OUT!

SCRIPT:  Russ Jones (as Jack Younger)

PENCILS: Jerry Grandenetti

INKS: Jerry Grandenetti

THE STORY:

We begin our tale with a man in a graveyard wondering how he'd gotten conned into this crazy game.

We skip back in time a bit to observe the man at a party, where a wager is made for one thousand dollars that he will be unable to spend a night in the cemetery. . .a cemetery that is purported to be the home of a vampire, based on legends going back over two hundred years.  The man accepts the bet, firm in his belief that vampires don't exist.

Coming back to the present, in the cemetery, the man is startled by a ringing bell and drops his bag.  As he goes to recover his belongings, he discovers stairs going down to catacombs below. . .tunnels he had not been aware of.  He heads in, determined not to let fear get the better of him. . .

Now inside the dank catacombs, the man is stricken by an unreasonable fear when he stumbles onto caskets, broken and open. . .he runs blindly, his one thought being to escape!  He spots a light and runs toward it, clutching a sharpened stake in his hand! It must be the vampire!

Suddenly, a pale man stands before him! Gaining strength from fear, the man plunges the stake into his heart!  Screams cry out as the movie crew rushes to grab the man that has just killed their lead actor!  Unaware, the man has stumbled onto a movie set, where they are making a vampire film.

As the police lead the killer away into their car, he spots a strange man in the crowd, smiling, revealing his fangs.  The REAL vampire!

THE END.

THE REVIEW:

A very nice, moody piece with an unexpected double twist ending. . .the vampire isn't real. . .WAIT! Yes it is!  Very well done.  I've read a LOT of horror comics and a twist ending I don't see coming is definitely a treat because it doesn't happen often.

This story has the same artist as the first, so it continues the Golden Age horror homage look to be found through this whole issue, with bold, chunky lines and just a bit of nightmarishly twisted exaggeration.  

Overall, a very enjoyable little "twist" story backed up with MORE Golden Age horror throwback art.

CONCLUSION

This one's a winner, folks.  From page one to page done, a great read, with creepy stories and great art.  I REALLY enjoyed the Golden Age horror feel of this comic.  I'm not sure if it was an intentional homage or not, but it's there and it's great!  

I highly recommend this issue for any fan of comic book horror.  It's a very nice little hidden treasure and a certified Longbox Junk gold nugget.  THIS is MY idea of a great Halloween comic.

Like all the other Atlas Comics series, this one doesn't have many issues (just 3).  I've discussed the sad and all-too-short story of  Atlas in a little more depth ELSEWHERE , so I won't go back over that ground except to say that they are one of the more interesting little chapters in comic history and that they were probably ahead of their time by about 20 years (In the 90s Image Comics took up pretty much the same cause as Atlas did, but with a lot more success).

But because Atlas Comics are still remembered fondly (despite having lasted less than a year), the comics they put out ARE a little collectible, and some are harder to find than others.  Tales of Evil is one of the harder to find series, and I've never seen any of them in a back issue bin except this one I bought from a comic shop that was sadly going out of business.

That's not to say they're not out there.  So if you're looking for some great Golden Age horror throwback stories, keep your eyes peeled and be sure to grab any of these you might come across!

UP NEXT. . .

Let's keep this party going with some more Gold Key goodness. . .

BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY!

Be there or be square.

Longbox Junk Retro Review - Targitt #1 (1975)

 Welcome back to Longbox Junk, the place to find comic reviews nobody ever asked for!

Sorry for a bit of delay.  The challenges of trying to run a hotel on a skeleton crew while having typical summer tourist sellout guest traffic aren't what most people would call "fun".  It's made worse because at the same time people are getting out and about on their normal summertime travels, we're having a hard time hiring new employees because our government has decided that, for some strange reason, it's a GREAT idea to pay people more to sit home on unemployment than to come back to work full time.  

BUT ENOUGH OF THAT. . .

I've decided to step outside of my usual bargain bin fare for a little while and take a look at some comics in my collection a little more on the older and maybe more "collectible" side of things.  Retro Reviews of comics from before 1986 (Nods to the fine folks of Old Guys Who Like Old Comics) is what I'm talkin' about.

The comic at hand today is one of the very short-lived (and by that I mean abruptly cancelled and unfinished after 3 issues) titles put out by short-lived publisher Atlas Comics (AKA Atlas/Seaboard).  I'm not sure if three issues is even enough to call a title a "series", but here we are.

The sad tale of Atlas/Seaboard comics is an interesting one that I'm not going to delve TOO deeply into, but the gist of it is that the company was the brainchild of Marvel Comics founder Martin Goodman and was a pioneer in creator rights, allowing the return of artwork to artists, paying some of the highest rates in the industry, and allowing retention of rights for new characters created.

Unfortunately, internal fighting and a comic industry that just wasn't ready for their business model sunk Atlas/Seaboard fast. . .they lasted less than a year and put out less than 100 total issues.  Of their 23 titles, none of them lasted more than 4 issues.  Many of them only lasted for a single issue.

Like I said, I'm not going to delve too deeply into the publisher, but the tale of Atlas/ Seaboard is well worth looking up if you're interested in some of the behind the scenes drama of the comic world.  

Probably the most interesting thing to ME about Atlas/Seaboard is that, even though they folded very quickly and put out very few issues, they are STILL remembered with a certain fondness.  The whole line in general seems to be pretty collectible, which is surprising for a bunch of unfinished stories put out by a company that didn't even last a year.

I'm not so sure if this particular title is remembered as fondly as some of the others.  When doing my bits of research, I saw it's rarely even mentioned, which is why I picked it from among the handful of Atlas/Seaboard comics I own for this review that nobody asked me to do.   

SO. . .

Let's set the Longbox Junk Paper Time Machine for 1975 and take a peek at this practically-forgotten Bronze Age relic, shall we?  We shall!

TARGITT #1

ATLAS (Seaboard) COMICS (1975)

BOSTON TEA PARTY

SCRIPT: Ric Meyers

PENCILS: Howard Nostrand

COVER: Dick Giordano

THE COVER:

Hmmm. . .not bad.  Not great, mind you, but nicely-done.  It delivers the message that this isn't a superhero book, and I dig the whole 70's-Tastic vibe of it.  I like the tilted perspective and the colors quite a bit.  It's not the best cover in my collection, but it's a solid example of a Bronze Age comic rack eye-catcher.  Let's get inside!

THE STORY:

Our tale begins at an airport, where Special F.B.I. Agent John Targitt says goodbye to his wife and daughter as they leave on a trip to his mother-in-law's.  Unfortunately, it's the last time he'll ever talk to them, because moments later the plane explodes after taking off!

Rushing to the burning wreckage, Targitt finds a newspaper from Boston.  Shortly afterwards, his boss, Carl, and partner, Jackie arrive and tell John that Mob Boss Bert Manetti was also on the plane and was the target of the bomb.  Over their protests that he not, Targitt informs them that he is headed to Boston to find who killed his family.

Later, in Boston as Targitt arrives at the airport, he is attacked by a mysterious man.  He's no match for the highly-trained Targitt and is wounded, then interrogated by the F.B.I agent.  Targitt gains a lead directing him to a Boston University dorm room. . .

That night, at the University dorm, Targitt is taken by surprise by a man laying in wait for him. . .a man Targitt realizes he recognizes from the airport just before the plane carrying his family exploded! 

Thinking he has Targitt dead to rights, he tells the F.B.I. agent that he killed Manetti because he wanted to take over the Boston drug trade.  A fight between the two breaks out, but before it can be resolved, the alarm is raised and Targitt is forced to make his escape. . .

Later, Targitt encounters three well-known mob hit men following him.  A fight breaks out in the street and Targitt is surprised to find his F.B.I. boss is ALSO following him.  Targitt easily dispatches the would-be assassins, but is brought to the Boston F.B.I. field office to explain himself. . .

At the field office, John is interrogated by his boss, Carl, about his actions.  Despite the grilling, Targitt remains cool under pressure and refuses a direct order to return to Los Angeles and give up on his crusade to bring the killers of his family to justice. . .

Later that night, Targitt returns to the Boston University dorm room to continue his "conversation" with the man who claimed to have been the one who planted the bomb that blew up the plane with John's family on it.  He is ambushed by one of the hit men he escaped earlier that day, who has already killed the man john wanted to talk to.  

Before the hit man can shoot John, he is shot from behind by Targitt's L.A. partner, Jackie.  A heartfelt discussion between the two reveals that John is planning to ambush a drug delivery that very night.

That night, Targitt is staking out the harbor in a rowboat.  He follows the sound of a submersible scooter to a freighter. . .the mob is using submersibles to transfer drugs and money into a hidden airlock below the freighter's waterline so as to not attract attention above.  

Now he knows where the drugs and money are, Targitt goes on the attack!  He stalks the deck of the freighter, gunning down any mob goons that cross his path.  Two of them attempt to flee the carnage with the money in a helicopter, but Targitt grabs a machine gun and shoots them down. . .

In the aftermath of the battle, Targitt finds the briefcase full of money, dropped from the helicopter as it crashed.  He dumps the money into the water without a second thought.  He has a darker purpose, and money isn't a part of it.

The End.

THE REVIEW:

Allrighty then! Let's break it on down.

What we have here is basically The Executioner by way of Dirty Harry, watered down for comics.  

For those who haven't read any of them, The Executioner books were a long-running series started in 1966 by Don Pendleton (and a bunch of ghost writers) following the grim adventures of Mack Bolan, a soldier whose family were killed by the mob.  There's a VERY clear Executioner influence here.  

Fans of Clint Eastwood's no-nonsense, rule-breaking cop "Dirty" Harry Callahan will also see pretty obvious story beats. . .especially in the scene where he's being berated by his F.B.I. boss.  Frankly, I was expecting a mouthwash joke, and was a little disappointed they left it out.

Unfortunately, what COULD have been a pretty great mashup of pulpy neo-noir influences just really isn't that interesting.  Once I realized where the writer was going with this, I WANTED it to be great. . .but at the end of the day it's just okay.  

The story just doesn't have the sort of "zing" you'd expect from something influenced so heavily by Mack Bolan and Dirty Harry.  Sure, there's action and violence here. . .some of it pretty graphic for a code-approved comic, even.  But the scenes feel disconnected and just sort of flat.  The story follows a ruler straight "He went here and did this, and then he went here and did this." path from page one to page last.  

The final scene where he throws the money in the water is really the only really interesting character moment in the whole thing.  If the whole story had such a dark, pulpy tone as the ending, this would have been a great little hidden Longbox Junk gem, but as it stands it's pretty forgettable.

As far as the art goes. . .it's a little schizophrenic.  It switches between cartoony and exaggerated to dark and gritty from page to page.  Overall, it's not BAD, it just seems that the artist couldn't decide on the tone he wanted.

CONCLUSION

Well, not every comic can be a winner.  

I wouldn't go so far as to say this is BAD, it's not bad.  It's okay. . . but it could have been a lot better than what we got.  I guess the publishers felt the same way because in the next issue, Targitt becomes an agent for a secret F.B.I. division and is issued a bulletproof superhero suit and new identity as "Manstalker" for a very short-lived career (2 issues) as a costumed hero.

The story had all the right violent, pulpy, neo-noir influences to have been something pretty interesting, but I guess watering them down for a code-approved comic just didn't work out.  I like that Atlas/ Seaboard was trying to step outside the superhero genre with Targitt, so credit where credit is due for trying to do something a little different, but at the end of the day this is a pretty forgettable comic.

Up Next. . .

I don't think I'm quite done with the Retro Reviews just yet!

So many comics to choose from.  I'll have to ponder what's next.  Suggestions are welcome!

Be there or be square.