Longbox Junk Retro Review - Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #12 (1965)

Welcome to Longbox Junk. . .the blog stuffed absolutely FULL of comic reviews you never asked for!

I've been spending a lot of time in the 80s/90s comics recently.  How about this time out we jump into the Longbox Junk time machine and head back a little further?  How about a little trip back to the 1960s and the Silver Age of comics?  That's right, folks! Buckle in because it's time for another Longbox Junk Retro Review!

Let's GOOOOOOOO!

Marvel Comics defined the Silver Age with classics like Spider-Man, Thor, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Avengers.  DC Comics held their own, but with more traditional and long-running titles such as Wonder Woman, Detective Comics, Action Comics, Justice League and The Brave and The Bold.

But Marvel and DC weren't the ONLY ones in the four color superhero game.  There was Charlton with Captain Atom, The Question, and Blue Beetle.  There was Archie Comics with The Fly, The Jaguar and The Shield.  Tower Comics had T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.  And Gold Key had Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom.

Gold Key was known more for their titles based on licensed properties.  Doctor Solar was actually their first original character. . .and when the title first came out, it hit BIG.  At one point, Doctor Solar was actually outselling Superman two to one!

Unfortunately, the popularity of the original series didn't last and only went to 27 issues. The hero was quietly forgotten until 1991 when Valiant Comics gained the license to Doctor Solar and he had a bit of a resurgence lasting through the early 90s.

After Valiant, Doctor Solar skipped around publishers a bit.  Most recently landing at Dynamite Comics.  The character remains popular, but has never managed to reach the heights of popularity he hit in the 1960s.

What we have here is an issue from right in the middle of Doctor Solar's highest popularity and success, 1965.  So grab your paisley Nehru jacket because we're going back to the swingin' 60s for a look at Gold Key's Atomic Age superhero!

Ready? Let's do it!

DOCTOR SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM #12

Gold Key (1965)

COVER: George Wilson

THE COVER:

Now THAT'S a mighty fine comic book cover!  

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. . .issue for issue, Gold Key had some of the hands-down BEST comic covers that have ever hit the stand, and I'll defend that hill.  Most of them were courtesy of the great George Wilson, and this is one of them.

Just LOOK at it! Such bold and bright colors just exploding off the page!  This one is a real eye-catcher, no doubt about it.  This is the kind of comic cover that just grabs the attention and makes you want to see what's inside.  I would go so far as to say that (At least from what I've seen, and in MY humble opinion) this is one of Wilson's best.

Let's get inside!

THE STORIES:

We get one main story broken up into two parts, a short four page intermission story, and several one page bits and pieces.  Not bad for twelve lousy cents!  Let's take a look at them each in their own turn, shall we?  WE SHALL!

THE MYSTERY OF THE VANISHING SILVER (Part 1)

SCRIPT: Dick Wood

PENCILS: Frank Bolle

INKS: Frank Bolle

THE STORY:

Hey! Remember when they used to make U.S. coins out of silver?  That's what this whole story is based on.  It's 1965 and silver is actually more valuable than gold at this point.  We begin our tale at the U.S. Mint in Washington D.C.

Doctor Solar has been asked to help the Treasury Department try to solve a mystery. . .the silver supply is dwindling for some unknown reason.  He is there to start the investigation by checking out the machinery and process at the mint.

Doctor Solar doesn't find anything wrong at the mint, and regroups with his friends (Dr. Clarkson and Gail) to ponder the situation.  In the meantime, a mysterious millionaire begins buying up as much of the silver in the hands of U.S. citizens as he can, sending the nation into a silver-selling frenzy!

We, the reader, learn that "mankind's most evil genius", Nuro, is the money behind the frenzy and it's just the beginning of his nefarious secret plan!

Switching scenes to Arizona, we see Nuro's men attack a silver mine, showing that he is going beyond America's processed silver and grabbing unrefined ore as well!  We also see more of Nuro's henchmen smelting down silver coins, jewelry, and other items into liquid and being poured into some sort of mold.  IS THERE NO END TO THE MADNESS?

Switching scenes again, this time to an unnamed island in the South Pacific, we see the natives gathering molten silver from a volcano and pouring it over a mysterious idol.  

We return to the U.S., where six luxury yachts dock at six different locations along the California coast.  AH! YES! IT ALL BEGINS TO COME TOGETHER NOW!  Well. . .not really.

As the six yachts leave their ports for an unknown destination, one of them collides with a tugboat.  The tugboat captain reports the accident and a piece of wreckage is found with silver splinters in it, which attracts the attention of the government, who summon Doctor Solar to Santa Barbara.

Solar once again joins in on the investigation after being told about the mounting silver crisis threatening to damage the U.S. economy.  They've managed to link the ship from Santa Barbara to five more yachts from California.  Doctor Solar ponders how he's supposed to be in six different places at once. . .

To solve the problem of being able to investigate 6 different ships at once, Doctor Solar flies into outer space, and with a mighty atomic explosion, splits himself into six smaller versions of himself!

As the separate smaller versions of Doctor Solar use their atomic powers to infiltrate the mysterious yachts, we follow one of them onto the yacht from Santa Barbara that raised the government's suspicions. 

Below deck, Solar discovers strange machinery and scrapes the hull, discovering the yacht's secret. . .it's made entirely of silver!  This is how the silver has been getting outside the U.S. without anyone knowing!

As Solar ponders his discovery, the strange machinery comes to life.  The bow of the yacht plunges into the ocean and Doctor Solar realizes that the yacht is actually a submarine!  

DUN-DUN-DUN!

INTERMISSION TIME!

THE REVIEW:

The story gets off to a sort of slow start, with all sorts of seemingly-unrelated elements coming together to form a mystery.  I guess with a whole double-sized comic to tell the tale, the writer can afford a bit more development.   It's not a bad story so far, it's engaging in a way that a lot of other Silver Age superhero comics aren't.  Compared to a 1960s Superman story, this ain't bad at all.

On the visual side, the art has a really nice style to it.  Grounded and realistic in places (see the panels in the shipyard, above) and then getting a bit strange (in a cool way) in others (like where Solar splits himself, above).  I like the mix of realism and light 60s psychedelia here.

Anyway, here's the intermission story.

FISH PEOPLE OF TOMORROW

SCRIPT: Dick Wood

PENCILS: Mel Crawford

INKS: Mel Crawford

THE STORY:

In this short four page intermission, one "Professor Harbinger" demonstrates the new technology of artificial oxygen-permeable membranes and describes how they might one day make it possible for mankind to live under the sea.

Unfortunately, mankind can't have nice things without making them awful.

Professor Harbinger predicts that, although things would start off great, being able to live under the sea would split humanity along "Land Dweller" and "Sea Dweller" lines, leading to war. . .because EVERYTHING humans do ends up in violence somehow. 

In the end, Harbinger decides maybe being able to live under the sea might not be such a great idea.

END OF INTERMISSION!

THE REVIEW:

Hmmm. . .interesting.  A story about how great new technology is, but at the same time saying it's bad.  I mean, I guess this little four page piece is right about humans being really good at ruining everything they touch, but it just seems a little strange in execution.  Oh well. . .back to the main story!

THE MYSTERY OF THE VANISHING SILVER (Part 2)

SCRIPT: Dick Wood

PENCILS: Frank Bolle

INKS: Frank Bolle

THE STORY:

Continuing directly on from before the intermission, we return to the mysterious island, where one of the nefarious Nuro's henchmen, Aral Uzbek, is observing a government scientific expedition investigating the strange flow of silver from the volcano.  

Infuriated that his secret lair has been discovered, Nuro orders the operation to be shut down after the 6 ships still due to arrive have been processed. 

Shortly afterward, the ships begin to arrive at the island.  They ride a hidden conveyor belt inland, where Doctor Solar is amazed to see they are riding through a cavern toward a giant door with flames beyond. . .a volcano is being used as a huge smelter!  

Nuro is melting down the entire ships, which are completely made out of silver!  It all makes sense now!  Well. . .sort of, anyway. In a Silver Age comic book sorta way.

As their ships fall into the smelter, the tiny separate versions of Doctor Solar begin to gather.  Once they are all together, they can reform and ignite the volcano, ending Nuro's nefarious scheme!  BUT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG!

One of the six Doctor Solar duplicates is missing!  One of the boats hasn't arrived!

Solar realizes that, without the sixth part of himself, he can't reform!  Panic begins to set in!  

Meanwhile, miles away from the island, aboard the missing yacht, the part of Solar on board discovers that his atomic radiation has affected the ship's instruments.  They are off course and behind schedule.  Solar quickly fixes his mistake and the missing ship finally arrives at the island.

Now able to completely reform, Doctor Solar's parts rejoin and the hero, whole once again, begins to agitate the volcano. . .sending Nuro's henchmen and the natives running for safety when they realize the volcano is about to erupt!

A blast of atomic power causes the volcano to erupt with a cataclysmic explosion!  Doctor Solar flies through the fiery debris skyward, unharmed.  His work is done!

But there's still the matter of the government's silver shortage.  

Doctor Solar spots a full cauldron of molten silver tumbling through the air, tossed out by the volcano's eruption.  Quickly grabbing it before it spills, Solar uses his powers to put a heat shield around the cauldron so the silver won't solidify.

His work done at the island, Solar flies the cauldron of Silver to Washington D.C.  It's not ALL the missing silver, but he reckons that anything is better than nothing.

When Solar arrives at the Washington mint with the cauldron of silver, the treasury agents are grateful, but there's a lot of questions.  Solar recovered five million dollar's worth of silver, but where's the rest?  What was the scheme?  Who is behind it all? 

Doctor Solar is forced to admit that the villain remains unknown and uncaptured, and that he hasn't completely pieced together the whole puzzle. . .BUT. . .Solar promises that the government will have his full cooperation and he WILL get to the bottom of things!

The End. 

THE REVIEW:

There it is.  Let's break it on down!

Let's be truthful here.  A lot of Silver Age comics are silly.  The Comics Code swatted the comic book industry HARD in the late 50s and they still had a heavy hand on the business in the 1960s.  The result was that a lot of comic books at the time were just inoffensive, fluffy superhero fun.  Kid stuff, mostly.  And that's not entirely a bad thing. There's a lot of nostalgia for Silver Age superheroes for exactly that reason.  They were just FUN. Nothing wrong with fun.

Doctor Solar seems to be one of the exceptions to the rule.  It looks like it was aimed at a slightly older audience.  Don't get me wrong, this isn't "adult" material by any means, but compared to a Superman comic of 1965, this was definitely quite a bit less fluffy than one would expect. 

It's written with respect for more advanced readers and the story is a bit more complicated than "Why is Superman wearing this stupid hat?  READ ON!"  It's not some sort of literary masterpiece, but there seems to have been just a bit more effort put into the writing than I would usually expect for a Silver Age superhero comic.

It's not ALL good.  The ending is extremely rushed and does fall into the usual Silver Age superhero silliness as it comes to a close (Solar flying a vat of molten silver to Washington D.C.), but other than that, this was a MUCH more tolerable read than a lot of other superhero comics I have from the same era.

I think the thing I liked best about this story is that, unlike other 60s superhero comics, the hero actually did NOT prevail.  He didn't discover who the villain was, what their plan was, or where they were at.  He rescues some of the silver, but not all of it.  At the end of the story, Doctor Solar is sort of empty-handed.  It's still a one and done self-contained story (like almost every 1960s superhero story), but the ending leaves room for future conflict with the unknown villain instead of wrapping everything up on the last page.

So the story was surprisingly good for a 1960s superhero comic.  Let's talk about the art.

Like I said before the "intermission" above, the art in this comic is ALSO surprisingly good.  Dell/Gold Key comics are a bit notorious for having the most outstanding covers, with stiff and aggressively average art underneath the comic rack eye candy.  In my experience, Dell/Gold Key comic covers are sort of like pre-internet clickbait.  Awesomeness promised, but average once you've bought in.

Once again, Doctor Solar seems to be an exception.  The art in this comic has a very nice style.  It's grounded and realistic, yet in places displaying a bit of signature 60s psychodelia.  You can see this in the pages I've scanned above.  I especially liked the fire effects.  I'm not sure why I didn't post more of them, so here's a page I didn't post for a fine example of what I'm talking about. . .

In places (like the page above) the art in this comic has a really cool, stylized look to it that I enjoyed a lot.  I found it to be an interesting contrast to the more realistic art in many other panels.  The mix of realistic and stylized art makes this comic stand out among the more workmanlike art one would normally expect in a Dell/Gold Key comic.

 

CONCLUSION

If I had to sum this comic book up in ONE word, that word would be: Surprising.

I came in expecting typical Silver Age superhero silliness and got a story that, even though it's not a literary masterpiece, seems to have had a bit more effort put into it toward respecting older readers.

I expected the usual Dell/Gold Key awesome cover with uninspired art inside.  What I got was an awesome cover and some extremely solid art with an interesting style contrasting realism and light psychedelia. 

I can see WHY Doctor Solar was a hit when it first came out.  It's different, plain and simple.  It stands out.  Readers used to silly Superman stories. . .and I'm not trying to pick on Superman, just the best example I can think of when it comes to typical Silver Age silliness. . .got something a little different with Doctor Solar.  

I can certainly recommend Doctor Solar for comic fans who want something a little divergent from the stereotypical silly Silver Age superhero comics.  The good news is that, even though this is a Silver Age superhero comic, it's not a DC or Marvel superhero comic, so you can find Doctor Solar at extremely nice prices, compared to a 1960s Batman or Spider-Man comic.  

You're not going to find these in the bargain bin, but also not too far off.  I got this issue for five bucks at an antique shop.   I've never seen an issue of this series for more than ten bucks.  And they're not that hard to find at all.  I see these all the time. Dell/Gold Key comics are a GREAT way to get some Silver Age stuff in your collection on a Longbox Junkin' budget! 

That's it for this bit of Longbox Junk.  Thanks for coming in and spending a few minutes of your time in my little corner of the internet.  I hope you had a good time and you'll like to come back for more.  And so until next time, remember that comics are worth more than money!

Longbox Junk - Arak, Son of Thunder #1

Welcome to Longbox Junk, where the comics are cheap and the reviews are FREE!

Let's return for a bit to a little something I was getting into last year. . .comics that you are pretty much guaranteed to find in just about ANY bargain bin you may find yourself digging through.  The bread and butter of cheap comics. . .the Longbox Junk of Longbox Junk.

At hand today is the first issue of a series that, if you DON'T spot at least one issue of  the run in the bargain bin, somebody already bought it.  As far as I can tell, it's a REQUIRMENT that any bargain bin has to contain at least ONE of these comics.

I'm talkin' about ARAK, SON OF THUNDER!

That's right. . .DC's very own version of Conan, even written by the man many consider to be THE Conan writer, the legendary Roy Thomas.  But is that ALL Arak is? An 80s Conan knockoff?  Is it any good? Why are so many of these comics in the bargain bins?  I have questions.  Let's get some answers!

ARAK, SON OF THUNDER #1

DC (1981)

COVER: Ernie Colón

The Sword and the Serpent!


SCRIPT: Roy Thomas
PENCILS: Ernie Colón
INKS: Tony DeZuniga


THE COVER:

I absolutely LOVE the gigantic ARAK title on ALL the covers in this series! But other than that, this cover is a bit "meh". The central figure of Arak is done nicely, but if you look in the background, especially over on the right, the figures are sketchy, giving the cover a sort of unfinished look. 

I'm not sure that this cover would have caught my eye on the comic rack. A bit of a disappointment because Colón's work inside is really very nice. Let's get to the story!


THE STORY:

We begin our tale aboard a Viking ship. . .far to the West of anyplace that's been explored by Norsemen before. Driven before the waves during a fierce storm, the hard-bitten crew of reavers has barely survived the night.

As they survey their situation, a small boat is spotted adrift. Aboard it is a young boy with strange, reddish skin.

The Vikings rescue the boy, but as they try to revive him, he attacks the leader of the band, Sigvald.  To keep Sigvald from killing the boy, a Frankish raider named Hermold claims the boy as his slave.  

In the weeks that follow, Hermold begins training the strange boy in swordplay, so that he may join the rest of the band in their violent life of raiding.  He also gives the boy a name. . .Erik, but the child pronounces it Arak, and that's what the crew comes to know him as.

Arak proves himself to be a natural fighter with sword and bow and ax.  The seasons begin to pass as he becomes one of the raider band.

We move forward eight years. . .

Arak takes part in his first raid.  The band invades a peaceful Christian monastery  on the coast of Northumbra.  As the battle rages through the monastery, Arak comes upon his leader, Sigvald, as he kills the Abbot and claims the monk's treasure, including an ornate jeweled cross.

Arak is confused as to why the monk refused to defend himself, and as he tries to comfort the dying Abbot, he is surprised to find himself being cursed by the dying man and called a devil.

Leaving the Abbot's quarters, Arak becomes sickened by the raiders who have become his family when he sees them tormenting the defenseless monks. . .inflicting violence for no reason other than their own amusement.  

When he's finally had enough, Arak steps in to save a monk being tortured by a Viking named Hrolf.  He is mocked for being soft and Hrolf attacks, but he's no match for Arak, who swiftly kills him.  The leader of the band, Sigvald, tells Arak that his actions prove that he's no real Viking any more than a wolf is a shark.

As winter falls and the Vikings rest in their longhouses and prepare for the next raiding season, the raid on the monastery weighs heavily on Arak.  His former master and now friend, the Frankish Hermold, tries to ease Arak's mind by telling him the tale of Jesus Christ and how the monks follow His example of pacifism.

Arak is intrigued by the tale, and by the tales of the Frankish Christian Empire his friend speaks of.  In return, Arak tells Hermold what he remembers of his own land. . .far across the sea to the West.

 He belonged to a tribe called the Quontauka, who worshipped a Thunder God called He-No.  His mother told him that he was He-No's son.  Truth or not?  Who can say?  He claims his people are all dead except for him.

We move forward.  Winter is gone and another raiding season comes.  Arak and Hermold try to convince Sigvald that no good can come of raiding defenseless monasteries.  Such attacks will only rouse the anger of the Anglo-Saxons who rule Northumbra. 

Sigvald ignores them and sets his sights on another monastery.  But as they approach in the darkness, a strange sight comes into view. . .a white-haired woman standing alone on a rock in the sea!

As the Vikings ponder the strange encounter, she chants words of dark magic and a giant serpent rises from the depths to smash the raider band's ship!  Only a few of the Vikings make it to shore, along with Arak. . .where they are greeted by armed and enraged monks.

Hermold tries to appeal to the Christian monks, throwing down his weapon and surrendering in the name of God. . .but the monks leap on the Frankish raider and kill him, driving Arak into a berserker rage!

But even in his rage, Arak is soon overwhelmed by the strangely-aggressive monks.  When he wakes, he finds himself being tended to by one of the monks.  The only survivor of his band beside him is their leader, Sigvald.  They are both being held prisoner, along with the monks who had killed their companions.  Arak is confused.

The monk explains that they were forced to fight by a brother and sister named Argalia and Angelica (the woman who summoned the serpent), who appeared with a pair of giant Oriental bodyguards two days earlier and took over the monastery.

It's not long before Angelica comes to meet Arak.  She's intrigued by the strange red-skinned man and offers him his life in exchange for service as her personal slave and bodyguard.  Arak agrees, claiming any deal is a good one if the second offer is death.

When Angelica takes Arak to meet her brother, Argalia, she reveals that the reason they have taken over the monastery is because of a magic ring hidden among its relics.  A ring that not only makes the wearer invisible, but also protects against all enchantments.  

Angelica mentions that she will be using the ring against Malagigi. . .court magician to King Carolus Magnus (Charlemagne), a name Arak recognizes from Hermold's tales of the Christian kingdom of the Franks.  Now curious about traveling to the Frankish kingdom, Arak leaves the monastery with his new mistress and her brother.

As they set sail, Arak sees the remaining monks, as well as Sigvald, marooned on a rocky island.  Angelica once again casts the spell summoning the giant serpent to kill the prisoners.  As the monks pray, Arak begs his new mistress to spare them.  She refuses and reminds Arak of the oath he swore not to take up arms against her or her brother.

Arak proclaims that he will keep his oath, but that doesn't prevent him from killing the serpent!  He leaps overboard and swims to rescue the monk who tended to him, leaving Sigvald to his fate.

  Arak spots the wreckage of the Viking ship and grabs the jewel-encrusted cross  Sigvald had lashed to the mast.  Using it as a sword, Arak strikes down the attacking serpent!  

In the aftermath of the battle, Arak sees that Angelica has left without him.  He declares his intention to travel to the Frankish kingdom to meet King Carolus Magnus, and to perhaps gain some answers about the gods.  Who saved him during the battle?  The Christian God, or He-No of his lost tribe?  Either way, he sets forth on a new journey.

The End. . .To be Continued.

THE REVIEW:

There it is. The first issue of Arak, Son of Thunder. Let's break it on down!

It was. . .better than what I expected. Like I said in the introduction, I see issues of this series CONSTANTLY in bargain bins. But now I wonder why. This first issue was pretty dang good!

First off, any time I see Roy Thomas' name as writer, I KNOW the story will be solid. Thomas is one of the most reliable writers in comics, and has been for a long time. The man is a comic legend in MY book for the sheer amount of good stories he's given us over the decades. I'm not sure why he's not mentioned often when fans talk about great comic writers, but I think he deserves to be.


Thomas gives this tale his signature sword and sorcery swagger most well known from his MANY Conan stories. . .but Arak gets a little twist in that it's set in the actual dark ages world we know from the history books, but with some magic and mystery thrown into the mix. A little dark ages "What If?" if you will.

I think what caught me by surprise the most in this story is the amount of Christian imagery to be found. The Christian faith is definitely front and center, and a big part of this story. It's a pretty bold move to have a comic from 1981 really leaning into an existing religion like this one does, especially for a mainstream title put out by one of the "Big Two".

To ME, the setting of this story makes it great. Not the prehistoric Hyborian Age of Conan, but a world of Vikings and Native Americans and Christian Monks and Frankish Kings. Really more along the lines of Solomon Kane, if you really want to make a comparison to R.E. Howard's works that were the more familiar stomping grounds of Roy Thomas.

That said, this first issue DOES read like a Conan story. Later issues lean into Arak's Native American heritage as the son of Thunder God He-No, and Arak becomes more of a Hercules character. . .half man, half god. But at the start of the series. . .yeah. . .it's sort of Conan for DC.

But that doesn't make it bad. If there's ONE thing Roy Thomas does well, it's sword and sorcery in the Conan style. You get that here in full measure. Seafaring raiders. . .mysterious sorcery. . .giant serpents. . .a burly outcast hero in a strange land. If you like Thomas' Conan, you're gonna like Arak!

On the art side of things, the Ernie Colón/ Tony DeZuniga art team do a fantastic job of bringing this dark ages fantasy world to life! I really think that DeZuniga's inks are the magic touch here. Colón's pencils are very nice, but DeZuniga's dark, bold inks lend to the individual panels a lifelike sense of motion in his signature style that has long made me consider DeZuniga one of my favorite Bronze Age comic artists.

That's not to say that Ernie Colón's pencils aren't just as good. I really like how his backgrounds are either sketchy or not existent at all. . .providing more of a backdrop than a background where the characters and action in the foreground push forward and grab the eye! It's a style I really enjoy, especially for this kind of story.

CONCLUSION

This was a surprisingly good read for a series that is pretty much bargain bin fodder. Roy Thomas provides a solid story with a great dark ages setting, and the Colón/ DeZuniga art team make it come to life in a big way.

If you're looking for some great Bronze Age sword and sorcery that ISN'T Conan, then don't pass Arak by next time you spot it in the bargain bin. I have most of this series (30 issues) and can tell you that the story just gets better as it goes along and leans more into Arak being a sort of Native American Hercules.

There are some similarities to Conan, but trust me when I say that they are just sort of on the surface. This is most certainly not a Conan comic. Unfortunately, I have the feeling that those surface similarities to Conan is why this series lives in the bargain bin. Frankly, I think it deserves better.

This series has never been collected, for some reason (probably those surface similarities to Conan) but the issues are very easy to find. I Highly recommend Arak, Son of Thunder for comic fans looking for some Bronze Age sword and sorcery comics that don't revolve around R.E. Howard's grim Cimmerian.


Up Next. . .

It's a comic tie-in to a movie that never got made.
AC's BLACK DIAMOND!

Be there or be square!

Longbox Junk Halloween 2023 Part 15 - Vault of Horror #36 (1954)

Welcome to Longbox Junk, where you can get all the comic reviews you want for FREE, and that comes with a 100% money back guarantee!

We're up to PART FIFTEEN of our 2023 Longbox Junk Halloween Horror Marathon and it's time to wrap things up!  Unfortunately, I got pushed off my great pace this year due to some work stuff, so I didn't get quite as many entries in as I planned on, but it was still a mighty fine party if I do say so myself. . .and I DO.

This time out, I have a bit of a special treat for you.  I've taken a little dig into the definitely NOT junk part of my collection for some GOLDEN Age comic horror.  And not just ANY old Golden Age comic horror, but a comic from the Big Daddy of Golden Age horror comics, EC!  That's right. . .the company that unwillingly helped usher in the Comics Code.

Pre-Code  horror comics are highly sought after books in just about ANY collection.   I got this comic as part of an auction lot about 3 years ago.  No, not an online auction.  THAT'S weak comic hunting.  I'm talking about sitting in a room with a bunch of people bidding on stuff.  Now that's some Longbox Junkin'!  It was in a box of comics I paid the princely sum of $125 for.

Truthfully, I'm a little excited to get into this one, because as far as I can tell, this will be the FIRST review ever done of this particular issue.  

My bet is that it will probably also be the ONLY review ever done, because most SANE comic collectors will slab this one up and NOT carry it just bagged and boarded in a manilla envelope to work to scan pages out of it.  I mean, I GUESS I could have just used my Vault of Horror hardcover set (which has a reprint of this issue), but then you don't get to see the STANK of almost 70 years on those old yellow pages. It just ain't the same.

Enough introduction! Let's set the dial on the Longbox Junk time machine for 1954 and take a look inside, shall we?  Ready? Let's GOOOOOOOOOOO!

VAULT OF HORROR #36

EC (1954)

COVER:  Johnny Craig

THE COVER:

There are more famous and controversial EC horror comic covers, but I really like this one! Golden Age master artist Johnny Craig tells a story I want to know more about in one single image!  The bright fire and bold title against the stark black background REALLY catches the eye, especially with the larger Golden Age cover size.  It's not a particularly great HALLOWEEN cover, but the simplicity of it just grabs me.  Like I said, not the most famous EC horror comic cover, but I find it very compelling.  Let's get inside!

THE STORIES:

FOUR comic stories and a text piece in 36 pages!  Damn, but they had it good in the Golden Age when it came to comics.  I have a fair handful of Golden Age goodies and they're ALL absolutely stuffed full of content from end to end.  So this review may get a little long. Fair warning.  LET'S GO!

TWIN BILL!

SCRIPT: Johnny Craig

PENCILS:  Johnny Craig

INKS:  Johnny Craig

THE STORY:

We meet Larry Bannister as he hides in a dark room, nervously clutching a pistol, waiting on someone. But who is this man? Why is he here?  We flash back two weeks to find out.

Larry Bannister is a man with an unfaithful wife.  He follows her to an isolated lodge and catches her in the act with her lover.  At gunpoint, Larry forces the two of them into the woods, gives them shovels, and demands they start digging!

When the hole is deep enough, Larry tells his unfaithful wife and her lover that it's their grave.  First, they try to talk their way out of it.  Then, they try to fight. But Larry has the upper hand.  Once he subdues them, he begins filling in the hole. . .burying them alive! 

But when Larry returns to the lodge, he discovers his car battery is dead.  Unable to use the battery from his wife's car, he leaves his car at the lodge and returns to the city, planning to return as soon as he can.

Over the next two weeks, Larry remains calm.  He reports his wife's disappearance, answers all the questions from the police, and seems to have committed the perfect crime and gotten away with it.  There's only the loose end of his car remaining.  

And so, he returns to the isolated lodge with a new battery, and is relieved to find everything exactly as he left it.

After Larry meticulously cleans his wife's car of his fingerprints, he suddenly realizes that, even though he brought the new battery, he's forgotten the keys to HIS car!  Desperate, Larry knows that he can't just leave his car at the lodge.  But then he remembers that his wife had a spare set of keys to his car that she carried in her purse.

There was only one solution. . .he had to dig up the grave and get those keys!

But after making his way back to where he'd buried his wife and her lover, he sees that the grave has been disturbed.  Digging in, he finds it empty!  Luckily for him, he finds his wife's purse and the spare keys.

Terrified by the  implications of the empty grave, Larry comes to the conclusion that his wife and her lover somehow lived through his burying them alive, and that they have been hiding out at the lodge, waiting for him to return!

He runs through the rainy woods back to the lodge, convinced that he is being followed in the dark.  He decides to turn the tables on them and ambush them in the lodge when they come for him.  

And that's where we came in. . .with Larry hiding in the dark lodge, nervously clutching a pistol and waiting for his wife and her lover so he can finish the job once and for all.

After a while, Larry hears their footsteps.  Thumping, shuffling footsteps!  He snaps on his flashlight and points his gun to confront his wife and her lover for the last time!  Unfortunately for the horrified Larry, he quickly discovers that the pair did NOT survive their burial!

Fused together in a tangle of rotted limbs, the shuffling corpse-monster that was once his wife and her lover moves quickly toward Larry!  He fires, but the shots have no effect! He screams hysterically as the two people he had buried alive get their revenge. . .from beyond the grave! DUN-DUN-DUNNN!

The End.

THE REVIEW:

A great start for this Golden Age goodie!  A tight, tense story that's more of a crime tale than a horror story until that last page when Larry gets what's coming to him.  Johnny Craig weaves dialogue just dripping with paranoia and fear!  

Craig also pulls art duty on this one, and, for those reading who haven't had much exposure to Golden Age comics, let me tell you that if you see Johnny Craig's name credited as artist, just know it's gonna be good. . .maybe even great.  In MY humble opinion, Johnny Craig was one of the greatest artists of the Golden Age. He does NOT disappoint here. The scans above should speak for themselves.  

Overall, a fantastic opener from one of my favorite Golden Age creators!

NEXT!

WITCH WITCH'S WITCH!

SCRIPT:  Johnny Craig

PENCILS: Jack Davis

INKS: Jack Davis

THE STORY:

Scandal rocks the small European village of Blumstadt when young Eric Holbien returns from a week in the city on business with news that he has married!  Eric's betrothed, Alicia, who has been promised as his wife since she was a young girl, is devastated.

Eric and Helena (his new wife) are confronted by Alicia, her mother, and Eric's own mother.  It is not a pleasant conversation, to say the least, with Eric's disappointed mother being the most harsh.  Finally, Alicia takes the high road and wishes Eric and Helena the best.  

But out of earshot of Eric, Alicia tells Helena that she hates her and will have her revenge!

Only a week later, Eric's mother suddenly dies with no explanation.  Helena doesn't attend the funeral and rumors begin to swirl that she had something to do with the death.  The rumors only become stronger when a delegation from the local church tells Helena that she's not welcome at services, only for the leader of the group to fall dead just a few days later!

Soon, the rumors begin to turn to accusations of witchcraft!  Alicia's mother is the strongest supporter of the belief that a witch is among the people of Blumstadt.  And then, one day when Alicia's mother passes Helena on the street, the woman falls dead on the spot in full view of all passerby!

At her mother's hasty funeral, Alicia is suddenly stricken by pain and visions of Helena trying to kill her!  Among the other deaths, the villagers have had enough!  Accusations fly and a mob forms to seize and burn the witch!

As the frenzied mob of villagers break into Eric's house to seize his wife, Helena begs for mercy, trying to tell the villagers that it is Alicia getting revenge on her that's been responsible for the town's misfortunes!

The mob isn't having any of it and they take Helena!  Eric tries to defend his wife, but is shot dead by the enraged villagers as they drag Helena to the fire!

But SURPRISE!  As the villagers throw the protesting Helena onto the fire, she gives up the pretense and shouts words of dark magic, transforming the villagers into rats as her true appearance is revealed. . .from a dark-haired beauty to a withered crone, Helena WAS a witch after all!

The End.

THE REVIEW:

Another really good little story!  I like that the writer makes it look like an innocent woman is being plagued by a witch for revenge, but then flips the script and. . .yeah, the villagers were right.  A clever twist!  Like the first story, this one is also written by Johnny Craig and has the same tight, tense feel to it.  I know Craig more for his art, but I'm discovering he's also a pretty fine writer!

On the art side of things, right up there next to Johnny Craig on my Golden Age art favorites list sits the great Jack Davis!  He's got a more exaggerated and less precise style than Craig, but his looser pencils open up a nice feeling of movement that made Davis one of the Golden Age greats and carried him through a long and successful career even after the Golden Age was past.

Overall, another really enjoyable little story.  This one with a twist that took me by surprise, and when you've read as many of these old horror/suspense comics as I have, that's a sort of hard thing to do.

NEXT!

COOLER - 3/4 page text story with illustration

SCRIPT: (?)

ILLUSTRATION: (?)

THE STORY:

We follow a man as he escapes from Cragmore prison.  He's chose winter, believing it's his best chance to cross the lake surrounding the island prison when it's frozen over.  As he crosses the ice, he hears pursuit and ducks into a hole, down into the freezing water, breathing the air in the small space between the ice and water.

But soon, the terrified prisoner realizes that he's lost the hole.  As he frantically searches for a means to escape his predicament, he freezes to death.  A free man, but still in an icy prison.

THE REVIEW:

This is a VERY short little tale.  Just three-quarters of a page (and I have to say, the amount of fine print on the other quarter page is pretty amazing, compared to the little indicas we have now).  But for its extremely short length, its a very nice and atmospheric read!  For a filler, this is some pretty quality writing!

Overall. . .surprisingly good.  I scanned the whole thing above for you.

NEXT!

PIPE DREAM

SCRIPT:  Johnny Craig

PENCILS:  Bernie Krigstein

INKS: Bernie Krigstein

THE STORY:

We meet an old Asian man named Chen Chu Yang, where he lays in an opium den.  He's a man with a strange story to tell. And so we go back about twelve years before, when it all began. . .

Chen has a good wife, who is the light of his life.  One day, he goes to the opium den to relax and has a dream that his wife has died.  When he returns, he learns that his wife is gone.  Grief-stricken, Chen takes on the responsibility of caring for his son and daughter.

Unfortunately, Chen is a bit old and frail, and his son has to step up to take care of the family.  He does so until war comes to Asia and he gets a draft notice.  Understandably upset by his son leaving, Chen decides to drown his sorrow in opium smoke.  While at the opium den, Chen has a horrific dream of his son's death.

And sure enough, when he returns, he learns that his son has met a tragic end.

And so, Chen is left with only his beloved daughter.  When she decides to marry, Chen tries his best to convince his daughter that her husband-to-be is not a good man.  But she's in love and doesn't listen to her father.

As time passes, it turns out that Chen was right.  His daughter's husband is cruel and unfeeling, but now she is married to him, she is honor-bound to remain until his death.  Chen decides that he might be able to help her after all. . .and so he goes to the opium den.

Sure enough, while at the opium den, Chen has a horrific dream of his son-in-law's death.  When he returns, Chen learns that his daughter's husband has been murdered!  Chen takes great joy in the cruel man's death. . .but then he learns that his daughter is accused of the murder!  

Unable to prove her innocence, Chen's beloved daughter is executed for murder.  Now left with nothing to live for, and with the knowledge that his trying to use the strange power he had discovered for evil caused the death of his innocent daughter, Chen now spends all his days at the opium den. . .lost in his dreams.

The End.

THE REVIEW:

Another great little story from Johnny Craig!  Where the first was a paranoid crime thriller with a supernatural twist, and the second was a steady build to witch mob frenzy, this one drifts in a dreamlike manner, like the smoke from the unfortunate Chen's pipe.  Very nicely done to have three stories by the same writer told in such different ways!

The art likewise has a sketchy, dreamlike feel to it.  Not as precise or defined as the previous stories. As if the panels are barely-recalled memories. . .hazy and vague.  It's not my favorite art in this issue, but it does fit this story perfectly.

Overall, a very interesting change of pace from the tightly-focused stories that came before it.

AND FINALLY. . .

TWO-TIMED!

SCRIPT:  Jack Oleck (?)

PENCILS: Graham Ingels

INKS: Graham Ingels

THE STORY:

1911.  A young boy named Tommy hears shouting in the woods outside his home.  Sneaking out to investigate, he comes upon a man and a woman arguing.  The man begins to beat the woman, but then realizes he's being watched and grabs the boy!

Almost dead, the man stops choking Dickie for some reason.  Before Dickie passes out, he hears a gunshot.  When he wakes, his parents and the local constable are there.  They find no sign of the man or woman, and a strange burned area.  Other than that, the whole event is a mystery, and remains unsolved.

Flash forward about twenty years.  Tommy is now a grown man.  A man with a problem.  He's got an unfaithful wife.  One night, Tommy overhears his wife and lover discussing killing him.  Infuriated, Tommy decides to turn the tables and kill her instead.  He makes his plan, gathers what he needs and hides it in the woods, and then waits for his moment. . .

Later that night, Tommy confronts his cheating wife.  She protests, but Tommy drags her into the woods.  He begins savagely beating her with a lead pipe when she tries to fight back and escape.  Suddenly, Tommy realizes they are being watched by a young boy!

As Tommy chokes the life out of the young witness, he suddenly realizes that this has all happened before!  HE'S the boy!  Dropping the boy to the ground, Tommy gleefully pours kerosene on his wife's body and sets it alight. . .now convinced he's committed the perfect crime, knowing that the mystery from when he was a child was never solved!

But then a shot rings out.

As Tommy falls onto his wife's burning body, the old constable tries to save him, but fails.  All those many years ago, the only clue was a piece of half-burned paper.  A piece of paper with that day's date on it!  And so the constable solved the mystery. . .twenty years late.

THE REVIEW:

And there's four for four (Five for five, if you count the little text piece)!  This final story drives it home for the grand slam!  It's the only story in here without Johnny Craig's name on it, but it's still a very nice little crime suspense story with a supernatural/ time travel twist.  

On the art side of things, one of EC's premier horror artists pushes the pencils on this one and really brings it to life!  "Ghastly" Graham Ingles was MUCH better known as a horror artist, but he does a fine job with this cool little crime story. . .and nary a gory scene to be had!

Overall, a strong finish to a great issue!

CONCLUSION

EC comics are some of the most highly-sought after Golden Age comics. . .especially EC horror comics.  This issue is a perfect example of WHY.  It's not the most "valuable" EC horror comic out there.  It's a random issue from the tail end of one of EC's second tier horror titles.  But this comic book simply DRIPS with quality!

The stories are great reads, even almost 70 years down the road.  The art is some of the best you can find in a Golden Age comic.  It might not be the best HALLOWEEN comic, but don't get me wrong, this is a winner from end to end.

One of the things I like best about doing reviews of older comics like this is that mine will often be the first and probably ONLY cover to cover review of a comic that people will usually just see behind the plastic of a slab. . .just the cover posted online.   

 It's a great feeling, knowing that I'm contributing just a LITTLE bit to the overall comic knowledge out there.  I mean, think about it.  Where else are you going to get a description of a 3/4 page text filler piece by an unknown writer in a random Vault of Horror issue?  Right here at Longbox Junk, THAT'S where.  But enough of THAT.

This issue is a solid read all the way through.  I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a good example of Golden Age non-superhero comic books.  You're not gonna find it in a back issue bin. Even though this isn't the most "valuable" or sought-after EC horror comic, EVERY EC horror comic comes at a premium.  Even in the "okay" condition mine's in, I see it's "worth" close to a thousand bucks.  So Longbox Junk this definitely is NOT.

Fortunately, just about all the EC horror comics (including the whole Vault of Horror series) has been reprinted several times and in several formats.  There are some great EC omnibus editions out there, but if you REALLY want to get into them (and I highly recommend you do), then there's a five book hardcover edition in a nice slipcover like the one I have that would make a FINE Christmas present for yourself!  You can find them easily online and it's worth every penny!

So that's it for the  2023 Longbox Junk Halloween Horror Marathon.  I was zipping along nicely for a while there.  Thought I might break my October record until I hit a bit of a work wall and fell off my pace.  But still. . .fifteen spooky reviews ain't bad at all in MY book!

I hope you had a good time at the party, and we'll do it again next year.

Until then, it's back to Longbox Junk business as usual. . .or unusual.  

Be there or be square!