The Undead Thread: Pre-Code Horror 21 21

[adamstrange]

Looking forward to your review.

[mr.schomburg]

Haven't contributed in a while.

This issue claims to have a Cinderella parody story.

Can't wait to read it tonight!

 

 

Loved this cover so much after seeing it today, went of Ebay and found the only one and used BIN, book is on the way. Thank you for sharing, can't wait to see it.

Paul

[Wrightson fan]

Man....this issue is multiplying faster than rabbits.

 

Scott

 

[Scrooge]

I'll throw a couple in for measure! Including an early Zombie cover!

 

I was looking at that one in the Gerber yesterday. Coolest cover from the Beware run

[adamstrange]

Man....this issue is multiplying faster than rabbits.

 

Scott

 

 

Cinderella's more popular than I would have thought!

[selegue]

Man....this issue is multiplying faster than rabbits.

 

Scott

 

 

Cinderella's more popular than I would have thought!

 

Lots of foot fetishists out there!

 

Jack

[Jayman]

Not the review of Mysterious Adventures # 22 but as I'm at work today I received this book and read it at lunch. My first WoM!

 

 

Despite being mid-gradish this cover is very glossy (especially the red areas).

 

The first story Today You Die was the classic "Death claims the guy too soon but gets him in the end" story.

 

The Curse of the Horrible Hangman involves an age old family curse whereby the hangman must string up 200 victims so he can go to his eternal rest. Story highlights include a nice pick-to-the-head panel and various hangings.

 

In Terror Stalked the Secret City explorers discover an ancient city in Cambodia ruled by an evil animal goddess.

 

And lastly It Won't Come Back Until Midnight has a pretty cool splash of the zombie (also called the swamp thing). Another family curse tale involving an old voodoo witch out for revenge. This was the best story of the four followed by the Hangman story as second best.

 

Some of the better panels from this issue:

 

[adamstrange]

Thanks for the review. For a brief moment I once owned a very nice copy of that book -- I know what you mean when you mention the gloss and colors!

[Jayman]

OK, I read the Mysterious Adventures #22 last night and am ready for revue if anyone cares!

 

 

For some reason I expected this issue to be better than the Web of Mystery #16 I just read but was somewhat disappointed in the quality of the stories compared to WoM. Perhaps it has to do with the MA being a later issue getting closer to the appearance of the CCA?

 

Anyhow the first story Insane deals with a cruel head of an insane asylum who gets it in the end as the inmates revolt. You could see this plot coming a mile away except for one of the inmates being the wife of the guard.

 

The next tale Two for the Money was my favorite with better horror elements. The story involves a sleazy guy that two-times two gals by marring both only to find one is a vampire and the other a zombie, what rotten luck huh!

 

The third story was the Cinderella parody. A witch grants “Cinder” her wish to go to the Ball if she brings the Prince back to her. Cinder’s step-sisters have very original names “Ugly” and “Repulsive”! This story left me with the impression that it was a MAD Magazine wannabe; silly, entertaining, but not horrific in any sense. The story seemed out of place in this issue.

 

The last story The Manhunting Lion is supposed to be the cover story but makes a drastic leap away from a mountain climbing story to a lion hunt! It turns out the lion isn’t even drastically important to this story either! A hunting guide who’s wife was killed by a tiger years ago leads his latest client Huge, on a safari. Huge decides to go on alone one night and sees a young woman (the ghost of the guide’s wife) and falls in love. When asked by the woman how he came to be here, she realizes the guide was her husband and she sends Huge away. Huge tells the husband and in turn searches for his ghostly wife. They are both later found dead but happy. This story left me disappointed as none of the elements seemed to come together, it was all over the place with a pretty dull ending.

 

Below are some of the better interior panels:

 

 

 

[precodekeith]

OK, I read the Mysterious Adventures #22 last night and am ready for revue if anyone cares!

 

 

WOOT!

 

Fangs, Jay!

[Scrooge]

OK, I read the Mysterious Adventures #22 last night and am ready for revue if anyone cares!

 

WOOT!

 

Fangs, Jay!

 

Yeah, we care.

[selegue]

OK, I read the Mysterious Adventures #22 last night and am ready for revue if anyone cares!

 

WOOT!

 

Fangs, Jay!

 

Yeah, we care.

 

Hurrah! Comic books got insides!

 

Nice overview -- thanks.

 

Jack

[Jayman]

OK, I read the Mysterious Adventures #22 last night and am ready for revue if anyone cares!

 

WOOT!

 

Fangs, Jay!

 

Yeah, we care.

 

Thanks guys!

 

I was surprised I liked the WoM # 16 book better since I assumed Ace to publish weaker stories judging from what I have seen here on the boards. I guess I was wrong or that happend to be an exceptional issue.

[Scrooge]

Thanks guys!

 

I was surprised I liked the WoM # 16 book better since I assumed Ace to publish weaker stories judging from what I have seen here on the boards. I guess I was wrong or that happend to be an exceptional issue.

 

Yes, I'll agree that's surprising. Ace's 50's artist (if we can call them that) stable was wretched. Ace Romance books are always able to bring me to the brink of ripping my eyes out, no joke! You must have got lucky! I know that my copy of Beyond has worse art than what you show here in the WoM.

 

The art on the Cinderella story looks nice though in the Mysterious Adventures.

[Jayman]

Thanks guys!

 

I was surprised I liked the WoM # 16 book better since I assumed Ace to publish weaker stories judging from what I have seen here on the boards. I guess I was wrong or that happend to be an exceptional issue.

 

Yes, I'll agree that's surprising. Ace's 50's artist (if we can call them that) stable was wretched. Ace Romance books are always able to bring me to the brink of ripping my eyes out, no joke! You must have got lucky! I know that my copy of Beyond has worse art than what you show here in the WoM.

 

The art on the Cinderella story looks nice though in the Mysterious Adventures.

 

I would say the art in the MA issue was superior to the WoM issue, I was just referring to the quality of the writing.

[shiverbones]

yeah, the later issues of Mysterious advs are weak! I think the last good one was #17 or 18, its been awhile since i had them. The stronest point is #9-17 and those are fabulous!

[Jayman]

yeah, the later issues of Mysterious advs are weak! I think the last good one was #17 or 18, its been awhile since i had them. The stronest point is #9-17 and those are fabulous!

 

Good to know!

Do you think the stories got weaker/tamer because of the growing concern of violence in comics? Slipping sales?

The MA issue was from '54 while the WoM issue was from '52

[adamstrange]

Thanks guys!

 

I was surprised I liked the WoM # 16 book better since I assumed Ace to publish weaker stories judging from what I have seen here on the boards. I guess I was wrong or that happend to be an exceptional issue.

 

Yes, I'll agree that's surprising. Ace's 50's artist (if we can call them that) stable was wretched. Ace Romance books are always able to bring me to the brink of ripping my eyes out, no joke! You must have got lucky! I know that my copy of Beyond has worse art than what you show here in the WoM.

 

The art on the Cinderella story looks nice though in the Mysterious Adventures.

 

Lou Cameron? Wretched? Them's fightin' words.

[shiverbones]

Yeah, I do think that the Mysterious adventures & dark mysteries tamed down because of the pressure. the last issues of each which were code approved aren't really any different then the couple before. In 1952 & 1953, they were among the goriest comics I have ever seen, with the most ridiculously drawn veins always sticking out of severed limbs. The earlier ones have nice hollingsworth art, and the occasional eye injury or beheading, but they really got vile mid run.

 

The Ace books have some nice spots too, any of the cameron issues have at least 1 beauty in them, and there were some other nice creepy stories too. Beyond #23 is an example of a really solid Ace that can be had for under $20 in GVG. Also, an issue around #13, which has a red cover showing a seance with large ugly ghosts is another winner. The trouble with experimenting with Ace, is there certainly are eyeball ripping out inducing issue sprinkled through the whole run.

[adamstrange]

Yeah, I do think that the Mysterious adventures & dark mysteries tamed down because of the pressure. the last issues of each which were code approved aren't really any different then the couple before. In 1952 & 1953, they were among the goriest comics I have ever seen, with the most ridiculously drawn veins always sticking out of severed limbs. The earlier ones have nice hollingsworth art, and the occasional eye injury or beheading, but they really got vile mid run.

 

The Ace books have some nice spots too, any of the cameron issues have at least 1 beauty in them, and there were some other nice creepy stories too. Beyond #23 is an example of a really solid Ace that can be had for under $20 in GVG. Also, an issue around #13, which has a red cover showing a seance with large ugly ghosts is another winner. The trouble with experimenting with Ace, is there certainly are eyeball ripping out inducing issue sprinkled through the whole run.

 

There are several issues with 2, count 'em 2, Lou Cameron stories.

 

Still, I think we can declare this war over before it starts.