Craig Yoe has a volume in the IDW
Chilling Archives of Horror Comics dedicated to artist Don Heck. He collects the pre-Code horror stories Heck did for Comic Media, a small-time publisher. Heck later went on to Atlas/Marvel, where he was an integral part of their line for several years. Heck was a solid professional, even if (in my opinion in the late fifties-early sixties) his more illustrative approach seemed too different sandwiched as it was between the work of comic art stylists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.
In the early fifties Heck had a flair for horror, which may come as a surprise to some. This is one of the stories collected in the IDW volume. What you see here are my scans, not the ones in the book. It is from
Weird Terror #2 (1952). The story is about what I have always suspected, that my accidents are caused by external forces (in this case, evil gnomes), not by my clumsiness and inattention to my surroundings.
Yoe’s book is available from the usual outlets.
Nice story, mostly because of the art.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be a recurring theme, I remember another story where humans are depicted like "puppets", and only one man has the ability to see those who literally pull the strings. It won't do him no good, though.
I said I remember it, but I really couldn't tell you the name of it, nor the artist.
Either I'm getting old, or those puppeteers have erased that record.
And of course this is the main point of "The Invaders", a series that was very fiftyish, though it ran a decade later.
Oh, well. It started out really funny--I laughed out loud when the gnome pushed that poor guy into the street--but then it just degraded to plain dumb. If the writer had maintained the humor level, he might've really had something!
ReplyDeleteThe whole silly (spoilers!) "their master was death" was one of the most unnecessary added story elements I've seen in a long time!
ReplyDeleteStories about some external force causing all accidents seems to be a pretty well-worn script in horror comics, I've seen a number of them. Humans have the real love for blaming outside forces (gods, devils, gremlins) for their misfortunes and so I think it's a story that resonates.
Though I'm not sure how statistics is going to lead you to that conclusion, allow you to see the invisible gnomes, or if they really transported safes like they were in a Popeye cartoon!
J D, Ryan, Brian, all good points, so thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt would be really nice to blame one's problems on supernatural forces...but I don't. I am all too capable of making my own mistakes.
J D, I don't remember the name of that story, either, although there are many times I feel I am being manipulated. Our whole society is manipulated, either in attitudes, political thinking, or as consumers.
Statistically, Brian, I feel some days I am doomed. I read stats on fatal car accidents, and they make me superstitious that the next time I venture out in my car I will meet my doom. I brush it off as best I can, although I do have a nagging fear that someday it will all catch up to me.
Ryan, laughing at a guy getting pushed into the street! Shame on you, although actually that is pretty funny. As long as you aren't the guy getting pushed.