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Friday, October 04, 2019

Number 2396: The Wolf Men of Bucharest

Hillman Periodicals, publisher of Airboy Comics, also published crime comics, but not horror comics. That doesn’t mean they didn’t use elements of horror in some of their stories, such as “The Wolf Men of Bucharest,” from Airboy Comics Volume 5, Number 10 (whole number 57, 1948). Here we have wolves who run with men who dress like wolves, all part of a criminal gang.

The Grand Comics Database says this is a “true story.” Just because I have not heard the story before doesn’t mean it is untrue, but wonder if the GCD believes the slug in the splash panel that says, “A True Story.” I am prejudiced by a character in the story called Dracu. That name sounds too good to be true, therefore I doubt it is true.

The GCD credits Maurice Del Bourgo with the artwork, but does not credit a writer.










2 comments:

Daniel [oeconomist.com] said...

In theory, the name “Dracu” might be an embellishment on an otherwise true story. But when nobles disguised themselves as bandits, it was not to attack other nobles, but to prey more ferociously upon commoners (and perhaps especially upon tenants). Any exception to that rule would be notable, even without wolf costumes. Were this story true, it would have been told and retold many times, showing-up in other comic books and various paperbacks about strange-but-true events and episodes. As it is, I too have never encountered the tale (despite having read many of those paperbacks as a pre-teen and into my teens), and a search of the web turns-up nothing.

Brian Barnes said...

That's a fun one! Good story pacing, the ending isn't all that shocking but still good, though the evidence is pretty convenient!

I love the art -- it gets lost a bit in the text but still stands out. The wolf-men are especially good, and I love the image of them riding other wolves!

This comic is another "don't try this at home" ... please don't attempt to ride wild wolves!