In this story, which has ACG’s common use of lovers as the main characters, Nancy visits her boyfriend, Craig, head of a government facility under attack by what he calls “Space-spirits — inhabitants of the outer universe!” The “deadlings” are human corpses, animated by the space-spirits, looking a lot like our modern era’s walking dead characters in movies and television. At the end love conquers all with a sacrifice. There is a way of getting rid of the deadlings — and everything else, as well — with an atom bomb at their disposal. It would not be the first time I have seen a nuclear option in ACG comic books. It is all just a dumb part of another dumb story, and yet something I like for that reason.
From Forbidden Worlds #32 (1954). The Grand Comics Database credits Charles Nicholas with the artwork.
The cover by Ken Bald for Forbidden Worlds #32 (Aug '54) in which this story first appeared depicts the Deadlings as something more like devils.
ReplyDeleteThere's little or nothing to add to your characterization of the story.
I wish that I had the copy of Forbidden Worlds #142 that went to my brother when we divided ownership of the comic books. Sadly, he didn't take care of those that became his. I suspect that they eventually all went into the garbage.
A fun little sci-fi horror story, though it had about a zillion plot holes (or as we know them in comics, the plot itself!)
ReplyDeleteThe horde of re-animated corpses was actually a pretty suspenseful for ACG!