EC - We Ain't Got No Body (Ingels)

We Ain't Got No Body
art by Graham Ingels, story by Al Feldstein
Vault of Horror #28[#17] (1953)

The Old Witch introduces this story with some comments about the other hosts stealing her "Grim Fairy Tale" idea, as well as her editors complaining about rival publishers. Going to the main story, it starts right off with the walking dead body confronting its murderer. We then get the backstory about three men throwing a fourth off a train some time earlier in order to get his insurance money. The train cut off his head and hands and feet, which weren't found at the scene. What was left was enough for the insurance claim, but then the other body parts return, steal the body of a mannequin and get their revenge on the killers.

Of course, that's not the end. After getting revenge the body parts abandon their makeshift body and make their way to the cemetery to dig up the grave where the body is buried and reunite in a touching scene.

Some great Ingels art in this one, with very tight, almost claustrophobic layouts. The last page, with the body parts moving on their own, making their way to the grave and digging, is one of my favourite bits in any horror comic, as well as being an obvious influence on a lot of the 1970s artists who came after Ingels, one very directly.

Happy Halloween

Returning to regular posting... eventually.

Upcoming Stuff of Interest - Quick catchup

Haven't had much to post recently, so no point in doing detailed looks at the solicitations. Mostly for my own later reference, here's a list of most of the stuff that caught my eye for the most recent solicitations. September Previews (November and later release) CASTLE WAITING VOL II #3 (Fantagraphics Books) EC ARCHIVES SHOCK SUSPENSTORIES VOL 1 HC (Gemstone Publishing) GIRL GENIUS OMNIBUS ED #1 (Airship Entertainment) JACK STAFF #14 (Image Comics) NEW TEEN TITANS TERRA INCOGNITO TP (DC Universe) PHOENIX VOL 9 TP (Viz) USAGI YOJIMBO #98 (Dark Horse) Highlight of the month, PHOENIX, always a lot of fun, and getting close to the end. October Previews (December and later release) AGE OF BRONZE #24 (Image Comics) ALICE IN SUNDERLAND GN (Dark Horse) BAKERS MEET JINGLE BELLE (ONE SHOT) (Dark Horse) CASTLE WAITING VOL II #4 (Fantagraphics Books) EC ARCHIVES TALES FROM THE CRYPT VOL 1 HC (Gemstone Publishing) GUMBY #4 (Wildcard Ink) LITTLE LULU VOL 14 QUEEN LULU TP (Dark Horse) MARVEL VISIONARIES JOHN BUSCEMA HC (Marvel Comics) SHOWCASE PRESENTS BRAVE & BOLD BATMAN TEAMUPS VOL 1 (DC Universe) SHOWCASE PRESENTS JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VOL 2 TP (DC Universe) USAGI YOJIMBO #99 (Dark Horse) Most intriguing book is Bryan Talbot's ALICE IN SUNDERLAND book, though I need to spend some time looking at those preview pages on the site.

Studio 60

Caught the first episode of the new Aaron Sorkin created TV show STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, the only new TV show of the season I was really looking forward to (the US debut is later tonight, but the Canadian channel shows it on Sunday). I'm a big fan of Sorkin's previous shows, SPORTS NIGHT and THE WEST WING (which really got worse after he left), and this new one is sort of right in the middle of those two. Backstage at a TV show again, this time a live sketch comedy show which is nothing like SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (it's on Friday night), but this time a one-hour drama instead of a sitcom, and bringing over a few regulars from WEST WING.

Good start so far, with the two main characters, the writer/producer team brought back in to rescue the show after the creator doing a NETWORK on live TV, being set up well in the first episode, complete with a lot of hints at the background and baggage that'll lead to interesting plot complications down the line, as well as a good solid grounding of what their relationship to each other is, which is where a show like this will stand. Also a good large cast with a lot of talent and potential (a few I'm not sold on, in particular the people playing the network higher-ups, and it'll be hard enough for the show to justify having network higher-ups involved in the day-to-day production of the show). Mostly it's good to hear some real Sorkin dialogue again, as opposed to the pale shadow of it that most of the last few years of THE WEST WING provided.

Well worth checking out.

Upcoming Stuff of Interest - August Previews summary

Yeah, I know I'm behind on this and most other things. Anyway, kind of slim pickings for this group of solicitations, especially considering half this stuff I probably won't buy right away, since I already have most of the contents in some other form. Still, some good stuff. Book of the month, surprise of the month and cover of the month is to the unexpected reappearance of RAGMOP.

EC - The Maestro's Hand (Feldstein)

The Maestro's Hand
by Al Feldstein
Crypt of Terror, The #18[#2] (1950)

Some early EC horror from Feldstein, with Feldstein showing some of his plotting inspiration with a copy of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" with a skull and candle on the splash page. This is the story of Doctor Hellman, a surgeon who had lost the love his fiancee Virginia to a talented pianist. For some reason, when the pianist cuts his hand, Virginia takes him to her ex for treatment. The Doctor decides the best thing to do would be to take revenge and amputate the hand, leading to the suicides of both the pianist and Virginia (both mentioned in a rather off-hand way in the captions). Hellman goes off to a cabin to forget the whole sorry mess, but finds a package with the amputated hand, which of course attacks him.



Hate it when that happens. Anyway, Hellman struggles in vain against the hand, finding that trying to burn it or lock it out don't work. Eventually he's choked by the hand, but when his body is discovered there's no hand, and it was all a product of his guilty mind. Hey, just like in that Poe story!

Upcoming Stuff of Interest - Complete Peanuts 1961-1962

THE COMPLETE PEANUTS VOLUME 6 — 1961-1962 HC
by Charles M. Schulz

Launching into the 1960s, Schulz adds another new cast member. Two, in fact: The obnoxious Frieda, of "naturally curly hair" fame, and her inert, seemingly boneless cat Faron. The rapidly maturing Sally, who was after all just born in the previous volume, is ready to start kindergarten and not at all happy about it. Linus' life is particularly turbulent in this volume, as he is forced to wear glasses, sees the unexpected return of his favorite teacher, Miss Othmar, and coaxes Sally into the cult of the Great Pumpkin (with regrettable results). Snoopy, meanwhile, becomes a compulsive water sprinkler head stander, unhappily befriends a snowman or two, and endures a family crisis involving a little family of birds. Plus baseball blowouts (including a rare team victory), Beethoven birthdays, and plenty of dubious psychiatric help for a nickel. This book collects 730 daily and Sunday comic strips, the vast majority of which are not currently available in any in-print Peanuts collection, and many of which have never been reprinted since their initial appearance in papers over 50 years ago. New introduction by legendary jazz pianist/vocalist Diana Krall!

Hardcover, 8.5x7, 344pgs, B&W $28.95

---

Frieda I always found kind of annoying, but the rest of the book should be good stuff. I remember reading some of that Linus stuff in some older books, the glasses and teacher story, and the early Great Pumpkin stuff, and it was a lot of fun.