Number 1417: Two by Bill Everett

Venus, the goddess comic book character and not the planet, worked for Beauty magazine. Venus is the epitome of female beauty in the ancient world, and in the modern world as well.

Bill Everett, who could draw beautiful women — and many other things, as well — did the artwork for these energetic and entertaining stories from Venus #16 (1951).

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I have two links to more Everett. Click on the pictures.

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Number 1416: Oh, snap! Lulu in distress, a tragedy...

This is the final post of our “Comical Comics” theme week. I’m finishing up today with a funny Little Lulu fantasy.

Something I loved especially about the Little Lulu comics were the stories-within-the-stories she told Alvin, the “poor little girl” fables which were always inventive and funny. “Lulu In Distress, a Tragedy” is from Dell Four Color #110 (1946), early in John Stanley’s brilliant career as Lulu’s scribe. He did the artwork for the story, also.

Stanley set many of these stories in a Dickensian world of poor children. In her narration, Lulu makes herself the main character. As befits the word “tragedy” in the title, Lulu is a poor child living with a wicked stepmother, forced to do all the work. Lulu has it so bad that even though the candy store owner cries at her plight, he also chases her out the door! Man, that’s some bad times! What usually happened in these stories was that Lulu prevailed in the end. She showed that smarts and pluck will win, and smarts and pluck Lulu had in spades.

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Another Lulu story-telling time story. Click the thumbnail.

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The Cry of Satan

After a fun 'n lengthy look at some different types of 70's comic book horror, THOIA now jumps back into freakish 50's pre-code mode with a shape-shifting tale of witchcraft and crazy cat ladies! From the August 1952 issue of Tomb of Terror #3!

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Number 1415: Frankenstein the sorcerer’s apprentice

This is the third post of our “Comical Comics” theme week.

This witty tale from our old Frankenfavorite, Dick Briefer, is from Frankenstein #6 (1947). Frankenstein has a magic word, a la the story of the sorcerer’s apprentice, and uses it not for brooms, but for cars. New cars were still in short supply that year. Auto production had been suspended during the war years, and manufacturing converted to war materiel. It was the dream of everyone, even my father, Big Pappy, to have a new car.  He owned a 1939 Ford when he married my mother in 1946. He finally got his new car, a 1948 Plymouth, in the fall of 1947. This story would have meant something to him.

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The Boy Who Cried Vampire / Behold the Beast

Concluding our look into the terrific two-issue series of Archies style teenage terrors, from the September 1972 issue of Chilling Adventures in Sorcery as Told By Sabrina #1. DeCarlo and Goldberg seriously had a good thing going here with this expertly illustrated / written series (see our last post as well for issue #2 in its entirety), and it's a shame it ended so soon-- though Sabrina of course continued on well into the 80's with her own fun 'n frisky witch comics! And don't forget to check out the other two stories from this issue by clicking HERE after you've read these two-- hope you've enjoyed this look into a somewhat slightly lighter side of The Horrors of it All!

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