Creepy #65: "The Land of Bone"

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By the Nine Bloody Gods! When I was a kid growing up in small-town rural America, there was this kindly young woman who lived up the block from me who advertised used comic books for a dime. That was unusual for the small city, but being a comic book fanatic I jumped for joy, rode my bike to her house and eagerly knocked on her door. She brought out this large box of comics for me to peruse and, while we were swapping stories about our favorite comic books, she abruptly announced that she was a witch! That really surprised me, but she went on to regale me with tales of her supernatural powers, none of which I privately believed. Still, she was one of the most interesting people I had ever met and very friendly, too. I had nearly forgotten about her, until I decided to upload this particular issue of Creepy.

I purchased Creepy #65 from my friendly neighborhood "sorceress" for only a dime, which I thought was a steal of a deal even back in 1974. I also thought that this was one of the slickest magazines that I had ever read and I was no fan of "mere black and white" back then either. I drooled as I was witness to fantastic and gorgeous art by illustrators I had never heard of before, such as Esteban Maroto, Ramon Torrents, José Luis García-López, Reed Crandall, Auraleon, Felix Mas, Jose Bea, Jorge B. Galvez, and Jamie Brocal. All of this was topped off by that beautiful Ken Kelly cover painting. I was in heaven! While I was downright fanatical about keeping my comic book collection in near mint condition, I literally read and reread this magazine until the cover fell off, it was that good.

The first two stories are "The Land of Bone" by Buddy Saunders & Esteban Moroto and "Star Slaughter" by Richard Margopoulos and they are the two best. I have often debated with myself whether or not "The Land of Bone" is what all sword and sorcery stories should strive to be, or is nostalgia coloring my thoughts? I will say it's my personal favorite from the entire genre, but everyone is different and please share your thoughts by commenting on what your favorite swords and sorcery story is. "The Quaking Horror" by Gardner Fox and Auraleon is also very good, all of which I will upload here in time.

Please enjoy "The Land of Bone."



Credits

Cover painting: Ken Kelly
Script: Buddy Saunders
Pencils: Esteban Maroto
Inks: Esteban Maroto

Reprinted:

• from Creepy (Warren, 1964 series) #47
  

Weird Wonder Tales #14: "Evil Is A Baaaaad Scene!!"

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I used to pick up the occasional issue of Weird Wonder Tales for their horror and science fiction stories and issue #14 stands out in my memory as being one of the most enjoyable. It starts out with the Satanic "Evil Is A Baaaaad Scene," which was written by Allyn Brodsky and drawn by Don Heck. The story involves a vindictive practitioner of the mystic arts who recruits a couple of unwitting hippies in a supernatural power grab, but of course things don't work out as the protagonist planned and I thought the ending was pretty damn clever. The only other story worth mentioning is "The Man Who Couldn't Be Touched," which involves a scientist with foreknowledge of World War III's imminent outbreak and he erects an impenetrable force field between himself and the rest of the world as war rages outside. When he finally lowers the barrier years later, he finds himself in an Utopian world and the human race has discovered the secret of biological immortality. However, there's a catch... but you'll have to read it to find out.

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #388: "Gladstone's Usual Very Good Year"

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Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #388 was the very first comic book that I owned—ever. It was given to me by my parents when I was a small child as a Christmas stocking stuffer and I still own it to this very day—rips, tears, creases and all. This particular issue features "Gladstone's Usual Very Good Year," which is one of the best Donald Duck stories that I have ever read and I am not just saying that due to a nostalgic bias. Of course, the fact that this was written by the near-legendary Carl Barks, as I would learn later in life, had everything to do with the story's high quality.


Credits

Cover: Larry Mayer
Script: Carl Barks
Pencils: Carl Barks
Inks: Carl Barks

Reprinted:

• from Walt Disney's Comics and Stories (Dell, 1940 series) #136 (January 1952)