Our first Friday Frights of November 2021 is a rather boney affair, with one of my favorite Atlas horror classics from the December 1952 issue of Mystery Tales #6. I also have another in-depth look at one of my recently acquired, 60's Aurora model kits for you, The Forgotten Prisoner-- already built-up, and partially painted so I didn't have to! Can you handle the eerie grinning face, or the rat chawing on a leftover arm? Somebody please give 'em both a hamburger! But first up, lets head to the cinema and see what hair-brained schemes midcentury promotional movie departments used to come up with to pack 'em in-- theaters and coffins! Stan Lee and Tony Dipreta weren't pulling any punches with this one!
Had the glow in the dark version of The Forgotten Prisoner as a kid. I cannot believe that was half a century ago!
ReplyDeleteI really like Skull-Face, it's a well constructed horror yarn and doesn't depend on a trick ending. Couple fun images, the newspaper add on page 2 would freak me out, the camera angle of the skele-murder on page 4, and the final panel. Fun story, with the interesting subplot about marketing, something Atlas probably knew a bit about!
ReplyDeleteCool prisoner, though he's not exactly forgotten by the rat, snake, lizard, and spider which are nice touches!
If you look closely at the chain, it shows the limits of plastic molding at the time!
Great story! I just want to say, if anybody ever bothers to double their electricity bill bringing me back from the dead as a living skeleton-man, well, I'm going to be a whole lot more thankful than this guy. I mean, he even had a ready-made film career, guaranteed guest spots on the Steve Allen Show, glamorous PR junkets to Miami and Vegas, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in his future! What an ingrate.
ReplyDeleteThere is literally zero reason for this, but reading the story, I kept thinking about the Red Skull villain from the Scooby Doo and Scrappy episode "Happy Birthday, Scooby Doo". Can we call this story an interesting take on the Boy Who Cried Wolf? Maybe not. And I'm appalled that they had so much money they could waste that much electricity. They seriously should have just called William Castle and borrowed the Emergo.
ReplyDeleteAnother terror-ific monster model, Mr. Karswell. Any chance you might jazz up his nice-but-plain paint job at some point?
>I cannot believe that was half a century ago!
ReplyDeleteTell me about it! wahh
>something Atlas probably knew a bit about!
'Nuff said!
>What an ingrate
Haha. Not to mention being immortalized by Robert E. Howard!
>Any chance you might jazz up his nice-but-plain paint job at some point?
He certainly could use a good jazzin' for sure! I suppose anything is possible, stay tombed and we shall see what happens.
Thanks for the comments-- up next we'll be playing a little game, so get ready!