AEET followers coming here today to gaze at cute vintage xmas card art or old catalog toy pages will have to note that Friday Frights falls on Xmas Evil this year, so we must of course pay Satan... errr... Santa his due! Let us sing: "Slay bells ring, are you listening? In the lane snow is glistening --with blood!" Yep, I somehow found two similarly themed stories that never made it to THOIA's archive, so consider this a horrorday bonus present for those who miss the 'ol gift wrapped Christmas carnage that Mr. Karswell once used to deliver! And from the festive annals of a fellow Charlton horror host, comes another serious toll to pay courtesy of the February 1976 issue of The Many Ghosts of Dr. Graves #55. But first up we'll visit the very special "Hate-the-Holidays" issue of Bizarre Adventures #34, (aka the final issue of this short lived series, in fact), for a taste of vengeance served much colder than a plate of old Chips A'hoy left out overnight for the jolly one! Here's hoping that everyone has a great holiday, we'll be back with a few more posts before December (and this yucky year) is over-- that is, unless Santa Claus gets us first!
I feel a bit thick, but I don't entirely understand the last panel in the first story. Is he vowing revenge on the Easter Bunny? Did his mother draw the wrath of the Easter Bunny? (And was it in fact continued?)
ReplyDeleteThe Grim Reaper as a substitute Santa, decades before Terry Pratchett's Hogfather, in book form and 2006 TV movie.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I love about the later story is the cosmology of it; that the universe dictates that one day out of the year, death is roped into being a superhero with sonic powers!
ReplyDeleteThe top story has a very underground feel to it, I like the silly ending but I will say that the actual Santa fight is a little hard to follow; that happens sometimes even in non-underground comics. That could have taken a bit of editing, but it's fun for what it is.
Happy Holidays that aren't Halloween so aren't quite as good, Mr. Karswell!
I doubt the first story was continued as this was the final issue of Bizarre Adventures (unless it was featured in a different Marvel mag.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking it out, happy horrordays!