shaxper
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Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Sept 30, 2014 23:38:24 GMT -5
The CCF Long Halloween: Week 1
 Place your #5 choice here, along with a detailed description! Suggested formatStory Title: Creative Team: From: Publication Year: Explanation of choice: The criteria for this event can be found here.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Oct 1, 2014 0:33:36 GMT -5
shaxper's #5: "24 Hours" writer: Neil Gaiman pencils: Mike Drigenberg inks: Malcolm Jones III From: Sandman (1989) #6 Publication Year: 1989 Explanation: I'm rarely attracted to horror stories that revel in torture and depravity for the sake of torture and depravity, but Gaiman and company just do it so darn well here. There are a number of particularly stunning horror stories across Gaiman's Sandman run (particularly in the early years), but 24 Hours seems to take the cake in most everyone's book as it's both so incredibly disturbing and also so masterfully executed. An insane escaped convict, armed with powers stolen from the god of dreams, enters a hole-in-the-wall 24 hour restaurant and proceeds to play with the inhabitants for 24 pages before killing them all. The magic comes in both the extent to which Gaiman has so carefully considered the intersecting lives of each of these characters, and in the unusual depiction of our villain, Dee, who manages to come across both as deranged/menacing and yet somehow small and almost cute. It's an odd balance that makes his crimes all the more disturbing and cruel, somehow. Even Dee isn't sure what he's going to do next, and there's terror for the reader in that uncertainty. This story would easily make many people's #1 (and it may do so on other's lists here), but my reservations are both in how simplistic this intense character study is in revealing the inner workings of these characters (one wants money, one wants sex, one wants to murder her cheating husband, one wants her lover back, one wants to pretend everything in her life is fine), and also in how misanthropic it is, seemingly expressing the view that nearly everyone is hiding a truly terrible secret that makes him/her a truly awful human being deep down. Gaiman will go on to give us stories that reveal immense beauty in the world and its people at times, but this early misanthropic outing is both haunting and also a bit distasteful. Maybe that uncomfortable balance, not dissimilar to the story's treatment of its villain, was intended.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 1, 2014 1:05:44 GMT -5
Hoosier X's NUMBER FIVE: "My Uncle Ekar!"
Art by Jack Kamen
From: Haunt of Fear #10
Publication Year: 1951
Explanation: "My Uncle Ekar!" is a delightful mixture of horror and humor that has been giving me the creeps since the 1990s.
A policeman brings in a lost kid who looks to be about six years old and hands him off to the beleaguered desk sergeant, who then tries to find out who the kid is so he can get him back to his parents.
But the kid isn't cooperating! His name is Harvey. He doesn't live anywhere. He wanders around from place to place with his Uncle Ekar (who isn't really his uncle, he says several times). Uncle Ekar is 160 years old, he has three eyes and a forked tongue.
So the kid just travels around with his uncle, going from place to place, and Harvey watches Uncle Ekar as he murders people!
That's right, Uncle Ekar murders people and Harvey wants to be just like Uncle Ekar when he grows up.
The desk sergeant feels a little shiver up his spine and sends the patrolman to check the scene where the kid says the last murder was. And then ... the patrolman comes back and says: "Yup, Sarge. There's a body there!"
There's a not a whole lot more to it. (It's only six pages.) The damage is done. The story starts out mundane and the desk sergeant shares some humorous banter with the exasperating kid, but with every panel we move closer and closer to The Dark. And then it's too late. It gives me the creeps, this idea that Uncle Ekar was ever roaming the streets. On top of that, Harvey is now 60 years older, probably in his prime, running around with his own protégé!
The Jack Kamen art adds to the effect, being cartoony and light on the surface, but I still find Ekar to be menacing, and I think that Kamen was just trying to trick us into a false sense of security with his non-threatening art. (Not like Graham Ingels. You would never feel any sense of security in a Graham Ingels story.) I'm not falling for it! Harvey will not ever take me by surprise!
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Oct 1, 2014 1:07:39 GMT -5
Hoosier X's NUMBER FIVE: "My Uncle Ekar!"
Art by Jack Kamen
From: Haunt of Fear #10
Publication Year: 1951
Explanation: "My Uncle Ekar!" is a delightful mixture of horror and humor that has been giving me the creeps since the 1990s.
A policeman brings in a lost kid who looks to be about six years old and hands him off to the beleaguered desk sergeant, who then tries to find out who the kid is so he can get him back to his parents.
But the kid isn't cooperating! His name is Harvey. He doesn't live anywhere. He wanders around from place to place with his Uncle Ekar (who isn't really his uncle, he says several times). Uncle Ekar is 160 years old, he has three eyes and a forked tongue.
So the kid just travels around with his uncle, going from place to place, and Harvey watches Uncle Ekar as he murders people!
That's right, Uncle Ekar murders people and Harvey wants to be just like Uncle Ekar when he grows up.
The desk sergeant feels a little shiver up his spine and sends the patrolman to check the scene where the kid says the last murder was. And then ... the patrolman comes back and says: "Yup, Sarge. There's a body there!"
There's a not a whole lot more to it. (It's only six pages.) The damage is done. The story starts out mundane and the desk sergeant shares some humorous banter with the exasperating kid, but with every panel we move closer and closer to The Dark. And then it's too late. It gives me the creeps, this idea that Uncle Ekar was ever roaming the streets. On top of that, Harvey is now 60 years older, probably in his prime, running around with his own protégé!
The Jack Kamen art adds to the effect, being cartoony and light on the surface, but I still find Ekar to be menacing, and I think that Kamen was just trying to trick us into a false sense of security with his non-threatening art. (Not like Graham Ingalls. You would never feel any sense of security in a Graham Ingalls story.) I'm not falling for it! Harvey will not ever take me by surprise!
I'm intrigued. Was this reprinted anywhere? |
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 1, 2014 1:12:14 GMT -5
Hoosier X's NUMBER FIVE: "My Uncle Ekar!"
Art by Jack Kamen
From: Haunt of Fear #10
Publication Year: 1951
I'm intrigued. Was this reprinted anywhere? I have the Gemstone reprint from 1995. All the EC stories have been reprinted in one form or another numerous times over the years. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2014 12:56:57 GMT -5
bronzeagebrian's #5: New England Gothic #1
 Writer: James LaPointe Artist: Tom Brown Publisher: Visigoth Studio Date: December 1986 Explanation: I wanted to choose 5 horror stories that made a long lasting impression, dark tales that have lingered upon and haunted my psyche. So in considering my list, there was no doubt that this independent 80's comic from Visigoth Studio, a small studio based out of Westbrook Maine, had to make the cut. That comic is New England Gothic #1, which tells the tale about a fictional, hidden town called Seths Neck off the coast of Maine. It is explained that the town suffered an evil curse long ago that had killed all population and left behind a ghost town hidden among an evil mist. A priest named Reverend Davies attempts to exorcize the demons of the town, but is tempted and killed by the beautiful Succubus within.  A ghost by the name of Spears contacts the Reverend's son Mordred, and upon learning of his father's death, makes his way to Seths Neck and meets a girl on the bus named Morgan who joins him along the way. When they arrive, Mordred gives his father a proper burial and is faced with the beauty of the Succubus, but is saved by Spears' undead dog named Drury. The group soon finds that Spears' son Donald has been possessed by a demon, and only the stagnant water of Blacks Pond can cure him. Mordred and Spears head to Black Bog, where they are met by the witch Magdalene and her two vampire guards. Mordred is able to kill the vampires thanks to a makeshift crossbow and a lucky gold-cross earring, and is able to escape with the water.  The pair return and are able to exorcize the demon from Donald, but the Succubus had been growing in power while they were gone. Morgan suggests trying to condition Mordred to resist the Succubus' power of temptation, and devises a plan to help him. Finally Mordred is ready, and heads to the cemetery alone, ready to face the Succubus. But the Succubus proves to be too powerful for Mordred to resist, and as he begins to fall into eternal slumber, the witch Magdalene appears and destroys the Succubus with a bolt of lightning, telling Mordred he is hers now. But since it's All Hallows Eve, she must let him go. Mordred returns home exhausted, and falls asleep in Morgan's arms to live another day.  LaPointe's writing is excellent and really envelopes the reader within the world of Seths Neck. Tom Brown's artwork adds a really creepy vibe to the story, and the end result is a terribly underrated yet forgotten little horror comic. If you ever happen to find this thing in a bargain bin, you won't be disappointed. Definitely worth checking out.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2014 17:17:29 GMT -5
Interesting. I own New England Gothic #1 (& only, AFAIK); not sure I've read it, though.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 1, 2014 17:31:00 GMT -5
#5: Uzumaki  Creative Team: Junji Ito
Publisher: Shogakukan/ Viz Media
Publication Year: 1998
Explanation of choice: I'm not huge into Manga, but this is one of few I've read and loved and it's seriously one of the most disturbing comics I've ever read. The story follows Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend Shuichi Sato as they attempt to escape from their village which is cursed by supernatural events involving spirals. With out actually adapting a Lovecraft story I feel like this is the closest his work has ever gotten in the visual media, the danger is subtle and the "monster" is vague and seemingly everywhere and more importantly has no explained reason for attacking the town.
And the art?
Simply amazing. With its heavy inks and cross hatched shading it gives the whole comic an ominous sense of foreboding that's similar to those horror movies of yore that kept you up at night after you spent the night alone in the dark watching them from between your fingers or over the edge of you blanket. </div></font> |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2014 18:05:52 GMT -5
Oooooh -- good pick, guardian. Never even occurred to me, but it certainly should have.
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Post by Rob Allen on Oct 1, 2014 19:04:35 GMT -5
That New England Gothic art is great, but the misspelling of "vial" as "vile" took me right out of the story. That sort of thing bugs me more than it should. I hope that was the only misspelling in the book.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Oct 1, 2014 19:12:18 GMT -5
bronzeagebrian's #5: New England Gothic #1
Writer: James LaPointe Artist: Tom Brown Publisher: Visigoth Studio Date: December 1986 Explanation: I wanted to choose 5 horror stories that made a long lasting impression, dark tales that have lingered upon and haunted my psyche. So in considering my list, there was no doubt that this independent 80's comic from Visigoth Studio, a small studio based out of Westbrook Maine, had to make the cut. That comic is New England Gothic #1, which tells the tale about a fictional, hidden town called Seths Neck off the coast of Maine. It is explained that the town suffered an evil curse long ago that had killed all population and left behind a ghost town hidden among an evil mist. A priest named Reverend Davies attempts to exorcize the demons of the town, but is tempted and killed by the beautiful Succubus within. A ghost by the name of Spears contacts the Reverend's son Mordred, and upon learning of his father's death, makes his way to Seths Neck and meets a girl on the bus named Morgan who joins him along the way. When they arrive, Mordred gives his father a proper burial and is faced with the beauty of the Succubus, but is saved by Spears' undead dog named Drury. The group soon finds that Spears' son Donald has been possessed by a demon, and only the stagnant water of Blacks Pond can cure him. Mordred and Spears head to Black Bog, where they are met by the witch Magdalene and her two vampire guards. Mordred is able to kill the vampires thanks to a makeshift crossbow and a lucky gold-cross earring, and is able to escape with the water. The pair return and are able to exorcize the demon from Donald, but the Succubus had been growing in power while they were gone. Morgan suggests trying to condition Mordred to resist the Succubus' power of temptation, and devises a plan to help him. Finally Mordred is ready, and heads to the cemetery alone, ready to face the Succubus. But the Succubus proves to be too powerful for Mordred to resist, and as he begins to fall into eternal slumber, the witch Magdalene appears and destroys the Succubus with a bolt of lightning, telling Mordred he is hers now. But since it's All Hallows Eve, she must let him go. Mordred returns home exhausted, and falls asleep in Morgan's arms to live another day. LaPointe's writing is excellent and really envelopes the reader within the world of Seths Neck. Tom Brown's artwork adds a really creepy vibe to the story, and the end result is a terribly underrated yet forgotten little horror comic. If you ever happen to find this thing in a bargain bin, you won't be disappointed. Definitely worth checking out. Wow. Horror meets the scope of epic fantasy. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Oct 1, 2014 19:13:23 GMT -5
#5: Uzumaki Creative Team: Junji Ito
Publisher: Shogakukan/ Viz Media
Publication Year: 1998
Explanation of choice: I'm not huge into Manga, but this is one of few I've read and loved and it's seriously one of the most disturbing comics I've ever read. The story follows Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend Shuichi Sato as they attempt to escape from their village which is cursed by supernatural events involving spirals. With out actually adapting a Lovecraft story I feel like this is the closest his work has ever gotten in the visual media, the danger is subtle and the "monster" is vague and seemingly everywhere and more importantly has no explained reason for attacking the town.
And the art?
Simply amazing. With its heavy inks and cross hatched shading it gives the whole comic an ominous sense of foreboding that's similar to those horror movies of yore that kept you up at night after you spent the night alone in the dark watching them from between your fingers or over the edge of you blanket. </div></font> Added to my want list. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 1, 2014 19:30:53 GMT -5
It's pretty great, its episodic nature makes the plot slightly weak but the visuals truly make up for it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2014 19:33:20 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure the (extremely worthwhile) movie adaptation made my Xmas list of favorite comics adapations a few years back.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 1, 2014 19:37:48 GMT -5
I've yet to see the film, how'd they handle the snail man?
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