Thursday, July 7, 2011

Corpses on Cue

Here's another zonkers zombie post, this time from the May 1953 issue of Web of Mystery #18. A tale of voodoo and possession with really nice art, plus one of those "Wait, what just happened?!" endings. Say, who else besides me wants to hear The Amazing Criswell read the closing narrative in the final panel?

[Unusually, this comic's remake got posted before the original! Compare Eerie Publication's "Zombie Magic" here! -- Nequam]



Daniel [] said...

Earlier, you posted the Eerie Publications reworking of this story.

bzak said...


I would think the smell of rotting flesh would tip somebody off that something wasn't quite right with that guy.

Brian Riedel

Anonymous said...

1. *how much time has passed during the story? Delores (one minute) is a beautiful woman and next thing she looks like (to use a cliche) "Death warmed over*!

2. I take it *no body* thought that the zombies would at some time plan revolt? Hey, people, read American, (heck read *Haitian or other Afro-Carribean*) history! Or, maybe, the Book of Exodus; (a bit of a sretach, maybe!)

Exploiting zombies is *against the rules of Voodoo? Is'nt expolitation the main reason for creating fictional (pre-Romero) or real zombies* in the first place? I always thought using zombies was supposed to be the Carribean version of moving the plant, mill, ect. to Mexico, China, Pakistan, Central America and the like in American terms!


*We all know walking corpses don't exist; but there are supposedly ways of rendering some poor unfortunate into something that resembles a corpse while still alive and conscious; while often or usually leaving some nasty brain damage in it's wake!


Eric Stott said...

Wow, those are really talkative zombies

buzz said...

Does anybody ever talk in this comic w/o turning in Basil Exposition?

Mr. Cavin said...

I always thought that the end of this story was pretty cruel. This isn't the guy responsible for the death or eternal zombification of these people, he's just using their superpowers in his act the very same way generations of vaudevillians have enlisted the aid travelers returned from the west Indies as Siamese twins or bearded ladies. My takeaway here is that zombies are kind of overreacting bastards. Believe me, if I ever die from some tropical disease or crossing the street, I would very much appreciate being brought back to life in such an erudite and impervious format.

Mike H said...

The Ace stuff is good... a bit verbose (Burgos loved cutting the text in half for the Eerie remakes), but always with crisp, effective art! Good stuff!

Mr. Karswell said...

I didn't make the connection between this story and the Eerie Pub "re-make" that I posted a few months ago, so I appreciate you guys pointing it out... more proof that I've possibly read waaaay too many of these stories, haha.

Anyway, I sure do love that first panel at the top of page 6... and I have to agree with Mr C on this tale, what exactly did Skane do to deserve that fate?

More from this great issue of Web of Mystery next-- in fact, how about a Lou Cameron sea monster story?

Pamachu Productions said...

"Eeeyiiiaaahhh! Mambo-zambo! Junga-Junga!"

Is it just me, or is this the beginning of the next hit Halloween novelty song?