SKEERY HALLOWEEN COMICS - PART THREE

ENJOYED HALLOWEEN BY TAKING A BREAK FROM ALL RESPONSIBILITY INCLUDING DOING HALLOWEEN STUFF. LAZINESS IS FUN. BUT NOW IT'S TIME TO WORK. WATCHING A SCARY MOVIE AND TYPING UP ANOTHER COMIC BLOG. OH THE DRUDGERY

GHOST MANOR #43 JUNE 1979

CHARLTON COMICS ARE MOSTLY KNOWN FOR THE CHARACTERS ALAN MOORE TRANSMOGRIFIED INTO THE WATCHMEN BUT THEY WERE AROUND 40 YEARS AND PUBLISHED EVERY KIND OF GENRE COMIC YOU CAN THINK OF. SUPERHERO, ROMANCE, WAR, WESTERN, FUNNY ANIMAL, AND LOTS OF HORROR. GHOST MANOR WAS AN ANTHOLOGY SERIES HOSTED BY MR. BONES, THE SKELETON BUTLER. HE LOOKS A LITTLE CHUBBY ON THE COVER TO BE A SKELETON BUT HE'S GOT A NEAT LOOKING DESIGN AT LEAST. CHARLTON COMICS AREN'T AS METICULOUSLY DOCUMENTED AS MARVEL AND DC BUT IF THE INTERWEBS ARE CORRECT THIS IS A STEVE DITKO COVER. IT'S A PRETTY STRIKING COVER AT THAT WITH THAT CRAZY-ASS BUILDING GHOST SURPRISED BY THE DUDE PLUMMETING DOWNWARD. DITKO ALSO DREW THE COVER STORY ABOUT A CRAZY IRISH CONSTRUCTION WORKER WHO HAUNTS A BRIDGE AND SAVES PEOPLE TO THE THEME OF DANNY BOY.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE CONSTRUCTION GHOST IS THE LEAST WEIRD STORY IN THE BOOK. THE COMIC OPENS UP WITH A MAN DEATHLY TERRIFIED OF HIS OWN SKELETON. OF COURSE THE GUY GOES TO MR. BONES ASKING FOR HELP AND HOO BOY DOES HE GET IT. THE NEXT TALE IS  HORRIBLE  BUT IN A DIFFERENT WAY. A REAL ESTATE AGENT SHOWS THE LEADER OF A BIKER GANG THE MANSION HE JUST INHERITED, BUT THE GUY'S A SCUMBAG AND DECIDED HE WANTS HER ALONG WITH THE MANSION. LUCKILY THE ORIGINAL OWNER SHOWS UP TO SAVE THE DAY. THE LAST STORY IS A ONE PAGE GAG COMIC WITH THE PANEL ABOVE. 'I'LL BECOME AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL PETTY PUNK" IS A DAMN MOOD FOR SURE.

ANOTHER THING ABOUT CHARLTON IS THEY WERE NOTORIOUS FOR BEING REALLY CHEAP AND LOW BUDGET WHICH GAVE THEM KIND OF A SLEAZY FEEL. ADVERTISEMENTS LIKE THIS SURE DIDN'T HELP MATTER. IT'S A BELT BUCKLE RIGHT KIDS - NUDGE NUDGE, WINK WINK. "DANGEROUS IF MISUSED" AS IF WEARING BRASS KNUCKLES ON YOUR BELT IS PROPER USE. THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONABLE ADS IN THIS COMIC, IF I EVER DO ANOTHER LUDICROUS ALL-ADS POST AGAIN I'LL HAVE TO DO IT ON THIS COMIC

JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC #4 SEPTEMBER 2003

AW YEAH JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC. CYNICAL FUCKED-UP SELF-LOATHING VIOLENT DEPRESSED HILARIOUSNESS. WITH GOTHS EVERYWHERE. MAN THIS STUFF IS LIKE DISTILLED GEN-X. IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE COMIC IT DOES EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN. THE MAIN CHARACTER IS JOHNNY AND HE'S A HOMICIDAL MANIC. THERE'S A LOT OF MURDER AND TORTURE AND TALKING ABOUT MURDER AND TORTURE AND MORE MURDER ALL DRAWN IN A STYLE REMINISCENT OF GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM ON ACID. WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS I LOVE THIS. ALTHOUGH I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT NICKELODEON WERE THINKING WHEN THEY READ THIS AND HIRED JHONEN TO CREATE A KIDS SHOW

HERE'S A GOOD COUPLE PANELS TO EXPLAIN THIS COMIC. JOHNNY HAS A CRISIS OF CONSCIENCE AND QUESTIONS WHY HE MURDERS EVERYONE HE MEETS. WHEN HE OBVIOUSLY SHOULD BE TORTURING THEM. THIS IS ALL LAID OUT IN A 5 PAGE STORY WHERE HE IS ARGUING WITH A DISEMBODIED RABBIT HEAD. THAT AIN'T EVEN THE BEST PART THE BEST PART IS THE DISCLAIMER:

YOU GET YOUR MORAL GUIDANCE IN THE MOVIES, STUPID! FILTHY BITTER CYNICAL PESSIMISTIC NEGATIVE DESPAIR. WITH GOTHS! THIS STUFF IS SO GOOD. I MEAN, IT'S BAD, AND TERRIBLE, AND WRONG, AND HASN'T AGED WELL SINCE WE NOW LIVE IN A WORLD FULL OF JOHNNYS, MANY OF WHOM RUN THE COUNTRY BUT WHEN I READ THIS COMIC I FEEL THAT BEAUTIFUL CYNICAL DETACHMENT OF MY YOUTH AND CAN JUST BLISS OUT TO THE GOTHY ENNUI. NOT TO MENTION A LOT OF THIS STUFF IS DOWNRIGHT HILARIOUS

YOU GET NO CONTEXT FOR THIS PANEL. JUST LOOK AT IT AND LAUGH. I'M LAUGHING AND I CAN'T STOP

JUNJI ITO'S FRANKENSTEIN - HALLOWEEN COMICFEST 2018

GONE FULL CIRCLE NOW STARTING WITH FRANKENSTEIN AND ENDING WITH FRANKENSTEIN. OR IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FULL CIRCLE IF I HAD TIME TO WRITE UP POST NUMBER TWO YESTERDAY. I'VE ALREADY SCANNED AND UPLOADED THE PICS SO I'LL PROBABLY POST IT FOR THANKSGIVING* OR SOMETHING

JUNJI ITO IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST YOU SHOULD STOP READING THIS SCHLOCK NOW AND READ HIS COMICS. START WITH THE ENIGMA OF AMIGARA FAULT IF YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ITO. MY PERSONAL FAVORITE IS UZUMAKI. THE THING ABOUT UZUMAKI IS THE CRONENBERGIAN LEVELS OF BODY HORROR THAT RANGE FROM THIS IS LUDICROUSLY SILLY TO OH MY GOD I DON'T WANT TO EXIST IN A BODY ANYMORE. ALL DRAWN IN LURID HYPER-DETAIL. THE BOOK IS SPLIT INTO CHAPTERS THAT EACH FOCUS ON A DIFFERENT METHOD OF HORRIBLIZING PEOPLE AND I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE THE MOST HARD CORE HORROR MOTHERFUCKER ALIVE IF YOU READ THAT BOOK EVENTUALLY ONE OF THE CHAPTERS IS GONNA FUCK UP YOUR SHIT BADLY. MY CHAPTER IS THE BABIES. THAT'S ALL I'M GOING TO SAY, JUST... BABIES

UGH

ANYWAY THIS IS ITO'S ADAPTATION OF MARY SHELLY'S FRANKENSTEIN. LUST LOOK AT THAT COVER. I COULD LOOK AT THAT COVER FOR HOURS. THOSE EYES. OH MY LORD THOSE EYES. THE INSIDE OF THE BOOK IS AS AMAZING AS THE COVER IS GORGEOUS. THIS IS A FREE COMIC BOOK DAY COMIC THAT'S BASICALLY AN ADVERTISEMENT OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL. FROM WHAT'S IN THE COMIC THE ADAPTATION IS A GOOD ONE, LOTS OF MOODY GOTHIC NIGHTMARES, MOULDERING CORPSES AND HORRIBLE CREATIONS. JUST LOOK AT THIS HANDSOME FELLOW

HNNNGH! INDEED. THE DESIGN IS MORE HAMMER THAN UNIVERSAL WHICH WORKS WELL WITH ITO'S STYLE. WE DON'T LEARN MUCH ABOUT THE CREATURE IN THE PREVIEW BUT WE DO KNOW JUNJI HAS A FIRM GRASP ON THE STORY

VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN IS THE REAL MONSTER HERE. MY GOD LOOK AT THE FACE ON THAT GUY. HORRIFYING

AND HERE'S VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN SMOOSHING A BRAIN JUST BECAUSE IT'S FUN

SPLCH!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! ASSUMING YOU ARE IN THE PACIFIC TIME ZONE

*I HAVE TWO MORE POTENTIAL HORROR COMIC POSTS LIKE THIS AS WELL LINED UP IF I EVER GET AROUND TO IT. CHRISTMAS MAYBE?