551 – The Monkey

A panel from Shock SuspenStories #12, September 1953
A panel from Shock SuspenStories #12, September 1953

Another tale about drug use from EC’s Shock SuspenStories #12 (September 1953): The Monkey. This one is a pretty brutal take on a young man who goes from marijuana user to heroin addict within a year. He ends up stealing from his parents who discover his habit. He storms out after hitting his father with a lamp because he doesn’t want to go “cold turkey”.

Another panel from Shock SuspenStories #12, September 1953

That may be the first time the word “diarrhea” has made it into a comic book. He ends up in a cheap hotel room where a cop finds him and arrests him for murdering his father.

These ain’t your kid’s comic books anymore!