Ray Bradbury’s story-telling prowess makes another very memorable appearance with “The October Game” in Shock SuspenStories #9 (March 1953). I love it a lot because it’s dark and scary in ways that are completely different from other bits of horror schlock that EC comes up with because it’s about the real and true horror within […]
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In Wonder Woman #59 (March 1953), Diana meets a doppleganger who has identical appearance and powers. This is Princess “Tara Terruna”, which means “Wonder Woman” in their language. Wonder Woman deduces that she is on a parallel Earth that has doubles of everyone on Earth: We are still a long ways away from a true […]
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Although it has been well-established that Superboy can willingly travel through time, in Adventure Comics #187 (February 1953), Superboy is accidentally snatched into the 25th century and must spend some time there until the next “fortuitous planetary conjunction”. While in the 25th century, he learns that records of the 20th century have been wiped out […]
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While EC was producing some of the most thought-provoking stories of their time, I can’t say the same thing was happening over at DC. In Batman #76 (February 1953), the Penguin escapes and starts assaulting Gotham City with giant mythical birds that appear to have powers. Amidst basilisks, dragons, and rocs, the Penguin introduced a […]
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In EC’s Weird Fantasy #18 (January 1953), the now-infamous story of “Judgment Day!” appears. This tells the story of an astronaut from Earth who lands on a planet populated by sentient robots to see if the planet is ready to enter the great Galactic Republic. After being taken through the orange robot’s society, the astronaut […]
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In “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Superman”, a story from Superman #81 (January 1953), the writers get even crazier with Superman’s costume. Earth passes through a kryptonite dust cloud, meaning all of Earth’s air has become lethal (or is it just weakening?) to Superman for one day. He retreats under the water and solves […]
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Speaking of dismemberment, The Haunt of Fear #17 (December 1952) also features a story drawn by Jack Davis called “Garden Party!”. A wife is driven insane by her insensitive boob of a husband who tramples her prize petunias during a barbecue – naturally she dismembers him and roasts his bits on the barbecue. EC Comics […]
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The Haunt of Fear #17 (December 1952) continues to showcase Ghastly Graham Ingels‘ artwork with a truly twisted tale called “Horror We? How’s Bayou?”. In this twisted tale, a creepy Sidney, living in the Bayou, lures strangers out to his lonely home so that his insane brother Everett can murder them and dis-member them. After […]
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In the there-are-no-new-ideas department, House of Mystery #11 (December 1952) features a story in which a man discovers a way to manipulate time, but then accidentally becomes trapped on a single day. Deja vu? Sadly this is just the twist ending of the story, and they do not delve too deeply into what a time […]
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The beginnings of putting Superman / Superboy in increasingly crazier situations starts in Superboy #24 (December 1952). In “The Super-Fat Boy of Steel!”, experimental rays from the college of agricultural has made all the teens of Smallville fat over night, including Superboy/Clark. Naturally it is undone as fast as it happened, and spoiler alert: Lana […]
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