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| I first saw "Ivan's Woe" in a fanzine article on Howard Nostrand (which introduced me to this wonderful artist), where it was pointed out that the combat scene was a tribute to a similar page by Wallace Wood over at EC, but noted that Nostrand did not duplicate any of Wood's drawings, just the overall feel of it, the rhythm, and the feeling of watching a movie. I wonder what Wood thought of it. |
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| Tempted by Muffaroo’s intro, I picked this one up and what a joy it was! Just take a look at that extraordinary opening page for the Huckster – is Manny Stallman a genius or what?
As mentioned earlier, Nostrand’s pencils on Ivan-Woe are uncannily like Wally Wood – so beautiful to look at, I entered a catatonic state and began to drool from the corner of my mouth – didn’t like the ending much though.
The Wig-Maker was more to my taste – an exemplary tale of recycling in my opinion. So-what-next builds the tension nicely - it's a neat way to present the suspects with each calling at the office one at a time. Which one is the mad killer? |
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| Stallman obviously put a lot of injokes on that splash page,some of which we can't get now without knowing the context.
However, on the windows >
'Editorial Department, Art Department, AAA.'
[A scream of frustration? Or a dig at someones liquor intake? ]
Wonder who that was aimed at?
Several signs about money and high Taxes.
And in the foreground, STATION backwards can be read 'NO TATS'
Do you get the feeling he was having a hard time financially?
I find myself wondering if the face of 'Lucy' in the last panel represents. One of his bosses with Red skin perhaps?
Classic! |
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| I had a great time reading the signs. I wonder how many were Manny's and how many inker Jack Abel's ideas. Many are riffs on common business signs: open for business/closed for business/open for suggestions. "Bundles for Brooklyn" plays on the New York-based British War Relief Society, a charity which shipped clothing and medical supplies to England during WWII under the name "Bundles for Britain." My favorites are "Highest Prices! We Will Not Be Overpriced!" and "Special! This Year Only!"
The jokey signs fit right into the comic's strange blend of Mad magazine and typical weird comics. |
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| Additional Information |
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| Publication | February 1954 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 1 | Frequency: bi-monthly |
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| Credits | Pencils: Lee Elias (signed) | Inks: Lee Elias (signed) | Letters: Joe Rosen |
| Content | Genre: Horror-suspense |
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| Foreword/Afterword | Dear Readers (1 page) |
| Credits | Script: Leon Harvey? | Pencils: Bill Benulis?; Howard Nostrand; Joe Certa?; Bob Powell | Inks: Jack Abel; Howard Nostrand; Bob Powell? | Letters: typeset |
| Notes | Introductory text with small partial panels from this issue's stories. |
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| Comic Story | Henry Small.... Huckster (5 pages) |
| Synopsis | Henry Small is a con man who will talk his way out of any predicament, until he is finally shot dead. Facing the devil Small strikes his next bargain. |
| Credits | Pencils: Manny Stallman | Letters: Joe Rosen |
| Content | Genre: Humor; Crime; Horror-suspense | Characters: Henry Small |
| Notes | Sid Jacobson's name is on a billboard on the splash panel disguised as Sid J. Kobson, indicating he probably wrote or edited the story or the comic. Another name on the board is "Basil G. Umblower." Noted by Gary Watson, May 2008.
Previous art credit was Bill Benulis and Jack Abel by Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. |
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| Text Story | Mister Master (1 page) |
| Synopsis | A man starts seeing people who aren't there and lands in an asylum. |
| Credits | Letters: typeset |
| Content | Genre: Drama |
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| Featuring | Mother Mongoose's Nursery Crimes |
| Credits | Pencils: Howard Nostrand | Inks: Howard Nostrand | Letters: Joe Rosen |
| Content | Genre: Humor |
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| Comic Story | Solomon Grundy |
| Featuring | Mother Mongoose's Nursery Crimes |
| Credits | Pencils: Howard Nostrand | Inks: Howard Nostrand? | Letters: Joe Rosen |
| Content | Genre: Humor; Horror-suspense |
| Notes | Criminal version of the Solomon Grundy nursery rhyme. |
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| Comic Story | Ivan's-Woe (5 pages) |
| Synopsis | Sir Hugo duels Sir Ivan after a slight from Elizabeth. Ivan wins, but is horribly disfigured. |
| Featuring | A Boo of the Month |
| Credits | Pencils: Howard Nostrand | Inks: Howard Nostrand | Letters: Joe Rosen |
| Content | Genre: Adventure | Characters: Sir Ivan Gwaine of Hampshire; Sir Gerald; Elizabeth; Fitzhugh; Sir Hugo Lavon of Blackmore; King John |
| Notes | "Boo of the Month" (Ivanhoe parody)
Thanks to Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine for the artist information. |
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| Comic Story | The Wig-Maker (5 pages) |
| Synopsis | Lem Boone is a famous wig-maker. The secret to his life-like wigs is that he robs graves and scalps the dead. Boone goes too far when he desecrates the burial mound of an American native warrior. |
| Credits | Pencils: Joe Certa? | Inks: Jack Abel | Letters: Joe Rosen |
| Content | Genre: Horror-suspense |
| Notes | Cover story |
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| Text Story | Doomsday (1 page) |
| Synopsis | The night watchman of an art gallery is frightened by the exhibited horror art. |
| Credits | Letters: typeset |
| Content | Genre: Horror-suspense |
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| Featuring | Mother Mongoose's Nursery Crimes |
| Credits | Pencils: Howard Nostrand | Inks: Howard Nostrand? | Letters: Joe Rosen |
| Content | Genre: Humor |
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| Featuring | Mother Mongoose's Nursery Crimes |
| Credits | Pencils: Howard Nostrand? | Inks: Howard Nostrand? |
| Content | Genre: Humor |
| Notes | Criminal version of a nursery rhyme. |
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| Comic Story | So What Next (5 pages) |
| Synopsis | Receptionist Dona Chepper sits all alone by the phone, fearing that the madman terrorizing the town might come to visit her. |
| Credits | Script: Bob Powell? | Pencils: Bob Powell | Inks: Bob Powell? | Letters: Joe Rosen |
| Content | Genre: Crime; Horror-suspense |
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| The data in the additional content section is courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under a
Creative Commons Attribution License.
More details about this comic may be available in their page here |
