[MarkWarner]

This week we are heading to the darkside with some pre-code horror courtesy of Chamber of Chills Magazine #7 https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=17444.

The main story is the first one Pit Of The Damned, I had a quick glance at the book and it looks rather nasty! So we'll see...

[crashryan]

Right off the bat I admit I've never had the stomach for grisly horror stories. Back in my EC fan days I loved the s-f books but couldn't handle the horror titles, which were the ones that got all the press. I was prejudiced before starting this book.

"Pit of the Damned" is tailor-made for Bob Powell. His inventive layouts make a weird story even weirder. To me everyone Powell drew looks grotesque. Even his "beautiful people" are grotesque: his heroes with their big noses and fat lips; his heroines with voluptuous bodies topped by bony, distorted heads and, again, fat lips (Powell was way ahead of the Botox trend). When Powell deliberately draws misshapen people, as he does here, he really goes over the top. I'm unsatisfied with the business about the hobo. Not just because he doesn't deserve his fate, which he doesn't. He doesn't belong in the story at all. The only reason I can imagine for including him is that the writer wanted someone to carry to story back to the real world.

"Crawling Death" is repugnant. Ecch. Serviceable art.

"Garden of Horror" is one of those stories that invents a ridiculous, convoluted excuse for the events of the story. In this case it's the Vase-That-Kills-Things-But-It-Gets-Worse-If-You-Burn-the-Things-It-Kills. The ancient cultists must have worked overtime creating rule books for their curses, the way gamers did for Dungeons and Dragons. Vase: kills people, turns them into plants if you roll 8, returns from dead if burned, 48 Hit Points. A capable art job by Certa with a couple of nice compositions, but mostly blah.

"Seal of Satan" stirred memories because the penciller, the late Manny Stallman, was a friend of mine. He used to tell me "Johnny" Giunta was his favorite inker. Indeed they were a good team. Manny tended to ink his own work in a bold, rough style that wasn't to everyone's taste. Giunta kept the best of Manny's drawing while adding a slicker finish. The story offers another of those unsurprising surprise endings. Here's a rule of thumb: if it's nearly the last story page and the woman (or man, for that matter) is shown from the back for two or more panels, he/she is gonna turn around and be either a demon or a monster. Or dead. Or rotting. Or a skeleton. You get the idea.

The scripts in these stories share a bizarre stylistic trait: almost all the adjectives are in BOLDFACE. I always hear comic dialogue in my head, with boldface words emphasized. Spoken aloud this text sounds all wrong. Try it: "SICKENED by the FRIGHTENING thought, the old man hurries from the shop, his CRUMBLING mind...etc." Jack Kirby used to do this, but what it mostly reminds me of is those godawful Alan Hewetson "Horror-Mood" stories from the dark days of the B&W horror mags.

[misappear]

Another Monday, another school closing.  I'll be teaching til July at this rate. 

As i started to read this comic, the ads for ladies apparel completely threw me. It must have been line placement for Harvey titles, but what an odd thing it was.

A comparison to EC is justified. I've read all the ECs, and i don't recall ever seeing images such as the tortured people in hell, or the field of impaled heads. Gore for sure, but I'm not one to say unnecessary. I'm just the observer of someone else's vision.  He/she/they need to judge their own motives in presentation.  As Crash pointed out, Powell was up for the task on our focus story.

The stories differ from EC in the lack of irony, sometimes with a touch of humor, that Gaines and Feldstein built the line on. Where EC was thought-provoking, these stories were disturbing.

The giant crab story was remarkable to me not for its twist, but for the use of the woman killed and eaten by the crabs. That character's role in the tale affected my reading so much as to distract from what seemed to be the human-turns-into-crab conclusion. I found it really gruesome? 

If I was a little kid back in the day, this comic may have been nightmare material. 

But it still doesn't make Wertham right, the hack....

Hasta la semana que viene,

--Dave

[mr_goldenage]

Aggg HORROR! Aggg Im gonna Die! and go to hell! aGGG..O alright I will read it, drat.

RB @ Work

[narfstar]

I guess being part of a reading group means reading crap. The only redeeming quality was decent art. Story was cranked out horror, trying to come up with something else to fill the pages.

[Drusilla lives!]

"Pit Of The Damned" is definitely the standout imo, with a decent story paired with some really memorable  Bob Powell art.  I was always impressed by Powell's inventive, surrealist Shadow Comics covers, but boy could he do horror as well!   

"Garden of Horror" was the next best piece in the issue due mostly to the rather gruesome, but effective artwork.  The story itself was passible imo.     

Speaking of gruesome art, "Crawling Death" had it in spades... not only did I find it uninspired, but there are some really nasty scenes here as well (made all the more gruesome by said uninspired art I suppose).  All I can say about the story itself is that it was (mercifully) a quick read.

"The Seal of Satan," meh... but better then Crawling Death.

Found the text pieces amusing and the "Man Made Horrors" illustrated short rather interesting as well.

Nothing here as good as what I've read in EC's horror comics, both in terms of writing and art... but particularly in the writing... but then I'm somewhat bias.  Oddly though, with a little reworking, I could see some of these stories fitting in nicely in a Warren mag like Eerie or Creepy for some reason. 

Nuff said.   

[Drusilla lives!]

... As i started to read this comic, the ads for ladies apparel completely threw me. It must have been line placement for Harvey titles, but what an odd thing it was. ...

Me too... I saw those ads and was thinking what the heck???

... A comparison to EC is justified. I've read all the ECs, and i don't recall ever seeing images such as the tortured people in hell, or the field of impaled heads. Gore for sure, but I'm not one to say unnecessary. I'm just the observer of someone else's vision.  He/she/they need to judge their own motives in presentation.  As Crash pointed out, Powell was up for the task on our focus story.

The stories differ from EC in the lack of irony, sometimes with a touch of humor, that Gaines and Feldstein built the line on. Where EC was thought-provoking, these stories were disturbing.

I agree completely... although I wouldn't necessarily use disturbing to describe these stories, it's a bit too strong imo, they are after all just comics books. 

... 
The giant crab story was remarkable to me not for its twist, but for the use of the woman killed and eaten by the crabs. That character's role in the tale affected my reading so much as to distract from what seemed to be the human-turns-into-crab conclusion. I found it really gruesome?  ...

Ditto.  Those panels with the partially eaten corpse were particularly gruesome imo.

[paw broon]

I don't think I enjoyed this.  Not having read many horror comics, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Pit of the Damned doesn't seem to make sense.  At first, the bloke is standing outside what is described as "the broken empty remnants of a once gay carnival"  which suggested it was derelict, shut, closed down, deceased. But it seems it isn't all that.  Then the hag just gives up the book. Eh?!
Why does he continue with that plea? Perhaps he's already mad.  Then it becomes too gruesome for me.  I notice yet again that nudity is shied away from but "living" heads on spikes and immolated bodies are no problem.  Enjoyed the art but then, I like Powell's stuff.
The crab story was horrible. "I'm going to kill it. It might be some rare species"  Eh?!
Garden of Horrors.  Bailey says he bought the vase from a hideous old man, yet, when we see him, he looks quite normal.  The bloke in the shop just gives up "the Secret".  If it was that unimportant, why not reveal it when Bailey bought the thing?
Nothing to say about the last story apart from variation on a well known theme.
All in all a rather unappetizing experience.

Modifying this to add that I read Forbidden Worlds 074, which has just been commented on, and I enjoyed it much more.

[narfstar]

Gruesome looks to be the only thing going for the book. I guess that is what it was bought for at the time. I have flashbacks to the Black and Whites. They reprinted these stories and in my early teens that was what I bought them for. The more gruesome the better. Not so appealing now. The best part of the book was the promo editorial on the contents page.

[MarkWarner]

I have been avoiding reading other peoples' Reading Group comments until after I have written mine, so that I give an honest opinion. But I do have a look before I post, in case there is something I have missed, or can add to. So like some others I was really surprised by the women's clothing advertisements.

Maybe they had a per impression deal and were slapping them on everything, or were short of advertising and had to use these (I can't believe the advertiser paid much), that's all I can think of.

BUT HANGON... I just realized those on our Page 4 for "Dream Girl Fashions" are different. They are for gentlemen to buy for their ladies, and have been tailored (sorry) for a horror magazine "Bewitching - Daring Black Magic", "Heaven Sent - Oriental Magic" "Black Sorcery  - Daring Bare-Back She'll be entranced with it"

[bowers]

About the only thing I really liked about this issue was Powell's artwork, but even some of that was a bit disturbing. That man could draw faces! Still can't figure out how Graham knew exactly where to get the book and how he got it so very easily. Not a bad tale of a man whose obsessions destroy him in the end. Did enjoy the line, "Never fear, old woman!! The land of the damned is FAR from the grounds of my carnival!!" I tried to look up the writer on the GCD, but got Powell's name with a question mark behind it. Anyone have any info? Can't say much for the next two tales- poor art and pretty much just violence for it's own sake. "Seal of Satan", although predictable, was a bit more fun. Also enjoyed the last text story, "The Dragging Death"- short, simple, and effective. We've really been moving through the genres- what's left? Westerns? War? Romance? Anthropomorphic animals? Can't wait to see what you pull out of your hat, Mark! I'm really enjoying this. Cheers, Bowers

[MarkWarner]

Hi Bowers!!

Well they are not exactly coming out of my hat... it was made for me by someone quite smart and as you have guessed there was quite a lot of thought involved.

I am glad you are enjoying it. I am as well, actually really getting into it. I just hope the Reading Group lasts the course.

[paw broon]

Well, I am shocked!  Here was me thinking you were randomly picking comics for us all.  All the time you have a tame expert doing the work!!!!
Anyway, no matter who's picking them, this is good fun. So what that some of us don't particularly enjoy them, it makes for some interesting comments and it stretches my boundaries  But I am surprised we have had so few arguments. 
Don't see why it shouldn't keep going, although I wish we could tempt a few more readers in.
Any chance you fancy chucking in the odd contrast week.  E.G. this last one.  I read the comic you put up and noticed we had had a comment on a comics code ACG at the same time, so I read it also and felt it would have been interesting to read other folks opinions of which they enjoyed most and why.  Just a thought and I don't want to give readers and pickers more to do than they already have.

[MarkWarner]

Well that is an great idea! I was about to throw the group open to suggestions and a comparison against a book we have already read would be a cool reason to choose it.

What I was thinking of is if people PM'ed or emailed me with book suggestions I can make up a list for future weeks and it would be anonymous .. a kinda secret Santa thing of sorts (well nothing like it at all)

[twiztor]

Pit of the Damned was ok. some nice artwork, but the storyline left much to be desired. it seemed that it was the hag giving up the book of spells without a second thought was quizzical. and the hobo. very odd.
i didn't mind the warped creatures of the burning bodies or the heads on stakes. i probably would've dug it as a kid, but it doesn't do anything for me now.

the crab story was equally ridiculous. the visual of a half-eaten body probably raised a few eyebrows in its day. once again, i'm not offended or grossed out or anything, but it did catch my attention.



looking forward to next week!