My Side By King Kong!

Everybody's got a story, and as it turns out King Kong has a big one as related in My Side by King Kong. This 1976 farcical little "autobiography" is told from the point of view of the giant ape and as one might suspect his perspective on the whole caper is quite different. Walter Wager was a writer who wrote spy thrillers, but he's just a lowly sailor on the U.S.S. Venture when he met Stanley Harold Kong and became his friend. We learn that his dad was a gorilla named Arthur Kong, and his mother was Rose Saperstein from Philadelphia. 
 

To give you a sense of what this book is all about here are a some of my favorite passages.

"A funny thing happened to me on the way to the Empire State Building, as you may have heard. Here is the whole story: what happened before the movie, the truth about the picture crowd, how I was ripped off, and what I did after that fall off the building -- which was, by the way, filthy."

"To keep history straight, its name was Zumdum Island. The first thing that Mom said when she got a good look at the place was...well...unprintable. The second thing was a terrible scream, and the fourth (remember no thirds) was This is some dump. The faithful natives changed this just a bit to Zumdum, and it has remained that ever since."

"The people who lived there hadn't invaded and they weren't savage at all. They were a road company for Porgy and Bess shipwrecked en route from Chicago to Dallas."

"She [Fay Wray] was one of the most dedicated, decent, and respected stars of that marvelous era. She never beat her servants, abused Fatty Arbuckle, or went to orgies unless there were two separate sets of dishes."

"Bruce Cabot was more than met the eye. J. Edgar Hoover had personally selected him -- picked him over Pat O'Brien and Bing Crosby -- to make this journey into the unknown."

"There's one thing I can tell you about the Empire State Building. That first step is a bitch."

That's just a few of the insights given by Stan as he tells how he didn't kill any natives (that was Willis O'Brien's model's handiwork as was the train attack in NYC) and he only wanted to show Ann Darrow his etchings. He did reprise his role in King Kong vs. Godzilla, but he had no paw in the sequel Son of Kong. He continued to live in the United States and made money in yoghurt. He served eight years in the California legislature and even six in the U.S. Senate. He married a few times and claimed to have eighty-three children.

This is a salty bit of fluff and a quick run read. It would have made a wild Mel Brooks movie of that era.  Recommended to all Kong fans. 

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The Scarecrow!

One of the most short-lived and weirdest Marvel horrors was The Scarecrow who showed up for a one-time performance in Dead of Night #11.

There have been a lot of scarecrows in comics (see above), but this one was not a super-villain looking to boggle his superhero opponents, nor was he looking for a brain with unusual friends, nor was he saving the downtrodden of England from the burdens of excise taxation. This Scarecrow was a demon who was fit to fight other demons who wanted to take over this dimension from the other side.

Original Scarecrow Design by Byrne

Created by Scott Edelman, the original design for Scarecrow was done by the up and coming John Byrne, who first envisioned the incarnate demon a pumpkin-headed terror.

Later the design was altered to reflect a somewhat more serious horror.

In the two stories starring the Scarecrow (the second being in an issue Marvel Spotlight) we meet the demon who exists in a painting but is able to bond with a human being to become the bane of the Cult of Kalumai which seeks to prey on humanity itself. We meet three folks in our main cast, and two brothers both might be the Scarecrow, and we are left guessing who might have the role, if not both of them.

The story line is abruptly interrupted by cancellation but finds a resolution of sorts (as did so many fractured Marvel stories) in the pages of Marvel Two-In-One where we learn a few of the secrets but not all as the Scarecrow appears to help Ben Grimm repel the demon threat.

The Scarecrow was graced with some dandy artwork. His debut was drawn by Rico Rival and the second story by Ruben Yandoc. The reliable Ron Wilson seemed less able to handle the idiosyncratic character in h is MTIO appearance. 

Years later the character is renamed "Straw Man" and shows up here and there, notably in the pages of Doctor Strange. Of all the Marvel horror characters who rose up during the heady Bronze Age, the Scarecrow remains one of the least developed and least seen.

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Mort Todd's Monsters Attack!

Mort Todd was an editor for Cracked Magazine, MAD's longtime rival during the 80's. A fan of monsters, he incorporated them into Cracked with great success as born out by the Cracked companion magazine Cracked's Monster Party. Then Todd went one step further and created Monsters Attack. According to Todd, he did this without the okay of his publishers and pushed out a few issues before they even knew. They put a halt to the magazine until they saw the sales numbers and then gave it the thumbs up after a half year layoff. 

Todd wanted to create a magazine which was a synthesis of Famous Monsters of Filmland and Creepy. He succeeded, especially in the early issues. He tapped proven pros such as Steve Ditko, Gray Morrow, Pat Boyette, Gene Colan and even the reluctant Alex Toth. The latter didn't draw a new story for the magazine, but did offer up one he'd done for Charlton, but withheld due to the meager pay. (That story titled "Bookworm" was written by Nick Cuti and was given to Nicholas Alascia to draw. That story too is included in this collection for those who want to compare.) Todd took advantage of his position to ink a Ditko story, much to the story's detriment. Todd recognized his error thankfully and most of the Ditko stories are pure. 

But things grew difficult as the final issues began to be produced. Todd eventually left after purchasing stories for the fifth and final issue, but he had little control of the magazine after that. Given that these two collections are titled "Mort Todd's Monsters Attack!", he does not include any work he didn't commission or played a key role in obtaining. Strangely that seemed to also apply to a Poe adaptation by Walter Brogan from issue two. 

In addition to great horror tales by proven masters, we are treated to articles on movies, books, ranging from classic reviews of Universal's Frankenstein films to an exhaustive examination of the Godzilla movies. One of the stranger things in the collections is a detailed chart documenting Jason's kills over the course of several of the Friday the Thirteenth series. Even if like me you already own all five of the Monsters Attack! series, there is still some new-old goodness with "Transformation Flying", a Todd-John Severin effort which for some reason was never used and is delivered here for the first time. 

Here are the covers. 

(Debut cover inspired by the first issue of Creepy.)

(Severin cover meant to evoke that Famous Monsters of Filmland vibe.)

(Another solid John Severin offering of a splitting headache.)

(Severin again, this time it's Godzilla based on an Aurora model.)

(A George Bush --not that one--painting of Karloff's monster.)

These are fun comics produced by an editor who was rich with youth and energy, tapping veterans who were in need of a place to create. 

One great detail I never noticed is that the "Attack!" part of the title was copied from the vintage Charlton classic Fantastic Giants which celebrated the work of Steve Ditko. 

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The Spirit Archives Volume Twenty!

As The Spirit enters the 1950's in this twentieth volume of Will Eisner's The Spirit Archives, we see Will making steady use of comics material developed for other projects. Some of the best stories in the series are in this collection, but at the same time, the reader can detect that some of the momentum is leaving the series. 

Fan Mail January 1, 1950

This one shatters the fourth wall between the fictional universe and the reader as Commissioner Dolan and Sammy read supposed fan letters and dole out information. We are treated to The Spirit's secret identity of Denny Cole and told his height (71 inches) though his weight is discreetly withheld. We meet some of the lovely dames who have populated the strip in the last year or so with Dolan musing about what has happened to the lovely P'Gell. It's a light-hearted fluffy installment to kick off the year. 

Sand Saref January 8, 1950

This is a seminal Spirit story which makes use of Eisner material developed originally for a proposed but unpublished John Law Detective comic. The story begins with a cop getting gunned down on the waterfront, and then The Spirt finds a name from his past -- Sand Saref. He thinks back to his boyhood and the girl he first loved, but who drifted from him when his uncle murdered her father, a cop, and then killed himself in grief. Sand became involved with crime and ultimately left Central City and made quite the splash overseas during the war. 

Bring in Sand Saref January 15, 1950

The second part of the story deals with Sand Saref's gang which has gotten their hands on a deadly toxin. One member of the gang is especially murderous and despite Sand paying him off seeks to involve himself still. The Spirit arrives and Sand must choose between her old childhood love and her criminal allies. Her choice forces her to leave Central City. 

The splash for this story is a reworking, as is the rest of the story of a John Law Detective yarn. 

The Predictions of Druid Peer January 22, 1950

A streetwise seer makes a prediction for Sammy that he will have an adventure which will involve snow and gold. When The Spirit asks Sammy help him keep an eye on some thugs, he finds all the danger he can handle, especially when The Spirit is waylaid by the same criminals. As you might suspect, the  predictions seem to come true, but in ways one might not expect, especially thanks to the silent but deadly P.S. Smith. 

Ratt Trapp January 29, 1950

In a second adaptation of a John Law Detective story, we get this violent offering. Roger "Ratt" Trapp is a gangster and a hero of sorts to the kids of Central City's down and out areas, but when Trapp brutally guns down many of these kids, one survivor named Willum delivers key evidence to the police and goes to help rescue his friend who was snatched as a witness to the crime. The Spirit of course must bring Trapp to justice. The panel in which the children are murdered might well be the most brutal single image in the run of this long series. 

Nickles Nerser February 5, 1950

When Nickles Nerser goes missing it looks as if The Spirit might have killed him, leading Dolan little choice but to initiate a manhunt for Central City's vigilante. But the reports of the death of Nickles are exaggerated and instead it is The Spirit who is attempting to keep him safe from his own murderous Board of Directors, who fear an audit of the company pending a merger. The Spirit has his hands full in this one. 

Roller Derby February 12, 1950

Bascome Birch, a television operator is in love with Roller Derby star Rolla who unfortunately is hooked up with gangster Waxie Tallow, who wants Rolla to help him make some money by rigging the events. Birch goes to Commissioner Dolan with info on Tallow and Dolan assigns Sammy to help protect Bascome. Despite some strong odds, Bascome thinks he has a chance, but then Rolla announces a career change. As far as I can tell The Spirit only appears in one panel of this story as a silhouette. 

The Half Dead Mr. Lox February 19, 1950

The ghost of Garfield Lox seeks vengeance against his killer, a man named Gibbet. Gibbet is also the miser who gives some meager refuge to Willum Waif for money the poor shoeshine boy makes during his long days. When Willum learns of Gibbet's crimes because of Lox's insistence, he becomes potentially the next victim. Lox is unable to help him because of his weird ghostly state. But Dolan and The Spirit do arrive to save the day. This is another of the stories adapted from work done for the John Law project and Willum was once Nubbin the Shoeshine Boy, a character Eisner tried to get into print more than a few times. Willum will return. 

Blood of the Earth February 26, 1950

This story is an update of a vintage Spirit story from 1941 and it kicks off a wild adventure in which The Spirit spends some quality time with his old girlfriend Sand Saref. The Spirit has come to the desert to get hold of the Jewel of Gizeh in order to transport it to the Central City museum. To that end he makes contact with a Doctor Gregg. Also looking for the jewel are Sand Saref and two others who bid for it in the millions of dollars. 

Sammy and Delilah March 5, 1950

We return to Central City for a wild story in which Sammy is hypnotized by Syko T. Somatic, a bogus psychiatrist who uses Sammy's state to convince he's dynamic and strong. When Sammy becomes aware that a crooked fight promoter named Philly Steame wants to steal some official documents, Sammy is tricked into boxing a deadly fighter named Lion McRoar. When Sammy unexpectedly wins that fight, it becomes the duplicitous Deliah's mission to find out where the documents are. When she's done that Sammy is chained to two rotten pillars in the basement. You can guess how that turns out. The Spirit only appears in the final panel reading a letter from Sammy. 

The Jewel March 12, 1950

The splash page for this story is a reworked version of the planned cover for John Law Detective. The image has become arguably the most iconic image of The Spirit of all time. With the Jewel of Gizeh in his possession, The Spirit now must get back to Central City, but that will be difficult as Sand Saref, Mr. Carrion and a Colonel Ark all appear on the ship The Spirit hopes to use. He pretends to be blind so as to hide the gem. When the Captain of the ship proves to be a villain himself, the quartet find themselves stranded on an island. 

Carrion March 19, 1950

The Spirit, Sand Saref, Mr. Carrion and Colonel Ark are stranded on an island after the ship they used sinks. It's Captain though seems to have survived. The death of Ark pits the group against one another until they suspect the Captain and so search the ship. The always duplicitous Mr. Carrion and Julia seem once again to be up against impossible odds as only The Spirit and Sand Saref escape on a small raft. 

The Island March 26, 1950

The Spirit and Sand Saref find another island, but this one is occupied. Its sole resident is Archie Flye, a lookout stationed on the island at the behest of a gang of pirates. He's also a criminal that The Spirit had captured in times past and so seeks vengeance on our hero. It's up to Sand to save the day and as this episode ends the pair are at least alive with some provisions, though a pirate sub is headed their way. 

Water April 2, 1950

Slim Mozzle has had some tough times. He sunk all his savings into a water hauling business just as the government decided to flood a valley making his business useless. But a drought changes things, so he has high hopes of winning back his wife Sholly, who left him. His partnership with an Indian named Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rainmaker proves to be less than completely successful. Dolan makes a brief appearance in this April Fools Day offering, but there's no sign of The Spirit at all. 

Rescue April 9, 1950

Sand Saref and The Spirit are prepared for the pirates who show up at the island via a submarine. With cunning, traps and fisticuffs the duo escape the island and eventually make their way all the way back to Central City. But The Spirit is waylaid by thieves who still desire the Jewel of Gizeh, and we finally discover where he's been hiding it all this time. Who ultimately ends up with the jewel though is revealed in the final panel. 

...Taxes and The Spirit April 16, 1950

The U.S. Treasury Department discovers that it's been over a decade since The Spirit filed any taxes. They take our hero into custody, and he is forced to reveal that he's financed his operations with an inheritance from his father. To prove that he is forced to reveal to them his identity as Denny Colt. We are treated to a tender scene as an unmasked Spirit takes Ellen Dolan into his arms for a robust kiss. In the end, the agents decide to keep The Spirit's secret. 

A Day at the Zoo April 23, 1950

A young boy named Milty becomes fascinated by the lion at the zoo, so much so that he becomes separated from his school group and spends the night at the zoo. A storm allows the lion to get free and Milty runs for his life, ultimately taking refuge in the lion's own den. While The Spirit and Commissioner Dolan drive by for a single panel, it's up to Milty to save himself in this one. 

Wanted: Dangerous Job April 30, 1950

To make some money, The Spirit hires out his talents to Sandy Doon who has sold ten bulldozers to a Spartan Dirk in Africa. Dirk has manipulated politics so as not to have to pay Mr. Doon. The Spirit flies to Africa with the lovely Briget Doon as his pilot and Dolan and Sammy in tow. There our hero concocts a swindle using radioactive materials which results in Dirk becoming so distracted that Briget is able to shift the bulldozers offshore and then resell them to the desperate road builder. Dolan and Sammy return to Central City, but The Spirit stays in order to get more money. 

Pito May 7, 1950

This one is barely a Spirit story. Actually, the bulk of his story was drawn by Andre LeBlanc for an unpublished issue of Kewpies. Other than the fact that Pito tells The Spirit the yarn about Mohamet the Leopard, there's little to tie this in with the series either in content nor really in style. This is this side of a funny animal story and is not the only one in this collection. It's not a bad story, just not much of a Spirit story in my opinion. But it helped keep the lights on for one more week. 

The Robbery May 15, 1950

The Links Safety Deposit Company in Beanville is robbed of two million dollars by four thieves. In this story we follow the fate of one of these villains who ends up in Wildwood Cemetary. Lonely for The Spirit's company, Sammy unknowingly takes pity on the man and invites him into the lair. Meanwhile Dolan's police force is working overtime to locate the thieves and the money. Out villain takes Sammy hostage to help make his getaway but our young hero has other plans. The Spirit makes no appearance in this one. 

Big Arky May 21, 1950

Another of the Beanville thieves dominates this story as Big Arky concocts an elaborate scheme to hide his loot in a specially made wheelchair, and then he and his wife Mona sail to Cairo where they encounter The Spirit. Mona and Arky turn on each other with tragic and deadly consequences, not realizing that The Spirit suspects nothing. 

The Good Old Days May 28, 1950

The Spirit is preparing to leave Cairo and attempts to call Commissioner Dolan with no success. It turns out that Dolan and Sammy have taken the day to go to a baseball game. Dolan uses the opportunity to tell Sammy of a propitious game from 1907 between the Tigers and the Athletics. This is actually an unused story from the unpublished second issue of Baseball Comics. The art is mostly by Tex Blaisdell with some darkening to make it fit somewhat better in The Spirit universe. 

Alligator Farm June 4, 1950

When Snagg and Ice Debbin buy an out-of-the-way alligator farm in East Africa they are seeking to lie low and hide their ill-gotten gains from a Cairo bank robbery. The arrival of a smooth talker named Lampy Dank changes all that when he gets half control of the farm and wants to make it a big tourist attraction. But Lampy gets too greedy and gets killed for his efforts. Then The Spirit arrives and finds himself fighting alligators. The story is told to us by an alligator, one in which Snagg had hidden the stolen funds. 

Sammy the Explorer June 11, 1950

Sammy takes a notion to become an explorer and to that end teams up with a reluctant Commissioner Dolan to sail down Gloovers Creek. But the duo soon find themselves out to sea and out of sight of land, and in no small danger. They eventually wash up on land, but not in some distant land, but rather the Central City beach. Once again there is no sign of The Spirit, who is missing about every other episode at this point or thereabouts. 

Willum and the Baron June 18, 1950

This is yet another story adapted from an unpublished Nubbin the Shoeshine Boy story. Nubbin become Willum who is now living with his "Dad", a chap called the Baron. Actually, it is revealed that the Baron is merely Willum's guardian and an abusive one at that. A cop from Riverbend named Dick Whittler shows up and demands that either the Baron cough up thirty-five bucks he stole or come with him to jail. Willum has saved enough of his hard-earned money and pays the fine. Whittler asks The Spirit to keep an eye on Willum and that proves useful when the Baron gets involved with violent robbery which Willium takes the blame for. But maybe the Baron is not as bad as we thought. This yarn had a real Huckleberry Finn feel to it. 

Census 50 June 25, 1950

Henry Digit - Census Taker 407 supplies the report that frames this story. He is wrapping up his census report for his district when he learns that people might well live in a remote swamp area. A flyover allows him and the pilot to see "people".  The pilot denies what he saw. A later trip by boat fails to find a community. The Census Taker becomes obsessed with finding these "people" and flies over again with the original pilot only to see that the folks below have skull faces. His obsession causes him to attack his boss to gain access to earlier data which suggests the "people" are the supernatural remainders of those who likely died in a plane crash in 1944. 

This particular volume of the collection is fascinating in that it makes use of material Eisner never intended to use in the production of The Spirit, but rather he does make use of to overcome deadline pressures. In the case of the Sand Saref stories it succeeds quite well. 

But in other cases, it creates a strangely fragmented feel to the insertions. Particularly week are the stories used intended for Kewpies and Baseball Comics. It's fascinating as a reader who likes to find connections and follow the process of creation, but the frequent absence of The Spirit himself makes these stories less satisfying. 

Back in two weeks for volume twenty-one. 

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