Monster of the Day #1070

Surely the knife’s just pro forma; the guy can tear apart Uboats with his bare hands.

  • Flangepart

    AUG. No.35

    Post Yalta, eh? And who knew commies had auto-loading spear guns and trained commie octopuses.

  • Luke Blanchard

    Marvel’s most successful Golden Age characters were the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and Captain America. But there was a great die-off of superhero features in US comics in the later 40s, and all three fell victim to it. In the mid-50s Marvel tried a revival of their features, beginning with YOUNG MEN #24 in Aug. 1953 (on sale date), but didn’t stick with it, so the Captain America and Human Torch revivals were over in less than a year. The Sub-Mariner’s feature continued a bit over a year longer.
    Although the Sub-Mariner’s creator, Bill Everett, drew the stories, in the earlier part of the revival Namor lacked super-strength and the ability to fly. A story with this version of Namor – in fact, from the above issue – can be found in Les Daniels’s MARVEL book. It involves a monster named Elmer which looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon and is afraid of water. Marvel gave Subby his strength and ankle wings back in SUB-MARINER COMICS #38, at a point when the others’ features had already been cancelled, and cancelled the title with #42. He next returned in FANTASTIC FOUR #4 (1962) as the heroes’ antagonist.

  • Luke Blanchard

    Might I suggest four more cephalopod images, for possible use in the future?
    -First, the original cover to Gilberton’s CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #56, adapting Victor Hugo’s THE TOILERS OF THE SEA, which shows Gilliat fighting the octopus. When Gilberton updated the adaptation it instead used a painted cover showing the octopus lurking.
    -Second, the cover to MARVEL CLASSIC COMICS #4, which reprinted an adaptation of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA originally published by Pendulum Press. This shows Nemo in the grip of the giant squid.
    -Third, the painted cover of FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES, June 1945, which reprinted William Hope Hodgson’s THE BOATS OF THE ‘GLEN CARRIG’. The cover depicts the sequence where the sailors spot a derelict ship covered by a giant “devilfish”, and recalls Montfort’s famous image of a giant octopus attacking a ship (Monster of the Day #112).
    -Fourth, the B&W cover of THE ILLUSTRATED POLICE NEWS Oct. 17, 1896, which is unmissable.

  • Beckoning Chasm

    Hey, octopus–you’re trying to grab Namor by using your arms with the sucker-side UP. You’re doing it wrong.

  • Gamera977

    Elmer? I keep thinking Elmo from Sesame Street- him fighting Namor gives me the giggles.

  • bgbear_rnh

    Rooskies in Toobskies

  • Rodford Smith

    This theme makes me wonder if there was a comic book adaptation of _It Came From Beneath the Sea_.

  • Luke Blanchard

    The Bear Alley blog, which is devoted to British comics and genre literature, has a two-part item on Harryhausen comics. According to the first part, the only comic adaptation of IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA was an advertising item called a press strip. Google “Bear Alley” “Ray Harryhausen Films in Comics” to find the posts. (There a some adult material elsewhere at the site.)
    The post only has a single panel from the press strip, but the whole thing can be found in a message board thread by doing an image search for “It Came From Beneath the Sea” “strip” “Classic Horror Film Board”. I’m sorry I can’t provide a link. When I do that the board puts my posts in moderation.
    Apparently, a company called Arcana published a graphic novel sequel called IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA… AGAIN! a couple of years ago. If I follow the information I found correctly this was originally a troubled mini-series project from Bluewater Productions. I’m not on top of what parts it managed to get into print or published digitally.
    The cover of TALES OF SUSPENSE #8 features a critter probably inspired by the movie. The artist, Jack Kirby, earlier drew a similar but smaller critter for the cover of SHOWCASE #12.
    Researching this post I stumbled on a site called Poulpe Pulps which has many pulp and comics covers with octopus attack and octopus monster images.

  • Flangepart

    Oh, the Bluewater crap…yeesh.
    Lousy stories, dumb plots… and the art! bird cage liner.

  • Eric Hinkle

    Mister Blanchard, you seem to be able to find and recommend the best darned sites. Thank you.

  • Rodford Smith

    I saw one issue each of their attempts to follow up _Earth vs. the Flying Saucers_ and _20 Million Miles to Earth_. Ugh.