Number 1607: Go-Go gorillas

As a kid I bought comics with gorillas on the covers. I still perk up when I see a story featuring those powerful creatures.

These two stories fit the bill. Both of them are tales about turning men into gorillas. Naturally, “the best laid plans...” you know...they often don’t go as we expect.

“Killer’s Arms!” is from Charlton’s Strange Suspense Stories #22 (1954), drawn by Leon Winik and Ray Osrin. “The Beast,” credited to Manny Stallman, is from Atlas’ Strange Tales #1 (1951).

Ook! Ook!

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Number 923


Atlas animal antics


I had more fun than usual putting together this post. For over a year I have been wanting to use the Bob Powell story, "Talking Dog," from Marvel Tales #133, 1955. It was while going through some other Atlas post-Code comic books that I found a few more short-short stories where animals are prominent.





"Where Dinosaurs Dwell" is from another Marvel Tales, issue #143, from 1956. It's a time-travel story featuring a big green dinosaur. That would have gotten my attention when I was a kid, had I seen it. It's drawn by Bob Forgione and Jack Abel.





Strange Tales #66, from 1958, has yet another talking dog story, "Voice of Fido," drawn by Werner Roth. In this case the dog's voice is provided by the ventriloquist...or is it?



"The Flying Horse," drawn by Ed Winiarski, and scanned from Uncanny Tales #37, 1955, has a surprise last panel that actually surprised me.




Finally, an oddball tale by Howie Post (Spooky, Hot Stuff, etc.), telling a shaggy dog story in his shaggy drawing style. This is from Marvel Tales #131, 1955, the last pre-Comics Code issue of this title. Atlas was switching away from horror to more "acceptable" stories, but even so, the whipping wouldn't have made it past the blue noses at the new Comics Code. The characters are werewolves from the moon (!) Werewolves were also prohibited by the CCA, who was just no damn fun at all.

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