Ungoliantschilde

John Romita, Sr.’s inks over John Romita, Jr.’s pencils for a PinUp commission of the Fantastic Four Vs. Dr. Doom!

the Variant Cover for the Fantastic Four, Vol. 1 # 643 was illustrated by Michael Golden.

‘That Night’, by Barry Windsor-Smith*.

*published in Marvel Fanfare, Vol. 1 # 15*

Marvel Knights 4, Vol. 1 # 10, illustrated in Pencil by Steve McNiven, with Inks by ME from today.

Pics: Inspiring HPL.

1. Irvin S. Cobb - American writer, editor, humorist & columnist hailing from Paducah, Kentucky¹.

He was the highest paid staff reporter on the NY World newspaper².

Irvin would write 60+ books & around 300 short stories.

Some of which were adapted into silent movies. And, 2 of his later tales were actually filmed, by the famed John Ford³, during the 1930s!

2. Cobb's "dark side" (horror works) of the otherwise lighthearted comedian & the story in question.

3 & 4. Comedic frontpieces(?) for books by Cobb. The 2nd even boasts an Abraham Lincoln quote!

5. Cover to Cobb's collection of other authors's short horror tales.

6. Inside art from Fishhead's ending...

1913 Addendum -

Intro: Irvin Cobb's infamous short story "Fishhead" is set in the back- wood bayous of the vast Reelfoot Lake⁴.

Plot: The tale concerns the murder of a local outcast freak by "poor whites."

With its surprise Jaws⁵-like ending, this gruesome work reminds readers of an issue of EC comics⁶!

Criticism: Lovecraft lauded Cobb for, "... Carrying on our (own) spectral tradition is the gifted... humorist, I.S. Cobb, whose works... contain some finely (made) weird (tales)."

Of the plot, Howard stated that, "Fish- head" (is) an early achievement, ... banefully effective in its portrayal of (an) unnatural... hybrid idiot & the strange fish of an isolated lake."

Lovecraft further opined, "It is (my firm) belief... that... few short stories of equal merit have been published anywhere (else)..."

Legacy: Cobb's "Fishhead" is seen as a major influence on Lovecraft's own "Shadow Over Innsmouth."

Robert M. Price⁷ noted that, "What (Howard) found revolting was the idea of interracial marriage (&) of different ethnicities mating, (thus) 'polluting' the (white? human?) gene pool."

Fishhead is supposedly "the son of a Negro father & a halfbreed Indian mother." It's never mentioned what her other half was from...

This is the same premise behind HPL's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth."

Except that Lovecraft calls them Deep Ones & has a whole city that's been 'turned'...

More when we get to this story...

Notes:

1. Paducah, as 1 out of 9 U.S. Creative Cities, is a haven for thinkers, artists & creators!

Architectural Digest recognizes this city's historic district as 1 of the most beautiful main streets in America.

There are 20 downtown blocks listed in the National Register of Historic Places!

Weird Shit: Paducah's nickname is "The Atomic City."

This was because it was once the U.S.'s only uranium plant, making atomic bombs for our Defense Department...

2. The NY World newspaper began (in 1860) as a leading voice for the US Democratic Party.

But, once under Joseph Pulitzer, it became a pioneer in "yellow journalism."

Catching readers's attention with sensational (sex, sport & scandal) news stories.

This raised their circulation past the 1 million mark!!

Best known for being among the 1st to publish daily comic strips.

They actually created "Hogan's Alley", "Everyday Movies", "Little Mary Mix- up" & "Joe Jinks!"

Merged with The NY Telegram in 1931.

Revived - online - in 2011 by Columbia U. But, hasn't had any new content since 2016...

3. John Ford was an American movie director who won Oscars for "The Informer", "The Grapes of Wrath", "How Green Was My Valley" & "The Quiet Man."

The best of his many Westerns are "The Searchers", "Stagecoach" & "My Darling Clementine."

4. Reelfoot Lake is a real lake best known for its shallowness - about 5½ feet on average.

It's located in western Tennessee &, strangely enough, no swimming is allowed there...

The lake is named after an 1800's Chickasaw warrior with a deformed leg...

Reelfoot Bayou, with its cypress trees, flows out of the lake to join the Obion River - which runs straight to the Mississippi.

5. "Jaws" is, of course, director Steven Spielberg's 1st international master- piece.

And it doesn't need any hype, from me, for you to see it again!

97% on Rotten Tomatoes!!

Enough said...

Make it so!

6. E.C. Comics was an American publisher specializing in horror, crime, dark fantasy & sci-fi comicbooks.

William Gaines printed mature tales of war, adventure, satire, etc...

Noted for its stories high quality, shock endings & progressive social awareness.

Among the themes that EC creators touched upon are: racial equality, anti- war sentiments, nuclear disarmament & even early environmentalism!

Sadly, official censorship forced EC to focus on its "Mad" magazine - which became it's greatest success!!

EC has just been revived, by Oni Press, on this past February of 2024!!

Good times guaranteed...

7. R.M. Price is an American biblical scholar, author & an authority on H.P. Lovecraft.

His works include: "Deconstructing Jesus", "The Reason Driven Life", "The New Lovecraftian Circle", "World War Cthulhu", "The Disciples of Cthulhu", "Arkham Detective Agency", "The Da Vinci Fraud", "The Apartheid State in Crisis" & more great stuff!!

Price was the editor of the greatly lamented Crypt of Cthulhu, Midnight Shambler & Eldritch Tales fanzines.

He even edited a whole series of Mythos anthologies for Chaosium.

Today, Price is editor of The Journal of Higher Criticism!

Busy little tentacle, ain't he...

Check out this page. Been digging it for a minute.

HP Lovecraft is STAGGERINGLY influential. But he’s on the cusp of people not knowing what he was about/liking his creative output. The person was a fucking zero. An incel, a basement mushroom, and a general waste of oxygen.

As a creative, he created the modern horror genre. His stories are largely unfilmable. The most lovecraftian movie I have ever seen is John Carpenter’s “the Thing”. The idea of existential, unbeatable evil. Something we can’t beat or triumph over. We can fight it, but it will ultimately consume us and destroy us.

Check this page out. He’s cool.

The Thing by Jerome Opeña 

Images from an unpublished Thing miniseries by Barry Windsor-Smith. The comic tells the story of the Thing, who is going through depression and feelings of loneliness. One day he receives a letter with an offer to participate in an advertising campaign. Realizing that perhaps this is his chance to find himself in life, Thing begins to prepare for a future interview.

At the end of a short comic he breaks one of the sculptures of his girlfriend, the fragments of which will remind him of one of his frequent nightmares associated with loneliness and destruction. Unfortunately, this comic was never completed.

Elements of this story and an unfinished Hulk story were eventually woven into Barry’s long gestating masterpiece, “Monsters”.

My recommendations for Halloween Movie Night!

If I am watching a horror movie, I want a HORROR movie. I do not want to see torture porn, because it is not scary. I want a movie that feels unsettling and scary, but also dark and beautiful.

-the Exorcist is a flat-out disturbing film. it stays with you. watch the original one or don’t watch it at all.

-Alien was a massive success upon its release in 1979, which was a completely unheard of accomplishment for an R-Rated film. The movie scared the hell out of me the first time I saw it because of how claustrophobic it all is.

-the original Halloween is the original and best slasher flick. Accept no substitutes.

-the Thing has some of the best gory monster visual effects in movie history. It’s Kurt Russell in a John Carpenter flick. You cannot go wrong there.

-An American Werewolf in London is funnier than you remember it was. It also has the best werewolf transformation scene of all time in it.

-30 Days of Night is a rarity these days: a truly scary Vampire flick that does not borrow from other vampire stories. It stands on its own, and it is a GOODY.

-Army of Darkness does not need to be explained. Really, any of the Evil Dead movies are great. I picked this one because it’s more of an adventure story and a 3-Stooges send up than a straight horror flick.

-Young Frankenstein is the best movie of Mel Brooks’s illustrious career. Period. They filmed the whole thing on the original Boris Karloff Frankenstein set. Watch this movie and prepare to giggle your ass off.

-Night of the Living Dead might not have invented the Zombie genre, but it introduced the world to George Romero, and he is still the best at it. The movie was filmed as a college project in the late 60s, with a black guy as the main character. I think that was a first of some kind. Watch the flick, and resign yourself to learning about why a George Romero Zombie flick is 1000x better than the Walking Dead.

-Bram Stoker’s Dracula was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and it is a beautifully dark, rich, and luscious film. It is not a monster movie. It is a love story. Always was. Great flick.

Bonus Round

Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof premiered in theaters as a double feature.

It is -by FAR- the most fun I have ever had at a movie theater. There were coming attractions that played before and then in between the movies. Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete” was previewed before his “Planet Terror”, and then Rob Zombie made a trailer “Werewolf Women of the SS” (he later made it a song on one of his albums), Eli Roth made “Thanksgiving”, and Simon Pegg/Nick Frost made “Don’t!”, followed by Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof”.

Amazon Prime is not currently streaming them as intended - a double feature. I bought the special edition bluray of the Double Feature the day I found out it existed. Have some friends over. Get a bit drunk, and watch it as a double feature. Sooo much fun.

Another year has come and gone, so I have some fresh picks for Halloween Movie Night!

1.) Muppets Haunted Mansion

It’s adorable. Gonzo and Pepe the Shrimp go to a Mansion haunted by Will Arnett and others.

2.) Little Shop of Horrors

Showed it to the boys tonight. It’s funny, it’s twisted, and it has some catchy songs. 

3.) the Mummy

I saw this in High School in the movie theater, and man this has really held up well. It’s a lot of fun.

4.) Blade II

It’s the best of the Blade movies. Wanna watch Wesley Snipes kill a bunch of vampires? This is the one to watch. Ron Perlman is in it too. 

5.) Rosemary’s Baby

The one from 1968. It’s like I said - if I want a horror movie, I want a HORROR movie. I want to feel dread, not be jump-scared or grossed out. It’s a movie about a lady that gives birth to the devil. And you feel her growing unease the entire movie. Watch the movie, it’s a classic for a reason.

and, the best for last (for this year 😏)

6.) the Shining

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Watch the movie.

AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

At this point, I kinda like that I do this every year, so I’m gonna keep doing it.

First of all, I will accept movie recommendation requests, which I will then post about and critique as needed. This is a limited time offer, because Halloween is tomorrow. So ask me now.

Now then! Halloween Movies to watch, the 2022 edition:

1.) Pacific Rim.

We are collectively unlikely to get a really good Gundam/Evangelion/Big O/General Giant Robot piloted by Young People live action film. They work well in anime, not so much live action. It’s a big gamble asking for a lot of money from a major studio to appeal to a statistically very narrow target audience. It’s like making a big budget Invader Zim movie. Would it be good? Sure. Would it make its money back? NO, no it would not. That brings me to Pacific Rim. (The first one and only the first one). It was the exact right time in movie history to make a balls-to-the-wall giant robot movie. And they fucking NAILED it. Giant Robots fighting Giant Pokémon, with A-List actors and an A-List Director, and a quarter billion dollar budget. It’s exactly what you want if you are in the mood for a live action anime slug fest with monsters and robots.

2.) Vampire Hunter D.

Speaking of anime, let’s go for a classic that you younguns have only heard about in hushed whispers from reverent neck beards loitering near the porn section of the comic book store. First of all, the whole thing was a movie adapted from a manga by Yoshitaka Amano. It’s gorgeous. It was animated by the same team that did that horrible Batman: Ninja movie, but should be better remembered as the animation studio behind Ninja Scroll and the Animatrix. Watch the old school, first Vampire Hunter D movie. Totally worth checking out.

3.) a Nightmare Before Christmas

Ugh. Nothing I hate more than middle-American mall goths. Little shitheads that hang around the food court, Spencer’s gifts, and hot topic. You’re not being edgy or defiant. You’re wearing a ridiculously obvious uniform that marks you as being just as boring as every other 13 year old shithead living in the suburbs. A Jack Skellington keychain is not an identity. It’s the key fob that allows you entry into the unimaginative shithead’s country club.

*phew, I feel sooo much better having said that*

With no further criticism of the subculture it inspired, and despite the fact that Tim Burton didn’t actually direct the film, this might as well be his mission statement as a creator. It’s quirky, it’s catchy, it’s frequently off putting, and it’s ultimately charming. It’s a scud missile of marketing armed at all the disaffected shitheads of the middle American mall-culture’s food court. Watch it with kiddos 8+, they’ll make you endure it every year until they’re old enough to grow a sense of taste.

Stop whining. It was released in 1993, and it’s had it coming for a fucking minute.

Marvel by Moebius.

the paintings were published as posters. the two Silver Surfer images were either covers or splash pages from his miniseries with Stan Lee.