Vintage Comics - Beware, Issue. 15: The Secret of Pitmurkiewood, Make Me Invisible, Right Connections (15 - End)

I know what you're thinking. Where's the podcast episode? I'm still editing it, but just in case there's an emergency--here's an extra comic post. If I finish editing the episode this morning, this'll be a special 2 post day! The final story in this comic struck me as one of the sweetest I've shared so far, and I almost regret not saving it for a Valentines post.

Vintage Comics: Man in Black, Issue No. 1: Brush Strokes, Second Chance, The Hanging Thread (Cover-13)

Here's an interesting little number, kids. This one features a character you might say was a routine host of spooky radio shows as well as a few of these vintage comics. The Man in Black. Your typical moral tales come alive in this interesting little number. What strikes me as unique about Man in Black isn't really the stories themselves, which are fairly cut and dry...it's the fact that there really isn't one host, but three, all on separate occasions depending on the story.

The first one is about your typical artist, always wanting to be or create more than what he's capable of. Then, of course, he curses fate...and really, does that ever turn out well for anyone? The following story is short, and...well...not scary in the least, but it does make me reconsider double-checking my drafts before I publish. After all, wouldn't want a little typo destroying the world, would I?

The third story featured today actually intrigues me mostly because of the art choices. Fate and his associates remain in gray, while the real world acts as a colored portrait below them. In film, that can be a brilliant device. My favorite bit, of course, is seeing the man in black riled up...

Book(s) Of the Week: "Carmilla"

Carmilla

By Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

When I was about 8, my mom went about getting rid of several crates of books she'd collected over the years. It was an annual thing to clean house by making a Goodwill donation stop. Of course I couldn't understand why she'd get rid of so many, so on our way there I dug through the crates. This particular book stood out to me, so I kept it and read it. The cover I posted in this article is the edition of Carmilla I found. There was something very alluring about the way the illustrator drew the girl's red hair. To this day I am glad I kept that book, because it became one of my favorites.

Some stories reach through time and refuse to age. The language used in them is neither overly-flowery nor simple. Carmilla is one of them.

Don't let the many erotic covers, the Hammer adaptations (pumped up with 3 times the sexuality, thanks to the gorgeous Ingrid Pitt) or loose interpretations of Carmilla fool you. It is a wonderful novella from the Gothic period which serves as one of the best ways to introduce a person to the style.

It is about Laura, a young girl telling of her experiences with a beautiful woman named Carmilla. Admittedly, there are some erotic undertones to that element. But what I find strangest about Carmilla, is that there is one particular aspect of the story that gets taken and used in the countless film/television adaptations of Dracula. Despite her lack of humanity and the darkness that lurks behind Carmilla's nature...I always felt she loved Laura. She genuinely loved her in a small way only a soul-less monster of the night could.

The atmosphere is excellent, the story is a classic. If you are an avid fan of anything vampire-related, but you aren't yet ready to tackle Dracula or Varney, this is the perfect stepping stone into the classic genre.