Thursday, October 22, 2015
Were-Week! Groovy Age Gold: "Poor Mr. Watkins" by Lee and Roth
Here's a Golden Age howler for ya from Stan Lee and Werner Roth, Groove-ophiles! Originally presented in Menace #1 (cover-dated March1953), "Poor Mr. Watkins" was reprinted in yet another first ish--Vault of Evil #1! Check it ow-ow-owOOOOOOOT!!
Marvel's horror comics of the 50s were a pale imitation of the ECs that dominated the newstands. This was during their imitative phase where Martin Goodman would pump out vast amounts of whatever was popular. It would take another decade before true art would begin to emerge from the House of Ideas.
ReplyDeleteWell, in a way I think it's true that Atlas stories were generally quite lame and predictable compared to other publishers. And shorter, too.
DeleteNot all of them were bad, anyway. Wolverton did some stories for Atlas, and I also remember some very effective short stories by Ditko.
This one, for instance: it IS lame and predictable, and literally wastes one potentially good character (the girl). But at least gives us a really stupid, funny leading character, and makes us sympathize with the "monster".
Oh, and Higgins did that old lady a lot of good, by driving her away from Elm Street...
Wow, hooked nose, thick lips...he's Armenian all right.
ReplyDelete