Tales of Evil #1
Published and © by Atlas (Seaboard), February 1975
Title: “Spawn of the Devil!”
Synopsis: An asylum escapee infuses a doll with the spirit of a devil, which in turn possesses a child. Mayhem ensues.
Writer: Russ Jones
Artist: Jerry Grandenetti
Review: This collection of poor-man’s-EC stories kicks off with a typical devil-possession tale. Not much fresh here; even the “shock” ending is pretty typical of the genre. There is some appeal to Jerry Grandenetti’s art. This reviewer hasn’t always been a fan of Grandenetti’s work, but his style is distinct.
•••
Title: “A Matter of Breeding!”
Synopsis: When a hairpiece experiment/business scam goes terribly wrong, a savage wolf man is unleashed on the perpetrators.
Writer: Russ Jones
Artist: Mike Sekowsky
Review: One of the sillier wolf-man stories of the Bronze Age, and Mike Sekowsky’s art is poorly inked.
•••
Title: “Stake Out”
Synopsis: Provoked into investigating a vampire legend, a college student makes a terrible mistake. (Or does he … ?)
Writer: Jack Younger
Artist: Jerry Grandenetti
Review: The plot is herky-jerky, but Jack Younger’s script offers a nice, hardboiled flavor. Jerry Grandenetti’s storytelling includes some Will-Eisner-influenced flair.
Grade (for the entire issue): C+
Cool factor: Atlas (Seaboard) trys its hand at the EC formula.
Not-so-cool factor: Atlas (Seaboard) trys its hand at the EC formula.
Character quotable: “Oh! What a cute doll!” – A little girl named Anna, about a grotesquely hand-stitched, goat-devil doll
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on May 5, 2010.
