The Mystery writer, John Dickson Carr, wrote several episodes of Suspense for Radio back in the early 1940s. (For a complete list of links go here.) Five of these received comic book adaptations in Marvel’s comic book, Suspense, named after the show. The first two issues used Carr scripts for material. After establishing the type of stories they wanted, Suspense the comic dropped the adaptations and went on for twenty-nine issues, creating their own short suspenseful tales.
The type of stories that Suspense used on the Radio were always thrilling. Sometimes they were straight Mystery, other times supernatural-appearing but ultimately proven to be natural. This was a type of Mystery at which John Dickson Carr was master. His Dr. Gideon Fell, Henry Merrivale and Henri Bencolin novels and stories were famous for having a patina of the occult about them, though all earthly solutions in the end. He also wrote a series about Colonel Marsh who investigated impossible crimes. I have tried to avoid spoilers here so you can enjoy either the comic or radio show without knowing how it turns out.
All these comics were adapted by unknown authors.
Issue One December 1949
“The Graveyard Ghouls!” was adapted from Carr’s “The Body Snatchers” (November 24, 1942). The plot sounds like Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Body Snatchers” but Carr has turned it into his own thing. Mother Slade and her boys are in the resurrection business. Peggy, the old woman’s drudge, helps capture the villains, now charged with murder as well as grave-robbing. Peggy gets to marry the doctor.
“The Bride Vanishes!” was adapted from “The Bride Vanishes” (December 1, 1942) . This one is a locked room mystery with a balcony high above the sea. Has the bride flown away? Of course not! This is Carr and the supernatural always obscures the truth.
“Here Comes the Hangman!” was adapted from “The Hangman Won’t Wait” (February 9, 1943). A woman awakes in death row in Maidhurst Prison. She can’t remember who she is or how he could possibly have murdered Philip Gale. Gaslighting of the first order!
Issue Two February 1950
“I Bet With Death!” was adapted from “Will You Make a Bet With Death?” (November 10, 1942) A scientist, Larry Windham, desperate for money to finish his research, makes a bet with his rich uncle: the uncle can kill his nephew in six months and get away with it. If not, he gets twenty five thousand dollars. If he can…well.. it’s best not to think about that! When the uncle ends up dead, it looks bad for Larry…
“The Man Who Lived Again!” was based on “Mr. Markham, Antique Dealer” (May 11, 1943). Miss Ray is being blackmailed by Markham, an evil man with a fondness for clocks. Attempts to kill the blackmailer fail. Or have they?
Conclusion
John Dickson Carr’s Radio work was popular enough to be the template for Marvel’s Suspense but it was also appreciated elsewhere. Suspense launched a magazine based on its shows in 1946. Later that year The Saint Magazine did a tie-in as well but didn’t use any Carr stories. (Carr did publish his Colonel Marsh stories there though.) It was Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine that focused on John Dickson Carr’s scripts in their pages, publishing seven of them.
Douglas G. Greene collected some of the Carr scripts in The Door to Doom (1991) along with other less familiar tales. Greene provides an excellent introduction to the book, looking at Carr’s career in America and England. He also discusses Carr’s obsession with occult-seeming Mysteries. The book is a mixed bag but a good introduction for new fans. John Dickson Carr deserves many of these.
