Golden Age Islands of Terror! Not your vacationing hotspot but a physical cage for bad things to happen in. Islands offer the Horror/Suspense writer a convenient bottleneck in which to trap their protagonists. An island is usually isolated, private, hidden and very hard to flee. Why do you think Dr. Moreau works there? Why do the adventurers in Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island don’t run away as soon as weird stuff starts happening? You are stuck. There are monsters loose and you can’t get away. (I remember how J. J. Abrams succeeded in using this old chestnut with some freshness in the first season of Lost. When the trees started shaking you almost hoped it would be King Kong. We won’t talk about the later episodes…)
The comic book writers (largely unknown, I have listed them when possible) of the Golden Age were no less infatuated with island misery. The title “Nightmare Island” must be one of the most frequently used in all the ages of Comics. I am going to use only two of them. Many of these island terror tales will borrow from classic writers (usually without credit). Many of these comics can be downloaded for free at DCM.
“Island of Death” (Vault of Horror #13, June-July 1950) is an actual adaptation. The man-hunting-man plot is familiar to those who know “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell (Collier’s, January 19, 1924). The story has been adapted multiple times in film, Radio, TV and elsewhere. Harvey Kurtzman adapted and drew the story.
“The Island of Madness” (Strange Tales #2, August 1951) has three people stranded on an island haunted by Lucrettio de Velli, a sorcerer who experimented in mysticism and mind-body transfer. When Jim is murdered there can only be one suspect left…
“The Island” (Marvel Tales #102, August 1951) begins with a man lost on an isolated island where hideous survivors dwell. Bob Archer lives among them but secretly builds a boat to escape. When he returns he finds himself shriveled too. He sails back, trying to find the island, but can’t. There is a hint of William Hope Hodgson here.
“Forbidden Fruit” (Haunt of Fear #9, September-October 1951) adapted by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein, has an even stronger resemblance to “A Voice in the Night” by William Hope Hodgson. Dick and Rita get stranded on an island that has one inhabitant, a man locked behind a stockade filled with lovely fruit. When the man runs out they see what will happen if they eat that terrible harvest.
“Horror of Crag Island” (Spellbound #1, March 1952) has Eliot Larch haunt Old Man Hubbard to get the gold on his island. After killing Hubbard, Larch’s boat is destroyed by lightning. He is rich but stranded. He dies a very rich man.
“Nightmare Island” (Sensation Mystery #110, July-August 1952) has the X-200 experimental jet plane breaking the sound barrier and going to another dimension. Larry lands on a strange island, finding the previous pilots and frog people. Tales of the Bermuda Triangle, etc. will re-use this idea.
“Isle of Terror” (Adventures into Terror #11, August 1952) has Nick Allen, a reporter, snooping around the docks, looking for some missing people. He talks with an old boat captain who tells him a story about an archaeologist named Ronstedt who went to an evil island, haunted by strange heads. The dead men are found, unfortunately, the captain is eating them…
“Collector’s Item” (Strange Adventures #28, January 1953) was written by Jack Miller. Adrian Hammer is a famous bug collector. He goes to a remote island to find a most rare specimen. He gets nabbed by spider-like aliens who add him to their collection.
“The Island Monster” (Weird Science #17, January-February 1953) was written by Al Feldstein and is obviously inspired by King Kong. The plot is identical until the big reveal at the end. The monster was a peaceful alien, come to Earth with a message of love. The Al Williamson’s art is fantastic.
“Terror Island!” (Forbidden Worlds #20, August 1953) is an obvious rip-off of The Island of Doctor Moreau (1897). The professor’s name is changed to Kurtz, a tip-of-the-hat to another island classic, Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness (1899).
“Nightmare Island” (Adventures Into Darkness #12, December 1953) has Travis hired to spend a night on a haunted island. Easy money, right? Gene Fawcette’s monsters remind me of Gahan Wilson’s cartoons in the decades to follow.
“The Mystery of Easter Island” (Nightmare #10, December 1953) is a one-page filler written and drawn by unknown artist. The heads of Easter Island show up in all kinds of stories and comics.
“Death From the Depths” (Adventures Into the Unknown #53, March 1954) is set in the Galapagos Islands. Two men find a temple where bodies are invaded by ghosts, turning them into scaly monsters. The island has a volcanic eruption and sinks. The whole thing reminds me of H. P. Lovecraft.
“Nightmare Island” (Voodoo #15, May-June 1954) may have been inspired by “Pigmy Island” (Weird Tales, August 1930) by Edmond Hamilton, to which it has a strong resemblance. I suppose it could go back further to H. G. Wells and The Food of the Gods (1903). Tom and Lucy Ball crash land on an island where a scientist is making giant rats. It doesn’t go well…
“Wishful Thinking!” (The Thing #17, November 1954) was written by Joe Gill. A vampire, Emil Barto, preys on the rich until they end up on an island, stranded. He slowly picks off all except for the beautiful Grace Normand, who wishes to possess. Too bad she’s a vampire too! The final frame struck me as classic Berni Wrightson mouth saliva. I bet ol’ Berni was familiar this one.
“Telescope” (Tales from the Crypt #45, December 1954-January 1955) was written by Carl Wessler. I suspect this one was inspired by “Side Bet” by Will F. Jenkins (Colliers, July 31, 1937). Jenkins is better known by his pseudonym Murray Leinster. In Jenkins’ tale, a man and a rat fight over food until the man is saved. He leaves the food behind for the rat because of a side bet on which would eat the other. Wessler takes the idea in a much stranger direction, his weird shark-eats-man-eats-rat-eats-gull-eats-fish telescope.
Conclusion
The Golden Age Islands of Terror certainly live up to their name. The familiar scenario of a man or several people washing up on shore at the beginning until terrible things happen is a classic set-up for a bottleneck story. There is no escape from Dr. Moreau and his creations. You can face the terror or swim out into the sharks. Those are your only options. So the next time you’re sitting on a beach somewhere enjoying a Corona, think about these poor devils. You are only one bad break away from terror.
Next time…The Islands of Hugo Gernsback!
