If you missed the last one…
Werewolves in Black & White continues…The creation of black & white magazines was a reaction to the Comics’ Code, that restrictive agreement that comic publishers abided by to keep the critics off their backs. The demeaners of graphic storytelling were alright with comics being dull and insipid just as long as they weren’t horrific. James Warren saw the way around this was to leave the comic book label behind. In the Warren Companion (2001) by David A. Roche and Jon B. Cooke, he said:
We would overcome this by saying to the Code Authority, the industry, the printers, and the distributors: ‘We are not a comic book; we are a magazine. Creepy is magazine-sized and will be sold on magazine racks, not comic book racks”. Creepy’s manifesto was brief and direct: First, it was to be a magazine format, 8½” × 11″, going to an older audience not subject to the Code Authority.
The move worked, with others imitating the Warren model by 1970. Skywald first, then Marvel came on board after they were sure the move might prove profitable. The Curtis Magazines, as they were called, ran from 1971 to 1975.
“Werewolf Goes West” (The Monster Times #24, July 1973) was written by Nicola Cuti. This two pager by Frank Brunner is visually brilliant. Nick Cuti certainly picked up on the “silver bullet” thing we all missed. Unlike other comics from The Monster Times, this one is not a movie adaptation.
“This Evil Must Die!” (Eerie #50, August 1973-#56, April 1974) was written by Al Milgrom and Steve Skeates. “The Curse of the Werewolf” continued in Eerie, now drawn by Martin Salvador. We get Victorian opponents in a very Mr. Hyde-like Goodman Blacker as well as an old gypsy woman. Our werewolf hero seeks a cure but finds only trouble. Salvador is part of the Spanish school of comics and has a charm that the earlier pieces lacked.
“The Cold of the Uncaring Moon” (Monsters Unleashed #3, November 1973) was written by Steve Skeates. The werewolf seeks a cure to his curse from an American doctor. After killing the man, the werewolf drinks the medication. It works. He no longer changes from man to wolf. Unfortunately, he stuck in wolf form. George Tuska was an old pro when he did this comic. Klaus Janson was a new inker (who would later go on to big things with Daredevil and Frank Miller.) The strip is surprisingly gory for a Marvel comic. Lots of great silhouettes!
“The Birth of a Beast” and “Dragnet: Werewolf” (Nightmare #16, December 1973) were written by Al Hewetson. The story begins by following the commissioner who is a werewolf. We learn is history, how he was cursed with lycanthropy by a gypsy witch. In the second half, we follow a woman locked in an asylum who turns into a wolf. We get her story and how she fell in love with the commissioner. The two die together in a hail of silver bullets. The two artists, Rubio and Suso, are quite different. Rubio is more cartoony.
“To Love , Honor, Cherish…’Til Death” (Monsters Unleashed #4, February 1974) was written by Chris Claremont. There is a murderer in the city and the police, including Sara Conroy, suspect it is her husband, Eric, is the culprit. Eric is a werewolf. Sara investigates and finds the killer is quite human. Eric saves her from being the next victim. Sara is forced to shoot Eric or be killed too. Eric is happy that his curse is ended. Don Perlin’s art is deceptively ordinary until you really look at it. He uses plenty of long vertical columns to create tension.
“The Werewolf” (Nightmare #18, April 1974) was written by Al Hewetson. Dr. Wescott is visiting a special asylum. When he arrives one of the inmates, a werewolf, escapes. The head shrink shows him around the facility, which has fourteen floors, each with four cells. We meet a were-vampire who got bit in Egypt and a were-lizard who was converted in a swamp. At the end of the tour, the head shrink pushes Westcott, to make him angry. Westcott turns into a werewolf. He is exactly what the asylum needs. Welcome to the staff! The idea behind this one reminded me of “The Initiative” from Season Three of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, like an A. R. G. U. S. facility for the supernatural.
“His Own Kind” (The Haunt of Horror #1, May 1974) was adapted by Roy Thomas from the story by Thomas M. Disch. The story is oddly narrated by a tree spirit that witnessed the whole story. Ares Pelagian is born on Christmas, so he becomes a werewolf. His father is the gamekeeper on a Wiltshire estate. After he dies, Ares gets the job and marries. He also takes a wolf wife and a band of wolves grow up near by. When the wolves begin to eat the sheep, Ares is in a tough spot. He tries to send the wolves away but has to shoot his wolf wife in the end. His wolf sons descend on him and he is killed. The hamadryad as narrator is a weird touch to a Weird Tales style tale. Val Mayerik’s art is great, with Mike Esposito giving it a classic Marvel look. Frazetta’s influence is obvious in some panels.
“Tradition of the Wolf” (Nightmare #23, February 1975) was written by Ed Fedory. In an Austrian village the men spend their evenings hunting for a werewolf. During the confusion of the hunt, the blacksmith, Serge Gunnarmann is shot by accident. They take him home but he dies. His son, Stephan, goes out into the woods alone after his death. He turns into a werewolf. Serge had not been shot by accident. Like his son, Stephan, he is also a werewolf. Martin Sauri’s art is very complex, almost reaching the heights of Esteban Maroto’s, though some pages become too murky.
“Red Sonja” (Kull and the Barbarians #2, May 1975) was written by Roy Thomas. Based in part on “In the Forest of Villefere” by Robert E. Howard. I have to admit this is one of my favorite comics from this era. In the woods, Sonja has an encounter with a family that refuses to tell her about an old castle in the distance. They run off when Gunthar appears, a handsome man, who gives her a chest. He tells her to give it to the lady of the castle only. Later she meets a man in the wood. His face is hidden because he wears a mask.
Sonja goes to the castle. She finds the lady sitting in a chair. She gives her the box but soon realizes the old woman has been murdered. The voice was not hers but the masked man’s. He pulls off the mask to reveal he is a werewolf. Red and the wolfman duel with swords. She kills the beast, then finds a servant who explains everything. He shows her the dead werewolf. It is Gunthar. He got bit while doing sorcery. The box contained silver dust. Gunthar wanted to end his misery.
The original story by Robert E. Howard is much shorter than this, so I understand why Roy Thomas expanded it. The result is really a completely different story. In the original, de Montour meets the werewolf and learns that if he kills him while in wolf form he will become infected with the lycanthropic curse. He does kill the beast and flees. We meet him again in “Wolfshead”, set in Africa, where he suffers from the curse. That story ended up in Kull, the Conqueror #8, May 1973. Roy couldn’t really have Red Sonja become a werewolf, could he?
Howard Chaykin’s art is so good in this one. I have always preferred when he inks his own work. The black & white does amp up the creepiness of the tale.
Conclusion
In 1975, both Skywald and Marvel dropped the b&w lines with the exception of Savage Sword of Conan and occasional experiments like Bizarre Adventures. Warren’s competition was no longer these other b&w mags but another adult-oriented publication, Heavy Metal, appearing in 1977. And color! After Star Wars appeared in theaters, the world of comics would take a stronger Science Fiction direction. Werewolves in Black & White were no exception as you will see next time.
Our last nine tales…
