Number 1603: Heap big origin

“It walked in the woods. It was never born. It existed. Under the pine needles the fires burn, deep and smokeless in the mould. In heat and in darkness and decay there is growth. There is life and there is growth. It grew, but it is life and there is growth. It grew, but it was not alive. It walked unbreathing through the woods, and thought and saw and was hideous and strong, and it was not born and it did not live. It grew and lived about without living.”  Theodore Sturgeon, “It”

The classic story by Sturgeon, published in 1940 in John Campbell’s Unknown, has had an influence far past its initial publication.The novelette was hailed by readers as a classic. As far as I can tell the first “It” copycat was the Heap, who was a German flier of World War I. He died and then was resurrected during the next war as the shambling creature called Heap.

This is the origin of the Heap, told in Air Fighters Comics #3 (1942). The Heap was created by Harry Stein and artist Mort Leav, and probably wasn’t conceived as a permanent addition to the title. After appearing a few times, in 1946 the Heap found his way as a permanent back-up feature (sometimes featured on the cover) until Hillman closed out its comic book line in 1953.

The swamp creatures have come and gone in comics. They are always popular. Heap was, also, I believe, or he wouldn’t have been wandering about in different areas of the world for those years. But to the best of my knowledge all of those swamp creatures go back to Theodore Sturgeon’s incredible original story.

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 ...AND AS A BONUS FEATURE TODAY, HOME BUYING TIPS FROM PANIC AND JACK DAVIS

Today my son and his wife take possession and move into their new home in Western Pennsylvania. Mrs Pappy and I have their children staying with us, which is how we help the process. After all,we live 1600 miles apart (and it is a good excuse for me not to do any furniture moving and heavy lifting).

The last issue of EC Comics’ Panic (1955) featured this funny and well-drawn satire, “House Hunting.” The thing about the best satire is that it never gets too far from reality, just basically pointing out absurdities in any situation, such as looking for a house.

Number 1088


Them There Those!


I saw the movie Them! on its first release in 1954, and loved it. I watched a DVD of the film this past October. Except for the caricature of star James Whitmore I barely recognize it from this satire of the film for EC's Panic #7. Jack Mendelsohn wrote it. His writing is perfectly complemented by Wallace Wood's excellent artwork.

Number 926


"Got a whale of a tale to tell you, lads..."


In Pappy's #871 I posted a classic Wally Wood movie satire from EC Comics' Panic #2, written by Al Feldstein. Here's another from Wood's brush and pen, "20,000 Leaks Under the Sea," a satire of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," a popular 1954 Disney live action movie. I saw the movie on its first release, and have seen it a half dozen times since. I think it's one of the best from that studio, with some great effects and fine casting. I'm especially fond of James Mason's performance as the tormented Captain Nemo...but I digress.

Jack Mendelsohn wrote the parody. Mendelsohn has had several careers, as television and animation writer (Laugh-In and Jay Ward cartoons, for example). He even wrote and drew one of the most creative comic strips ever, "Jackys Diary," which appeared to be drawn by a 6-year-old, and signed "by Jacky Mendelsohn, age 32 1/2."

Mendelsohn's parody of this movie is pretty sharp, and he keeps the jokes coming. And, of course there's the Wallace Wood artwork...what's not to like?

From Panic #11, 1954:

Number 871


African Scream


If you love old movies like I do, then you've probably seen The African Queen with Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Wallace Wood did this exceptional parody of the movie in EC Comics' own Mad imitation, Panic.

The experience of filming the movie was so memorable to Hepburn that in 1987 she wrote a memoir:

Clint Eastwood played a Huston-like director making an African Queen-like movie in White Hunter Black Heart in 1990.

The Wood version is from the Al Feldstein edited Panic #2, 1954:








This first week of 2011 is a theme week. Well, sorta. It's an EC week with obscure stories you may not have seen. Tomorrow, meet Freddy Firefly, from EC's Animal Fables.

Number 558


Respect your Elder


Will Elder was more than one half of the Kurtzman/Elder partnership. Elder was also pretty great on his own, without Kurtzman, as this 1954 story from EC's Panic #2 shows.

This is another of those times where I say the artist could not have been paid enough for all the work he put into a story. Every panel is packed with "chicken fat," the extras that Elder specialized in. He was much admired, and Lord knows several artists working on Mad imitations tried to capture the essence of what made him great, but no one succeeded.

I'm dedicating this posting to my friend, Eddie Hunter, who named his blog Chicken Fat in honor of Elder, and slips in the occasional posting about Mad, Kurtzman, Elder, Jack Davis, etc., alongside his funny essays, genealogy or articles about his hometown, Marietta, Georgia. Eddie is an Elder/Mad comics fan through and through.

I found the original art pages at Heritage Auctions. The comic book scans are from Panic #2. The Clark Gable/Mogambo bit at the end is part of a running gag throughout this issue. The ugly face on page 6 is by Basil Wolverton, maybe the only time Elder shared the page with anyone but John Severin, whose pencil art he inked on many stories before their solo careers took off.