CRAZY QUILT by John Stanley

Here it is! Enjoy its creepy goodness.














I know the predictable "that was no dream" ending makes it seem childish, but that's kind of why I like it. So direct! And so stagey--not at all in the shadow of EC, which is refreshing in comics horror!

My favorite line: "She was the greatest quilter who ever lived, he said...Her work hangs n museums...around the world..." Just cuz it's kind of funny in combo with the image of the terrified Miss Birkley writhing on the couch. (Also, on the last page, the casual pose of the Quiltman is funny. So are Grandma's shoes.)

Next time: The story that I think puts Stanley in a league with Shirley Jackson and other mid-century short story writers! I will prove this to be a fact! Maybe!

John Stanley horror comics: GOBLIN'S BALL 1 of 1

So like I said, I'll be posting scans of comics that I feel are worth sharing and that are public domain (to my knowledge).

This first one is from Dell Comics TALES FROM THE TOMB, No. 1, 1962. A one page comic that's funny and creepy and written by John Stanley--Little Lulu writer/artist/mastermind, and unique comics stylist.



I'm taking Scott Shaw!'s word that this is written by John Stanley. Mr. Shaw! doesn't conjecture on its artist, and I sure can't guess. It's gotta be a Stanley script though. The book has many telltale Stanleyisms (breezy pacing, dialog that's never overwritten, willingness to have really big NO! word balloons, and a perverse inventiveness).

For Mr. Shaw!'s full take on this interesting bit of horror comics history, check out his article on TALES FROM THE TOMB No. 1 at his great "Oddball Comics" column. (And for that matter, read everything he's written. Mr. Shaw! knows his comics history!)


More Stanley horror to come. And in a few weeks, the Stanley comic that should be in "Best American Short Story" anthologies.

Hello, world of blogging.