WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP
(A Movie Classic / Conclusion)
Dell Comics were, for many years, the single BIGGEST comics publisher in the country. Their material was so aggressively family-oriented, that they never even got involved with the Comics Code (and had no problems with distribution, apparently). Much of their output was in "licensed" characters and series, as well as movie adaptations. Which brings us to this one.
We finally reach the last of the 5 Dell "Movie Classics" devoted to American International Pictures' POE series, which features an adaptation of the 1st of the post-Roger Corman films. This features an adaptation that had not been done before in comics...
"THE CITY IN THE SEA".
Following in the footsteps of Corman's THE RAVEN, the film takes its inspiration from one of Poe's POEMS-- using it as a springboard for an otherwise entirely-new story. Unlike the previous 8 films, this one had to do without Roger Corman, Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, Les Baxter... at least they had Vincent Price, but I have a feeling even he was feeling lost in this one, and wondering "Why did they bother?"
That's not to say there aren't some interesting ideas here... it's just that most of them seem to have come from Jules Verne, not Poe. There was a whole run of "psuedo-Verne" films in the mid-60s, and this one seems to have been inspired in equal parts from elements of both 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA and JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, with a bit of James Hilton's LOST HORIZON thrown in for bad measure.
CITY UNDER THE SEA was released as WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP in the U.S. Go figure.
John Tartaglione, who did such a wonderful job on the comics adaptation of THE TOMB OF LIGEIA, returned for this one, joined this time by Dick Giordano, who did an even better job on the inks than Vince Colletta did on the other one. It would prove to be Dell's final foray into Poe-related material.
WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP
photo cover (Dell / July-September 1965)
(inspired by "THE CITY IN THE SEA") / Version 1
Adaptation by ?? / Art by John Tartaglione & Dick Giordano
Page 22 / "And now... the EPIC conclusion!"
The best thing I can say about the comic-book version, is that the interminably-long and dreadfully-boring underwater climax is reduced to a mere handful of pages, which certainly take less time to read than they did in the movie to watch.
Here's the painting (before text was added) for the poster
for "CITY UNDER THE SEA"...
Photo cover (Editorial Novaro / Mexico / 1966)
Copyright (C) 1965 by American International Pictures.
Scan of WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP
from the Heritage Auction site.
Scan of WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP interiors
from the Pappy's Golden Age Comics blog.
Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa
For more:
Read about Edgar Allan Poe at The Poe Museum site.
Read about Edgar Allan Poe at the Biography site.
Read about Dell Comics at Don Markstein's Toonpedia.
Read about John Tartaglione at Lambiek Comiclopedia.
Read about Dick Giordano at Lambiek Comiclopedia.
Read about THE CITY IN THE SEA at the Poem Analysis site.
Read about THE CITY IN THE SEA at the Grade Saver site.
Read about THE CITY IN THE SEA at the Cummings Study Guide site.
Read the complete poem at Poe Stories.
Audio:
Hear the Basil Rathbone recording!
Comics:
Read the John Tartaglione CITY IN THE SEA adaptation!
See the Frank Frazetta CITY IN THE SEA illustrations!
See the CHRONOLOGICAL list of Edgar Allan Poe stories!
See the ALPHABETICAL list of Edgar Allan Poe stories!
(Continued in Poe 1965, Pt. 7)
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