Poe 1974, Pt. 3

(Continued from Poe 1974, Pt. 2)

PSYCHO  18
"A DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM"

Skywald Publications was the work of Sol Brodsky & Israel Waldman.  While they had a small run of color comics designed to imitate Marvel, their biggest output and claim to fame were their B&W "Horror-Mood" magazines, done very much in the mode of James Warren's CREEPY and EERIE.

Al Hewetson, a writer & editor, soon joined the company and eventually became full editor when Brodsky returned to Marvel.  Hewetson determined to give Skywald's horror line a more "literate" feel than Warren's had, resulting in, among other things, no less than 19 Edgar Allan Poe adaptations between 1972-75.

Here we come to the 7th of these...

     "A DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM".

Poe had certain obsessions that repeated themselves in several of his stories.  In this case, I know of at least 4 different stories he wrote involving sailing ships, and in EACH one, the ship goes down in a storm. These have included "The Oblong Box", "MS. Found In A Bottle", and "The Narrative Of Arthur Gordon Pym".

     This was the 3rd comics version of this story, following...
Taika's ALBUM CLASSICOS DE TERROR #7 (1968), and
San Paulo's IL GIORNIALO #43 (Oct'71)
     ...some 3 years earlier.

The art this time is by "Cesar Lopez".  Looking it over, I would have SWORN it the work of Jose Ortiz, who did TONS of work for Warren.  However, while an initial Google search found nothing, another one turned up a page at Lambiek Comiclopedia, on "Cesar Lopez Vera".  I do find it strange that his only American work seems to be for Skywald.  It makes me question some of the info that's posted online.  (Then again, how can I forget that Wikipedia is a site absolutely gorged on lies and misinformation, with regard to certain aspects of the comics biz?)

PSYCHO  18
cover by FRANCISCO JAVIER GONZALEZ VILANOVA
     (Skywald Publications  /  May 1974)

"A DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM"  /  Version 3
Adaptation by Al Hewetson  /  Art by CESAR LOPEZ VERA  /  Page 22

Page 23

Page 24

Page 25

Page 26

Page 27

Page 28

Page 29

Page 30

Page 31

Eternity Comics, for a few years, was a very successful small publisher, who split their output between a number of original series, licensed series, and reprints of old comics.  This included quite of few of the Poe stories from Skywald!

EDGAR ALLAN POE:  THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM And Other Stories #1
cover by BROOKS HAGAN  (Eternity Comics  /  September 1988)

Copyright (C) Skywald Publishing.

Scan of PSYCHO #18 cover from the GCD site.
Scan of THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM And Other Stories #1
     cover & interiors from my collection.
Scan of 1919 Harry Clarke illustration from Wikipedia.

Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa

For more:
Read about Edgar Allen Poe at The Poe Museum site.

Read about Fracisco Javier Gonzalez Vilanova at Lambiek.
Read about Cesar Lopez Vera at Lambiek Comiclopedia.
Read about Cesar Lopez Vera at Tebeosfera.

Readabout A DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM  
     at the Cumming Study Guides site.
Read the complete short story at the Poe Stories site.
See the MAELSTROM Gallery of Illustrations.

Read the Edegar & Ignacio Justo MAELSTROM adaptation!
Read the Franco Caprioli MAELSTROM adaptation!   (coming soon!)
Read the Cesar Lopez Vera MAELSTROM adaptation!
Read the Adolpho Usero Abellan MAELSTROM adaptation!
     (Coming soon:)
Read the Guido Del Carpio Rivera MAELSTROM illustrated story!

Read the Armando Sanchez MAELSTROM illustrated story!
Read the Novedades Editores MAELSTROM adaptation!

See my Edgar Allan Poe overview at this very blog!

(Continued in Poe 1974, Pt. 4)