Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Poe 1968, Pt. 22

(Continued from Poe 1968, Pt. 21)

EL MONJE LOCO  40
"IL POZO Y EL PENDULO"
     (IN COLOR  w/ English Translation)

Editorial Temporae / Revistas Populares was a publisher in Mexico active in the 1960s & 70s.

EL MONJE LOCO ("The Mad Monk") could be described as Mexico's version of EC's horror hosts-- except, he predated them by quite a few years.  Created by Luis de Llano Palmer (1918-2012), the character debuted on a radio show in 1937.  Like EC's later "Vault Keeper", he wore a robe with a hood over his head, and introduced and/or narrated countless horror tales.  His famous catch-phrase was, "Nadie sabe, nadie supo" ("No one knows, no one knew"), immortalized by the cavernous voice of Salvador Carrasco.

Over time, he was spun off into feature films, and comic-books.  MANY comic-books!!!

It started in 1940, as a feature in CHAMACO CHIO (Kid Boy) from Publicaciones Herrerias, S.A., then moved to NOVEDADES in 1941.

In 1952-53, it was apparently a rotating feature in CUENTOS DE ABUELITO (Stories From Grandpa), from Corporacion Editorial Mexicana, S.A.  This was the same anthology whose main feature was "The Queen Of The Black Coast", based on Robert E. Howard's "CONAN" stories (18 YEARS before Marvel licensed the character).

In 1966, Ediciones Ortega Flores published 2 issues of EL MONJE MISTICO, a blatent SWIPE of the character.  Gee, I wonder if a lawsuit put a quick stop to that?

In 1967, Editorial Continente published 5 issues of EL MONJE LOCO, giving the character his own comics title for the first time.

Later that same year, Novaro, under the imprint Editorial Temporae, picked up the ball, and eventually published 169 weekly issues!!!

After their series ended, 6 more issues were published by Grupo Editor De Mexico in mid-1972.

Among all these stories were a number of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations.

First up...

     "THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM"

     This was the 8th comics version of this story, following...
Charlton's YELLOWJACKET COMICS #3 (Nov'44),
Gilberton's CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #40 (Aug'47),
Marvel's SPELLBOUND #2 (Apr'52),
Youthful's BEWARE #10 (Jun'52),  
Ziff-Davis's NIGHTMARE #2 (Fall'52),
Continental's CLASSICOS DE TERROR #9 (1960),  and
Co-Operative's SUNDAY EXTRA (Apr'66)
     ...the last one 2 years earlier!

Prepare to have your mind BLOWN.  I do not say this lightly.  As of 6-12-2017, I have discovered (so far) 22 different comics versions of this story.  And, despite this one being "updated" to 1944, I consider this one to have the BEST-looking art of any of them I've seen to date!

The art is by Ruben Lara Romero, who was most famous for doing "FANTOMAS" for Novaro, as well as various WAR comics.  His work reminds me a lot of Russ Heath's.

As far as I know, none of these have ever been translated into English.
UNTIL NOW.  Enjoy!

EL MONJE LOCO  40
cover by RUBEN LARA ROMERO  
     (Editorial Temporae / Revistas Populares / Novaro  /  Mexico  /  
          September 4, 1968)
"EL POZO Y EL PENDULO"
     ("THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM")  /  Version 8
Adaptation by Salvador Carrasco  /  Art by RUBEN LARA ROMERO  /  Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Don't go away!  Our story will continue...

Copyright (C) 1968 Editorial Temporae / Revistas Populares.
English Translation & New Color Copyright (C) 2017 HENRY R. KUJAWA.

Scans of EL MONJE LOCO #40 from the Monje Loco 6771 blog,

     with special thanks to Carlos Lima.
   
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 El Monje Loco at the Bitacora blog.
Read about El Monje Loco at the Tebeosfera site.

Read about Ruben Lara Romero at Lambiek Comiclopedia.
Read an interview with Ruben Lara Romero at the Artes9 site.


Read about THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM at the Spark Notes site.
Read about THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM at the Cliff Notes site.
Read about THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM at the Shmoop site.

Read the complete story at the Poe Stories site.
See the PENDULUM Gallery of Illustrations.

     Audio:
Hear the Basil Rathbone PIT AND THE PENDULUM recording!
See the Vincent Price PIT AND THE PENDULUM performance!
Hear the Henry Hull SUSPENSE episode!   (ep. 24  /  1-12-1943)
Hear the Jose Ferrer SUSPENSE episode!   (ep. 273  /  11-28-1947)
Hear the Vincent Price SUSPENSE episode!   (ep.724  /  11-10-1957)
Hear the Raymond Burr SUSPENSE episode!   (ep.805  /  6-7-1959)
Hear the Tony Roberts CBS RADIO MYSTERY THEATER episode!  (3-4-1975)

     Comics:
Read the Gus Schrotter PENDULUM adaptation!
Read the August M. Froehlich PENDULUM adaptation!
Read the Russ Heath PENDULUM adaptation!

Read the Doug Wildey PENDULUM adaptation!
Read the Everett Raymond Kinstler PENDULUM adaptation!

Read the Gedeone Malagola PENDULUM adaptation!
Read the Frank Bellamy PENDULUM adaptation!
Read the Ruben Lara Romero PENDULUM adaptation!

     See the Pablo Marcos PENDULUM tribute!
Read the Ricardo Villamonte PENDULUM adaptation!
Read the Jose Ortiz PENDULUM adaptation!

Read the Felipe Jimenez De La Rosa PENDULUM adaptation!
     (coming soon!)
Read the Guido Del Carpio Rivera PENDULUM illustrated story!
     (coming soon!)
Read the Juan Sarompas PENDULUM illustrated story!   (coming soon!)
Read the Don McGregor / Rudy Mesina PENDULUM adaptation!
Read the Gerry Talaoc PENDULUM adaptation!

     (Coming soon:)
Read the Monroe Eisenberg PENDULUM illustrated story!
Read the Novedades Editores PENDULUM adaptation!

Read the Steve Pugh PENDULUM adaptation!
Read the Bluewater Productions PENDULUM adaptation!
Read the Carlo Vergara PENDULUM adaptation!

R
ead the J.C. Fabul PENDULUM adaptation!

      El Monje Loco:
Read the Ruben Lara Romero PENDULUM adaptation!
Read the Carlos Moro BERENICE adaptation!
Read the Carlor Moro VALDEMAR adaptation!   (coming soon!)
Read the Carlos Moro HOUSE OF USHER adaptation!   (coming soon!)


See the CHRONOLOGICAL list of Edgar Allan Poe stories!
See the ALPHABETICAL list of Edgar Allan Poe stories!

Don't miss the 2nd PART of this... coming up next!!!

(Continued in Poe 1968, Pt. 23)

Monday, September 26, 2016

Poe 1968, Pt. 21

(Continued from Poe 1968, Pt. 20)

I CLASSICI A FUMETTI  7
"IL DELITTI DELLA VIA MORGUE"

     (IN COLOR  w/ English Translation  /  Conclusion)

Gino Sansoni Editore was a publisher in Italy active in the 1960s & 70s.

Like Société Parisienne d'Édition's MONDIAL AVENTURES in France, Sansoni's I CLASSICI A FUMETTI was an attempt to emulate the success and subject matter of Gilberton's wildly-successful CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED.  The series was done in a tiny digest format, in B&W, with 2-3 panels per page.  It appears to have run at least 28 issues from 1967-70, and included a number of adapations not done in Gilberton's entire run.  Many of the stories focused on beautiful, sexy women, something reflected in most of their covers.

Among them were a number of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations.

First up...

     "THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE"

After the entire middle half consisted of nothing but Dupin and his friend talking out the mystery, we at last come to the climax and resolution, when the person who actually saw the murders arrives at their home.

I CLASSICI A FUMETTI  7
cover by SERGIO ZANIBONI    
     (Gino Sansoni Editore  /  Italy  /  July-September 1968)
"IL DELITTI DELLA VIA MORGUE"
     ("THE CRIMES OF MORGUE STREET")
     ("THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE")  /  Version 4
Adaptation by Tito Monego  /  Art by GINO DAURO

Pages 60-61  /  "And now... the EPIC conclusion..." 

Pages 62-63
Pages 64-65
Pages 66-67
Pages 68-69
Pages 70-71
Pages 72-73
Pages 74-75
Pages 76-77
Pages 78-79
Pages 80-81
Pages 82-83
Pages 84-85
Pages 86-87
Pages 88-89
So far this story has been the single most time-consuming to process and set up in this entire project!  I'm relieved to finally have it done.

This story was reprinted here:

HORROR POCKET  7:  DALL' INFERNO CON TERRORE
cover by GIORGIO MONTORIO   (Gino Sansoni Editore  /  Italy  /  1973)
As I was working on this story, I kept imagining how this comic-book could easily have been used as the shooting script and storyboards for a feature-film adaptation, if somebody like Roger Corman had done it.  I can even picture some of the cast...

C. Auguste Dupin  /  William Powell
The Narrator  /  David Frankham
The Policeman  /  Dick Miller
The Prefect  /  Albert Finney
Copyright (C) Tito MonegroGino Dauro,  
     Sergio Zaniboni,  Giorgio Montorio  &  Gino Sansoni Editore.
English Translation & New Color Copyright (C) 2016 Henry R. Kujawa.

Scans of I CLASSICI A FUMETTI #7

     and HORROR POCKET #7:  DALL' INFERNO CON TERRORE
          from Silvano Calligari with special thanks!

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.

R
ead about Gino Sansoni at the Magliarossonera.it site.
See I CLASSICI A FUMETTI covers at the Comic Vine site.

Read about Gino Dauro at Lambiek Comiclopedia.

Read about THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE at the Spark Notes site.
Read about THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE at the Britannica site.

Read the complete story at the Poe Museum site.
See the RUE MORGUE Gallery of Illustrations.

      Audio:

Hear the WEIRD CIRCLE radio episode!
Hear the Paul Hecht CBS RADIO MYSTERY THEATER episode!

      Comics:

Read the Arnold L. Hicks RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Sam Gross RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Guido Crepax RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Gino Dauro RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Miguel Gomez Esteban RUE MORGUE adaptation!   (coming soon!)


Read the Cezar Lopez Vera RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Illustrated Classics RUE MORGUE adaptation!  (coming soon!)
Read the Jose Ortiz RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the E.R. Cruz RUE MORGUE adaptation!

     (Coming soon:)
Read the Moises Cespedes RUE MORGUE adaptation!

Read the Ediciones Maisal RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Howard Priestley RUE MORGUE adaptation!
     Read the Mark A. Nelson RUE MORGUE sequel!
Read the Silvio Camboni RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Matt Brooker RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Reno Maniquis RUE MORGUE adaptation!

Read the Emerson Dimaya RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Ola Skogang RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Richard Corben RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Leandro Fernandez RUE MORGUE adaptation!

     Misc:
Read the Gino Dauro RUE MORGUE adaptation!
Read the Gino Dauro BLACK CAT adaptation!
Read the Gino Dauro TELL-TALE HEART adaptation!
Read the Gino Dauro HOUSE OF USHER adaptation!

See the CHRONOLOGICAL list of Edgar Allan Poe stories!
See the ALPHABETICAL list of Edgar Allan Poe stories!


(Continued in Poe 1968, Pt. 22)