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)
("THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM") / Version 8
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!
Read 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)
