Vampire Tales #2 (October 1973)
Tower of Shadows #1 (September 1969)(cover by John Romita)
"At the Stroke of Midnight"
Jim Steranko
Happy Halloween, everyone! What's a fella to do when he's noticed that almost a year of this blog's life has gone by with nary a mention of one of the all-time greats? One cobbles together a fun post featuring the art of Jim Steranko, that's what! As mentioned last week, I recently purchased a copy of the Vampire Tales trade paperback (volume 1) at our local Half-Price Books. Other than Marvel choosing to trim it in digest size, it's a wonderful compilation of the first three issues of the magazine of the same name. Interestingly, those magazines included some gems from Marvel's horror past. And some of those had nothing to do with vampires. But who am I to quibble, especially when those stories featured art by the likes of Bill Everett, Gene Colan, and today's featured artist. Boom!
Today I'm featuring a short story by Steranko in its original color version, side-by-side with the black & white reprint that graced the magazine shelves four years later. For my money, the B&W version is superior to the colored art. You decide for yourself, and I'd invite you to leave a comment at the conclusion of your perusal. Along the way, color or not, I hope you relish Steranko's panel layouts, his use of lighting/shadow, and the general tension of the tale. It's top shelf horror writing, and of course we all know what a master Steranko is at layouts. So enjoy this treat, and I hope you are not on the receiving end of any tricks when the little goblins are out and about this evening. Stay safe, effendi!
