My rating
“Medusa the Gorgon”
Dell Comics gives us the elevator pitch for Medusa, the Greek Gorgon. This is a fun overview of the Temple Maiden Gymnastics Monster. Zeus was definitely a slime ball in this legend.
“Creature from the Amazon”
Paleontologist Scott Warden traveled a hundred miles up the Amazon to study a fossil discovered by the late explorer Arriaga. The hand, or more precisely the classification, a webbed pentadactyl claw (five-fingered) with special morphological features, has been carbon dated to the Devonian period. Did the fossil represent an evolutionary bridge between humans and fish or something much more sinister? Dr. Warden was determined to find out.
Now he stands on the deck of the riverboat Lucia, a necessity paid for by his patron, Hollywood playboy Dudley Gaustad. There’s just one catch. No local porter will travel upriver to Largo Del Muerte (Lake of Death). The boat captain had hired questionable men with German accents. They appear to be relics of the recent war in Europe. Gold is their motivation. Knowledge of the strange creature is damned.
Will Scott Warden find a missing link in the evolutionary chain before invaders can destroy the archaeological evidence? What are the true motives of millionaire Dudley Gaustad? Is there a murderer haunting the banks of Largo Del Muerte?
“Prehistoric Birds”
Dell provides a brief summary of the classic pterodactyl dinosaur. Much more would be known about this animal. However, in 1962, this was the cutting edge of paleontology.
“Creatures from other worlds”
Is there extraterrestrial life on other planets? If so, do they visit Earth? Maybe little green men live among us and watch our every move. My, how things have changed since the 1960s. Disclosure is coming!
review
That’s not the one Creature from the Black Lagoon that I remember. The core story elements from the 1962 film starring Julie Adams, Richard Denning and Richard Carlson are there. However, someone at Western Publishing made the decision to add additional characters, storylines, and an ending that was slightly different from the original.
For some strange reason, even the main characters’ names were changed. In modern terms, I think this comic would fall into the “multiverse” category – if Dell had such a thing. I guess we’ll never know who made the decision to revise this classic, as the publisher’s records don’t exist. My guess would be the editor, DJ Arneson. The decision could have been left to the author. Unfortunately her name is not documented.
The artwork by Bob Jenney, the surprise ending, and the little extras give this comic a four-star rating. If you’re a Gill Man fan, it might be something you want to have in your collection. The nostalgia factor is enough for me.
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