PLANET OF VAMPIRES #2 of 3 – Ben’s Horror-Comic-Athon October 2018 #8
In the spirit of Halloween, Ben is reading one horror comic every night before he goes to bed. Will they keep him up? Or will they put him to sleep? We’ll find out…
It’s October 8th. And I’m continuing the journey into the second issue of a “trilogy” (in quotes because it was not MEANT to be a trilogy . . . it was intended to be an ongoing series). I love the Atlas collection of comics for a variety of reasons, and it was fun to dive into this series.
ENTRY EIGHT:
PLANET OF VAMPIRES #2: Atlas Comics; John Albano, writer; Pat Broderick & Frank McLaughlin, artists; published 1975
This time, they promise even more! A dark lord threatens a terrified woman while the hero is bound and frustrated because he can’t help her. Meanwhile, fanged minions enter the room ready to do lackey-type of stuff. Look at the vampire lord. “Soon shall rule by my side as . . . QUEEN of the VAMPIRES!”
Somehow, there will be actual vampires? Not metaphorical/technological ones?
Nope.
The post-apocalyptic action continues as the events in the book sort of reflect the image on the cover. I mean, the two women astronauts ARE kidnapped. To be drained of their blood. Neither of them are offered the chance to be “Queen of the Vampires”.
It feels like the cover artist is following one set of instructions — HORROR! VAMPIRES! — while the writer (a different writer this issue) is following another set of instructions — SCI-FI! METAPHOR!
It’s not that it’s not good. There is vibrancy to the art and the story, with its street gangs and personality, is competent. It’s just not giving me what I expected when I decided to devote three days of my horror month to this title.
You can read the rest of this series here: Ben’s Horror-Comic-Athon October 2018
While Ben’s not podcasting daily for the entire month, The Comic Book Time Machine will be going daily for a week at the end of October. Don’t miss our WEEK OF WEIRD, as we explore some weird comics from October 25-31!
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