Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Black and White Wednesday: "The Laughing Man" by Jones and Wrightson

Greetings, my Groovy Ghoulies! Y'know, it doesn't get much better than "The Laughing Man" from Creepy #95 (cover-dated February 1978). The terror-tale is written by Bruce Jones, who proved time and again that he was a master of the short horror story. Few could infuse a short shocker with such depth and, yes, depravity. Artist Bernie Wrightson is an acknowledged master of horror comics. His style--especially in black and white--still sets the standard for creature comics. And here they are, together, treating us to a certified classic.





9 comments:

  1. Creepy & to the point! I've heard of people being two-faced, but this is ridiclous!Bernie Wrightson a master of the macabre!I can't wait for Oct & Halloween!

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  2. Bruce Jones was a great horror writer and artist as well. And Wrightson...well... amazing as always. Have never seen this one. Thanks!

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  3. So awesome! I had this issue when I was a kid! Whew, good stuff--Thanks!

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  4. I've been looking for this story for years, but I didn't know the name of it. Thanks!

    It's just as creepy as it was when I read it as a kid in the 70s.

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  5. I'd like this story a lot more if Wrightson hadn't opted for such cartoony underdrawing (homage to Eisner?) with realistic rendering. He did much better with earlier Warren stories like "The Black Cat", "Jenifer", "The Pepper Lake Monster", "Nightfall", "Cool Air", "The Muck Monster", "A Martian Saga", and "Clarice" where the drawing was less exaggerated, but still beautifully stylised.

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  6. I understand that in 1978 Berni Wrightson was already working on the FRANKENSTEIN drawings for two years, and to offset the intensity and seriousness of that work he drew the first, quite tongue-in-cheek "Captain Sternn" short story (eventually published in HEAVY METAL in 1980). Briggs in "The Laughing Man" has the same jaw line as Sternn. Hmmmm...

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  7. I think your right, that sure looks like Capt.Sternn's jaw to me.

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  8. haven't seen or thought of this one since it came out, yet I remember it vividly. BW is a genius, and you're a champ for posting this!

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  9. Someone else pointed out on another blog that Wrightson was influenced by Frazetta's "Werewolf!" story from Creepy #1 when he drew this. Both take place in Africa, and both use ink washes. Good observation.

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