GOING, GOING, GONE, A Mystery Novel by Eliza G. C. Collins

EVERYONE seems to be a critic, so I'm sure there are those who may think that Going, Going, Gone is no great shake, but I'm not one of them. I personally enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed reading anything, even the most lauded mysteries that are out there, and that's the reason I now own both editions of the novel. The only downside I can think of is that this was Eliza G. C. Collins' (b. 1938- ) only foray into fiction; after this, and what should have been the beginning of a thoroughly successful mystery-series writing career, she concentrated instead only on authoring a non-fiction book, The Portable MBA, her third such endeavor, which may have been the dissuading factor that kept her from writing more fiction. Well that, and perhaps her important day job as senior editor of the Harvard Business Review, an obvious time-consuming occupation.

Going, Going, Gone was published in hardback by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1986. The jacket art was painted by Jack Ribik, who was an active producer of illustrative and graphic designed cover art during the 1970s, 80s and 90s for publishers such as Bobbs-Merrill, Dial, Dodd Mead, Dutton, Houghton Mifflin, William Morrow, Putnam, Random House, Scribner's, St. Martin's and Viking. Beyond that fact there is no other background information about Ribik online.

Ribik's illustration depicts a wooden African Chieftain's sceptre, its top carved into several hideous grinning baboon faces, with tiny bits of ivory for their teeth. And yes, this is the murder weapon.

"Helen Greene once had to sell her favorite painting-- a gorgeous landscape by Albert Pinkham Ryder-- to save her Boston gallery. Now, ten years later, the Ryder's back on the auction block, and Helen wants it-- desperately. It's the love of fine art that brings Helen to Joseph Wickham Auctions. The motives of the other auction hounds aren't so pure. Tom's scrambling to pay off a bad debt with penny-ante purchases. Julie's stalking a new partner for business and/or bed. Silky's gambling on an unsigned-- and unauthorized-Master. Will he make a killing, or get stuck with a worthless imitation? Al's trying to shake down an old business partner for his share of the till. And Barton's just being his usual high-and-mighty self. The stakes are as high as tempers, and once the bidding begins, the sky's the limit. But it's murder that fetches the highest price. And Helen is the chief suspect."

KIRKUS REVIEWS: "...readers with a taste for Boston or auctions, or both, should be modestly entertained by this sedate mystery-comedy, which is intended to inaugurate a Helen Greene series."

The paperback edition of Going, Going Gone was published by Signet in September, 1987. The cover art was produced by Robert Crawford, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His paintings have appeared on scores of paperback and hardcover book covers since the early 1980s; in some instances, such as Philip R. Craig's popular Martha's Vineyard Mystery Series, he's provided every cover painting for every format that's been published. He also produced a substantial amount of imagery for advertising purposes and for magazines such as Fortune, Business Week, The Atlantic and the U.S. News and World Report.

Crawford's take on the wooden African sceptre is stylishly different than Ribik's. He also shows us the very large carved wooden box, of seventeenth-century English origin, which Helen successfully bids on during the auction and which becomes an impromptu stash place for the murdered victim's body.

"The thrill of an antiques auction was in the blood of Boston gallery owner Helen Greene. And this time the chance to buy back a painting she was forced to sell long ago had her on a razor's edge of anticipation. A gorgeous landscape by Albert Ryder was going on the block that afternoon, and Helen would do anything to outbid the cutthroat competition to possess it. But murder? She wouldn't, of course, but somebody did... for a grisly corpse among the objets d'art soon made Helen the prime suspect in a rival dealer's death. Now the price of her freedom depended on her talent for investigation... and her expert appraisal of the crafty criminal who made a real killing in antiques... "

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BELOW ARE some bonus covers to enjoy by the elusive artist Jack Ribik. (I'll feature Crawford at another time; he is a favorite illustrator of mine and deserves his own article):

The Whisper of the Axe, a thriller by Richard Condon, was published in hardback by Doubleday in 1976. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'The weapons are stored, ready for the Final American Revolution. Strike date: July 4, 1976. Name: Urban Guerrilla Warfare. Method: Terror in the streets, rooftops, cellars of Thirty American Cities. Leader: Lawyer Agatha Teel, beautiful, smart, black. Funding: Heroin, from plant to vein. CIA team: Enid and Bart Simms, the most erotically incestuous brother and sister agents in history. Training: Deep in China's mountains twelve American men and women study death in a four-year course. Secret Agent for the Pentagon: Someone. Someone who must withstand briefings and de-briefings to spare America from the coming violence, and make her safe for her generals and owners.'

 

KIRKUS REVIEWS: "...enormously entertaining... though it's clear that the central performer is always Condon, a staggering virtuoso. When he describes a meal it makes Craig Claiborne's American Express orgy seem like a Pillsbury Bake-Off."

Super-Folks, a novel by Robert Mayer, was published in hardback by Dial Press in 1977. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'The funniest novel... maybe ever. There were no more heroes. Kennedy was dead. Batman and Robin were dead. The Lone Ranger was dead. Superman was missing. Even Snoopy had bought it: missing in action over France. In this fading pantheon of heroes, the very last to give up combat against the forces of evil had been the most powerful hero of all, unseen in almost a decade since, unknown to the world, his Superpowers had begun to fail. Slipping into the humdrum routine of middle-class life, using the humdrum secret name David Brinkley, he was now forty-two years old, married, with two children and a third on the way. He expected never again to dash into a phone booth, strip down to his uniform, don his purple mask, and leap into battle against the forces of darkness. Then comes a TV news bulletin; an ominous phone call; and Brinkley, against his wishes, dragging along the flab of middle age, is drawn into one last heroic battle to save the world. In his comic adventures, searching to understand what is happening, find the enemy, and deal with his own yearnings, he encounters a collage of characters from real and imaginary worlds, including nefarious villains of every sort and the girl reporter who was the lost romance of his youth. Brinkley is Everyman, mourning lost goals and lost powers, dealing with his own multiple identity, facing the encroachments of middle age--like the rest of us.'

 

KIRKUS REVIEWS: "...sharp, funny, and ultimately moving, with a plot that could be the R-rated version of the current hit movie The Incredibles... a cult novel that inspired a generation of comic book writers and anticipated books like The Fortress of Solitude and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay."

Brother to Demons, Brother to Gods, a science fiction novel by Jack Williamson, was published in hardback by Bobbs-Merrill in 1979 .The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

"We can recreate the human race-- if we dare. In this exciting age of test-tube babies and reported human clones and the new miracles of recombinant DNA, that's the dazzling and sometimes disturbing promise of the genetic engineers. In Brother to Demons, Brother to Gods, a prophetic novel set in a vast future multiverse, Jack Williamson projects future centuries of genetic research..."

Star Light, Star Bright, a crime thriller by Stanley Ellin, was published by in hardback by Random House in 1979. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'Kalos Daskalos, once astrologer to the famous and now mystic guru to billionaire Andrew Quist and his wife, has received three threatening letters. Det. Milano has been hired to prevent Daskalos' possible murder. As the appointed hour draws near Milano can see a shocking conclusion building up but has little power to stop it.'

Listen, Listen, a collection of novellas by Kate Wilhelm, was published in hardback by Houghton Mifflin in 1981. The jacket design was created by Jack Ribik (this is virtually a precursor to today's dominating font only designed graphic covers).

'This book contains four striking novellas, and the author's own philosophy of fiction writing expressed in her speech as guest of honor at the 38th World Science Fiction Convention... Kate Wilhelm's writing always has meaning on many levels. Listen, Listen provides a feast for fans and new readers alike.'

Mad Hatter Summer, a crime novel by Donald Thomas, was published in hardback by Viking in 1983. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'It is November 1879, and in his rooms at Christ Church, Oxford, the Reverend C.L. Dodgson, known to posterity as Lewis Carroll, is sketching the likeness of young Jane Ashmole, while Inspector Alfred Swain of Scotland yard and his fiancee look on. These four people share the memory of a remarkable summer, beautiful and deadly: Mr. Dodgson and the little girls. Innocence and extortion. The body of the murdered man in sodden plum-colored suiting. Corruption in high and low places alike. Swain, challenged by Dodgson for a "title" for the haunted season just past, pauses, then dubs it "Mad Hatter Summer." To discover why his reply is dead on target is to be plunged into an enthralling and fascinating century-old episode of menace. It was a time that threatened disgrace and scandal for the creator of ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. Avuncular friend of many young girls, and one of England's finest early photographers, he had for some years been posing young models with whom he was on innocent "kissing terms," in "their favorite dress of nothing at all." Inevitably, rumors rippled through the colleges of Oxford, and the middle-aged bachelor don seemed an easy target for Charles Augustus Howell, Victorian blackmailer par excellence. Others, enemies and friends--the ill-fated schemer Major Tiptoe, the cold and wolfish colleague Thomas Godwin, Sarah Ashmole, the mother of Jane--seemed to form an inexorably closing circle around Dodgson. A beautiful evoked high summer in Oxford with its chimes, buttercups, and river scenes is the background for a darker drama of Victorian innocence, sexuality, and conspiracy. Inspector Swain, bringing to bear the lunatic and inspired logic of one of Lewis Carroll's most famous characters, solves a murder and saves a vulnerable genius in one of those rare fictions that is at once both ingenious mystery and novel of depth and delight.'

Scandal, Or Priscilla's Kindness, a novel by A. N. Wilson was published in hardback by Viking Press in 1984. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'... A. N. Wilson here weaves a complex and hilarious tale of a sex scandal that reaches to the very heights of the British government. At its center is a lovable but dim-witted prostitute with the improbable name of Bernadette, one of whose clients--whom she entertains with the aid of a schoolboy's uniform and a teacher's ruler--is a red-faced man of unusual sexual tastes who happens (unbeknownst to Bernadette) to be Derek Blore, a cabinet member hot for the summit. When her pimp arranges for her to marry a defecting Russian dancer, Bernadette doesn't realize this chaste union could have anything to do with Blore; nor does Blore know that his business with the obliging Bernadette has come to anyone's attention--or that his otherwise irreproachable wife, Priscilla, is have a steamy but sane affair with a journalist with an insatiable appetite for a good story. And none of the four can see that their wold of political salons, country house weekends, shabby-genteel brothels, and Fleet Street gossip is about to be engulfed in a comic cataclysm that will change all their lives...'

KIRKUS REVIEWS: "...coldly whimsical little treatment of a sex-scandal involving a British cabinet-minister [which combines] elements from several recent Whitehall brouhahas... with every character a fool or a faker."

The Godwin Sideboard, a crime novel by John Malcolm, was published in hardback by Scribners in 1985. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'Centuries old furniture and other objets are fetching astronomical prices these days. When Tim Simpson asks his friend Peter Blackwell, a London antiques dealer, to find a Godwin sideboard--1860-70, Japanese-looking, rare and growing in value--for the Art Investment Fund that Simpson adminsters, Blackwell tells him that it will cost him at least $25,000. Instead, it costs Blackwell's life. The antiques dealer is found shot to death in his office--just minutes after he telephones Simpson and asks to see him immediately, presumably about a Godwin sideboard. The only clue leads Simpson, a less-than-eager amateur sleuth, to seedy Hastings. There, a chance encounter with a pair of Americans brings the beautiful Marianne Gray into his life and offers him some much-needed )and pleasantly distracting) company as he follows the trail of a murderer....'

Thunder of Erebus, a techno thriller by Payne Harrison, was published in hardback by Scribners in 1986 (this is an image of the uncorrected proof softcover edition). The cover art was produced by Jack Ribik. 

'Antarctica--blazingly cold, remote, and largely untouched--has been called "the last place on earth." In the near future, a Soviet-American geological expedition is drilling deep below the Ross Ice Shelf in the shadow of volcanic Mount Erebus, a venture representing a warming relationship between the United Stages and the new "Soviet Confederation." But when an astounding discover is made by the expedition, it quickly leads to a confrontation between the two reluctant superpowers, a desperate struggle to claim the prize under the ice'

KIRKUS REVIEWS: "Soviet and American forces slug it out over strategic materials in the frozen South, where a dormant volcano is waking up in a terrible mood. Living, breathing humans and fresh scenery make this a better-than-average technobattle."

Bodies, a crime novel by Robert Barnard, was published in hardback by Scribners in 1986. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'Police superintendent Perry Trethowan investigates a spectacular murder in London's Soho district. Perry knows Soho--its restaurants, theaters, and strip joints--from his vice squad days, and it's as colorful and exotic and full of life as ever. Full of life, except of course for the four murdered people. Who would want to kill nice-guy Bob Cordle? Who would want to kill Bob's young assistant, and two beautiful models? Bob is, or was, a photographer for Bodies magazine, a soft-porn periodical, so soft that it's almost marshmallow. Bob's photos were mostly of beautiful, healthy-looking bodies, often photographed outdoors, in natural settings. No obscenity, not for Bob and not for Bodies. Was Bob involved in something after hours? That's the question Perry must ask when he's called in to probe the bloody massacre. Who was the principal victim? Did the others die because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time? With help from a young body-builder named Charlie, Perry traces the backgrounds of his multiple corpses, seeking the key to the most baffling case of his career.'
 

 

The Cherry Blossom Corpse, a crime novel by Robert Barnard, was published in hardback by Scribners in 1987. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'Scotland Yard's Perry Trethowan never wanted to make the trip to Norway for the World Association of Romantic Novelists convention. But it was hard saying no to his newly published sister, Christobel. And besides, the worst he expected was the chilly Scandinavian weather weather and a harmless if irritating menu of fanciful writers and flowery language. Who could've known that backbiting, malice, and bitter rivalry were the true customs of this convention and that the plot line would soon include murder? Amanda Fairchild, the genre's amorous doyenne, ends up dead while en route to a fjord-side tryst of her own, and the dauntless Trethowan must discover which of these authors has turned the page from romance to homicide.'

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "The many fans of Scotland Yard's Perry Trethowan will savor his adventures in this 15th elegantly satiric mystery by Barnard. In the denouement, a shockingly inhuman plot is disclosed. Barnard's wit is as sharp as ever; depictions of Norwegian scenic splendors and food are extra attractions.

The Skeleton in the Grass, a crime novel by Robert Barnard, was published in hardback by Scribners in 1988. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'The world at large may be sliding into the abyss of disaster, but life at Hallam, a small English village in 1936, and the county seat of the glamorous and renowned Hallam family, still represents the ultimate in British civilization. Teatime, with its cucumber sandwiches and cream cakes, continues as it has for a hundred years. It's not that the Hallam family ignores the world outside its gracious doors. On the contrary, Helen and Dennis Hallam care passionately about peace and principle, and Dennis dramatically conveys these views to the nation in his controversial weekly review column. Avowed pacifists, Helen and Dennis represent a political stance that the villagers mistrust and fear. That fear and suspicion turn to nasty pranks when a sinister Fascist major gains control over some of the local youths. Helen and Dennis, and their sons Oliver and Will, become the victims of cruel taunts and the kind of teasing that leads to terror. As the Hallams and villagers grow more hostile, we see the story through the eyes of Sarah Causeley, an idealistic young woman who has recently come to be nursery governess at Hallam. To Sarah, the Hallams represent beauty, brilliance, and style--an idyllic life in the midst of chaos. But as she watches, the Hallams' world begins to disintegrate, and a tense and unexpected encounter leads to a shocking murder.'

Dead Run, a crime thriller by Tony Gibbs, was published in hardback by Random House in 1988. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'It all begins with a young woman--Gillian--who inherits a handsome boat called Glory from her uncle, a aging soldier of fortune. Like Gillian, the boat is more beautiful than practical. It starts to seem a little less beautiful when Gillian climbs aboard one night to tend her ailing uncle and finds that someone else has tended to him first--and let him dead. Soon Gillian is pursued by two rival gangs who are out to take Glory from her by fair means or foul--preferably bloody. Something valuable is hidden somewhere on board: they want it--and it is not Gillian. Only two people can help her: a man who happens to be one of the best sailors around, and a woman port star who happens to be stunning, statuesque, smart and ready to retire.'

Wildtrack, a thriller by Bernard Cornwell, was published in hardback by Putnam in 1988. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'"You're never going to walk again," they told him. "You're never going to sail again. You can kiss it all goodbye..." But month by grueling month Nicholas Sandman, wounded in the Falklands War, does teach himself to walk again, and heads home. Everything he has is gone--his money, his wife, his children--all but his one great love: a 38-foot ketch called Sycorax. But to his horror the looted, vandalized shell of Sycorax lies rotting near Nick's former home, now owned by television star Tony Bannister. Bannister is shocked--he had no idea!--and immediately offers to help Nick restore the boat in exchange for a favor. Will Nick navigate Bannister's own yacht, Wildtrack, in a critical race? With trepidation, Nick accepts--and is plunged into a maelstrom of deceit, corruption and danger. For beneath Bannister's smooth words lies a web of disturbing questions, hints of dark financial manipulations, or murder--what happened that black night his wife was killed at sea?--of a ruthless hidden agenda that threatens to engulf Nick himself. As he desperately tries to unravel the tangled secrets that surround Wildtrack and its owner, Nick finds his own life on the line, human treachery battling the raging elements, as high winds sweep him toward a stormy mid-Atlantic "killing ground" where it will take more than a sailor's skills to survive.'

Secret Kills, a crime thriller by William Beechcroft, was published in hardback by Dodd, Mead in 1988. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'Crime reporter Dan Forrest is after a story for his scandal sheet. He and columnist Corkie Brion find a link between two incidents Dan is covering when they are plunged into an international plot that is to cost more lives and possibly their own.'

Miss Mary's Husbands, a crime novel by Dale Carlson, was published in hardback by Dodd, Mead in 1988. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'Mary Lambert, a successful businesswoman and bestselling author, seems to have little luck with the men she marries. Robert Taylor, husband number one, burned to death in an auto accident. Her second mate, Larry O'Mara, was murdered in a motel room, and her third spouse, Dick Devalos, expired, poisoned, on Mary's sofa. This pleasantly baffling, almost farcical mystery poses even more thorny problems when Mary is romanced and beguiled by a slick con man, John Maurier, who wishes to become husband number four for his own devious purposes. The small New England harbor town of Gelsey is soon scandalized when two of Mary's husbands, Larry and Robert, turn out to be very much alive and interested in making life hazardous for Mary, who begins to be plagued by anonymous phone calls and menacing prowlers. The opportunistic Maurier moves in with Mary and persuades her that she needs his protection, particularly when Larry and Robert turn up really dead this time, and the Gelsey police make Mary their prime suspect.'

Wildcat, a thriller  by Craig Thomas, was published in hardback by Putnam in 1989. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'Somewhere in Europe: When an East German defector is accidentally killed after fleeing to the West, British intelligence expects a flap. But indomitable spycatcher Sir Kenneth Aubrey knows it will be the fuse that ignites a chain of violence, snaking halfway around the globe. For the defector is the beloved son of the head of East German intelligence, Aubrey's archenemy, Brigitte Winterbach--a woman with the brilliance and venomous passion to go to any lengths to avenger her devastating loss. Somewhere in Kathmandu: When Aubrey's foster son, the dashing young ex-Gurkha officer Tim Gardiner, finds himself hunted down by an East German "wet" squad, he has no idea that his life is intended to be a forfeit for Kurt Winterbach's. What he does know is that Russian warplanes are poised to invade Nepal and that he must reach Kenneth Aubrey in order to stop the takeover. As the terminally ill Nepalese king moves rapidly toward his imminent end and rioting breaks out in Kathmandu, Tim will be the bait luring Aubrey into a fateful meeting with Brigitte Winterbach, in which the future of Asia--and of Aubrey and Tim--hangs perilously, explosively in the balance.'

KIRKUS REVIEWS: "Another sturdy, reliable thriller for Thomas' devoted fans. The aged Aubrey is surprisingly believable as an energetic and successful spy--and there's some pleasantly ominous South Asian scenery as well."

The Bio-Assassins, a thriller by Gerald L. Posner, was published in hardback by McGraw Hill in 1989. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'A CIA research station in London is attacked, its staff murdered. But the hit is more than just another skirmish in an ongoing shadow war. The facility was conducting research into biological warfare--research forbidden by international treaty--and had gotten far enough to produce a deadly virus with no antidote. Now that virus is in the hands of the KGB, iconoclastic agent Richard McGinnis is in pursuit to prevent the unimaginable from happening, its catastrophic use as a lethal weapon against the United States.'

A World The Color Of Salt, a crime novel by Noreen Ayres, was published in hardback by William Morrow in 1992. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'Why would anyone want to kill Jerry Dwyer, the goofy, pleasant college kid who sold the precinct cops their morning coffee? And what killer could be so coldblooded that he'd go back to the car for a bigger gun to finish the kid off? Smokey Brandon, ex-stripper, current forensic specialist with the Orange County Sheriff's Department, has taken on the case, determined to bring a callous killer to justice. From the salty waterfront of San Pedro to the glitzy bars of L.A., Smokey pieces together the clues surrounding Jerry's death. But when the trail leads to the rough ex-con who is dating Smokey's best friend, the case takes an alarming turn. Suddenly Smokey is fighting not only to capture Jerry's killer but to save her friend from a seductive, dangerously amoral criminal.'

Shadow Counter, a thriller by Tom Kakonis, was published in hardback by E. P. Dutton in 1993. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'Timothy Waverly, an ex-con and ambitious gambler, is in Las Vegas now, counting cards at the blackjack tables, trying to scratch together some money without getting caught. Things aren't going too bad until his naive sister drifts into town and hooks up with a murderous sociopath nicknamed Eggs who wants to muscle in on a basketball point-shaving scheme. Soon people are dying and the only way Waverly can save himself, and his sister, from joining them is to play a game of blackjack-to-the-death.'

On Dangerous Ground, a thriller by Jack Higgins, was published in hardback by Putnam in 1994. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'1944. Mao Tse-tung signs a secret document that could delay the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong for an additional one hundred years. But all copies of the document disappear in a plane crash.
1993. As Hong Kong prepares to be restored to China in 1997, England's prime minister learns of the existence of Mao Tse-tungs lost document. Former terrorist Sean Dillon is given direct orders to keep the document from coming to light--at all costs. One copy still exists, hidden in the wreckage of a plane on the bottom of a Scottish loch. But Dillon's not the only person searching for it. There are powerful business interests, including the Mafia, that will do anything to retain their power over Hong Kong--even if the delicate balance of world power is destroyed...'

KIRKUS REVIEWS: "... one of Higgins' kitchen sink finales, with the principals scuba diving, stealing, kidnapping, parachuting, and assaulting their way into your hearts still again. Nowhere near the top of Higgins' form, but his hordes of devoted fans won't mind this dog-and-pony show one more time."

The Obstacle Course, a novel by J. F. Freedman, was published in hardback by Viking in 1994. The jacket art was produced by Jack Ribik.

'Fifteen-year-old Roy Poole has to be smart because he is almost always on his own. His father is a drinker, womanizer, and wife-beater. His mother can't cope with her husband or her children; Roy copes by running with his own gang, whose escapades sometimes border on the criminal. And this young man is eminently available when the girls come after him, which is often. But there is another side to Roy. He builds model ships and regularly hitchhikes to Annapolis to run the Naval Academy's grueling obstacle course. For Roy Poole's one ambition in life, his consuming dream, is to become a midshipman. One day, like a gift from heaven, Roy meets a retired admiral who also builds model ships. The admiral is immediately attracted to the youngster, and he becomes almost a second father to the boy. Admiral Wells arranges for Roy to be admitted to a military prep school that sends most of its graduates to the Naval Academy. And then, suddenly, Roy's innocence brings about an explosion in this exotic world he has entered. Embittered and lost, Roy strikes out blindly for parts unknown. And on that adventure, particulaly in an encounter with members of a black church, people that he, a Southerner in the 1950s, has never known except as stereotypes, he begins the process of understanding that offers him a chance for his own life redemption.'

 [© October, 2020, Jeffersen]

DC Comics THE WITCHING HOUR!

*Note: Originally written in 2011.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: The Witching Hour! Volume 1 (1969-1972), DC Comics, March, 2011, ISBN 9781401230227.

DC'S lastest release in its ever growing Showcase Presents lineup is a massive 551 page softcover omnibus edition that reprints the first 18 issues of The Witching Hour comic in a variant black & white format. By eliminating the original four-color appearance, DC is able to price the Showcase editions modestly, giving folks an affordable way to get reacquainted with some of their favorite comics, ones they may not have access to anymore. Nick Cardy, an all-purpose artist who drew dozens of Witching Hour covers, also produced the cover art on Volume One, a re-purposing of his own work from Issue #4.

The Witching Hour started its long series run in 1969, eventually ending in 1978 with its 85th and final issue. That was nearly ten years worth of entertaining comic horror stories, or at least as entertaining as they could be within the allowance of the Comics Code Authority, the governing body created by the Comic Magazine Association to censor any and all material that was deemed inappropriate for children. And yet even under this imposition horror stories thrived. By the end of the Silver Age (1970) nearly every comic publisher had at least two bi-monthly horror comics for sale. DC continued to add even more horror titles in the years after the Silver.

Less than half of the stories in Volume One are credited to their actual writers. The remaining contributors are virtually unknown, an unfortunate aspect of comic-book legacy. The names that are given are no doubt familiar to most Silver and Bronze age fans: Sergio Aragones, Murray Boltinoff, Gerard Conway, Mike Friedrich, Dennis O'Neil, Steve Skeates, Len Wein, Carl Wessler and Marv Wolfman. These writers were capable of producing great scripts, and usually did, but they also cranked out a lot of pedestrian material, which in all fairness to them was probably all that was needed to satisfy the comic readership at that time, that being kids 7-15 years old. The stories here certainly reflect that overall output; some are outstanding, some are good, and some are just plain awful. A few could be deemed ludicrous. Nevertheless, all of the stories seem to be enjoyable, at least in one weird way or another.

Hosting each story are three witches: Cynthia, Mildred, and Mordred. Each witch was modeled after Macbeth's Weird Sisters, representing an archetype of the triumvirate woman; Maiden, Mother and Crone. Artist Alex Toth designed their signature look (as seen above), and continued in turn by Mike Sekowsky, Neal Adams and George Tuska.

Nearly every story focused on basic situations of revenge or retribution, ending in clever twists or revelations and usually with death in tow. Fantastic elements were also used as devices to help propel the narratives. These typically included haunted houses, alternate dimensions, paranormal events, inner & outer space, magic (or sorcery), deviltry and time travel. I suppose kids who read these stories on a regular basis were taught valuable moral lessons about the pitfalls of cultivating sin. I know I learned a thing or two. 

Though for myself, the main lure of buying comics was to collect the art itself, and to a large extent the artwork in the early years of the Witching Hour is worthy of collecting. Top notch illustrators like Bernie Wrightson, Bill Draut, Neal Adams, Gray Morrow and Alex Toth contributed regularly to the series, but alas, as always with comics, so did several of their obviously less talented colleagues. One of those unfortunates was Jack Sparling, who drew, unmercifully, the dumpiest characters in all of comicdom. His presence in any comic practically ruined it for me, even if his grotesque, unattractive style can be defended for its recognizable vigor.  

Below are some example pages of the artists that I do admire, starting with Alex Toth, a Comic Book Hall of Fame inductee. Toth illustrated four of the series best stories, and he also provided the important framing introductions, interludes, and epilogues in all of the early issues.

An icon in the field of comics, Alex Toth (1928-2006) started his career in the 1940's drawing syndicated strips and comic books. By the late 1950s he was working primarily for Dell, where he illustrated the comic book Zorro and several other media tie-in books. Hanna-Barbera then hired him in the early 1960's as a storyboard and animation design artist. His most famous creation for them is probably the Space Ghost. Toth's animation style has been parodied on the Cartoon Network and other cable shows, a definite sign of his respect and influence within the medium, and in fact he is considered a "Giant of 20th Century Cartoon Design" by animation enthusiasts. Since 1995 several books have been published by and about him, and his status as both an artist and creator continues to grow with each passing year. Pictured above is a prime example of his minimalist, almost patented style, and his unique draftsmanship, downloaded from ComputErr, a story written by Sergio Aragones in Issue #8 (note the clever use of punch holes outlining each panel; that's how computer cards looked in the 1970s).

Bill (William) Draut (1921-1993) was another excellent draftsman who had a long and productive career in comics. Some of his best work was done for the Witching Hour. Draut began drawing professionally in the 1940's, doing newspaper comic strips before signing on with Jack Kirby and Joe Simon at Crestwood Publications. His ability to draw people and faces were honed while working on their romance titles. He also worked for Harvey Comics in the late 1950's. Then, after a brief stint at Charlton, he began his longtime association with DC, primarily illustrating, but not limited to, their horror, romance and war titles. The above two pages (page 2 & 7) are from The Big Break!, a story written by Steve Skeates in Issue #7. The black & white format actually accentuates Draut's clean ink lines and deep contrasts--to me it's almost an improvement over the four-color method used in the originals.

Pat Boyette (1923-2000) almost single-handedly kept Charlton Comics alive during the Silver and Bronze Ages, writing and drawing hundreds of stories for the low-budget publisher. Some of his work for them is rather shoddy, a likely result of his overworked schedule. But when he applied himself properly he was as good a stylist and draftsman as there was in the business. While freelancing at DC, he delivered some of his finest illustrations. Pictured above is a page from the premier Issue (#1) of The Witching Hour, showing Boyette's inimitably detailed, yet slightly wooden style, and his signature use of diagonally shaped panels. The story is Save the Last Dance For Me!, and it was written by the great Dennis O'Neil.

Former DC editor, writer and artist Carmine Infantino (1925-2013) had only one story published in The Witching Hour, a reprint from Sensation Comics (DC, May-June, 1952) titled Fingers of Fear. It's my favorite story from the entire series, not only because of Infantino's solid perspectives and sure-handed lines (pun intended), but because his story shares the same title with my favorite horror novel, written by John Urban Nicolson and published by Covici Friede in 1937. It also happens to be a prime example of the ludicrousity I mentioned earlier. Shown above is the splash panel and one of the pages from Issue #17. The prolific and always dependable Joe Giella was the inker for this story.

Gray Morrow (1934-2001) was a distinguished illustrator noted for his style and exceptional realism. He also painted paperback covers for more than three decades, chiefly science fiction, and worked periodically on syndicated newspaper strips. Morrow was also one of the regulars at Warren Publishing, producing superb covers and and interior art for their magazines Creepy, Eerie and Blazing Combat. Along the way he found time to work on comics, mainly for Timely, Atlas, and Classics Illustrated. Eventually he wound up working for DC in the early 1970's, illustrating stories for their horror comics. Pictured above is an excellent example of his work from Issue #13, taken from Alan Gold's and Marv Wolfman's story Maze. This particular example is bold even in Showcase's b&w format, but even more so when enhanced by color, as evidenced above in a scan of the same page from the original comic version.

MY INTEREST in comic books has always ebbed and flowed. It's been that way since I was a teenager, when I first drifted away to pursue other literary interests. Now my attention is back, but my focus is mainly on the Silver Age comics of my youth, which for me constitutes a trip down memory lane. With few exceptions, I rarely collect any of the modern comics and graphic novels that are so plentiful now though I do read as many as time will allow. It's astonishing to see just how far the medium has come since those days when I was a young devotee, sketching away in my Big Chief tablet as I were a prospective cartoonist. These days the variety of styles and subject matter seems far reaching, although in reality that diversity may not be that much greater than it was in any previous era. But the packaging of comic art has evolved dramatically since then, some of it for the better, some of it for the worse. While I would prefer to see all of the old comics reprinted in color, and that color closely resembling their original treatment, these black & white Showcase volumes do allow us to see comic illustrations from an unusual perspective, one that kids of my generation never had privy to unless we bought dedicated black & white magazines like Creepy and Eerie. 

I've thoroughly enjoy reading the Showcase editions, especially the horror reprints. They're easily recommended, not only from an aesthetic point of view, but because they're solid examples of the mediums ability to effectively transmit genre stories.

[© November, 2019, Jeffersen]

DELIVER ME FROM EVA by Paul Bailey

DELIVER ME FROM EVA is a dark-thriller that was first published in 1946 by Murray & Gee Incorporated of Hollywood, California. It has since gone on to gain some cult status within the horror genre. To begin with, it found a permanent place in Stephen Jones' & Kim Newman's influential, annotated reading list, Horror: 100 Best Books (Carroll & Graf, 1988), with a conveying essay by genre aficionado Forrest J. Ackerman. Then in 2007 it was republished as a high quality, limited edition hardback by Centipede Press, a unique specialty publisher out of Lakewood, Colorado.

In Centipede's newly commissioned introduction, Ackerman, once again, states his admiration for the novel and his still ardent desire to see a film made of it. Regrettably, a film was never opted, nor has the novel been published in convenient mass-market paperback format. Though in 2011, at long last, Paul Bailey's novel was republished in an affordable trade softcover edition by Bruin Books, a highly commendable Golden Age Fiction revival house.

The original Murray & Gee jacket art, with its severed head served on a silver platter, was produced by Jack Lynch, on whom I could find no information about beyond the fact that he provided additional cover art for the publisher during their post WWII height (see further examples below).

The author, Paul Dayton Bailey (1906-1987), was an American typographer, journalist, editor, publisher, and reputed writer of historical novels. This, apparently, was his first and only attempt at writing this type of fiction. 

 

Here's a brief excerpt from the Murray & Gee preface:

"When he'd (the publisher) finished the last gripping line his blood was running as cold as a lizard's belly, and for a week he dared not turn off his lights at night... we swear it's the most gosh-awful, horrific spine-tingler imaginable, but we're not revealing any of its awesome secrets."

That type of prelude may seem a tad old fashioned today, but it certainly evokes, or at least promotes, an anticipation of mystery, suspense, and the preternatural to follow. And follow it does! Bailey's unique plot centers around complications ensuing from experiments to increase intelligence artificially. This scientific aspect allows for some unpredictable turns and grotesqueries to develop, and Bailey delivers them all in Grand Guignol style. I was enthralled by every aspect of his story; the whirlwind romance, the majestic manor-house setting, the increasingly bizarre revelations, the madcap science, the black humor---but also by the beguiling, femme fatale Eva Craner, possessor of amazing intellectual abilities and astounding musical capabilities, who is strangely obligated to the weird demands of her arcane family. One of those family members suffers a fateful introspection that quickly becomes the catalyst for the story's shocking finish.

And yes, Ackerman was right---it's ideal B-movie material.

Bailey has crafted a tremendously lurid, atmospheric horror novel that can also double as a weird mystery or even a unique science-fiction novel. It's a remarkable achievement for a writer with no previous experience in the realm of the fantastic.

 

The 2007 Centipede cloth edition has a stunning, pasted down image on its cover from Swiss symbolist painter and printmaker Carlos Schwabe. The original work is in oil, painted circa 1907, and part of a series of paintings that I believe are titled "The Wave, 1, 2, 3, 4 etc.". Schwabe (1866-1926) routinely explored mythological, allegorical and social themes in his paintings. Women also featured heavily in his work, sometimes representing suffering and death, other times inspiration and guidance. He was also an important book illustrator, representing the works of Emile Zola, Charles Baudelaire, Maurice Maeterlinck, Albert Samain, and many other notable fin de siècle writers.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

The 2011 Bruin Books softcover featured an anatomical drawing of the human body by Sixteenth-Century Dutch engraver and artist Jan Wandelaar (1690-1759), one of forty incredibly detailed drawings of the human body that he produced over an eight year period in collaboration with his friend, the Dutch physician and anatomist Bernhard Siegfried Albinus (1697-1770). These were originally published in 1747, in a volume titled Tabulae sceleti et musculorum corporis humani (Tables of the skeleton and muscles of the human body).

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BELOW: BONUS ILLUSTRATIONS FROM Lynch, Schwabe and Wandelaar/Albinus:

Jack Lynch

Nobody Loves A Dead Man and The Gay Mortician by Milton M. Raison (1903-1982) were published in hardback by Murray & Gee in 1945 and 1946 respectively. The jacket art for both mystery novels were produced by Jack Lynch. In addition to the above titles, Raison wrote four more mysteries: The Phantom of Forty-Second Street (Macaulay, 1936), No Weeds for the Widow (Murray, 1947), Murder in a Lighter Vein (Murray, 1947), and Tunnel 13 (Murray, 1948), though his first published book was Spindrift (Doran, 1922), a book of verse, which he wrote while working at sea as a young lad. Raison was primarily a screenwriter in Hollywood for both film and television, largely for B programmers and television episodes, with over 70 total credits. He was also a special feature writer for the Sunday World, a reviewer for the Herald Tribune and the New York Record, a freelance magazine writer for popular slicks, a radio writer, and a publicity agent for many of Broadway's shows and producers.

Say Uncle was published in hardback by Murray & Gee in 1944, with dustjacket art by Jack Lynch.  The author, Dorothy Burgess (1907-1961), was an American actress with 47 film credits to her name. She turned to writing after her acting career stalled, but only managed to complete one novel, the above title, a thriller purportedly about vampires. "I worked six hours a day for eight months on Say Uncle," she told the Hollywood Citizen News. "You work on what you write until you think it is perfect, and then you write some more." (Man, can I ever relate to that!)

Jack Lynch also produced the cover art and interior illustrations for the children's book The Quinducklets, The Adventures of Five Little Ducks, by Ruth & Helen Rames. It was published in hardback by Murray & Gee in 1945.  Helen Rames Briggs (1908-2010) was a longtime resident of Glendale, California, and for many years she owned and operated a bookstore there, but she was also a determined writer, publishing more than 50 articles, poems and children's stories. She is the author of just this one book though, co-written with her sister Ruth Rames Munson (1907-1994).

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Carlos Schwabe

La Vague (The Wave 1) by Carlos Schwabe, circa 1907. Medium: oil on canvas. Note: this work, if I understand it properly, inspired the entire "Wave" series of separate alternative images of the same woman. The woman on the far left, as rendered separately of course, was used by Centipede Press for their edition of Deliver Me From Eva.

La Mort Du Fossoyeur (Death and the Gravedigger) by Carlos Schwabe, circa 1895. Medium: pencil, watercolor and gouache.

Les Fleurs du Mal (Flowers of Evil), by Carlos Schwabe, from a 1900 book of lyric poetry by Charles Baudelaire. Medium: pencil, watercolor and gouache.

Les Champs-Elysees (Elysian Fields) by Carlos Schwabe, circa 1903. Medium: pencil, watercolor and gouache.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

De Jade (Jade Ring) by Carlos Schwabe, circa 1900. Medium: oil (?).

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Jan Wandelaar & Bernhard Siegfried Albinus

Set of four anatomical drawings of the human body by Jan Wandelaar and Bernhard Siegried Albinus, circa 1747. The rhinoceros was modeled after an Asian species named Clara, who resided in the Amsterdam Zoo, and was at the time the most famous creature of its kind in Europe.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

[October, 2019, © Jeffersen]