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From "Cu Cu" Nº11,
dated 15 June 1955, published by Editorial Proteo of Mexico, I chose page
4 from the first story, "La Gardenia Estrujada" ("The Crushed Gardenia"),
a magnificent yarn drawn by the master Alexander Toth, with a superb script
of uncredited writer.
There's something funny
about this particular magazine: while the title belonged to a "funny
animal" comic book, "Coo Coo Comics", originally published in USA by Better
Publications, the cover was taken from another totally different one, from
the same publisher, "Gang World" Nº6, and the contents translated
that from still ANOTHER comic book, completelly devoted to "insane criminals"
cases (!) A total mess..., but what matters to me is that, apart from erroneous
title and cover, the four stories contained in the magazine were indeed
first-class, regarding both art and scripts. The story from which I selected
the page is a fair example of the best pre-code adult comics of the period:
it deals with a young, troubled fellow who was affected by an abnormal
impulse to kill. He should have been submitted to proper therapy, which
could have perhaps prevented murder and tragedy. In eight pages of impeccable
comic storytelling, we assist to the eerie development of a psychopatic
personality, which finally ends in the assassination of two innocent victims,
the girl who failed to love him, and the boy whom she preferred instead.
Toth's art is full of innovative angles, and his dominion of dynamic figure
drawing is amazing. He even makes his lettering unique: the balloons don't
have the usual pointed "tail", but are "open" instead (look closely!),
conveying perhaps the idea of "sound" pouring from them, as the characters
talk... A small detail, but significant of the grear mastery of this renowned
artist. The other three stories in the comic book, all dealing with similar
themes of psyco-killers, are rightful peers of this one, making one of
the most appreciated items in my collection. |
