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From "Cuentos
de Brujas" Nº 22, dated 31 July 1953, a publication of Editora de
Periódicos "La Prensa", of Mexico, I selected this very fine page,
the work of Joe Certa. The style of this competent artist is easily recognized,
although his name was not of the public domain until he was permitted to
sign his work, years later. One of his characters, which he made for D.C.
Comics, was J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter. He also drew some stories
of Captain Marvel, Jr. for Fawcett; but I prefer him in the horror field,
in which he certainly excelled. This is the first page of "Creador de Monstruos",
the original title of which could have been "Monster Maker", when published
in the Harvey edition of either "Witches Tales" or "Chamber of Chills"
(since it was customary for the Mexican publishers to mix stories from
different sources under the same title). Certa has a strong line, much
in the Caniff tradition, with wise use of shadows and care for detail.
Without the flare of Bob Powell or Howard Nostrand (his companion artists
in the house), he nevertheless gets a very enjoyable product, which is
seeked by a great number of fans, including yours truly, despite the fact
that his identity was disclosed for me only recently, thanks to my good
Mexican friend and comic book expert, José Luis Silva.
Other stories in the
issue are "La Momia Insepulta" ("The Unburied Mummy"), by Powell; "Regreso
de la Tumba" ("Return from the Grave"), by Vic Donahue, an artist who some
times managed to slip his signature in tiny size; and "La Batalla de los
Hombres-Pájaros" ("Battle of the Bird-Men"), by unidenfied (sorry)
artist. All in all, I rate this comic book among the best in the "CdB"
run. Highly collectible! |
