Reading Room / Tales Twice Told WEIRD "The Dead Live"

 Usually, in "Tales Twice Told" we present the original story first...

...but this time, we're going with the later, reworked version from the same script first!

Illustrated (or is that re-illustrated by Cirilo Munoz, this tale from Eerie Publications' Weird V8N4 (1974) is a re-working of a story from 20 years earlier that, up until then, had not been reprinted...despite the fact it had been illustrated by a major Silver-Age artist!
Trivia: that original tale remained hidden under the cowbwebs of history until 2008.over a half century later, and only in black and white!
But you'll see that story from 1954, in brilliant color, right here on Thursday!

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The Worst of Eerie Publications

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Reading Room 1984 "Bugs!"

In 1978, Warren Magazines began publishing a new title...1984...

...which had nothing to do with George Orwell's novel, except that the mag was filled with speculative fiction...aka sci-fi!

This particular never-reprinted tale, written by Bill DuBay and illustrated by Joe Vaultz, appeared in #1, and was typical of the type of material James Warren felt could compete with the then-new Heavy Metal magazine which primarily reprinted translated material from European artists appearing in the French comic publication Metal Hurlant.
The magazine ran from 1978 to 1983  for a total of 29 issues, with a title change from 1984 to 1994 due to a legal demand by the estate of George Orwell as of #11 in 1980.

Most of the material has never been reprinted, though Jan Strnad & Richard Corben's Mutant World and Frank Thorne's Ghita of Alizar strips have achieved success as reprint hardcovers/trade paperbacks!

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Warren Companion
by Jon B Cooke
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Reading Room / Tales Twice Told TALES FROM THE TOMB "Weird House"

Usually, We Start With the Earlier (1950s) Version of a Story...

...but in this case, it's the later (1970s) telling of the tale!

(BTW, isn't it odd that scientists of 2995 use the technology and dress in clothing from the 1950s?)

Illustrated by Oscar Novelle, this story from Eerie Publications' Tales from the Tomb V3N5 (1971) is a simple, effective "haunted house/castle" story.

The jarring aspect is placing it over a thousand years in the future!
Why?
Thursday's re-presentation of the never-reprinted original version might hold the answer!
BTW, the author of both the original and reworked versions is...unknown!

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Wednesday Worlds of Wonder UNKNOWN WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION "Day of the Triffids" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...this pseudo-Ripley's Believe it or Not page which was used to promote the 1963 movie conveys all the basic info you need to know!

So let's dive into the story's finale...

The 1951 John Wyndham novel this tale was adapted from was dramatized in a 1963 theatrical film, a pair of TV mini-series in 1981 and 2009, and radio mini-series in 1957, 1968, and 2001.

All of these productions were produced in England.
American audiences have seen/heard only the 1953 movie and 1981 TV mini-series.

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Night of the Triffids

Sequel novel by Simon Clark

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Wednesday Worlds of Wonder UNKNOWN WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION "Day of the Triffids" Parts 4 and 5

When Last We Left an Earth Filled with Vicious Mobile Plants...

First American Paperback Edition.
Normally, I'd explain the plot, but the comic itself will do so in a couple of pages...

(Note: though Rico Rival is credited as the sole artist, this splash page was laid out by the previous chapter's penciler, Ross Andru.)

To Be Concluded
NEXT WEDNESDAY!
Most readers are familiar with the 1963 movie, so this accurate, though condensed, version of the actual novel contains elements that you might not expect.
(Which is all the more reason to not miss the finale next week!)
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Night of the Triffids
Sequel novel by Simon Clark
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Wednesday Worlds of Wonder UNKNOWN WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION "Day of the Triffids" Part 3

We Have Already Seen...

(Yes, this pulp-style cover by legendary sci-fi artist Frank Kelly Freas is incredibly-inaccurate, but it is incredibly-kool!)
When a smuggler's plane is shot down after he stole bioengineered plant pods from a Soviet lab, the now-released spores were carried by wind to the four corners of the earth, where they propagated like crazy!

The invasive species, initially-thought to be harmless, possessed stingers, which would strike any animal (or human) who wander too close!
However, scientists discovered the triffids' sap was valuable as the basis for cures for several diseases.
Wherever they were found, the plants were transferred to farms for cultivation and harvesting!
Triffid researcher Bill Mason, temporarily-blinded by a sting to the face, doesn't get to see a once-in-a lifetime meteor shower.
But when he removes his bandages the next morning, after no one in the hospital comes to do so, he discovers that everyone who did see the meteors is now blind...and that triffids are now mobile...and attacking anything that moves!

To Be Continued...
Next Wednesday!

To correct my comment from last week, this story, meant for the color comic Worlds Unknown, was not an attempt to do a novel in one issue, but as a two-part tale, much as Marvel was doing with its' adaptations of Doc Savage novels...which were almost all penciled by this story's artist, Ross Andru!
Trivia: the cover art was altered by Marvel's Art Director, John Romita, Sr, when a deadline loomed and artist Kelly Freas was unavailable to do the changes himself.
The unaltered version of the cover was used for the cover of the British edition of Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction.

Note the different human figures on the left!

Interestingly, Romita's alteration were done to a photographic print of Freas' art, since the original, unaltered painting has since been sold to a collector by a noted auction house!

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Day of the Triffids
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