The Twilight Zone #47

Based on the classic and oh so creepy anthology series from the 1960s. This 1972 comic from Gold Key is part of a long running classic series in of itself. Featuring cover art by fan favorite George Wilson, I thought that the monsters on the covers were giant plants, like corn, out for revenge against those who might enjoy their kernels of goodness. But the monsters are rather different in the book and made for a very creepy story.

I also felt that perhaps these monsters might have in some way been inspiration for the Graboids in the Tremors series. There's some very interesting similarities. So, while unlikely, it's possible.

The opening story was something else. It's of a thief who goes back in time to a period of knights and fair maidens. The criminal ends up switching places with a wizard and in typically ironic Twilight Zone fashion, gets his just desserts. I was totally on board with this element of the story. 

(WARNING SPOILER) However, when we cut to the wizard, he's nothing but bones and rags. Now everything I know about time travel thanks to decades of watching Back to the Future and Doctor Who tell me that the wizard should have arrived in 1960s in the exact spot he traded places with the crook- stuck in a high rise elevator. But he shouldn't have turned into a skeleton. Right? Or did I miss something here?

This being the silver age of comics, there was also a 1-page prose story included. These were required until right about 1980 for certain comic book titles to retain their first class mailing status. It was kind of a mess as well. Certain parts of the story didn't really add up. Sadly, much care was never done with those tales as they were begrudgingly done just to maintain the postage rates.

There's some quality Dell Twilight Zone issues. This isn't one of them. Only one story was really great. The other fell apart at the end. At least I only paid a buck for it. Some of these high grade Twilight Zone books can be very pricey.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.