“The Monster On The Mound!”
Adapted from the story “The Horror From The Mound” by Robert E Howard.
The Sheriff of Coyote Wells must be told about the murder near the old Indian Mound! But in the dark, and without his horse, rancher Steve Brill wouldn’t survive an hour out on the open Texas plain. Whatever it was that awoke underneath the dirt that afternoon had killed the young Mexican vaquero named Lopez. Now it lurked just outside the front door of Brill’s ranch house. It was not human.
Juan Lopez had tried to warn the arrogant rancher not to disturb the burial ground. It has been cursed for generations. His own grandfather had told Juan the legends of Coronado and de Estrada. It was they who had erected the Mound just outside the ranch property line. Whatever was in that embankment had slaughtered dozens of conquistadors and explorers. Now it awaited Steve Brill and his six-gun.
“Thirst!”
Starlog 12-04-2180
Another crewman has been found dead inside a maintenance duct on G-Deck. It’s the third casualty this month. At this rate, there will be none of my crew left to operate the ship and complete our journey to Proxima Centauri. What detestation is ravaging the Starship Wolf?
The ship’s doctor has performed multiple autopsies now, and his findings are all the same. Charlie, Emerson, and Tockman are completely drained of their blood. But how? The doctor mentioned the use of a Plasmex Machine – a piece of medical equipment used to perform transfusions. The only problem with his hypothesis is the fact the closest machine is over three light-years away, on Earth.
The other mystery is the small puncture marks on each crewman’s neck. The wounds remind me of something I read about as a child. But what was it? Unfortunately, I’m unable to remember.
Today, the Doc and I will be researching the library of microfilm and available books in the ship’s library. My only hope is to find an answer to this before another one of my men dies. Will we reach our destination, or drift forever into the endless stars?
We are down to just four now. If we perish because of this affliction, every passenger tucked away in cryogenic sleep will perish without a clue to what is killing us. Maybe it is for the best, as I have just found what we have been looking for.
“Spell Of The Dragon”
The dragon-thing had terrorized the road to Khurdisan, leaving no crop standing or field animals living. In an attempt to save their precious farmland from this beast, the nearby villages hired a sellsword to slay what their men could not. Brak the Barbarian accepted the task, but even he was wise enough to know magic must be employed to slay a dragon.
This burden would fall directly on the shoulders of Valena, a witch both feared for her sorcery and renowned pettiness. Brak would need her help no matter what the case may be. The only question was her price. Was it too high for the villagers to pay?
Review
I came for Robert E Howard, but stayed for Steve Gerber. As many of you may know, I’m no proponent of anthology-style comic books. However, on the rare occasion when they feature some of my favorite writers, I will take notice.
In this 1973 issue of Chamber of Chills, Marvel Comics featured the Robert E Howard story “The Horror From The Mound.” First marketed to readers of the Weird Western genre, the story would become one of Howard’s more notable horror stories. This adaptation is for modern (1973) readers.
The story “Thirst!” by Steve Gerber should be the feature in issue number two. A centuries-old vampire hiding aboard an interstellar spaceship bound for the stars. It has all the markings of future horror movies such as Alien (1979) or Event Horizon (1997). Besides, artist P. Craig Russell makes the vampire look like a cross between Marvel’s Dracula and Doctor Strange. It really is uncanny. I give this comic book four out of five stars.
English (US) · 