If you missed the last one…
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Idols make a pretty quick transition from the Pulps into the comics of the Golden Age. The Jungle comics had Kaanga and his Tarzan clone buddies dealing with stolen idols all the time. Most prove to be non-supernatural. The superheroes had their share, too. But it is in the Horror comics that the idols get to do what they do best: inspire evil. So these babies are all the real deal…no fakes here.
Golden Age
“The Moving Idol” (Silver Streak Comics #17, December 1941) was written by Carl Formes. Strange activity in South America brings Cloud Curtis to investigate. First, he has to traverse the deadly jungle to find…an idol that comes to life. What happens next? We don’t know. Cloud got canceled after that last episode!
“Eyes of Evil” (Strange Mysteries # 5, May 1952) Myra and John buy a strange eye-less idol for their home. Later two rubies, the thing’s eyes are purchased by John. This brings Krisha to life, attacking and strangling Myra. Later it comes for the eyes again but John douses it in gasoline. The two burn up. In the wreckage of the house, firemen find the rubies, so much like eyes. Superior Comics of Canada didn’t mess around. No happy endings here!
“The Eight Hands of Ranu” (Chamber of Chills #9, June 1952) has crooks breaking into the house of John Keyes, collector. They kill his wife, Maria, so John wears revenge. He identifies the killers because his sword bleeds when near an image of the murderers. Keyes sends them to their dooms when he tells them of the golden statue of Ranu. What he doesn’t tell them is that the idol has eight choking hands.
“True Tales of Unexplained Mystery #20” (Web of Mystery #10, June 1952) begins with curators taking the idol of Ranga from Burma. The man responsible gets crushed to death. The idol mysteriously returns on its own.
“The Thunderbird” (Airboy #101, July 1952) has the warrior, Red Lance, accused of stealing an idol. He is staked out in the desert to die. He is rescued by the Heap. Together they learn that the Thunderbird idol, which controls the god, was stolen by Nunchuk the shaman. He also finds the real Thunderbird caged. Nunchuk rides the supernatural beast and attacks the Heap. They battle with both bird and shaman being killed. Frazetta-like artwork in this one!
“The Rain, The Deadly Rain” (Strange Stories From Another World #5, February 1953) was written by Bill Woolfolk. White explorers find the Temple of the Rain God and suffer to bring it back to civilization. The living idol demands sacrifices. Oliver Rudd attempt to murder his friends to soak the idol in blood. The Rain God takes it revenge by killing Oliver with acid rain. The idol smiles after this sacrifice.
“Vandals!” (Adventures Into Terror #17, March 1953) was written by Carl Wessler. More idiots breaking into a museum filled with idols. In this tale it is the snake idol you’ve got to watch out for. H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald did this one in Weird Tales with “The Horror in the Museum” back in July 1933.
“Idol of Evil”(Voodoo #10, July 1953) begins with Baldy and Red going to a lost temple seeking riches. They meet a robed priest who warns them of Kublai, the god within. They kill him and go after the gem-covered snake that hangs around the idol’s neck. Baldy cuts the head off the idol before he shoots Red so he can keep all the money. Kublai picks up its own head and follows Baldy into the jungle. The thief dies when Kublai activates the snake hanging around Baldy’s neck.
“Evil Cult of the Juggernaut” (Baffling Mysteries #17, September 1953) has Paul Reynolds witness the ceremony of Juggernaut, an idol. Its worshipers called the Somnanbulists, because they appear as sleepwalkers, throw themselves under the wheels of its chariot. Paul wants to stop the practice. He discovers the priest of Juggernaut is getting rich off the believers. The false prophet and his henchmen grab Paul’s girl for a sacrifice but Juggernaut intervenes, coming to life and crushing the priest. L. Sprague de Camp would use a similar idea five years later in his heroic fantasy tale, “Ka the Apalling” (Fantastic Universe, August 1958).
Silver Age
“The Eyes That Never Close!” (Strange Tales #61, February 1958) has a man escape prison using a magic idol. First, it takes him to the Titanic before it sinks, then to the Hindenberg before it explodes, but finally to another jail cell…in the city of Hiroshima.
“Counsel From the Spirit” (Out of This World #11, January 1959) was written by Joe Gill. Cliff Rayburn is an engineering student in college. His friends make fun of him for using an idol to decide things. The spirit of the idol, Tengra, Spirit of Good, hears him. It gives him good advice to switch from Engineering to Medicine. He does. (Wow! The Silver Age really sucked all the fun out of this topic!)
“I Was Pursued By the Elements” (My Greatest Adventure #33, July 1959) has travelers in Bangkok find the temple of Bokhara, an idol that controls the weather. Bokhara sends terrible weather against the men because one has stolen his Wand of Power. Only when it is returned do they survive.
“I Dared to Defy…the Idol’s Curse” (Journey Into Mystery #54, September 1959) was written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber. Dunstan Blake, a weak version of Indiana Jones (He even has the hat!), attempts to steal a giant diamond from a temple. When he touches it, he is transferred inside an idol. This proves to be a spaceship, which is taking him to a distant planet to be experimented on by aliens.
“The Idol’s Slave” (House of Mystery #103, October 1960) has two explorers find an idol based on a two thousand year old sorcerer. The idol comes alive and takes control of Jed. The idol takes him to a volcano, into which they jump. Inside is a temple with the idol’s riches and sure death. They untie Jed’s boots, which are actually the thing the idol controls, and watch them and the idol disappear into the lava. The two men are free to take the treasure. (And buy some new boots.)
“Iwangis–Creature King!” (House of Mystery #152, July 1965) was written by Jack Miller. This Martian Manhunter story features Iwangis , an evil idol. The giant ape-like statue comes alive then goes on a rampage, bringing statues of lions and dinosaurs to life. Manhunter sets a trap, creating a statue made of steel that looks like stone. When Iwangis tries to turn it to stone, he becomes stone himself and Jonn Jonz smashes him to pieces, ending the madness. The House of Mystery during the Silver Age went for superheroes until the Bronze Age.
Conclusion
We see the Pulp tropes here in the comics. (Not surprising.) These tropes are even older than the Pulps, of course. The idols usually are from some foreign culture: India, South America or even Native American. In this selection, they usually come alive and do great harm. You see this change as the Silver Age softens things as usual. Stan Lee solved it by bringing in aliens while DC headed to superheroes. The Comics’ Code prevented them from anything gory like the Golden Age gave us. “Eyes of Evil” was my favorite from the Golden Age because of its unforgiving nastiness. From the Silver Age, I have to acknowledge “The Eyes That Never Close!” as a pretty good work around with some impact. (Time travel is a bitch.) No real innovation here but still fun to read.
Mythos Horror & Ghostbreakers at RAGE m a c h i n e
