If you missed the last one…
This post is brought to you by Monster and Monster 2 by G. W. Thomas. These two collections are filled with posts from Dark Worlds Quarterly. In fact, they are the only way to read some of the early pieces written by GWT. Volume 1 looks at subjects from Slime Monsters, Alien Space Bats, Vampires in old creepy castles, out in space and even in fantasy fiction. Volume 2 has posts about writers like S. P. Meek and Francis Flagg as well as L. Sprague de Camp’s Pusadian fantasy and the Cthulhu Mythos. Each book is a semi-connected weave of Pulp and even older SF/F/H.
I could have sworn I already did some of these but my master list of over 400 titles says otherwise. It is getting harder to find new plant monsters but they pop up like weeds in my gravel every so often and remind me that I haven’t caught them all. (Pokemon are much easier…) All three Ages of Comics show up here from Gardner Fox in the Golden Age to Steve Ditko in the Silver to Conan in the Bronze. The images will be familiar with ropy vines, shaggy, shambling stalkers and the classic man-eating plant.
Golden Age
“The Plant That Challenged the World!” (Comic Cavalcade #5, Winter 1943) was written by Gardner F. Fox. A florist, Phineas Burton, receives a dangerous “Maldita Toxiccohedron”. In a very Little Shop of Horrors plot, Burton commits terrible things to feed his Audrey II. The Flash and his sidekicks must face off against the plant or see the world covered in its offspring.
Silver Age
“Last of the Tree People” (Adventures Into the Unknown #105, February 1959) was written by Richard Hughes as Greg Olivetti. Don, a scientist, creates a rocket. He takes a reporter, Leona Carr, with him into space. They discover a planetoid inhabited by dinosaurs (of course!) and one of the tree people. The tree is suffering from a strangling weed, which Don removes. In return, the tree fights off the dinosaur so the humans can return in their ship.
“I Can’t Escape From the Creeping Things!” (Journey Into Mystery #62, November 1960) was written by an unknown author. Silas Bleede, a rich man, buys an old manor that is covered in vines. He attempts to remove them but the plant chases him all night until he gives up. The plant can keep the property.
“Konga” (Konga#1, June 1961) was written by Joe Gill. This comic is actually about Konga, a King Kong knock-off. But this first issue does give an explanation of how Konga got so big. The locals worship a strange plant that allows them to grow to twelve feet high. This same plant makes Konga so big. Wonderful Steve Ditko art in this one.
“The Super Powers of Perry White!” (Action Comics #278, July 1961) was written by Jerry Coleman. Again, a comic about something else, Perry White gaining super powers. This is done by an alien plant infecting him. Once super-powered, Perry goes after Superman. Sup destroys the plant with white kryptonite.
“It Crawls By Night” (Tales of Suspense #26, February 1962), written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber, has a farmer develop a fast-growing plant that takes over his farm. Fortunately, a meteorite has fallen on the property and its substance kills the plant. A strange reversal of “The Color Out of Space” by H. P. Lovecraft or The Blob. Plants and meteorites will show up again in Stephen King’s Creepshow which was inspired by such comics.
“Save Me From the Weed!” (Strange Tales #94, March 1962) was written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber. Experiments in radioactivity and a humble gardener result in a new race of weed of monsters. The weed monsters are telepathic and can put people to sleep. Fortunately the gardener clips the new plant while doing his work.
“The Monster Weed” (Part 1-10) (TV Century 21 #62-71, March 26-May 28, 1966) was written by Dennis Hooper. This long serial over ten issues (two pages at a time) has the Stingray crew battling with a gigantic underwater plant. It is destroyed with an intense heat ray. Great Ron Embleton art.
Bronze Age
“The Galloping Ghoul-mets” (The Little Monsters #26, September 1974) was written by an unknown author. The parents are off to a P. T. A. meeting (Pale Transylanians Association) so Awful Annie and ‘Orrible Orvie get to make dinner. They accidentally bring a crab-bage to life. Their attempts to destroy it fail so they do what Frankenstein could not bring himself to do. They make a mate for it –out of a tomato.
“Search For the Impossible Man” (Superman #285, March 1975) was written by Elliot Maggin. This one seems quite dishonest to me. The cold open has Sup fighting a plant monster but 90%of the comic has nothing to do with it. It’s actually about him dealing with Impossible Man, who caused the plants to attack him. Makes a great cover, but….
“The Silver Key” (Eerie #76, August 1976) was written and drawn by Jose Bea. It is almost impossible to describe the plot of this psychedelic mess but it does feature one character that changes into a plant head. The Silver Key is a reference to H. P. Lovecraft but Bea seems more interested in LSD than HPL.
“Monster, My Sweet!” (Batman #344, February 1982) was written by Gerry Conway. Batman faces off against Poison Ivy dozens of times over the run of the Batman comics. But a true plant monster from the green lady was long in coming. This issue in 1982 finally has her create a plant beast to sic on the caped crusader. Batman defeats it with some good ol’ fashioned punching and kicking while Robin nabs Ivy. Gene Colan’s Horror style artwork is always welcome.
“A Ghastly Tale!” (Scream #2, March 31, 1984) was written by an unknown author. Two picnickers get eaten by an apple tree. Scream was a short-lived Horror comic from the UK’s 2000 A. D. people.
“Pin-Up” (Savage Sword of Conan #131, December 1986) A one page filler from this black&white magazine. For more on plant monsters in Heroic Fantasy, go here.
Beyond
“A Familiar Old Haunt” (Archie’s Weird Mysteries #6, July 2000) was written by Paul Castiglia. In a story that parodies Scooby-Doo, you have to expect that the bush monster is not real. It ends with the sheriff blowing the leaves off the human perp with a leaf blower.
Conclusion
As usual, I arrive here and think, “Well, that’s that. No more plant monsters in comics…” Famous last words, of course. I will, no doubt, go farther afield. There are tons of newer comics that I have ignored in favor of the old stuff. There are European comics I have yet to discover as well as a host of manga. Just like the end of any lousy Larry Cohen monster movie. THE END– or it is?
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