Gorilla Daze

Plop! #9, Jan-Feb 1975

This issue of the macabre humour comic finds our horror hosts awaiting the arrival of the kids on Halloween. Fearing the worst kind of trick, the trio offer up some stories as treats. Naturally enough, this doesn’t go down too well!

Cain recounts the cautionary tale of “The Temple of Ikka-Ka-Ka!” (written by Steve Skeates, with art by Sergio Aragones), while Eve tells of “The Killer Kind” (Jack Oleck and David Manak), wherein a scientist goes way too far in his attempts to super-evolve insects. With the kids getting restless, Abel tries “A Nose to Remember!” (Skeates, with Lee Mars) about a princess with the eponymous facial feature and a nightmarish curse.

Unimpressed, the three children wreak terrible revenge on the horror hosts. And Eve wishes she could leave the comic altogether.

Elsewhere we have the usual gag pages and fun under another Basil Wolverton cover.

©2010 DC Comics

Plop! #8, November-December 1974

The 8th riotous issue of Plop! opens with out three heroes less than fondly recalling the time-travel shenanigans of #6. Their pal, the mad professor Savin, insists that he has fixed his time machine, so once again Cain, Abel and the Old Witch travel to the far future to discover how far their fame will spread. Unfortunately, this time they end up in the court of King Arthur!

To amuse the King, the trio tell the tales that make up the main body of the issue. Cain recounts the sorry story of a magician attempting to take a relaxing “Vacation!” (David Michelinie and Ramona Fradon), while Abel has in mind “A Likely Story”  (Steve Skeates and Sergio Aragones) that involves a great detective and his hunt for his most nefarious nemesis. The action involves a device that allows the user to step inside paintings. Finally, Eve, tells of a store with the unlikely slogan, “We’re Always Working for Your Wowweee!” (Skeates and Dave Manak) This sees a hapless employee’s various lunatic schemes to ellicit said “Wowweee!” from the store’s clients.

Needless to say, King Arthur is none too impressed, and orders Merlin to get rid of the pests.

The issue is rounded out with the usual gags.

The artistic highlight here is undoubtedly Ramona Fradon on “Vacation”, who provides her trademark fluid visuals and impeccable storytelling. Basil Wolverton’s cover has to be one of the oddest sights ever. That thing is intended to be his belly button, with its built in observatory lens, rather than some bizare genital construct…

©2010 DC Comics

Plop! #7, October 1974

Still referring to itself as “new’, this marks the start of Plop!s second year. In common with many of DC’s titles then, Plop! was published bi-monthly. Beneath the traditional bizarre Basil Wolverton, we are once again introduced to the three horror hosts: Cain, Abel and the Old Witch. In the framing sequence the trio have climbed to the top of a mountain, intent on throwing themselves off in order that Superman might come and rescue them before they’re dashed against the rocked below.

As the hosts are indeed plucked from oblivion by Superman (guest-drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger), they each relate a tale of terror to a bemused Man of Steel:

“The Lawn That Devoured Cleveland” concerns a perambulating mound of grass that is adopted by an oddball loner. Growing to giant size, it is eventually ordered to devour Cleveland when its master is fired from his job. As it stands atop a mighty skyscraper, mower-wielding commandos are parachuted in to defeat it. David Michelinie and Sergio Aragones created this mini-masterwork.

“It Came From Beneath the Sink” is a similar tale from the pen of Lee Marrs, with dialogue by Steve Skeates. This time a pile of domestic waste becomes sentient and threatens a town before being killed by muzak.

The issue is rounded out with the Old Witch’s “Switch Ending” which is just an excuse for a gruesome twist, with art by Dave Manak from a Jack Oleck script.

Elsewhere the issue contains the usual mix of gags and groan-inducing puns.

©2009 DC Comics

Plop! #6, August 1974

Under an even odder than usual Basil Wolverton cover, the madness that is Plop! continues. Bit of a mixed bag, this one. The Sergio Aragones drawn framing sequence has a time travel theme as Cain, Abel and Eve decide to visit the future to see how big a hit Plop! will become. Unfortunately, the mad professor has thrown the wrong switch and, finding themselves in the distant past and in danger of being eaten by neanderthal folk, our heroes have to tell some stories to distract their captors.

Steve Skeates and Mike Sekowsky tell “Bits and Pieces of a Corrupt Life!” where a couple fo ne’er-do-wells reminisce about the life of a hood who has been frozen in a block of ice to wait out the Statute of Limitations on his crimes.

Then Skeates and Aragones reveal the tragedy of the “Depressed Elephant”, a story that involves murder, suicide and bearded ladies.

“The Showdown Sonata” is a three-pager written and drawn by Lee Marrs, one of the few women working in mainstream comics at that time.

Bringing up the rear is “The Uninvited Guest”, again by Skeates, this time drawn by old hand Bill Draut. It’s a lovely little three-pager that would have worked equally well on TV in Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, with which it shares a tonal similarity.

©2009 DC Comics

Plop! #5, June 1974

The fifth issue of the humorous horror anthology again has a framing sequence featuring Cain and Abel as they struggle to explain the concept of Plop! to the Easter Bunny, said Bunny being under the impression that all comics are for children and so he ought to be the star attraction. The horror hosts offer up several ghoulish tales with deliciously humorous twists to disabuse him of this notion — none too successfully, it has to be said.

Amongst the usual sight gags and cartoons are two longer stories. One, “The Ultimate Freedom”, is drawn by Sergio Aragones and written by “Coram Nobis”. It concerns plight of a has-been entertainer who suddenly discovers he can fly. While this at first amusues and brings him fame and fortune, it soon proves to be anything but a welcome gift!

Bernie Wrightson draws the second tale, this one scripted by George Kashdan. “Molded in Evil” tells of one Pierre Gouny, a French sculptor famous for his gargoyles. Having grown bored, Gouny has invented a magic formula tha brings a bird sculpture to life. His overbearing wife insists he goes back to making gargoyles, as that’s where the money is, but Gouny instead sculpts himslf a beautiful woman whom he intends to animate. However, his wife discovers her and smashes her to pieces. In revenge, Gouny kills his wife and hides the body inside a new gargoyle sculpture. Unfortunately, he’s made the gargoyle with his magic clay — and it comes to life and kills him!!

There’s also a wonderfully funny Superman gag by Murphy Anderson that sees Lois finally get her comeuppance for constantly baiting Clark Kent.

Cover by Basil Wolverton.

©2009 DC Comics

Plop! #4, April 1974

Beneath the typically insane “Nooly Nostrildamus” cover by Basil Wolverton is the usual mix of humour and horror. This one has a framing sequence that sees DC’s three horror hosts–Cain, Abel, and the old witch, Eve–attending a monster convention where they’re to be the Guests of Honour. Unfortunately, the trio are expected to make their audience laugh… and their efforts so to do make up the remainder of the comic.

“Now and Then”, wonderfully drawn by Nick Cardy, has a cowboy fan transported into the old west via a time machine–with fatal results.

Sergio Aragones plots and draws “A Perfectly Crazy Crime” where a would-be criminal has devised the perfect crime. Unfortunately, he ends up dead.

Finally, “The Last Laugh” by Steve Skeats and Frank Robbins concerns the grisly fate of a shady travelling salesman who develops a crush on a very comely farmer’s daughter. Robbins’s work is remarkable, and not least for managing to get this past the Comics Code Authority: buxom Suzy-Bell’s outfits leave little to the imagination!

These main tales are padded out with the regular gag panels and single-pagers. One of the latter is actually drawn by Wolverton himself in a fashion very reminiscent of Robert Crumb.

©2009 DC Comics

Plop! #3, February 1974

Extremely bizarre cover, once again from the twisted imagination of Basil Wolverton. This one is a little different as the original, as shown in full on the the back cover, is in landscape format.

As ever, the comic is a mixture of gag panels, short comedy strips, and longer pieces, all based around vaguely horrific themes with a humorous twist. The featured artist this time round is Alfredo Alcala, who provides a couple of the longer stories.

©2009 DC Comics

Plop! #2, December 1973

Another piece of Basil Wolverton madness fronts the second issue of the bizarre humorous horror title. Once more filled to the brim (no ads!) with Sergio Aragones cartoons, this issue also has a couple of longer strips by comics superstars. Alfredo Alcala contributes, “No Ghoul Like an Old Ghoul”, while Nick Cardy illustrates the sordid tale of “The Man Who Came to Dinner”.

Plop! can still be picked up for bargain prices, and is well worth seeking out.

©2009 DC Comics