Originally Published In Issue 35
Reprinted In Issue 94
First published back in June of 1972, Issue 35 of the ‘Pocket Chiller Library’ comic series was titled ‘The Mutant’. The comic was later reprinted under the alternative title ‘Half Human’ within Issue 94.
During the 1970s the ‘Pocket Chiller Library’ was a pocket-sized mainstream horror comic which ran for a total of 137 issues between 1971 and 1977. Each month, two issues of the comic were published, amounting to a total of twenty-four issues of the comic published each year.
However, it should be noted that issue 83 and then from issue 86 onwards, the publishers started reprinting the earlier stories. Of these reprints, the first 29 reprints (issues 83 and then 86 – 113) retitled the story. As such, there were only ever a total of 84 unique stories within the series, despite there being more titles.
Unfortunately, each issue was undated, making it difficult to be sure of the date for first publication of each issue. However, it is widely understood the comics were monthly publications, with two publications released simultaneously each month, with the original stories running from January 1971. Therefore, the above date of publication is a relatively reasonable assumption.
Additionally, each issue was unfortunately uncredited to either the writer or the comic artist(s).
Judy Peters had come all the way from London to find out what had happened to her sister, Irene. The last communication Judy had had with her sister, was a letter informing Judy that her sister had taken on the job as personal secretary for a Dr Frank Vickers.
Arriving at the village of Wier, Judy found the cottage where Irene had been living was empty and devoid of any signs of having been lived in for weeks. Speaking with Dr Vickers brought her no feeling of comfort. In fact, Vickers’ explanations simply didn’t seem to add up.
However, it was when Judy saw the dog-sized grossly mutated creature within the doctor’s residence, that Judy became convinced there was something very wrong going on. And somehow, her beloved sister had gotten caught up in this mad scientist’s despicable experiments.
But when she spies the doctor’s Japanese servant, Kati, taking a tray full of raw meat and bread down into the cellar, it was enough to convince Judy to take matter into her own hands and break into the house. But what she found locked behind a thick oak door deep within the darkened cellar, was something beyond her most terrifying nightmares.
The creature was a mutant. An aftereffect of Hiroshima. A repulsive beast with dripping jaws lined with hellishly razor-sharp teeth. A bite from which can transform its victims into a mutant like itself. A terrible bestial atrocity which Judy had now unwittingly let loose…
DLS Review:
This is what the PCLs are all about! Absolutely wacky, over-the-top pulp horror with a garish B-Movie edge to their action-packed delivery. The cover alone is enough to whet the appetite of any good horror fan, let alone the wild plot contained within its pages.
Essentially, it’s a story somewhat akin to Stephen Gallagher’s ‘Chimera’ (1982), only here we have the beast having been the aftereffects of Hiroshima. Doctor Vickers is a cliched textbook mad scientist, with wild hair and a maniacal determination to learn from the beasts he harbours.
Judy Peters, our principal protagonist, is an ‘act first…think later’ kind of gal. Before she knows what she’s doing, she’s climbing through a window and creeping into the cellar to find out what the doctor’s harbouring down there.
The resulting storyline is a wild mutant slasher, with this despicable creature roaming around the nearby woodland hunting for food, and when its hunger gets the better of it, the mutant starts targeting young lovers. As such, expect a flurry of rampant mutant action pouring from the pages of this tightly packed comic.
Of course, knowing that if you’re bitten by the mutant beast, you become one yourself, this invariably takes on an additional angle for the story. No spoilers here, but the horror-fuelled fun continues through the entirety of the comic without letting up one iota.
The ending delivers quite a downtrodden and saddening twist, which comes as a bit of a surprise. Yeah, PCLs are known to end on a note of horror, but this one’s a tad more emotive than it is chilling. But damn is it a good conclusion to end on.
The illustrative artwork throughout the comic is excellent, although the mutant (and indeed the smaller pet mutant, Toby) are perhaps less grotesque and more sci-fi than the supporting narration perhaps makes out. This is largely due to the wide saucer eyes and the tough alligator-like hide adorning these wacky mutants.
Nevertheless, its an absolute classic PCL. One of the wilder, more action-packed, and altogether more entertaining offerings.
The comic book runs for a total of 64 pages.
© DLS Reviews
