Originally Published In Issue 52
Reprinted In Issue 111
First published back in February of 1973, Issue 52 of the ‘Pocket Chiller Library’ comic series was titled ‘The Monkey’. The comic was later reprinted under the alternative title ‘Superhuman’ within Issue 111.
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 from issue 86 onwards, the publishers started reprinting the earlier stories. Of these reprints, the first 28 reprints (issues 86 – 113) retitled the story. As such, there were only a total of 86 different 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).
Doctor Harry Fletcher of the Cunningham Research Foundation had been developing a formula to try to increase the size and yield of any plant grown. If successful, his work could potentially mean the end of starvation across the world.
However, his wife Julia, was far from impressed. They’d only been married three months, and already Harry’s dedication to his research was annoying her. Furthermore, his constant hints for needing her money to fund his continuous research was becoming a bore. It was almost as if he only married her for her family’s wealth.
Although Harry was clearly feeling the pressure. Each night he’s been suffering from terrible nightmares about his ex-wife. Recurring dreams reminding him about how she’d drowned. She too had been from wealthy stock and had also stopped funding Harry’s research.
Knowing her husband was feeling stressed with it all, Julia decided they should get away for a long weekend. Go down to their country cottage and relax. Take some much-needed time out. Harry had agreed it was a good idea, despite his wife was insisting on bringing along her blasted pet monkey, Carlos.
However, unbeknown to either Harry or Julia, whilst the couple had been fighting one evening, Carlos had accidentally consumed a small amount of the doctor’s experimental formula. The formula designed to dramatically enlarge crops.
And all of a sudden Carlos was starting to get bigger and bigger…
This is a frigging awesome read. For anyone who loves a good ‘Creatures vs Mankind’ story, or simply a wild and wacky, pulpy B-Movie-esque read, then this one absolutely delivers.
It’s clearly based, although somewhat loosely, on the story of ‘King Kong’ (1933), only this pulpish reimagining has been heavily modified. Instead, we have the giant monkey being the accidental result of the doctor’s experimental formula. Furthermore, there’s a whole secondary plot within the comic, about Dr Fletcher, who’s far from just a hard-working philanthropist, but instead a mad scientist and lunatic murderer. Yeah, I said this one’s pure B-Movie pulp and I absolutely meant it!
Essentially, we have a pissed-off giant monkey (towering above buildings big), who’s trying to protect its beloved mistress – Julia – whilst her mad husband is hellbent on killing her for her money (to continue funding his research). It’s absolutely all in there! And somehow this entire dual-running plot is crammed into a PCL comic.
Of course, this is a 1970s comic, and so the governmental reaction to there being a colossal monkey on the loose is simply to send in a few gun-wielding locals. It’s this type of outrageously far-fetched and wonderful dated tweeness that simply increases the enjoyment factor that much further.
The causal outdated attitude of the comic is also hilarious. Julia is very much the stay-at-home wife, who of course gets a good slap from her husband when he gets riled by her always pandering to her beloved monkey. Even the police dismiss poor Julia’s ravings about her husband being a murderer, writing off her pleas for help as simply the ranting of a woman who’s evidently lost her mind!
The causal outdated attitude of the comic is also hilarious. Julia is very much the stay-at-home wife, who of course gets a good slap from her husband when he gets riled by her always pandering to her beloved monkey. Even the police dismiss poor Julia’s ravings about her husband being a murderer, writing off her pleas for help as simply the ranting of a woman who’s evidently lost her mind!
The whole comic, from start to end, is an absolute joy to read. In fact, I’d go as far to say it’s one of the best PCLs published. An insanely wild storyline, coupled with some superb illustrative artwork, and an almost laugh-out-loud 1970s dialogue. Superb!
The comic book runs for a total of 64 pages.
© DLS Reviews
