Thunderbolt #52 is dated June 1966. It again features artwork by Pete Morisi, then going under his famous pseudonym of P.A.M. He is also credited as the creator and the writer of this comic. In addition he did the cover of course.
Special Case Number 0003 from T-Bolt's Personal Files is titled "Gore the Man-Ape". After a brief two-panel reprise of T-Bolt's origin the story begins with a newsboy announcing the disappearance of some scientists. A quick cut to the secluded mansion owned by Peter Cannon and we find Peter and Tabu discussing the case. During a brisk boxing bout they debate whether Peter should again don his Thunderbolt togs and check into the situation. Peter declines and knocks Tabu down in the process. Afterwords Peter sets off alone in a launch for a vacation on the ocean.
The scene shifts to a remote island where a ship is delivering three people to a man named Eric Gore. These are the missing scientists who mistakenly believe they are to assist Gore in his work, but find themselves prisoners instead. Gore demonstrates the futility of escape by showing that he has a small army of apes to do his bidding and that he controls the apes so completely because he himself has an apes hand.
Peter Cannon meanwhile finds himself in a storm and has to make an emergency landing on the very same island. He is going about making preparations for his unexpected stay when a gorilla named Gon-Da knocks him out from behind. He awakes in the headquarters of Eric Gore and is told pretty much that he too is a prisoner.
Gore explains how he was working on some advanced skin-grafting techniques when an explosion left him without a left hand. He found in his exploded lab a dieing ape and he uses that ape's paw to replace his own missing mitt. That graft changes Gore, giving him more ferocious thoughts and drives him to create his lair in this remote island and plot to get power for himself. His changed nature though makes him an acceptable leader for the apes on the island and he finds he has his own savage army of loyal followers.
"July 27th" tells of a animal trainer in a circus who has a precognitive dream about losing control of his animals and coming under their control. He convinces his wife they need to leave the circus and do so. But the mysterious dream ended with the date July 27. Later it is revealed that the circus burned to the ground on that very date.
Gore then goes on to explain that he is using the skills of the kidnapped scientists to further his scheme to use germ warfare to conquer all of mankind. He demonstrates the lethal nature of his weapons. Peter attacks the madman and runs out of the compound. Gore does not pursue him, rather he plots to kill the captured scientists who have refused to aid him in his schemes.
Peter runs back to the beach and finds an emergency kit that Tabu had prepared for him and in it he finds his Thunderbolt costume. He puts it on and goes to rescue the scientists held by Gore. He finds the scientists in an arena where the mad Gore plans to unleash his apes on them. As the apes attack Thunderbolt appears and takes up the challenge of the arena. Using his skills and training Thunderbolt battles the apes and then confronts Gore who goes back on his bargain that a victory would buy their freedom. This causes his apes to turn on him, and he escapes. T-Bolt tells the scientists to go to the beach and his boat which is stranded on the reef while he pursues Gore.
In a final showdown T-Bolt confronts Gore who has gotten to a shock gun which he uses on the hero. Reaching down to his core, Thunderbolt is able to overcome the power of the weapon and he knocks out Gore. A fire erupts in the lab and Gon-Da the ape goes in and rescues one of the men. It turns out to be Thunderbolt he saves just as the lab explodes. Leaving the apes behind on the island T-Bolt returns to his boat and he and the scientists leave the island.
Back in his mansion he discusses the events with Tabu before settling down to watch a movie which Tabu suggests must deal with "oriental royalty and adventure". The movie is King Kong.
"Judomaster's Self-Defense" is a three-page feature narrated by Judomaster. It is written and drawn by Frank McLaughlin and focuses on "ouchigari" an inside leg reap and "tomoenage" a stomach throw.
Great issue of Thunderbolt. Eric Gore is a worthy opponent and it takes all of T-Bolts effort to defeat him. This half-man/half-beast is well presented by Morisi, and the notion that the ape's paw makes him savage is an interesting notion, though the story itself seems to suggest that Gore's savagery has less to do with his ape qualities and more to do with his human ones. The nature of Tabu gets more defined too as he seems clearly at this point to be Peter Cannon's conscience, encouraging the reluctant man to take up the role of hero and do good for his fellow men.
I overlooked this Judomaster installment when I did my overview of that series, and I'm happy to correct that now. Thunderbolt and Judomaster both feature one another in their books during this summer of 1965, a neat bit of cross promotion.
More to come.
Rip Off
No comments:
Post a Comment