One of the most short-lived and weirdest Marvel horrors was The Scarecrow who showed up for a one-time performance in Dead of Night #11.
There have been a lot of scarecrows in comics (see above), but this one was not a super-villain looking to boggle his superhero opponents, nor was he looking for a brain with unusual friends, nor was he saving the downtrodden of England from the burdens of excise taxation. This Scarecrow was a demon who was fit to fight other demons who wanted to take over this dimension from the other side.
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| Original Scarecrow Design by Byrne |
Later the design was altered to reflect a somewhat more serious horror.
In the two stories starring the Scarecrow (the second being in an issue Marvel Spotlight) we meet the demon who exists in a painting but is able to bond with a human being to become the bane of the Cult of Kalumai which seeks to prey on humanity itself. We meet three folks in our main cast, and two brothers both might be the Scarecrow, and we are left guessing who might have the role, if not both of them.
The story line is abruptly interrupted by cancellation but finds a resolution of sorts (as did so many fractured Marvel stories) in the pages of Marvel Two-In-One where we learn a few of the secrets but not all as the Scarecrow appears to help Ben Grimm repel the demon threat.
The Scarecrow was graced with some dandy artwork. His debut was drawn by Rico Rival and the second story by Ruben Yandoc. The reliable Ron Wilson seemed less able to handle the idiosyncratic character in h is MTIO appearance.
Years later the character is renamed "Straw Man" and shows up here and there, notably in the pages of Doctor Strange. Of all the Marvel horror characters who rose up during the heady Bronze Age, the Scarecrow remains one of the least developed and least seen.
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Here in the UK The Scarecrow was re-printed in a weekly comic called The Super-Heroes #41 in December 1975 which I didn't buy but I do remember it being advertised in the other Marvel UK weeklies and at that time I was rather confused about whether the Scarecrow was meant to be a hero or a villain. I didn't realise he'd lasted for such a short time!
ReplyDeleteHe was a curious comet in the Marvel Universe, coming around rarely. But usually of interest.
DeleteWrightson inking Gil Kane on that first cover. I wonder how that happened.
ReplyDeleteThe editor just knew Wrightson was the man for horror and he wasn't out of reach yet in the middle 70's I'd reckon. Great stuff, no matter how it happened. Glad you made mention of it.
DeleteI don't know why, but the Disney Scarecrow of Romney Marsh with Patrick McGoohan scared the heck out of me. Maybe I was just an impressionable youngster.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. It scared me when I first saw it and his cackle still gets under my skin even as an adult. The trial scene in the barn is bonkers.
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