Creature from the Black Lagoon (Cool Comic Covers #15)

It’s Friday! That means another Cool Comic Covers, a weekly (sometimes more!) look back at some of the most interesting, intriguing, and engaging artwork in pop culture. This week:

I’m a relative new fan of the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I didn’t see it at an impressionable age. In fact, I didn’t see it until maybe a year ago. But I’ve been aware of the creature design for decades, and, like many others, consider it a true classic. And the movies, when I finally saw them, struck the right chords. While the sequels aren’t as good as the original (are they ever?), they actually tell something of a story that lets the creature develop and grow as a character!

As a fan of the creature, I found this week’s cover to be very, very cool:

I can’t find much information about the comic book itself, and I shire cannot find a copy for myself. It is, no doubt, one of those rare collectible items that I will never get my hands on. And that’s okay — most, if not all, of those old comic book adaptations of movies are not very well made, in my experience. By this cover? I love it.

The movie, from 1954, of course had an influence on comic books and movie monsters that followed. There is a direct line from the Creature to the xenomorph (or whatever it is called) from Alien. Here are some comic covers that were (I have to believe) influenced by The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and that would be cool comic covers on their own:

From Beyond the Unknown #20, DC Comics, by Nick Cardy. The story, "Fishermen from the Sea," is a reprint from an earlier series. We've seen a From Beyond the Unknown issue before, that reprinted a story and redrew the cover. The cover this 1972 image is based on can be seen below . . .

 

Strange Adventures #105, DC Comics, by Gil Kane. This cover was from 1959, and while it draws some influence from the Creature, the later version seemed to take even more from the movie.

 

Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #30, Charlton Comics, Charles Nicholas. From 1962, the creature design is obviously inspired by the Creature. I love this cover, if it weren't for the dialogue on the cover. Can it be more cliche? Well, it could, I guess. He could be saying, "My mother told me there'd be days like this."
Secrets of Haunted House #1, DC Comics, Luis Dominguez. Is it possible to do a water creature at all now without being influenced by the Creature? This one is from 1975.

Join us next Friday for another Cool Comic Cover! Also, do you have a favorite comic book cover? Share it with us! It just may be featured as a cool comic cover!

~ Ben

Previous Cool Comic Covers:
#14 — Solitaire #1-6
#13 — Star Trek #25 and Top Dog #9
#12 — Aquaman #9
#11 — From Beyond the Unknown #23
#10 — Famous Funnies #214
#9 — AVENGERS WEEK: Thor
#8 — AVENGERS WEEK: Captain America
#7 — AVENGERS WEEK: Hulk
#6 — AVENGERS WEEK: Iron Man
#5 — “Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction” Giant Size Special
#4 — “Fear” #1
#3 — “From Beyond the Unknown” #12
#2 — “Action Comics” #419
#1 — “Weird Science-Fantasy” #27
 

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4 responses to “Creature from the Black Lagoon (Cool Comic Covers #15)”

  1. Hank Harwell Avatar
    Hank Harwell

    These covers remind me of H. P. Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsnouth.” You should check it out if you haven’t already.

  2. Ben Avatar

    Hank, I think if that’s true, I have to give that a read . . . speaking of reading, I’m still trying to figure out Goodreads . . .

  3. Hank Harwell Avatar
    Hank Harwell

    All of Lovecraft’s stories are online here: http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/

    Be aware, he comes from a materialistic/atheistic worldview, and he has a very inflated prose style.

    I use Goodreads more to keep track of my current reading, although I have added some from past reads to boost accurate suggestions. I’m also just now exploring groups to see what others are reading. I created the Geekklesia group to unite folks who are Chr

  4. Hank Harwell Avatar
    Hank Harwell

    Sorry. …for folks who are Christian and enjoy genre fiction.

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