Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Eerie 133


Sanjulian provides the cover for this all reprint issue of Eerie, dated August 1982. This issue is dedicated to the artist Ramon Torrents, and also features all three Fleur stories.

First is "Destiny's Witch" by Ramon Torrents (art) and John Jacobson (story), from Creepy 59. Hundreds of years ago a servant is suspected of being a witch when she tries to remove some leaves from her master's daughter, which is supposed to ward off a vampire that's been plauging the village. In actuality she is a witch, and is betrayed by her boyfriend Oliver multiple times, who reveals her as a witch, then frames her as being a vampire when he is actually the vampire. Hundreds of years later however she gets revenge by getting him fried by the sun.

Next is "From the Spain of Legend" from Vampirella 34, featuring the character Fleur, in her first of four appearances. Art is by Ramon Torrents while story is by John Jacobson. Richard, a traveling Earl visits a fellow noble, Chelidonius, seeking lodging while he returns home from the Crusades. Chelidonius tricks the Earl, having him locked up as an accussed witch so he can take over his property. Within the prison Richard meets Fleur, a woman who claims to actually be a witch. When it is time for the 'witches' to be burned at the stake, Fleur kills their captors and escapes with Richard. Richard however attacks her since she is a real witch, and Fleur kills him.

Third is "Our Tarts Were Young and Gay", from Vampirella 35 by Ramon Torrents (art) and John Jacobson (story). This story also stars Fleur and features her encounter in a brothel with a very odd customer. After this story Fleur wouldn't have her own story in Vampirella again for years, although she did have a short cameo in a Vampirella story in Vampirella 50. Terrific art by Torrents and the best of the Fleur stories in my opinion.

Fourth is the final Fleur story, "Night of the Alley Cats" by Ramon Torrents (art) and Gerry Boudreau (story), from Vampirella 68. This was Fleur's last appearance overall. Its a good thing, as this was quite a poor story, not on the level at all of her other stories. Fleur gets involved with the investigation of a murder involved with a gang. It ends up that the man she is seeing is responsible for the murders and through her witchcraft he gets whats coming to him.

"The Quest" by Ramon Torrents (art) and Budd Lewis (story) is last, from Vampirella 67. This story features an Amazoness-esque heroine who tries to save a holy city from a group of barbarians. In the city she finds a group of dead lords as well as a pair of bizarre pillars made up of naked people who ask her to join them. After saving the city from the Barbarians she does so. The final page reveals that the entire city is actually a giant spaceship of aliens whose time goes much, much slower than ours. All the humans in the pillars end up being used as fuel for the ship. Quite an interesting story here.

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