First published back in August of 1971, Issue 15 of the ‘Pocket Chiller Library’ comic series was titled ‘The Potholers’. Early issues of the comic contained two stories, with the comic titled after the lead story. This issue contained ‘The Potholers’ along with ‘The Cameo’.
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 issue 83 and then from issue 86 onwards, the publishers started reprinting the earlier stories. Of these reprints, the first 29 reprints (issues 83 and then 86 – 113) retitled the story. As such, there were only ever a total of 84 unique stories within the series, despite there being more titles. This particular issue was one of the 33 issues which were not reprinted.
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).
The Potholers - 32 Pages
Young English millionaire David Clayton was a keen potholer. He’d recently made friends with a couple he’d met at an Alpine retreat who shared his passion for potholing. Although, if David was honest with himself, he was equally as taken by Colette, the young French fiancée of Simon Lenon.
Nevertheless, always seeking the next potholing adventure, the trio organised a party to take them down a previously unexplored cavern dubbed the ‘Devil’s Mouth’. However, disaster struck when Simon’s rope snaps and he plummets into the dark abyss below.
The group realise the equipment they have with them is woefully inadequate to rescue Simon. Furthermore, the young man was more than likely dead already. The only thing left to do would be to return in the Spring to retrieve the man’s undoubtedly frozen corpse.
Or so David Clayton thought. However, the potholing tragedy wasn’t quite as it appeared. Simon was alive and well. It had all been a devious ploy by the couple to obtain sympathy money from the millionaire. But now they wanted more. And so, a second plot was hatched…
Oh, this is a classic early PCL story. A dark thriller involving a murderous couple and their despicable ploy to get a millionaire’s money from him. At first it all seems very MrBallen in the nature of its storytelling. However, it’s the multiple twists and turns in the plot, and how it becomes increasingly more farfetched, where the short tale really starts to pull you in. Honestly, at first it’s all quite believable and you’re perhaps thinking this might be another one of those PCL retellings of a true story. But then it goes a tad silly. In a very entertaining way.
The ending is perfectly PCL in its bleakness, with a gritty “no one wins” ending. The accompanying comic artwork is ok, a tad sketchy but decent enough. The narrative however is a little more ropey, with the opening paragraph repeating itself, and the text and dialogue generally being a tad basic. Although that’s possibly a result of it being translated into English (as I understand a number of the early PCLs were).
But all in all, a relatively solid opening story to the comic.
The Cameo - 32 Pages
The year was 1903 and in North London the stillness of the night is pierced by a spine-chilling scream. Investigating the matter, the policeman on the scene finds the body of Mr Pipers hanging from a noose at his pawn shop. Luckily, the man is still alive and they’re in time to get the man down and call for an ambulance.
Over the days that follow during Mr Piper’s recovery, Inspector Gordon from Scotland Yard comes to the conclusion that the man has been driven mad. Believing the case is outside of his skillset, James Cornelius – a psychiatrist who’s attached to Scotland Yard – is brought in to assist with the case.
It’s then that Mr Piper opens up and tells his full story. How this was not an act of suicide, but rather attempted murder by a man who sought revenge. An act brought about by the simple pawning of a cameo picture frame, by a strange man who was unable to purchase the heirloom back.
But there was surely no way this man who felt wronged by Mr Piper could have done this. Before the man was arrested for attempted fraud, he’d taken the life of his mother before taking his own life. His suicide note promising to return to wreak vengeance upon his accuser. A revenge which Mr Piper was convinced he was still under the threat of…
This is a brilliant story! Honestly, it’s one of the better PCLs, drenched in horror and a gritty feeling of gloom throughout. Why this one wasn’t the lead story in the comic, I don’t know! It’s by far and away the better of the two.
So yeah, we have a gloomy story that deals with suicide, murder and revenge. Pretty dark subjects. And somehow the story manages to cram a load of this into its storyline, with a gradual escalation of the looming threat against this man, all the time the police unbelieving it’s anything other than a guilty conscience.
Of course, we the readers, aren’t sure if it’s all in his mind or not. In fact, without wanting to give away any spoilers, even at the end we’re not 100% sure one way or the other (purposefully so). And that’s definitely a big part of why the story works so damn well. A mystery that keeps you guessing throughout, executed perfectly in the comic.
Like with the first story, the accompanying comic artwork is reasonably good, although the narrative and text are a tad ropey. Actually, the narrative is probably a little better in this second story, which might be down to the historical setting of the piece and how individuals spoke back in the period. It works anyway. And altogether makes for an excellent PCL story.
The comic book runs for a total of 64 pages.
© DLS Reviews
