Originally Published In Issue 29
Reprinted In Issue 88
First published back in March of 1972, Issue 29 of the ‘Pocket Chiller Library’ comic series was titled ‘Obsession’. The comic was later reprinted under the alternative title ‘Blade Of Death’ within Issue 88.
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 from issue 86 onwards, the publishers started reprinting the earlier stories. Of these reprints, the first 28 reprints (issues 86 – 113) retitled the story. As such, there were only a total of 85 different stories within the series, despite there being more titles.
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).
DLS Synopsis:
DLS Review:
Angela Manders couldn’t stop herself. She even knew when it was going to happen. First the pain in her head, driving her to distraction. Making her do those terrible things. Then afterwards the feeling of deep, deep peace.
She knew her Mother was the one pushing her to do these things. Although her mother had died many years ago, her influence upon Angerla still remained. Drove Angela to kill. To murder all those innocent men. To plunge a needle-sharp knife into each one of their backs.
Now she Angela had to move on again. Find a new place to settle down. Start her life over, as she’d done, time and time again.
The Dexter’s Farm was the perfect place. The two brothers who owned the farm had been looking for a new dairy girl. They even had a spare room that Angela could use. The set up was perfect. There was even something about Colin Dexter, the older of the two brothers, that instantly attracted Angela to him.
But these things never lasted for Angela. Although she was desperate to stop murdering. Although all her victims still haunted her mind. The slightest indiscretion would start the pain in her head again. The smallest of things, and her Mother was back, haunting her, telling her to do it. Making Angela kill and kill again…
Here we have a quietly chilling psychological horror akin to Robert Bloch’s ‘Psycho’ (1959). Essentially, it’s about a psychotically disturbed young female who can’t stop killing men. Of course, this is all because of a voice in her head – the voice of her late mother – telling her to kill.
This whole psychological serial killer side to the story is set out from the very beginning. In fact, Angela takes another victim within the first handful of pages. It’s a random fella named Ted, who becomes the next victim to Angela’s vicious blade, before she disappears again, to start off another new life somewhere else.
With the reader knowing from the outset that Angerla is unhinged and dangerous means we don’t have to go through all the usual cliched rigmarole with finding out who’s behind the long string of murders. In fact, for us, there’s absolutely no “who dunnit” in the story. It’s more a case of can she stop killing, and if not, who’ll be her next victim?
Of course there’s a love interest thrown into the mix. Angela’s a good-looking girl and Colin and indeed his brother, Robert, are also both handsome and eligible bachelors. So, Angela starting a relationship with one of them was inevitable. Although, how this all materialises is classic PCL stuff.
With the comic being fundamentally a psychological horror, the story is inherently more of a slow burner than the majority of PCL offerings. It’s not so much pulpy, but rather a darker, more chilling piece. Although, we do have a handful of frames where we see from behind Angela’s disturbed eyes. Visions of her victims, their rotting skeletal bodies, creeping closer to her as the pain in her head escalates.
The ending is about as bleak and downbeat as any of these PCLs come. There’s no happy ending. No joyful solving of the murders or fixing of Angela’s broken mind. Nope, just a bleak and sad ending to a comic which immersed itself in such a tone from the outset. Which works darn well, if you ask me!
The comic book runs for a total of 64 pages.
© DLS Reviews
