First published back in February of 1971, Issue 4 of the ‘Pocket Chiller Library’ comic series was titled ‘Killer Doll’. Early issues of the comic contained two stories, with the comic titled after the lead story. This issue contained ‘Killer Doll’ along with ‘The Body Snatchers’.
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).
Killer Doll – 32 Pages
It was the night porter at the famous Paris nightclub ‘Pigalle’ who found the body of the first victim. Lying in a pool of his own blood, with his throat slit, was the well-known ventriloquist – Pierre Gaillard. Next to the dead man’s corpse was ‘Timmy’ – the ventriloquist’s dummy. Its lifeless hands covered in blood and clasping a barber’s razor.
Inspector Lapointe was quickly brought in to head up the investigation and find out who was behind the vicious murder. The inspector immediately starts questioning those at the nightclub, but none of those who were there that fateful night could provide anything of help.
However, the poor ventriloquist wasn’t to be the only one to fall foul of murder that night. The dancer, Charles Dupin, had taken the dead ventriloquist’s doll to his dressing room after the ventriloquist’s body had been found. Not long after, the dancer was found dead in that very same dressing room – his throat cut in the same way as Gaillard’s had been.
Those Inspector Lapointe spoke with had suggested the doll had exhibited a life of its own on numerous occasions. That Gaillard had often been angry with it. That there was something strangely lifelike about the dummy which had always worried them.
One thing was for sure though, no one felt safe around the ventriloquist’s doll any longer. The doll already had the blood of two murders on its hands… and it wasn’t finished yet…
Ha! What a wild story! To be honest, I went into this PCL thinking this first tale might be based upon a true story. After all, quite a few of these early PCLs are just that. However, this is most definitely not based upon any true crime story – honestly, it’s far too outlandish and over-the-top for that!
Essentially, we have a crazy looking ventriloquist’s dummy that’s found at the scene of a string of ghastly murders. The doll’s hands are covered in the victim’s blood and it’s clutching a barber’s razor blade. Of course it looks like the bloody dummy’s the murderer! But how the devil can it be? It’s a lifeless doll!
The bodies quickly start racking up, with our pal Timmy always present at the scene of the crime. After the third victim, the story starts to get properly silly. At this point, we move out of the realms of a whodunnit, and into the pulpy arena of a killer doll. Yeah, we go there! Well, sort of at least!
The short tale is wrapped up with a vaguely plausible but utterly over-the-top twist, flinging us back into the territory of a wacky whodunnit. Although, frankly, it’s a truly laughable plot, but if you ask me, that’s half the joy of these PCLs. The absolute wackiness of the plots.
The illustrative artwork is all pretty rough and ready, although the depictions of the cut throats are pretty darn brutal. In fact, victim number three has almost his whole neck carved open in a giant V! Poor fella.
All in all, it’s a fun little read, with plenty of intrigue, suspense and grisly murders. Trust me, the wackiness of the whole thing is what makes it such an entertaining comic. That and the outlandish pacing. Literally, people are knocked off by the killer doll almost every other page. Yeah, Timmy’s mental!!!
The Body Snatchers - 32 Pages
It was on a chilly November evening in 1860 London, that horror struck a house in the backstreets. The poor young woman was yet another victim of the body snatchers – Burke and Hales.
It all started some time ago, when Burke and his accomplice Hales, had met a man who’d offered them money to help him rob graves. However, one night a scuffle had broken out between the three of them, and the third man had been killed.
Wanting to be rid of the man’s body, the pair took the still warm corpse to Doctor Sturgess who’d been performing experiments on corpses, in an attempt to learn more about how he might overcome the cholera epidemic that had gripped London. Desperate for another body to experiment with, the doctor pays them for the dead man’s corpse and offers them a further ten pounds for every fresh body they can bring him.
Over the next few months, Burke and Hales had supplied Doctor Sturgess with the bodies he needed. Fresh bodies from those the murderous pair happened upon. Victims of the callous body snatchers. Doctor Sturgess knew his part in all of this. Knew he was jointly responsible for the murders. But there was surely no other way. After all, a doctor must practice on the dead to learn how to cure the living…
Unlike the first story, this one is based on a true crime case, here about the serial killers – William Burke and William Hare – who between 1827 and 1828, supplied Scottish anatomist Dr. Robert Knox with sixteen bodies from their murders.
However, as with many of these early PCLs, the comic has changed a few of the minor details, such as the year, the names, and the location. After a short while, the PCL story also goes off on its own tangent, bringing in the doctor’s son – Brian Sturgess – who’s fiancée gets caught up in Doctor Sturgess’ devious conspiracy.
The whole thing’s utterly wild which makes for a cracking PCL story, with a thunderous pace behind it, and so many swiftly delivered twists and turns. The arrival of the fiancée – Maria Eberhard – is where the story gets even more far-fetched. In classic 1970s style, poor Maria is the very essence of femininity, caring and trusting, and feinting at the sight of a dead body. Perfect for the devious duo to snatch!
As with so many of these PCLs, the wildly elaborate plot does the comic a whole heap of favours, keeping us gripped to the madness of where the storyline’s taking us next. Of course, we know the two murderous body snatchers will eventually get their comeuppance, but before we get there, there’s a hell of a lot of fun in seeing how their devious and outlandish plotting goes.
The illustrative artwork is again pretty ropey. Furthermore, the text within the comic is very handwritten, with quite an amateurish hand. Although this isn’t really a detriment to the comic. If anything, it adds to the pulpy 1970s feel of the whole thing!
The comic book runs for a total of 64 pages.
© DLS Reviews
