“Dr. Spektor And Mr. Hyde”
Doctor Spektor awoke suddenly to the sound of Lakota Rainflower’s scream. His hands were wrapped tightly around her throat in an attempt to murder the young Native American woman. But what had caused him to attack his assistant in such a brutal manner?
It was the formula of the late Doctor Henry Jekyll that flowed in his veins. Or did so, just seconds prior. Thankfully, the last of the chemical mixture had metabolized through Spektor’s system, freeing his mind to return to rational thought patterns. Lakota lunged backward, breaking the steel-like grip from her neck. Her eyes grew wide as she realized the monster who attacked her had morphed back into the form of her employer, Doctor Spektor.
His eyes filled with instant remorse. Why did he insist on traveling to London in order to study the research of England’s most notorious homicidal maniac? Lakota had advised against it. But when Doctor Spektor sets his mind on exposing a secret, even a brute like Mr. Hyde could not stop him.
“Little Ol’ Coffin-Maker”
Herr Stossel was a master craftsman in a dying industry. No pun intended. For you see, Stossel was a coffin maker from the old country. His handcrafted original works were once highly sought after by those seeking only the best for their deceased loved ones. Unfortunately, times have changed. Stossel’s customer base has shrunk to a handful of clients. Some are more “eccentric” than others. That, however, is neither here nor there.
On this day, the most wanted man in the city is inside Stossel’s shop holding a gun to the coffin maker’s head. A citywide manhunt has been in progress for hours now and the cops are getting closer. Burt Ott needs a place to hide. Herr Stossel tried to warn the killer not to choose his coffins to hide in. Burt Ott was about to make the biggest mistake of his life.
Review
Classic monsters were alive and well in 1973, with two of them making an appearance here in the Occult Files of Doctor Spektor. There was nothing like these old tales of horror set in a more innocent time. Sadly, the genre became stale; then the over-the-top blood and guts scenes of slasher movies overtook the film industry. Next the fad invaded comic books, leaving characters like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by the roadside.
So, if you want a good example of a Hammer Film-inspired horror comic book, look no further than Gold Key Comic. The writing is well done, as is the art. The only thing I could see modern readers not like about this series is the page layouts. Western Publishing stuck with the six-panel page layouts way past their popularity. For me, it is a nostalgic thing, so the layout doesn’t bother me as much. I give issue five of Doctor Spektor four out of five stars.
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English (US) · 