The Golden Age of radio is a nearly forgotten era, which makes it all the cooler that writer and artist Ernie Colon has brought it back in graphic-novel form.
"Inner Sanctum: Tales of Mystery, Horror and Suspense" (NBM, $17) is a collection of stories adapted from the old radio show in glorious black and white. If you've ever listened to "Inner Sanctum," you might recognize "Alive in the Grave," about premature burial. Or "Death of a Doll," the great-grandfather of the "Chuckie" movies. Or "The Horla," about a concert pianist who fears a beast only he can see. Or "The Undead," a vampire tale with a twist. Colon also throws in a story of his own called "Mentalo," about a magician who does real magic -- and pays a heavy price.
Colon's book represents an entire genre that fans of the fantastic know well: the moody suspense tale with a twist ending -- usually, but not always, delivering vengeance from beyond the grave upon some deserving miscreant. "Inner Sanctum" falls into the continuum of horror series that include EC's 1950s horror comics, Warren Publishing's 1960s-'70s horror magazines, and TV's "Twilight Zone" and "Night Gallery." It's a popular genre, because it delivers the goods.
So does Colon, one of my favorite artists. He has tackled just about everything in comics, not just the usual superheroes, but also children's books ("Richie Rich," "Casper the Friendly Ghost"), horror ("Creepy," "Eerie"), fantasy ("Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld"), historical adventure ("Arak, Son of Thunder"), humor ("Damage Control") and even nonfiction graphic novels ("The 9/11 Report," "Che: A Graphic Biography").
Strangely, it's the hints of the kids' books that make his work so memorable: His lines are clean and his backgrounds uncluttered, like a "Richie Rich" book -- a hint of childhood innocence that makes the horror of his adult stories all the more pronounced.
Whatever the reason, Colon's work always has a vibrant verisimilitude, informed by a sort of universal experience, that makes it immediate and accessible.
That means he can scare the pants off you. I highly recommend "Inner Sanctum," which ought to come with a reinforced belt.
