Let me begin by emphatically noting that
nothing in this post-should be construed as anti-adoption. Adoption is a wonderful thing,
But in a comic book universe, there are occasional
downsides:
What could
possibly go wrong?
Well, how about...
OK, ant poison in the coffee
could be a problem. As could:
Ant poison
AND a fire? Rough night. But we're not done yet...
Well, after the funeral...
What. The. Hell.
Damned if the baby isn't right--the authorities never even think to check his hands for powder residue!!
Now, we don't have a writer's credit for this issue. [It is the first story
John Romita drew under his own name, and his first inking job, as well]. But we never get any explanation
a) why an alien is inhabiting the body of a baby
b) why said being is killing people. It's awfully small potatoes is this is any kind of prelude to an invasion...It's thew
Atlas era--just roll with it!
So, anyway--make sure you fingerprint your baby, in case he shoots you and fakes your suicide!!
From Strange Tales #4 (1951)
It's a weird rip-off of Ray Bradbury's "The Small Assassin," using Bradbury's premise of the evil baby while also distancing itself from the darker aspects of Bradbury's story. In the original story, the child is the couple's natural-born son, not adopted, and there is no "alien intelligence"...the baby is simply born with slightly advanced intelligence and motor skills. The baby is evil simply because babies ARE "evil" in that they have not yet learned right from wrong; this one just has the ability to act on its destructive impulses. The Atlas story tones it down by attributing the baby's malice to an outside force rather than inherent selfishness and rage.
ReplyDeleteLike Erich, I immediately recognized "The Small Assassin." EC did a credited adaptation of the story. Instead of the baby getting off scot-free, he is presumably murdered by the doctor who figures things out.
ReplyDeleteOdd that upon being discovered the baby turns into Edward G. Robinson. Nyahh! You and I are alone, see? Nyahh!
It was even more chilling in the Bradbury story -- the baby's motivation was that all babies hate their parents for bringing them into the world. This one just had the capability to act on the raging hatred all babies feel...including YOUR child. What? You thought he screamed because he was hungry?
ReplyDelete