Reviewed by Nostalgic Reviewer
A Little Bit of Information
Mga Kwento Sa Dilim (Stories in the Dark) is an old pulp comic book that was published by Sonic Publishing in the Philippines. For one issue, it would contain several stories, written and drawn by various writers and artists, respectively. For this review, we will be tackling the content of the December 1998 Issue of Mga Kwento sa Dilim or translated as Stories in the Dark. This, by the way, will be a 3-Part Review.
THE STORIES
Corpse Face
Created by Analyn S. Odal
The Plot
Greed knows no bounds when the price is right and sure enough, this is what Corpse Face is all about. So the story starts off when a tourist, named Odek, visits an Egyptian exhibit in a museum in a foreign country. Just like any other Museums, exhibits are exclusively for the eyes. But the would-be mummy thief steals the mummy but not after shooting one of the guards.
The story then skips to a commercial airline where Odek starts to experience symptoms of the curse. Yes, the mummy has a curse as he remembers a prior warning, and the symptoms are just outright unpleasant. The man exhibits the symptoms of mummification or leprosy or a crossover of both. Upon landing we never see the mummy again with the assumption that it was sold before his flight or right after it because the story skips to a scene where he is in a village. The symptoms have gone awfully bad now that the villagers start to avoid him. He tries to visit a shaman for help but instead of help, he is sentenced to death.
The ending is violent. They somehow tie Odek up to a pole and set him on fire just as how witches were burned during the Dark Ages. In the end, the man dies and the soul of the mummy is freed from his body.
The Review
The moral of the story is simple: Never steal anything that does not belong to you. In the modern context, cases of theft are not punishable by curses but there is the legal system that is out to imprison those who break the law. The story could have benefited a little bit more if it expanded the story. It never even gave an explanation to why the soul took over Odek’s body. How did the people who transported the mummy get affected? Did they get the same curse? If not, this mummy sure is picky.
The Levitating Corpse
Written by Rey N. Mamangun
Illustrated by Rol Enriquez
Illustrated by Rol Enriquez
The Plot
The story starts with a funeral, a very rare occurrence for most stories, but this isn’t the typical funeral because as it turns out, the corpse of a magician’s assistant, Jasmine, floats in the air. Friends and relatives are shocked and even attributed it to the work of a demon. Two guys set out on a journey to get to the bottom of things. Both had the suspicion Professor Alexis, Jasmine’s boss, may have something to do with it, that is, his levitation spells may still have an effect.
They drive to what appears to be a theatre. They don’t find him at first but like any other magician, the man just pops up. The two explain their predicament which the Professor does not deny. He explains that another magician interrupted him as he was removing the spell. This is also what he says that caused his assistant’s death.
To fix the problem, he recites a spell and the culprit named Zardic, who happens to be performing in another location, levitates. The crowd is surprised and both magicians have a discussion. The culprit apologizes for his actions and the problem is solved. After both men thank Professor Alexis, he disappears. Days later, the man is found dead and revealed to have been dead for a long time. In short, they have possibly been talking to a ghost. But at least, the burial can go smoothly from now on.
The Review
For a very basic story about work accidents, one would wonder how the courts would look at the possibility murder here. If Professor Alexis’ statement is true then Zardic should already be in jail or the Professor at the least since it’s obvious that Jasmine died while at work. But this is comic book logic. Just like the previous story, this story could use a little more expansion. But what about the moral of the story? There really isn’t a clear idea of what it is. All we know is that both Jasmine and the Professor is dead and Zardic is possibly still on the loose.
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~End of Review~
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