The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor Volume Four, Dark Horse, $49.99
I've caught up just as the train stopped.
As I've said in previous reviews, I came upon Don Glut's efforts to create a Gold Key "universe" just as the books he was writing showed up in my neighborhood -- and then stopped.
This volume of Doctor Spektor represents exactly that. I had no idea this book -- or any other Glut book -- existed, because it wasn't distributed in my suburban Memphis neighborhood. Then, suddenly, Doctor Spektor appeared, and I bought it, and discovered that not only did Dr. Spektor exist, but he lived with a Native American girl, and they were abruptly having troubles. Then, just as I learned that, the situation -- and the book -- disappeared.
Thanks to the previous volumes of Doctor Spektor, I found out who he was, and that his girl friend had been around for a bit. And now, with the latest volume, we've hit what I knew -- and to my disappointment, that was the end of the story. The first Doctor Spektor stories I read 40 years ago were the last Doctor Spektor stories to be published.
The funny thing is, all I knew about Doctor Spektor and Lakota Rainflower was that they were having a lover's spat. Yet, that was only the last two issues. Prior to that, for about 40 issues, they were completely happy. Glut's efforts at the end to spice up the series was all that I knew for 40 years!
But here we go, the last few issues, collected. Up until the last two or three issues, everything is status quo, and it's just like the last three volumes: Mildly nice horror stories, mildly nice Filipino art, then a couple of stories trying to shake things up. Then the end.
So, nuts. That's all there is, folks!
Replies
I have allowed myself to fall behind reading this series, but one day I'll make a reading project out of the Glutverse. Right now (among other things) I'm reading Marvel's Star Wars series (which I post about here in a thread titled "Space Family Skywalker"), and after that I think I'll be in the mood to cathc up on Dark Horse's reprints of Gold Key's Space Family Robinson. Some of Dark Horse's reprint series seem kind of, well... lame, but they've got som good ones waiting on deck, including Silver Streak and Adventure into the Unknown. I know, in addition to myself, you will be reading these series even if no one else on this board will be.
Spektor is easily my favorite of the Glut books for Gold Key. I'm kinda sorry this is the end.