6

Several years back (nearing ten?) I went over to my local library and read a comic book. I remember it being about some guy way out in the sandy desert (I think a researcher); he stumbles into an underground series of large caverns, and discovers that the smooth cavern stele and walls are absolutely covered with alien writing. He walks around a little before encountering a monstrous alien - a rather large levitating dark mass with a lot of eyes. He bolts out of there, spooked to all hell - but when he comes back to the general desert location some time later, he can't even find the entrance to the underground caverns. Just a lot of sand and stone. He wonders if he just imagined all of it, if it was real.

Details which are slightly fuzzier for me but probably still accurate: I think he was wandering around the sandy underground areas for a bit with a torch before encountering the alien-monster, trying to read the wall language - literally like a stick on fire type of torch. The age that this comic took place in was probably not modern times; 1940ish? The alien monster looked sort of like a flying black tentacool, but alot lumpier, atleast the size of an elephant - it's lumpy body was covered with red eyes. I can't remember if the underground rock walls were a sandy brown or an alien smooth black surface. I don't think this was a very long comic, since this sequence is the only thing I remember about it. It was overall somewhat of a lovecraftian sequence now that I think about it, a lot about mystery, the unknown, and things higher than humanity. I don't think the comic was a new release, just something that was on a normal shelf.

I've gone through my library's catalog...nothing even close to this is listed, and I've gone back several times to try and find it. Maybe it's a small section of a larger comic collection? I'm pretty damn confident it's not just something I dreamed up or imagined though, cause it sure caught my awe for days and I'm nowhere near creative enough to think of this stuff. Please tell me if anything about this seems familiar!

4
  • Hi, welcome to the site. If anyone correctly identifies the comic you're looking for, you can mark that answer as accepted by clicking on the check mark beneath the voting buttons, as per the tour. May 22, 2022 at 2:19
  • 4
    This actually sounds like the framing story for "The Shadow Out of Time" by Lovecraft, but in that it was a book the guy found; I don't remember whether there were any wall inscriptions. However, there was indeed a monster chasing him, he ran outside, and when he came back the next day he couldn't find the entrance, so he couldn't get back the book, which he had dropped. However, most of the story was the stuff written about in the found book. Not an actual answer to your question though.
    – nebogipfel
    May 22, 2022 at 4:37
  • I think that's it! I just looked at an online version of it, I'm pretty sure what I'm remembering is the end of it! Oh man. What a spooky comic.
    – Schmleh
    May 22, 2022 at 15:31
  • This also sounds like some of Clark Ashton Smith's cosmic horror.
    – Lexible
    May 23, 2022 at 15:59

1 Answer 1

7

Thanks to nebogipfel!

I'm very confident it's the comic version of The Shadow Out of time. https://archive.org/details/shadowoutoftime0000culb I read the end of it and I'm pretty damn sure this is the part I'm remembering. I did get some of the fuzzier details wrong. desert night wander picture underground desert gtfo alien red eyes hot damn

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.