All the cult intrigue, astrological omens, and prophetic ravings of a "Mad Arab" amount to a hill of beans when stacked up against a strong left hook from a Lord of Order. Doctor Fate is in residence, and no thinly veiled homage to the Cthulhu mythos (the fish men of the ancient submerged city of Nyarl-Amen are just simplified analogues of the Deep Ones and R'lyeh) is going withstand his personal style of treatment.
I picked up the issue of Wanted in which this story appeared out of a quarter bin back in the early 80's, and the style and tone of the story made such a lasting impression on me that I committed myself to purchasing the pricey (even with Amazon's discount) hardcover archive edition collecting the complete run of the golden age Dr. Fate stories. (Amazon gives a June 6 release date, but as of this writing it remains listed in pre-order limbo.)
Howard Sherman's art is a wonder to behold; a unique style that evokes ancient Grecian and Egyptian styles and old-timey religious woodcut prints -- filtered through the flat, yet lurid style of golden age superhero strips. The deliberately idiosyncratic and faux archaic style of lettering used in the story also adds to the otherworldly atmosphere.
Today's selected tracks are in keeping with the fish 'n' fate theme. Both are from Boston area acts -- some much ballyhooed punk rock and some terminally obscure new wave.
Mission of Burma - That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate (from Vs., 1982)
The Elevators - Tropical Fish (from Frontline, 1980)
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