Shock SuspenStories #12
"Deadline" in Shock SuspenStories #12 (1953) delivers a chilling tale of obsession and memory, where a man’s past betrayal haunts him decades later. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein, with stark, expressive art by Wally Wood and bold inks by the same, the story unfolds with a tight, suspenseful grip. The cover by Al Feldstein, with its haunting, fragmented neon sign, perfectly captures the issue’s lingering dread.
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A hotel clerk steals $100,000 from a diamond merchant and then rents a safety deposit box years in advance under the name 'Brad Gilbert'. He serves 15 years for the theft, then meets with the girl who promised to wait for him because she wants the money. Unable to remember the name he used, the girl berates his inability to recall the name, and he slashes her face with a steak knife. As the police close in on him, he jumps off a roof, clutching at letters of a sign, and, as he lies dying on the pavement, he sees the remaining neon letters spell out 'Brad Gilbert'.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).