Sunday, October 26, 2014

Review- THE VAULT OF HORROR: THE EC ARCHIVES VOL. 3


THE VAULT OF HORROR: THE EC ARCHIVES VOL. 3 (Dark Horse, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects The Vault of Horror #24-29 (cover dates April/ May, 1952- February/ March, 1953)

Writers: Bill Gaines, Al Feldstein, Ray Bradbury, Johnny Craig, and Jerry De Fuccio

Artists: Johnny Craig, Graham Ingels, Joe Orlando, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, Sid Check, and George Evans

Artwork by Graham Ingels.

My EC Hallowe'en marathon continues! While I abhor coloring that is unfaithful to the original color palette there are a handful of times when the modern renderings do look mighty impressive. Even so, it is like watching the Special Edition versions of the original Star Wars Trilogy in my mind. It will never be real, which is why I am dumping (have dumped by the time that you read this) all of my EC Archives on eBay. I will keep my beloved EC Annuals, which boast the original color palette coupled with the clarity of then-modern '90s printing. No line bleed or off register printing, which makes them superior to even the original issues in terms of print quality.

Artwork by Graham Ingels.
Coloring issues aside, these remain fantastic reads on the reread. I will go light on the commentary since I have read and reviewed these before in Vault Of Horror Annual 3 (which has #24-26) and Vault Of Horror Annual #4 (#27-29).
Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

http://www.instocktrades.com/TP/Dark-Horse/EC-ARCHIVES-VAULT-OF-HORROR-HC-VOL-03/SEP130078

The OCD zone- I can't wait for the day when someone, anyone, produces EC Comics Archives in full color with the original color palette, including the original cover color palette.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Introduction. (2 pages)
Foreword by Mike Richardson. (2 pages)

Linework and Color: The linework is superb, taken from photostats and original artwork. The color is the killer for me. While based on Marie Severin's original colors, there are too many liberties taken with it in terms of gradient shades and other Photoshop effects for my taste. Your mileage may vary.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with minimal sheen.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding with eight stitches per signature.

Hardback cover notes: This is the best of both worlds- a dustjacket with the same image on the paper of the casewrap. Top it off with a super thick lamination on the casewrap and you have the cherry on the top of this sundae. 

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