Review- ROY THOMAS PRESENTS: THE HEAP VOL. 2

ROY THOMAS PRESENTS: THE HEAP VOL. 2 (PS Artbooks, First Printing, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects The Heap stories from Airboy Comics Vol. 5 #5-12, Vol. 6 #1, 12, Vol. 7 #1-8, 10, 11 a/k/a #52-60, 65-79, 81, 82 (cover dates June, 1948- December, 1950)

Writers: Carmine Infantino, Ernest Schroeder, and other unidentified writers

Artists: Carmine Infantino, Leonard Starr, Mike Roy, John Belfi, Clement Weisbacker, Bob Butts, Dan Zolnerowich, Frank Bolle, Paul Reinman, and Ernest Schroeder

This batch of stories with the original comic book swamp monster aren't as enjoyable as the earlier ones found in Volume 1. The artwork remains good throughout, and the writing has honest to gosh continuity, an uncommon occurrence for the era. This was a fun read in smaller doses.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

I enjoy huffing these Chinese made books. PS Artbooks smell the best. Whenever I crack one open I sit there and snort it...Oh yeah, that's the stuff.

This book has the ever delectable sweet, sweet toxic Chinese printing press smell, likely the result of paper sourced from virgin Amazon rainforests and ink which is a concoction of lead paint chips, broken and pulped asbestos tiles, mercury from recalled thermometers, and the final magical ingredient: the blood, sweat, and tears of the children working the sweatshop printing presses. If loving these books is wrong then I don't want to be right!

The sweet smell seems to go away from these books after a few years, so huff them early and often.

Linework and Color restoration: Like any PS Artbook, the quality varies issue by issue. This looks decent for a scan and print collection.

The raw scan presentation has the benefit of the feeling of reading the original comic book. The drawback, which is a huge one subjectively speaking, is that all of the shortcomings of the primitive four color printings presses are apparent. Line bleed, off register printing, and other anomalies are all present. It's a warts and all approach. Your mileage may vary and it all boils down to your preference.

Paper stock: Bright white matte stock.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Hardback cover notes: Matte casewrap with spot varnish. No dustjacket. Images printed directly onto the casewrap.