TALES
FROM THE CRYPT: THE
EC ARCHIVES VOL. 4 (Dark
Horse, 2013; Hardcover)
Collects
Tales
From The Crypt
#35-40 (cover dates April/ May, 1953- March, 1954)
Writers:
Bill Gaines, Al Feldstein, Jerry De Fuccio, Ray Bradbury, and Bill
Elder
Artists:
Jack Davis, Joe Orlando, Jack Kamen, Graham Ingels, George Evans,
Reed Crandall, and Bernie Krigstein
Thus
ends my EC Hallowe'en marathon! I have read over 1,000 pages of EC
Comics during the month of October and loved every minute of it.
There are two points in this book where the quality dips ever so
slightly below EC's unusually high standards. #38's Mournin' Mess,
where it is a complete retread of Midnight Mess from #35, and
#39's The Crypt-Keeper's Grim Fairy Tale!, with the lame
attempt at humor.
Russ
Cochran's Foreword is fantastic. Cochran is the torchbearer for EC.
If not for him EC may have faded into obscurity, and every fan owes
him a debt for his endless work. He was part of the first generation
of comic fans and was among the earliest members of organized fandom
back in the '60s.
Midnight
Mess from #35 is a great twist on the vampire story. #35 runs the
gamut for traditional monsters (mummies, werewolves, etc.). EC really
upped the ante at this point in terms of gore and violence while
maintaining the class and quality of earlier issues. Ghastly Graham
Ingels in particular was at his peak here, with each issue seeming
better than the one before it. Shadow Of Death in #39 is one
of his creepy crawliest best.
#36's
Curiosity Killed... is pure George Evans genius. He is such an
underrated artist. The story is fantastic, total Hitchcock vibe. That
same issue's How Green Was My Alley takes an unsavory subject
(adultery) and provides a great twist ending. Jack Kamen's beautiful
artwork doesn't hurt, either.
EC
Comics remain the gold standard for Horror comics and their
importance cannot be stated enough. The writing is superior to modern
comics by far. I love the narrative, as it paints a complete picture.
Many modern comic fans prefer to “let the pictures do the heavy
lifting”, but there are things that words in a caption can describe
more effectively than a word-free panel.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.
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 Russ Cochran. (8 pages)
 |
| On the left is an EC Annual which features the original color palette. On the right is this book. Note the liberties taken with the colors on this line of books. |
Linework
and Color: The linework is superb, taken from the 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 seven 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.
I have the Weird Science Books that came out from Gemstone. And although they are nice books, I really hate what they have done with the photoshop coloring. They sell it as archival work, making these books last over time, but I find they took it too far. A simple restoration job would have been the better alternative.
ReplyDeleteI used to enjoy the EC Archives until I bought the Annuals a few years ago. Like you, I would be all over a line of Archives with the original color palette, especially one with the paper stock that Dark Horse is currently using on their Crime Does Not Pay Archives.
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