Review- HOWARD NOSTRAND'S NIGHTMARES: THE CHILLING ARCHIVES OF HORROR COMICS VOL. 8

HOWARD NOSTRAND'S NIGHTMARES: THE CHILLING ARCHIVES OF HORROR COMICS VOL. 8 (Yoe Books/ IDW, First Printing, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects selections from Chamber Of Chills #13, 17-21, 23, Witches Tales #18, 20-25, Black Cat Mystery #44-46, 48, Tomb Of Terror #8, 11, 12, and Ripley's Believe It Or Not Magazine #1 (cover dates October, 1952- August, 1954)

Writers: Nat Barnett and Howard Nostrand (unconfirmed but suspected on many of these stories)

Artist: Howard Nostrand

Every single one of these stories except for one has already been reprinted and collected in PS Artbooks' Harvey Horrors line, making this book a double dip for me. The main problem lies not in this book as a book but rather the lack of content information in the text copy when the book is originally solicited. The only saving grace that this book has for me is that seven of the stories reprinted here are scanned directly from the original artwork, making this kind of a poor man's Howard Nostrand Artist Edition.

If you do not own the aforementioned PS Artbooks then this book is a pretty cool read. It is a complete overview of Nostrand's 1950s Harvey Horror output (with the exception of stories that he inked for other artists). Nostrand's artwork has a cartoony feel that is completely removed from the era and the genre. It seems almost humorous in appearance and it wouldn't surprise me if it helped inform the underground “Comix” of the 1960s. I also appreciate the cinematic feel of much of his work. His panel composition could serve as a camera angle guide for a film or television show.

The stories themselves all kind of run together, as non-EC Pre-Code Horror comics tend to if you read a lot of them in a row. They were still enjoyable on the reread and made for splendid pre-Hallowe'en reading. I would recommend this book to folks who like Pre-Code Horror comics who do not own the PS Artbooks or purists who want to see the scans of the original artwork, which is something of a treat. So much of the original art from this era is lost that it is great to see complete stories reassembled with it. Blessed be the curators and collectors.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The book was originally solicited with this cover, although it was never used. 

The OCD zone- Yoe Books are high quality presentations, with lots of thought put into the design and layout. Overall production values are very high. My only complaint is that they are a hair wider than, say, the Creepy or Eerie Archives from Dark Horse, meaning that they are too wide to be stored in a white acid free magazine box.

Linework and Color restoration: High resolution raw scans with the yellowing removed. This warts and all approach is favored by some fans while others prefer full blown restoration. I appreciate the benefits and drawbacks of both. If good source material (film, original art) is unavailable then raw scans are sometimes the best way to go. Your mileage may vary. I have had countless discussions with fans online and it all really boils down to preference.

Paper stock: Super thick uncoated stock. This is the heaviest paper used by any of the major publishers for collected editions today. No bleed through from the other side of the page in any light. (I read books in various rooms using various light sources for such experiments. Natural sunlight, incandescent bulbs, CFL, and LED are all in use in various rooms in my house. I have a halogen bulb on my back porch and should add that in too.)

Binding: Smyth sewn binding. The book lays mostly flat.

Hardback cover notes: No dustjacket. Image is printed on the paper casewrap. Blacks have a matte finish while the colors have spot varnish, a kind of screen printed lamination which gives the color a glossy appearance. I experienced no scuffing on my copy while reading and handling this book. 

Review- BOB POWELL'S TERROR

BOB POWELL'S TERROR (Yoe Books/ IDW, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects selections from Black Cat Nos. 34-36, 51, Chamber of Chills Nos. 6, 7, 19, This Magazine Is Haunted Nos. 4, 12, Tomb of Terror Nos. 3, 5, Witches Tales Nos. 4, 6, 10, 23, Worlds Beyond No. 1, and Worlds of Fear No. 2 (cover dates July, 1951- August, 1954)

Writers: Unknown

Artist: Bob Powell

Praise be Craig Yoe for his Chilling Archives of Horror Comics line of hardcovers. While the line seems to have slowed down as of late, we did get three high quality, value priced offerings from his Yoe Books imprint published by IDW. One could argue that this book is a largely redundant release, since the bulk of these stories have been, or soon will be, collected by PS Artbooks in their various archive lines (Black Cat, Chamber of Chills, Tomb of Terror, and Witches Tales) as well as other numerous pre-code '50s Horror compilations. 

That argument would be missing the entire point of this collection, however, since this focuses solely on the work of Bob Powell. Further making this an essential addition to any self respecting Golden Age or Horror comic book fan is that several of these stories were shot off of the original art, scans of which were generously donated by collectors. Yoe often solicits help from fandom, asking for scans so that he can procure the best quality source material. He puts so much time into these collections that he probably makes .25 an hour. His selfless sacrifice is fandom's gain, as this book is more affordable than the assorted Archives of this material.

An example of the original art used in this book. Mind you, these are ENTIRE STORIES shot from the original art. Incredible.

The introductions are a detailed analysis of Powell's career, and offer snapshots and scans of correspondence. Powell, like so many other Golden Age greats, bailed from the comic book industry after Frederic Wertham's witch-hunt linking comic books to juvenile delinquency chopped off artistic expression at the knees. Titles, genres, indeed, entire companies folded because of Wertham and the Senate subcommittee hearings. 

There are some terrific reads in this book. I enjoyed all of them, but will list my favorites:

So What's Next, from Witches Tales No. 23, is the story of serial killer and an office secretary working the night shift. Disturbing and plausible, its ending can be easily predicted by today's more sophisticated audience. Still, I go for execution as well as originality. I know what the outcome of sex will always be, yet I enjoy that, too.

Green Horror, from Witches Tales No. 6, has been collected elsewhere but remains enjoyable and effective. Powell's monstrosities are always a joy to behold. 

And finally, my personal favorite in this book is Happy Anniversary from Chamber of Chills No. 19. In it, we get a heartwarming anniversary dinner filled with reminisces of the beginning of their relationship. Needless to say, it's whacked and I loved the ending a lot and lot. My 3 year old daughter always says that: I liked it a lot and lot.

If you want to dip your toe in Golden Age, pre-code 1950s Horror comics, then this is as good a place as any to start. Even if you obsessively gobble up every piece of pre-code Horror brick-a-brac like I do, this book is well worth the price of admission just to get the scans of the original art and the introductions.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I will try this in a blow by blow style. Let me know if you prefer this to my typical stream of consciousness nit-picking. The dimensions of this book are similar to the Creepy, Eerie, and EC Archives, albeit slightly wider.

Linework restoration rating: 4 out of 5. These are direct scans of the issues with minimal tinkering.

Color restoration rating: 4 out of 5. Like I stated above, these are scans, which means that you get all of the imperfections of the four color printing process. Dots, line bleed, off-register printing, etc. Take it for what it is. It is scanned extremely well, which is why it gets such a high rating.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Uncoated paper stock with zero sheen, can be read easily in all forms of light with no glare. It looks creamy, like mint condition pulp stock. I like the creamy color of pristine pulp stock, hate the yellowed, powdery feeling of moldering paper stock that has not been in plastic bags. This is a super thick, heavy stock that should age extremely well.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. This has sewn binding, but the casing is glued square to the spine. It doesn't lay completely flat, always a pet peeve of mine. It lays reasonably flat a little ways in, and it is only 148 pages, so it's not a big deal.

Cover coating rating: 3 out of 5. This book has no dustjacket. Instead, it has a screen printed image on the cover, which has a coating of decent thickness. The rest of the cover (the non-image portions) are easily scuffed, even when handled gingerly. I can't imagine how beat up this would get with repeated handling or on a comic shop's bookshelf. IDW can do better than this, but they choose not to. Sad.

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Reviews: Dick Briefer's Frankenstein

DICK BRIEFER'S FRANKENSTEIN(IDW, 2010; Hardcover)

Collects selections from Prize Comics Nos. 7-9 and Frankenstein Nos. 1, 8, 15, 20, 24, 28, 31 (cover dates December, 1940- June/July, 1952)

Writer/ Artist: Dick Briefer

This is essentially a sampler of the three different eras of Briefer's take on the Frankenstein monster. The first was a crude Horror take. The second version was a comedic take on ol' Frank. The emphasis was still on the macabre.

The third, and final incarnation of Briefer's Frankenstein was an intense, Horror-laden take. 

This was my favorite of the three, although I would love to see a comprehensive collection of all eras of the character. I had read all of this era before in Idea Men Production's 2006 black and white trade paperback. While it collects this era in its entirety, it is dark and muddy, whereas this book is incomplete but in full color. I reviewed the 2006 TPB way back when in my blog.

The OCD zone- The paper used in this book is thick, uncoated stock with an off-white, creamy color similar to pulp paper prior to aging. The restoration is high resolution scans of the original comic books, with no additional work done. You can see every imperfection in the original printing process, for better or for worse. The book has sewn binding, but the paper is so thick and tight in the spine that it doesn't lay flat until the middle of the book. I can't really call foul at the book's price point of MSRP $21.99, though. This book is a bargain.

EDIT- I can't believe that I forgot to mention the die-cut cover. Frankenstein's eyes are cut out, and when you open the book there is a second-phase, comedic Frankenstein picture. A nice, and completely unnecessary, touch. Also worth mentioning is that there is no dustjacket and that the images are screen printed on the cover itself. There is no wax coating on the cover and it is fairly easy to scuff. I'm not sure if I like this recent trend in hardcovers.