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- JACK COLE'S DEADLY HORROR: THE CHILLING ARCHIVES OF HORROR COMICS VOL. 4

JACK COLE'S DEADLY HORROR: THE CHILLING ARCHIVES OF HORROR COMICS VOL. 4 (Yoe Books/ IDW, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects selections from Web Of Evil #1-11 (cover dates November, 1952- February, 1954)

Writer and Artist: Jack Cole

You can't go wrong with Pre-Code Horror comics. Jack Cole is most famous as the creator of Plastic Man (which my Dad read as a kid in the 1940s), although he had a long career drawing everything under the sun. Quality Comics' Web Of Evil was one of a myriad of EC imitators, and Cole was featured prominently throughout the first 11 issues. These stories run the typical 1950s Pre-Code Horror gamut, i.e. selling your soul to the devil, zombies, atomic monsters, etc., all done in a “preachy” sort of way.

Several of these stories will seem familiar to folks, and that would be because they have been reprinted elsewhere in books like Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics Of The 1950s and other anthology books. They will also all be reprinted in PS Artbook's forthcoming Pre-Code Classics: Web Of Evil line of hardcovers. I wish that they would have announced that line before this book came out. Those interested in only the Jack Cole stories will delight in their purchase of this book, as you get 160 pages of ghoulish fun at a reasonable price.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Yoe Books are slightly wider than a Creepy/Eerie/Vampirella Archive...meaning that they are just wide enough that it won't fit in an acid free magazine box.

Linework and Color restoration: High resolution raw scans. This is a warts and all approach, where you see all of the limitations of the original four color printing process: off-register printing, line bleed, and benday dots. Some folks prefer this warts and all approach to the “frame up” restoration found in other lines of books. It is as much a philosophical argument as it is a technical one, and one that I will leave to the people to decide on.

Paper stock: Super thick uncoated stock. While the stock is bright white, Yoe cleverly colors the borders a sort of cream color, fooling people into thinking that this is an off white stock. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...

Binding: Smyth sewn binding, lays mostly flat. The book block has sufficient room to flex within the casing.

Hardback cover notes: No dustjacket. Image printed on the casewrap, images and words spot varnished. The black has a dull matte finished which had a few light scuffs with handling.

Review- DITKO MONSTERS: KONGA! HC

DITKO MONSTERS: KONGA! (Yoe Books/ IDW, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects Konga Nos. 1, 3-15 and Konga's Revenge No. 2 (cover dates June, 1960- November, 1963)

Writer: Joe Gill

Artist: Steve Ditko

This is the sister volume to Ditko Monsters: Gorgo! Instead of this being a book about a reasonable facsimile of Godzilla with artwork by Steve Ditko, this one is a reasonable facsimile of King Kong with artwork by Steve Ditko. Ditko's artistic idiosyncrasies, such as the eyes and hands, are here. In short, if you are a fan of Ditko or of Silver Age post-code monster comics then this should be right up your alley.

One of the things about the writing in this series that I enjoyed was the real sense of continuity from one issue to the next. Most Silver Age comics that were not done by Marvel had little to no real continuity going on. Each issue was almost a reset of the main premise. Not so here. Konga has a lingering fondness for the humans who accidentally mutated him into the giant that he is.

My favorite issues are the ones where Konga fights the giant squid, the one with the Atlas (Marvel) Comics flavored Ditko space aliens, and the one where he enjoys playing in the snow and causes an avalanche. Every issue is enjoyable but these are the standouts for me. #15's The Evil Eye is pure Ditko. Everything that a Ditko fan could possibly want is in that one issue. The tension, the paranoia...much like Ragu, it's in there.

I found this book to be way more enjoyable than Gorgo in spite of the fact that the scenarios are similar. Konga is a more sympathetic monster. He merely wants to eat and be left alone. Foolish humans seek to enslave, destroy, or exploit him, and that is when things go wrong. The stories run the gamut of typical Cold War fears. While this is an enjoyable read I found it best to be read in moderation. Any more than two issues in a row and I was nodding off. That is not a knock on the quality of these comics, merely commentary on these dense, text heavy reads. Everything in moderation.

LOVE those Ditko space aliens!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This being an artist centric collection means that only the Ditko penciled covers are included. The covers for #4-11, The Return Of Konga 1962 one-shot, and Konga's Revenge #2. All of the covers are collected in the front of the book rather than before the individual issues.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Konga! Introduction by Craig Yoe (8 pages).

The Clash! Konga and Gorgo: No degrees of separation. (2 pages)

King Cohen: Author Tom Weaver interviews the writer-producer of the Konga movie, Herman Cohen (2 pages)

Linework and Color restoration rating: 4.5 out of 5. High resolution scans. These are really cleaned up. The drawback to this method is that you can see all of the imperfections of the original comics. Line bleed, off register printing, and other such anomalies are present throughout the book. Many fans actually prefer this to the frame up restoration found in some lines of Archives-type books. Your mileage may vary. It's all subjective. Both methods have drawbacks and advantages.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. This book has some stupid thick paper. It is quite possibly the thickest paper ever used in a collected edition.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Smyth sewn binding, 8 stitches per signature. While the book lays mostly flat, the binding sounds a bit creaky at times. There are one or two spots where you can see the crash (cloth) between the signatures. The liner paper came unglued from the crash but everything is overall solid and should last a lifetime so long as you don't handle your books like the Samsonite gorilla handles luggage.

Hardback casewrap rating: 5 out of 5. Beautifully designed casewrap with artistic flourishes which, while unnecessary, add a feeling of luxury to the proceedings. Highly durable and scuff resistant, Craig Yoe gets top honors in book design in my opinion. His books are not only books of art but are works of art themselves.

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Review- DITKO MONSTERS: GORGO!

DITKO MONSTERS: GORGO! (Yoe Books/ IDW, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects the Steve Ditko penciled stories from Gorgo Nos. 1-3, 11, 13-16, and The Return of Gorgo Nos. 2, 3 (cover dates 1960- Fall, 1964)

Writer: Joe Gill

Artist: Steve Ditko

A giant Godzilla-derived monster with Steve Ditko art in a title that most folks were unaware ever existed. It's like finding a lost Beatles B-side or something! Gorgo was a MGM film made to capitalize on the runaway success of Godzilla, the greatest monster of all time. One of the interesting things about this is that Gorgo is the baby, and many times his rampant destruction is no different than a toddler being playful or throwing a tantrum. His Mom will come along to retrieve her baby, and she seems to be more destructive. Instead of being the greatest book ever, as I had hyped myself up to believe, it was merely a decent, entertaining monster book that just happened to have artwork by Steve Ditko.

This is solid Silver Age Ditko but it is not as brilliant as his work on Amazing Spider-Man or on Doctor Strange over in Strange Tales. This is still something worth owning for Ditko and giant monster fans. Between this book, Blake Bell's wonderful Steve Ditko Archives over at Fantagrpahics, DC's The Steve Ditko Omnibus hardcovers and both Action Heroes Archives (his '60s Charlton superhero work), Dark Horse's Indiana Jones Omnibus books, and of course the various Marvel Masterworks, it has never been easier or more affordable to acquire most of Ditko's output. Aside from his work on ROM from the '80s, pretty much all of his major comic book work has been collected in the past few years.

There is a bizarre Jack The Ripper reference in The Hidden Witness from Gorgo #3. In this issue, the U.S.S. Ripper is trapped under a mountain of rocks from an undersea avalanche. The control tower for one of the fighter planes involved in the search and rescue mission is called Whitechapel. I just thought that this was a macabre reference by Joe Gill. Who knows, maybe Gill was watching a television show on Jack The Ripper while hammering out this script.

The obvious comparison for Ditko is Kirby, since they were peers and were largely responsible for the Marvel Age of Comics. Ditko is better at drawing weird, eerie things, but Kirby buries Ditko when it comes to monsters. Ditko is better at drawing people. There is a companion Ditko Monsters book, Konga!, this one about a King Kong derivative. I have that and will read that someday. I am never in a rush to read books of decades old material. What's another year or three when it comes to 50 plus year old comic books? 

These comics are steeply rooted in their time, with all of the Cold War paranoia and fear of alien invasions common in comics of the early 1960s. Ditko loves his aliens, and this time we get a 15 foot tall frog being. The further along we go, the more outlandish and enjoyable the stories became. His artwork is tighter in the earlier issues, but his creativity is greater later on. I did a search at the Grand Comics Database, one of the greatest sites on the entire Internet, and looked up the issues not collected here. There are some name talents in every issue, and now I want to see the entire series collected! Damn you, completist OCD! Hopefully PS Artbooks or Fantagraphics or Dark Horse will pick up the mantle and reprint these in hardcover.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Craig Yoe understands why physical books must be something special, lest they be replaced by their digital tablet counterparts. The UPC design is frickin' incredible.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Introduction by Craig Yoe. Cover to Gorgo #1 by Dick Giordano.

Linework and Color restoration rating: 4.5 out of 5. These are digitally cleaned up high resolution scans. No need to worry about the linework or color restoration being unfaithful to the original publication. The drawback to this method is the line bleed and occasional off register printing which were inherent in the original comic books due to the primitive printing methods.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Wonderfully thick uncoated stock with zero sheen, may be enjoyed under any light source. Trust me, I read books in different rooms with different lighting as part of my insane OCD experiments. In my house I have incandescent, CFLs, LEDs, fluorescent, and halogen bulbs. I have also read this by natural sunlight. Science!

Binding rating: 4.5 out of 5. This has sewn binding and the book block is allowed ample room to flex within the squared casing. The book lays flat.

Hardback cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Wow, this has to be the most unique collected edition hardback coating...ever! It feels like a scaly reptile hide, with selected parts being a smooth solid. It's unique and actually adds a level of enjoyment to the reading. Like I stated above, you can read books digitally now, so the physical product must become something really special in order to retain casual buyers. Physical media dinosaurs like myself will always prefer a real book in their hands.

Buy DITKO MONSTERS: GORGO! HC at InStockTrades!

Review- ZOMBIES

ZOMBIES (Yoe Books/ IDW, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects selections from Adventures Into The Unknown Nos. 27, 50, Baffling Mysteries No. 17, The Beyond Nos. 17, 24, Black Cat Nos. 35, 41, Chamber of Chills Magazine No. 22, City of the Living Dead No. 1, Dark Mysteries No. 13, Eerie No. 16, Ken Shannon No. 3, Monster No. 2, The Purple Claw No. 3, Thrills of Tomorrow No. 18, Web of Evil No. 2, and Web of Mystery No. 27 (cover dates November, 1951- December, 1954)

Writer: Joe Millard and other, unidentified writers

Artists: Lin Streeter, Jack Cole, Lou Cameron, A.C. Hollingsworth, Gene Colan, Al Eadeh, Dick Beck, Sy Grudko, Bob Powell, Reed Crandall, Bill Benulis, Jack Abel, Vic Donahue, Wally Wood, Rudy Palais, Al Hartley, and others.

Another book in Craig Yoe's value priced The Chilling Archives of Horror Comics line, Zombies is a sort of hodgepodge collection of all things undead. I wouldn't call this the best of zombie comics from the Golden Age by a long shot, but more of a well rounded offering that shows the undead in all of their glorious, gory permutations. 

There are two stories which are shot from the original artwork, presented here in their uncolored and unaltered glory. In the Corpse That Wouldn't Sleep! from Ken Shannon No. 3, we are introduced to Ken Shannon, a loveable sexist crime/noir cliche in a story that was my personal favorite in the book. According to The Grand Comic Database there were ten issues of that title published by Avon. There is a lot of great Reed Crandall artwork to be found in this series, and I implore Craig Yoe or Pete Crowther over at PS Publishing to compile this series in a hardcover collection. If the rest of the series is of the same quality as this 10 page story then fandom needs to rediscover this long lost gem. 

You could do a lot worse than Zombies, and it's pretty inexpensive for such high production values, so what have you got to lose?

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The book has no dustjacket, with the images being screen printed on the hardback itself. The portions of the cover without the images on it (the blacks) has no coating on it and can be easily scuffed, even when handled gingerly.

Linework restoration rating: 4 out of 5. These are scanned from the original comics books at a high resolution, with some stories turning out better than others. This is the result of source material more so than restoration practices.

Color restoration rating: 4 out of 5. As I stated above, these are scans of actual comic books, not full blown restorations. The coloring imperfections found in the highly overrated four color printing process are numerous and abundant. Line bleed and off register printing abound. Some people call this the “charm of old comic books”, but to me it is about as charming as pops, crackles, and surface noise found on well-used vinyl albums. Your mileage may vary. I adore the artform, not the artifacts.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Really nice, thick, uncoated stock with zero sheen. It can be read under any type of light.

Binding rating: 3 out of 5. This book has sewn binding, but the casing is glued square to the spine, making it far too tight to lay flat. While the book's construction is solid and should provide a lifetime of reading enjoyment, it will never, ever lay flat.

Hardcover coating rating: 2 out of 5.

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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.