Review- CREEPY ARCHIVES VOL. 11

CREEPY ARCHIVES VOL. 11 (Dark Horse, First Printing, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Creepy #51-54 (cover dates March- July, 1973, originally published by Warren Magazines)

Writers: Fred Ott, Doug Moench, Rich Margopoulos, John Warner, Martin Pasko, Kevin Pagan, Steve Skeates, Greg Potter, George Henderson, Bill DuBay, Tom Sutton, Don McGregor, Jack Butterworth, and R. Michael Rosen

Artists: Sanjulian, Auraleon, Esteban Maroto, Felix Mas, Ramon Torrents, Adolfo Abellan, Jose Bea, Reed Crandall, Tom Sutton, Richard Corben, and Martin Salvador

Things have started to gently rebound from the series' first creative slump. The recovery was largely powered by Doug Moench, whose writing is among the best of the 1970s. My favorite artist in this book is by Rafael Auraleon, as his work is genuinely creepy. No pun intended.

Issue 51 features an eight page preview of the full color 120 page Dracula paperback which Warren published in 1972. I did some digging, and it turns out this was an English language translation of foreign comics which ran for twelve issues, with unsold copies being rebound into an Annual over in the UK. The Warren book reprints the first six issues from the New English Library (NEL) series, which themselves were reprints of the 1971 Buru Lan Spanish series. It seems like something ripe for a reprinting if rights issues can be sorted out.

Issue 52's Them Thar Flyin' Things rules. That same issue features Reed Crandall's The Man With The Brain Of Gold. Crandall actually refined his craft as he aged, with his artwork being worlds beyond even his 1950s EC greatness. Richard Corben's incredible artwork turns up in #54's The Slipped Mickey.

This was a good but very inconsistent read. If I ever get around to rereading this book I will skip over most of the stories, as they sort of meander and have mediocre artwork. The good stuff is really good, though.

Volume 27 is currently in my possession, with the final volume (Vol. 29) being announced for a summer 2019 release. We will have the entire Creepy and Eerie runs collected in just 11 years, with Dynamite having already covered Vampirella across 15 books and Fantagraphics having done Blazing Combat a decade or so ago. There was a time when seeing all of these collected was little more than a pipe dream. Some argue that the golden age of collected editions is over, but who cares if this is true? We have gotten so many treasures and these books will last my lifetime. Some of them might even get read before I depart this mortal coil.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

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.

Linework and Color restoration: High resolution scans of the original magazines. The color portions came out very nice.

Paper stock: Coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding. This book will outlast me.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: The hardback as faux leather casewrap with dye foil stamping. The dustjacket is laminated but was a little “wavy” fresh out of the shrinkwrap when I bought way back in 2011.

Review- CREEPY ARCHIVES VOL. 10

CREEPY ARCHIVES VOL. 10 (Dark Horse, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Creepy #46-50 (cover dates July, 1972- January, 1973)

Writers: Jack Butterworth, Doug Moench, Rich Margoupolos, Jose' Maria Bea, Lynn Maron, Greg Potter, Ed Fedory, Cliff Jackson, Buddy Saunders, T. Casey Brennan, Dennis P. Junot, John Throxis, Steve Skeates, Bill Dubay, John Cochran, Fred Ott, James Stenstrum, Al Hewetson, and Al Milgrom

Artists: 'Sanjulian', Luis Garcia, Esteban Maroto, Tom Sutton, Jose' Maria Bea, 'Jorge B. Galvez', Richard Corben, Cliff Jackson, Ron Cobb, Reed Crandall, Martin Salvador, Luis Dominguez, Jerry Grandenetti, Bill Dubay, Rafael Aurlaeon, Jaime Brocal, Josep Gual, Adolfo Usero Abellan, and Felix Mas

Will you just look at all of that talent listed above? It should come as no surprise to anyone with a working knowledge of '50s-70s creators exactly how many great writers and artists worked on this title. Some of them did some early work here before they were considered great (Doug Moench and Richard Corben), others were veterans of the industry at this time (Reed Crandall).

These Warren Magazines were the illegitimate children of 1950s Pre-Code Horror comics like EC. Being a magazine meant that they could show things not permitted in comics due to the constraints of the Comics Code Authority. Creepy was a black and white anthology series 'hosted' by Uncle Creepy, a Cryptkeeper type with bad puns. All of the covers and the handful of pages with color are presented here in full color.

Luis Garcia and Esteban Maroto took photo realistic artwork to new heights. I wonder if they used photo models and lightboxes or if they were simply that good? If they came out today I would automatically assume that they cheated and used Photoshop. Reed Crandall is one of those artists whose work looks better in black and white than it does in color. His EC stuff was stellar but here he is at the top of his game.

The stories all run the typical Gothic Horror gamut. My favorite in this book is #50s Frog God!!, one of those cautionary tales that doesn't end well for the protagonist. These stories might seem tame to kids weaned on Saw movies but are worth a read for those interested in traditional Horror comics.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Issue #48 was an all-reprint issue. Only the cover and handful of new pages are reprinted here since the stories were all reprinted in earlier volumes.

Linework restoration: Scanned from the original issues and slightly cleaned up. Looks good enough for me.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding. Book block has sufficient room to flex in the casing and lays flat.

Hardback cover notes: Faux leather casewrap, die is foil stamped. 

Review- CREEPY COMICS: THE LURKING FATE

CREEPY COMICS: THE LURKING FATE 

Collects Creepy Nos.10-13 and selections from Creepy Nos. 8, 9 (cover dates April, 2012- August, 2013)

Writers: Doug Moench, Dan Braun, Peter Bagge, Matt Weinhold, Jim Keegan, Ruth Keegan, John Arcudi, Gilbert Hernandez, J. Torres, Alisa Kwitney, James S. Rich, Richard Corben, Matthew Allison, Josh Simmons, John Habermas, and Cullen Bunn

Artists: Kelley Jones, Peter Bagge, Darick Robertson, Richard P. Clark, Jim Keegan, Ruth Keegan, Richard Corben, Gilbert Hernandez, Amy Reeder, Chrissie Zullo, Joelle Jones, Matthew Allison, Julian Totino Tedesco, Dean Haspiel, D.W. Frydendall, Lucas Ketner, and Tyler Crook

Veteran creators and newcomers rub shoulders in this 21^st century update of the classic Horror anthology series. The quarterly Creepy Comics is comic book size as opposed to magazine size like the original series. Most of the stories are decent, although I cannot get into the Peter Bagge stuff which is abundant in the book. His style is rooted in the Crumb school of '60s underground comics (comix?) and doesn't work well for Horror comics.

Fan favorite Batman creators Doug Moench and Kelley Jones reunite for The Lurking Fate That Came To Lovecraft, which does what it says on the tin. I have never read Lovecraft books and feel like I probably should. I'll get right on that as soon as I catch up on my comic book reading.

Artwork by Lucas Ketner.

I am a huge fan of Witch Doctor (published by Image, on hiatus for now), so I was thrilled to see series artist Lucas Ketner on The Last Stop. In this Dan Braun written story we get one of those age old train to Hell scenarios which always work for me.

This stuff is pretty tame by Saw standards, but if you enjoy old school Horror comic books then you should enjoy this.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Nothing OCD-worthy going on here. Unless you count the fact that the first book in the series had a Volume 1 on the spine and the second and now third one do not.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: None.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Nice weight coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice thick lamination on the cardstock cover.

Buy CREEPY COMICS: THE LURKING FATE TP at InStockTrades!

Review- CREEPY COMICS: AT DEATH'S DOOR

CREEPY COMICS: AT DEATH'S DOOR (Dark Horse, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Creepy Nos. 5-7 and selections from Creepy Nos. 8, 9 (cover dates March, 2011- July, 2012)

Writers: David Lapham, Benjamin Truman, Timothy Truman, Doug Moench, Dan Braun, Joe R. Lansdale, Christopher A. Taylor, Alice Henderson, Craig Haffner, Keith Lansdale, Bill Morrison, Jeff Parker, Rick Geary, Doselle Young, Emily Carroll, and Peter Bagge

Artists: David Lapham, Timothy Truman, Mike Vosburg, Lucas Marangon, Gene Colan, Walt Yablonsky, Nathan Fox, Jason Shawn Alexander, Kevin Ferrara, Garry Brown, Guus Floor, Wilfredo Torres, Patrick Reynolds, Richard Corben, Colleen Coover, Rick Geary, Kyle Baker, Dean Ormston, Emily Carroll, and Peter Bagge

When Papercutz acquired the license to Tales From the Crypt several years ago, they relaunched it as a cheesy “cutesie” Horror anthology with substandard writing and artwork. They took what is one of the most revered and beloved names in Horror comic books and dropped the ball. They should have gotten top talent to work on it. That, coupled with the already built-in brand recognition, would have made the book an easy sell...like this new Creepy series that Dark Horse is doing. (singing) Loving you is easy 'cause you're beautiful... 

Seriously folks, Dark Horse has assembled some tremendous talent on this title. Nearly every single story is a winner. David Lapham's The Field is a shining example of why I distrust farmers. Nathan Fox's artwork in Mine looks like Pushead, the legendary artist who did work for The Misfits and Metallica. I could go on and on. I think that I will. 

If I had to pick a favorite in this book, it would have to be Commedia dell'Morte! by Christopher A. Taylor and Jason Shawn Alexander. In this story, a man who performs as a clown for events is also a serial killer who carries out “God's will”. When he performs at parties God “speaks to him” and shows him which parents the demons are. He later goes back to the house and kills them. It's sick, it's f**ked up, and worst of all...totally plausible. Kudos to Christopher A. Taylor for the script, and to Jason Shawn Alexander for the chilling, brilliant artwork. It is truly creepy (pun intended). 

The Shroud is another winner amongst the winners in this book. A loser couple looking to make a quick buck bid on an unclaimed storage locker of junk. The locker has one old looking trunk which might have something of value in it...a trunk which contains Levay's Shroud of Satan. Don't meddle with things you don't understand, folks... Patrick Reynolds' artwork is chilling and photo realistic, my favorite combination. I am continually blown away by the quality of the writing and the artwork throughout this book. While there a few weaker stories toward the end of the book, they are still decent reads. It's the quality of the outstanding stories which really raises the overall enjoyment factor of this book, earning it a...

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Okay, there is a twitching behind my right eye. The first trade in Dark Horse's Creepy Comics line has a Volume 1 on the spine and indicia. This book does not. Do it or don't do it, but don't leave us hanging, Dark Horse! Truth be told, I am opposed to volume numbers for series of books that don't have a finite amount of issues. If a series is done making new issues, like the Creepy Archives, then you know that there will be 25 volumes. For an ongoing series like this one, a volume number can be a barrier to entry for new readers as the title moves along. Very few people will jump in at volume 4 or 5, but if the collection simply had a name on it like this one then all is fine and dandy. That just my .02. Your mileage may vary.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Sweet smelling toxic Chinese ink likely sourced from the mercury in recalled thermometers, broken asbestos tiles, and lead paint chips coupled with the finest virgin Amazon rainforest trees make the nicest coated stock paper. Sorry environment.

Binding rating: 4.5 out of 5. Wow! Sewn binding on a softcover!?! Go Dark Horse!

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4.75 out of 5. The cardstock cover has a lamination  that is sufficiently thick enough to protect it from shelfwear with repeated handling.

Buy CREEPY COMICS: AT DEATH'S DOOR at InStockTrades!

Review- EERIE ARCHIVES VOL. 6

EERIE ARCHIVES VOL. 6 (Dark Horse, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Eerie Nos. 28-31 (originally published by Warren Magazines; cover dates July, 1970- January, 1971)

Writers: James Haggenmiller, Bill Warren, Buddy Saunders, R. Michael Rosen, Al Hewetson, Pat Boyette, Nick Cuti, Rich Buckler, T. Casey Brennan, Doug Moench, Ken Barr, Gordon Matthews, Don Glut, Chris Fellner, and Steve Skeates

Artists: Dan Adkins, Billy Graham, Jack Sparling, Tom Sutton, Bill Dubay, Dick Piscopo, Pat Boyette, Rich Buckler, Carlos Garzon, Frank Bolle, Ken Barr, Jerry Grandenetti, and Tony Williamsune*. (*Tony Tallarico and Bill Fraccio's pseudonym)

This era was the tail end of the first creative slump on the title. Some veteran artists came aboard, and when coupled with then-new talent like Doug Moench and Steve Skeates, helped inch the title back home toward greatness. Issue 31 is the best issue in the book. 

Carlos Garzon and Frank Bolle turn in some impressive artwork. If you look at the list above you'll see artists who went on to do some notable stuff during the Bronze Age over at Marvel, such as Billy Graham (Luke Cage, Power Man). Others, like Dan Adkins, did a ton of work for various publishers over the years but have no character or run that fans identify them with. Jack Sparling is another great who must have been moonlighting from DC. He did a ton of art for their '70s Horror titles.

I, Werewolf by Ken Barr is my favorite in the book, in terms of both story and art. (In my Cliff Claven voice:) It's a little known fact that the original title to the Werewolf By Night series Roy Thomas pitched to Marvel in 1972 was I, Werewolf, but Stan Lee nixed it. I wonder if Roy was inspired by the title of this story? 

Issue 31's Point of View is one of those cause and effect time travel stories that I love to wrap my head around. Which is more responsible for an outcome, the cause or the effect? In this case, which one came first?

All house ads and letter pages are included, and they are quaint snapshots of this bygone era. Of particular interest are the Eerie Fanfare pages, where fans submitted writing and artwork samples. One of these samples of artwork was by Greg Theakston and Arvell Jones, two guys who went on to work in comics. It's very cool to see that they were once “one of us”.

I am thrilled to see Dark Horse continue this line of deluxe hardcovers. They release them far quicker than I can read them, but I am current on buying them at least. What's another year or two wait to read 40+ year old comics anyways?

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- These are some nice books. They are presented in the original magazine dimensions.

Linework restoration rating: 4.5 out of 5. These are high resolution scans and are generally excellent. There are one or two pages that look iffy, but it could be that the copy that they used for this book was an iffy printing. It happened back then.

Paper rating: 4.5 out of 5. Thick coated stock with a slight sheen. Semi-glossy paper is not optimal for black and white material but it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the stories.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Superb sewn binding and a casing not glued square to the spine equals a book that lays flat. I'm happy.

Buy Eerie Archives Vol. 6 at InStockTrades!

Review- CREEPY COMICS VOL. 1

CREEPY COMICS VOL. 1 (Dark Horse, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Creepy Nos. 1-4 (cover dates July, 2009- October, 2010) and two stories that originally appeared on Myspace Dark Horse Presents

Writers: Michael Woods, Dan Braun, Joe Harris, Neil Kleid, Shawna Gore, Mike Baron, Joe R. Lansdale, Craig Haffner, Doug Moench, Cody Goodfellow, Bill Morrison, Andrew Foley, and Nicola Cuti

Artists: Saskia Gutekunst, Angelo Torres, Jason Shawn Alexander, Brian Churilla, Hilary Barta, Greg Ruth, Nathan Fox, Rahsan Ekedal, Eric Powell (covers), Bernie Wrightson (frontispiece), Kevin Ferrara, Dennis Calero, Chuck Pyle (cover), Gene Colan (frontispiece), Michael Wm. Kaluta, Paul Komoda, and Ken Kelly (cover)

Damn! The newish Creepy series reads like a best-of sampler of the original title's finest moments. Old favorites and new blood mix to deliver Grade A quality Horror with the same black humor and ironic twist endings that fans of the original series know and love. 

In The Curse we see a young man with the ability to warp reality earn his heart's desire. The gift becomes a curse, especially when it becomes apparent that his mother has the same ability. This story appears across three of the issues. This title is presented in the same Horror anthology format as the original and uses multi-part stories like the latter era of the title. 

The Doll Lady from issue 4 is another one that really stands out. There's a local urban legend about a crazy old lady who has a life-size baby doll in her front window. She supposedly lost her daughter decades ago, went nuts, and dresses this doll daily. Kids think that the house is haunted and it becomes a rite of passage to knock on the door. A reporter whose brother went missing years ago decided to investigate this lady and her doll collection...and that's all you'll get out of me. 

This title is published quarterly, so years can pass between collections. I don't mind the wait when the quality is this high. Volume 2 was released recently.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Dark Horse makes good quality trade paperbacks. There are two full color stories included which are exclusive to this release, taken from the Internet-only Myspace Dark Horse Presents.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. I love the thick coated stock paper used in this book. It's got that sweet toxic Chinese ink scent to it, likely mixing in heroin, making it pleasurable to inhale and causing me to buy more and more of these books.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. This has glued binding. Nothing to see here.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4.5 out of 5. The cardstock cover has a coating of decent thickness.

Review- CREEPY ARCHIVES VOL. 9

CREEPY ARCHIVES VOL. 9 (Dark Horse, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Creepy Nos. 42-45 (originally published by Warren Magazines, cover dates November, 1971- May, 1972)

Writers: Gardner Fox, Don Glut, Steve Skeates, Gary Kaufman, Fred Ott, Don McGregor, Gerry Conway, Kevin Pagan, Jack Katz, T. Casey Brennan, and others

Artists: Dave Cockrum, Jorge B. Galvez, Jerry Grandenetti, Gary Kaufman, Richard Corben, Jaime Brocal, Luis Garcia, Felix Mas, Tom Sutton, Jose Bea, Martin Salvador, Mike Ploog, Frank Brunner, Jack Katz, and others

This era of the title had some stories with incredible artwork and mediocre writing, while others have good writing and subpar art. There is early work from writers and artists who would go on to make huge waves at Marvel Comics in the '70s, such as Don McGregor, Gerry Conway, Dave Cockrum, and Mike Ploog. Ploog is especially important to me, as he went on to draw my beloved Werewolf By Night. 

Some of these stories are truly inspired. The Ultimate High! by Steve Skeates and Martin Salvador is a cautionary tale about doing drugs. The Warren Magazines were free from the confines of the Comics Code Authority since they weren't technically comic books and could therefore get away with murder. Literally. One must recall that the Code wasn't relaxed until 1972, and the creative freedom of the Direct Market and independent publishers was well over a decade away.

They say that a high tide raises all ships. Well, there are some real duds in this book that threaten to sink it, such as Grandenetti's mediocre artwork. While many of these stories are tame and dated by modern standards, there are a number of winners. I'm surprised by the diversity of the genres in this title. 

Dark Horse has a huge task ahead of them. Creepy Archives are slated to run 25 volumes, with Vol. 15 slated for a February, 2013 release. I hope that the sales are there to see the entire run collected. There are fans who prefer the smattering of artist-centric editions that Dark Horse has released, but I want it all. That way, I can cherry pick my own “artist edition” volumes at my leisure.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I love how these include the ads and letters pages.

Linework restoration rating: 4.5 out of 5. These are high resolution scans, and are excellent.

Paper rating: 4.5 out of 5. It's a coated stock with a slight sheen. It's not the greatest paper for black and white material but is still pretty nice.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Glorious sewn binding which allows the book to lay flat. It should be a crime if a high end hardcover book doesn't lay flat.