Reviews: ANT-MAN/ GIANT-MAN EPIC COLLECTION VOL 1: THE MAN IN THE ANT HILL, WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN VOL. 10: END OF THE WORLD, CRIME PATROL ANNUAL VOL. 2, FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS VOL. 2

There is no longer a void for this blog to fill. Talking about binding, paper, and restoration is now the norm, not the exception. My work is done in that regard. There are endless YouTube reviews, message boards, etc. I will pop in with pellet reviews. Consider this the “how I spent my summer vacation” book report.

ANT-MAN/ GIANT-MAN EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 1: THE MAN IN THE ANT HILL (Marvel, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects the Ant-Man/Giant-Man stories from Tales To Astonish #27, 35-59 (cover dates January, 1962- September, 1964)

While this is one of the “lesser” titles of the Silver Age, it was still a lot of fun to read. Readers with modern sensibilities will dislike the “you're just a girl, Wasp” vibe to some of the earlier stories, but this was a pre-women's lib era. I have a soft spot for Egghead and The Human Top. Seeing Ant-Man transition into Giant-Man was pretty cool.

WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN VOL. 10: END OF THE WORLD (Marvel, First Printing, 2018; Softcover)

Note: Book actually released in 2019.

Collects Old Man Logan #46-50 and Old Man Logan Annual #1 (cover dates October-December, 2018)

Good stuff, although it was pointless to end the series here. Rebooted numberings lose readers in the long run.

CRIME PATROL ANNUAL VOL. 2 (Gemstone, 2000; Softcover)

Collects Crime Patrol #12-16 (cover dates June-July, 1949- February-March, 1950)

EC remains the gold standard for comic books, even here in the “Pre-Trend” era collected here. The first steps toward EC becoming a Horror comic company happened here, with the introduction of The Crypt Keeper in a handful of stories until the final issue, which was basically the first issue of The Crypt Of Terror. Within a few issues that title would change into the more familiar Tales From The Crypt.

Gemstone used some pretty kick ass glue. This book is almost 20 years old and doesn't even creak when you open it.

FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS VOL. 2 (Marvel, First Printing, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects Fantastic Four #261-295, Fantastic Four Annual #18, 19, Alpha Flight #4, Avengers Annual #14, Thing #10, 19, and material from Epic Illustrated #26-34, Thing #7, What If? #36, and What The--?! #2, 10 (cover dates November, 1983- January, 1991)

1984 and 1985 were the zenith of western civilization. The spinner racks at 7-11 were filled with gold month in and month out. I thought that it would last forever, as children tend to do. Little did 10-11-12 year old me know that this was the second golden age of Marvel, and arguably the last time that every single title was hitting high marks at the same time. John Byrne remains a favorite of mine, and this stuff still holds up decades later. Hard to pinpoint a favorite issue, but #276 was one I read several times on the Christmas break from school in 1984.

Review- TWO-FISTED TALES ANNUAL VOL. 1

TWO-FISTED TALES ANNUAL VOL. 1 (Gemstone,1994; Squarebound periodical)

Collects Two-Fisted Tales #18-22 (cover dates November/December, 1950- July/August, 1951)

Writers: Harvey Kurtzman, Al Feldstein, Wally Wood, and Johnny Craig

Artists: Harvey Kurtzman, Al Feldstein, Wally Wood, Johnny Craig, John Severin, Will Elder, Jack Davis, and Alex Toth

These red-blooded, he-man stories take place during different eras. You get pirates, Roman Empire, WWI stories and more, although most of the stories center around modern warfare. This was a most timely series, as we entered the Korean War only a few months before the first issue was released.

Take a glance at the credits above...it's a veritable who's who of Golden Age legends under one roof. I enjoyed every story in this book but my favorite was #22's Chicken! We have all encountered bullies in our lives, from school, work, etc., and every single one of them is a true coward at heart. It's amazing how the cues of abuse from bullies gets passed on like a baton. It was nice to see a bully get theirs at the end in this story.

Like all EC Comics, the writing and artwork are top notch. I read EC's at my leisure, content in the knowledge that whenever I crack one open I know that I'm getting into the good stuff.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 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: Bill Gaines kept meticulous copies of the original artwork. The color palette is faithful to the original comic books, unlike the EC Archives line.

Paper stock: Standard mando paper of the day. While it is a quarter century old it has surprisingly maintained the off white creamy color. The blacks look weak, the result of the early water-based inks used in the flexograph printing process of the day. My other gripe is that the paper is tissue paper thin. Those accustomed to high end collected editions would be aghast at this authentic comic book paper.

Binding: Perfect bound.

Cover notes: This is not a trade paperback in the traditional sense of the word, since the first few EC Annuals used a super thick glossy comic cover as opposed to the cardstock that would be used for the majority of the line.

Review- SHOCK SUSPENSTORIES ANNUAL VOL. 2

SHOCK SUSPENSTORIES ANNUAL VOL. 2 (Gemstone, 1994; Softcover)

Collects Shock SuspenStories #6-10 (cover dates February/March, 1952- December, 1952/ January, 1953)

Writers: Bill Gaines (co-plotter), Al Feldstein (co-plotter and script), and Ray Bradbury

Artists: Al Feldstein, Jack Kamen, Jack Davis, Joe Orlando, Graham Ingels, and Wally Wood

Shock SuspenStories was an EC sampler series, giving readers an idea of what the entire EC line was doing. Each issue has a Crime SuspenStory, a Shock SuspenStory, a Science-Fiction SuspenStory, and a Horror SuspenStory.

Issue 6's Under Cover! is a subversive tale about the Ku Klux Klan in all but name, pointing out how its membership were really well-respected members of the community. Sugar 'N Spice 'N... has one of those grand EC twist-ending Horror stories, borrowing from one of the greatest fables of all time.

#7 starts out with Beauty And The Beach!, a Jack Kamen eye candy feast. Kamen has a knack for drawing beautiful people doing horrible things to one another. Every story in #7 and 8 are winners. #9's Came The Dawn! is one of my all-time favorite EC stories. I don't go into great details with the whys of these tales because it would be like telling you the punchline to a joke. You need to read these comic books for yourself.

The Sacrifice kicks off issue 10, and it is a sordid tale of murder, love triangles, and double-crosses. Jack Kamen once again delivers a flawless portrayal of the ugliness of the human condition wrapped up in a pretty package.

While it is extremely difficult for me to name a favorite EC title, SS is certainly near the top of the pile. These comics hold up very well with repeated readings, and it is crazy to think that these were originally published 65 years ago.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials of 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.

Gemstone overprinted their single issue reprints in the '90s with an eye toward selling their own back issues. They later repurposed this overstock by trimming and gluing 5 entire issues into a cardstock cover. While this is not technically a trade paperback since it has no ISBN, it is squarebound and has the title on the spine. Close enough for Rock and Roll in my book. The EC Annuals are the most economical and efficient way of getting your EC collection while offering the most authentic reading experience this side of the original comics.

Linework and Color restoration: Shot from the original artwork with a color palette authentic to the original publication. If you want to see EC Comics in full color then this is the best way to do so, as these look superior to the originals in print quality. The only drawback is that the covers to each issue are recolored. Marie Severin redid them for the EC Library sets and those same versions are used here.

Paper stock: Standard pulp paper of the day. The pro is that this looks and feels like a real comic book. The con, and it is a very large one, is that this will age and yellow, just like real comic book paper. I am admittedly less and less worried about this sort of thing as time goes by, as I will likely be dead and gone before this book deteriorates too badly.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback. I am impressed by the quality of the glue used in these Annuals, as many Marvel trades of this vintage have fallen apart.

Cardstock cover notes: Thick cardboard with minimal coating. There are signs of wear after years but all in all very solid.

Review- TALES FROM THE CRYPT (VOL. 1: THE STALKING DEAD)

TALES FROM THE CRYPT (VOL. 1: THE STALKING DEAD) (Super Genius, First Printing, 2017; Hardcover)

Collects Tales From The Crypt #1, 2, plus one new story, “Leather Or Not” (cover dates November, 2016- March, 2017)

Writers: Christina Blanch, Danica Davidson, David Anthony Kraft, Onrie Kompan, Scott Lobdell, Stefan Petrucha, and Bernie Wrightson

Artists: Kyle Baker, Bob Camp, Dean Haspel, Russ Heath, Miran Kim, Steve Mannion, John McCrea, Jolyon Yates, and Bernie Wrightson

Colorists: Laurie E. Smith, JayJay Jackson, Miran Kim, and Dee Cunniffe

Papercutz has mismanaged the Tales From The Crypt property for over a decade now. Their previous attempt at tween-friendly, Scholastic Book Fair level Horror was a disservice to the legacy of EC. This new series, released under their Super Genius “adult” imprint, is a step in the right direction but still comes up a day late and a dollar short.

The two Bernie Wrightson stories are from the early '70s and are reprinted here with modern computer coloring. The rest of the artwork is a mixed bag, with some of it good and some of it Bluewater Comics level bad. The writing is solid, with Undertow being the best example of how to incorporate the old school EC ironic twist ending with a modern day concept.

This is a quick read with a low MSRP. You could certainly do worse. This series is far from being a worthy successor to those legendary EC Comics. It's a shame that they can't get Stephen King, John Carpenter, and other legendary writers and artists to do these comics to give the series the high profile that it deserves. There are a few “names” attached to this series but it deserves better. I'm not giving up on this new series just yet. I'll hang around for the next book before making up my mind.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials of 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.

The volume number and title are found nowhere on this book. Not on the cover, the spine, the title page, the indicia...nowhere. I listed it for ease of reference and web searches, but aside from Diamond's Previews and Amazon, this book is simply titled Tales From The Crypt.

Paper stock: Thick glossy coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Hardback cover notes: Thick boards with a thick laminated casewrap. No dustjacket required.

Review- PIRACY ANNUAL VOL. 2

PIRACY ANNUAL VOL. 2 (Gemstone, 1998; Softcover)

Collects Piracy 5-7 (cover dates July- November, 1955)

Writers: Jack Oleck, Carl Wessler, and other unknown writers

Artists: Reed Crandall, George Evans, Graham Ingels, Bernie Kirigstein, and Jack Davis

A three issue trade paperback? Yes, in the days before mapping out lines, publishers settled on a format (in the case of these Annuals, four issues per book) and went from there with sometimes amusing, unintended results.

EC's New Direction line was the result of the implementation of the Comics Code Authority, the industry's self-inflicted gunshot wound to creativity and art in the wake of the Senate subcommittee hearings on the correlation between comic books and the rise in juvenile delinquency. Out were Horror and Crime, in were bold interpretations of genres like pirates.

George Evans rules!

Most of these stories take place in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, the days when seafaring men set sail for adventure and riches. There are no humor or horror elements to be found, only men who fought with their fists and their wits.

The EC stable of artists turned in some of the best art of their careers here. George Evans and Bernie Krigstein are just incredible, and I cannot stress enough how incredible their artwork is. The writing is also top notch, nothing unusual for EC. #7's Salvage and The Keg are fully formed stories with powerful messages. Each could easily be an hour long television episode. The fact that they are beautifully illustrated by Krigstein (the former) and Evans (the latter) only cements the brilliance of the writing of those stories.

Other stories, like Fur Crazy and Temptation, are morality plays, something of an EC trademark. They have a variation of the ironic EC twist ending. As well as things were going creatively, comics are, alas, a business, and if it doesn't sell then it doesn't get published. Many wholesalers were boycotting EC still, not understanding the changes that they had made after implementing the Comics Code Authority. Other times it was the drugstores and newsstands which refused to even put them out, instead returning them as unsold credit. The New Direction was a failure, which is a shame. The worst part about the EC story is that they made the best comics but were railroaded by politicians and their industry peers who used the Comics Code Authority to essentially blackball them. One can only wonder how they would have adapted to emerging trends like superheroes, which enjoyed a revival several years after these comics were made.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Gemstone overprinted their single issue reprints in the '90s with an eye toward selling their own back issues. They re-purposed this overstock by trimming and gluing 5 entire issues into a cardstock cover. While this is not technically a trade paperback (it has no ISBN), it is squarebound and has the title on the spine. Close enough for Rock and Roll in my book. The EC Annuals are the most economical and efficient way of getting your EC collection.

Linework and Color restoration: Shot from the original artwork with a color palette authentic to the original publication. If you want to see EC Comics in full color then this is the best way to do so, as these look superior to the originals in print quality.

Paper stock: Standard pulp paper of the day. The pro is that this looks and feels like a real comic book. The con, and it is a very large one, is that this will age and yellow, just like real comic book paper. I am admittedly less and less worried about this sort of thing as time goes by, as I will likely be dead and gone before this book deteriorates too badly.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Thick cardboard with minimal coating. There are signs of wear after years but all in all very solid. 

Review- TALES FROM THE CRYPT ANNUAL VOL. 1

TALES FROM THE CRYPT ANNUAL VOL. 1 (Gemstone, 1994; Softcover)

Collects The Crypt of Terror # 17-19 and Tales From The Crypt # 20, 21 (cover dates April/May, 1950- December, 1950/January, 1951)

Writers: Al Feldstein, Gardner Fox, Johnny Craig, and Ivan Klapper

Artists: Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig, Bill Fraccio, George Roussos, Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman, Graham Ingels, and Jack Kamen

The first few EC Annuals did not have the title printed on the spine.

While not the first Horror comic book, Tales From The Crypt was the title that put the genre on the map. Like every other comic book company, EC dabbled in lots of genres (Westerns, Crime, Science Fiction). The seeds of the genre that they would become synonymous with, Horror, were laid in the last few issues of War Against Crime! and Crime Patrol. They inserted tales under the banners The Vault Of Horror and The Crypt Of Terror on the cover while simultaneously coining their future phrase SuspenStory. Vault Of Horror was launched the same month as this title, and EC's New Trend Direction was on. Haunt Of Fear would follow one month later.

I read all of these comics years ago in Tales From The Crypt Archives Vol. 1. When you compare these issues to those later in the series, two things become apparent. The first is that the trademark EC ironic twist ending, later employed by Rod Serling in The Twilight Zone, isn't quite perfected yet. There are more “happy endings” in these early issues than there would be later on in the series. The second is that EC employed more comic book journeymen than they would within a few issues. EC later had their stable of artists who did very little work outside of EC during that time. Those artists do contribute here as well, but we see folks like George Roussos and Gardner Fox who are known to fans of DC and Marvel Comics of the 1960s.

Al Feldstein's stories are strong right out of the gate, with his rock solid linework adding a confidence to the proceedings. While not as moody as Graham Ingels or as kinetic as Johnny Craig, Feldstein is the “voice” of this series as far as I'm concerned. Jack Kamen is my favorite of the EC artists stable, with artwork of beautiful people put into horrific circumstances.

The ironic EC twist ending is executed effectively for the first time in #20s A Fatal Caper. #21's Terror Ride, on the other hand, has so happy an ending that is seems anticlimactic. Your mileage may vary. I'm not complaining, mind you. I know that the best of this series is yet to come, and I've read every issue before.

Next to my beloved Spider-Man, EC are my favorite comic books. They are certainly the gold standard for Horror comic books. Without EC we wouldn't have the works of Stephen King or John Carpenter, as these comics were a huge influence on their young minds. Believe the hype and pick up some reprints of these comics. You can thank me later.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Gemstone overprinted their single issue reprints in the '90s with an eye toward selling their own back issues. They re-purposed this overstock by trimming and gluing 5 entire issues into a cardstock cover. While this is not technically a trade paperback (it has no ISBN), it is squarebound and has the title on the spine. Close enough for Rock and Roll in my book.

Linework and Color restoration: The linework is excellent, photographed from the original art. The color palette is faithful to the original publication except for the covers, which are all recolored. All of these recolored covers look inferior to the original versions, especially #21, where the recoloring changes the hair color of the judge in the story. Ridiculous.

Paper stock: Standard pulp paper of the day. The pro is that this looks and feels like a real comic book. The con, and it is a very large one, is that this will age and yellow, just like real comic book paper. I am admittedly less and less worried about this sort of thing as time goes by, as I will likely be dead and gone before this book deteriorates too badly.

Binding: Perfect binding (which is fancy talk for glued). If it hasn't fallen apart in 23 years I am not going to lose sleep over it. The gutters are a bit too tight for my taste.

Cover notes: The cover of the first few Annuals, like this one, did not have a cardstock cover. They had a thick glossy paper cover. This is basically a very fat comic book with a really thick cover. There are only a handful of EC Annuals with the paper covers; the rest have cardstock covers.

Review- PIRACY ANNUAL VOL. 1

PIRACY ANNUAL VOL. 1 (Gemstone, 1998; Softcover)

Collects Piracy #1-4 (cover dates November, 1954- May, 1955)

Writers: Carl Wessler and other, unidentified writers

Artists: Wally Wood, Reed Crandall, Al Williamson, Angelo Torres, Jack Davis, Bernie Krigstein, George Evans, and Graham Ingels

Piracy is either a latter day New Trend title or a precursor to the New Direction titles, depending on who you ask. I tend to lump it in with the New Direction titles, the ones where EC was attempting different things to distance themselves from their Horror output which was under fire at the time. As was the case with those titles, the writing and artwork are head and shoulders above the output of anything else on the stands at the time, even if the material in this title wasn't as strong as the New Trend stuff.

This comic book does exactly what is says on the tin: “Sagas of the sea, ships, plunder and...Piracy”. These are stories of high adventure and ruthless men whose greed and ambition show us the worst traits of mankind. Some of the stories are historical accounts while others are loosely based on historical events, using them a launchpad for the story. Man's inhumanity toward his fellow man is on full display here.

Artwork wise, this book boasts some of George Evans and Graham Ingels' finest artwork. Having said that, many fans tend to dismiss the New Direction stuff. I have never heard any EC fan claim that Piracy is their favorite title. It is merely a footnote in the history of EC Comics. EC remain the gold standard for comic books in my mind.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Gemstone overprinted their single issue reprints in the '90s with an eye toward selling their own back issues. They re-purposed this overstock by trimming and gluing 5 entire issues into a cardstock cover. While this is not technically a trade paperback (it has no ISBN), it is squarebound and has the title on the spine. Close enough for Rock and Roll in my book.

Linework and Color restoration: Shot from the original artwork with a color palette authentic to the original publication. If you want to see EC Comics in full color then this is the best way to do so, as these look superior to the originals in terms of print quality.

Paper stock: Standard pulp paper of the day. The pro is that this looks and feels like a real comic book. The con, and it is a very large one, is that this will age and yellow, just like real comic book paper. I am admittedly less and less worried about this sort of thing as time goes by, as I will likely be dead and gone before this book deteriorates too badly. Sorry fans in the year 2068.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Thick cardboard with minimal coating. There are signs of wear after years but all in all very solid.