CREEPSHOW
(Gallery 13, First
Gallery 13 Printing, 2017;
Softcover)
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| Original release on the top, new rerelease on the bottom. |
Collects the Creepshow original graphic novel from 1982.
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| Original release on the left, new rerelease on the right. |
Writer:
Stephen King
Artist:
Bernie Wrightson
I
have been waiting for this book to be rereleased for years! Marvel
missed their moment to reissue this back when King and then later on
Romero were doing comics with them. They could have, and should have,
negotiated to release this in a hardcover. Instead we get this
reasonable facsimile of the original graphic novel. There are a few
differences which I go into in nauseating detail below, but for now
let's stick with the stories themselves.
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| Original release on the top, new rerelease on the bottom. |
Stephen King was one of those weird kids who liked Horror comics in the early 1950s. The kind of kid whose parents would throw his comic books away, so they would hide them and read them by flashlight under their covers at night. EC were King's favorite, and Creepshow is the most earnest love letter of all time. King's love for '50s Pre-Code Horror comic books is so obvious that it's contagious. Hence this adaptation in the then-new graphic novel format.
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| Original release on the top, new rerelease on the bottom. |
I've
read these stories many times, and there isn't a word or brushstroke
that doesn't hold up. I seldom use the word perfect, but these
stories and this comic book are perfect. I am thrilled to get a
budget-priced reader copy instead of adding endless wear and tear to
my original. I know that there a lot of people out there who have
been wanting a copy of this book but were reluctant to plunk down the
coin that an original was commanding. Now everyone can afford a copy.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 6 out of 5.
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| Original release on the top, new rerelease on the bottom. |
The
OCD zone-
This is basically a facsimile edition of the original 1982 graphic
novel, presented in the same dimensions as the original book. The
back cover is completely different from the original, but otherwise
this book provides the same overall experience of the original
graphic novel.
Linework
and Color restoration: These are direct scans of the original
printed book. The original was printed on glossy coated stock. The
matte coated stock used for this edition, combined with scanning and
Photoshop tinkering, makes things occasionally murky, particularly in
The Crate. This is really a perfectly serviceable scan job.
It's only when you compare it with an original printing that you can
see the “problems” with it.
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| Original release on the top, new rerelease on the bottom. Note how some of the linework is buried by the darker color palette. |
Paper
stock: Matte coated stock with no sheen.
Binding:
Perfect bound trade paperback.
Cardstock
cover notes:
Matte coating with spot varnish.
