ACG
COLLECTED WORKS: OUT OF THE NIGHT VOL. 3 (PS Artbooks, First
Printing, 2013; Hardcover)
Collects
Out
of the Night
#13-17 (cover
dates March- November, 1954)
Writer:
Richard Hughes
Artists:
Ken Bald, Bob Forgione, Harry Lazarus, George Klein, Art Gates, Dick
Beck, Robert McCarty, Ed Good, Ken Landau, Sam Citron, Sheldon
Moldoff, Lin Streeter, Milt Knoff, and John Belfi
This
title became very, very good at the end, as they ramped up the
shock/twist ending elements to better compete with EC. The Senate
Subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books on juvenile
delinquency were well under way at this time, possibly adding fuel to
the fire. Maybe the writing was on the wall so everyone went balls
out before the hammer dropped. I don't know. There are certainly many
comics historians out there who could present better theories than I
can, I am just giving you my two cents.
Stories
like #13's The Screaming Skulls! have that EC preachy aspect
to it, using Horror to demonstrate the outcome of greed. That same
issue's From The Bottom Of The Well is awesome, as there is no
happy ending to be found. Many of the recurring themes of the era are
present here: werewolves, zombies, vampires, etc.
 |
| A page from The Screaming Skulls! |
#14's
Out Of The Screen deals with the then-new fad of 3D movies.
That same issue's Big Kill! is a story told so many times that
I couldn't hope to pinpoint where it originally came from. Hunter
mercilessly hunts game with a local tribe guiding him, man does
something to piss off the spirit of the land, tribe warns him to
change his wicked ways, ends up being turned into game by said spirit
of the land, and gets hunted and killed by other hunters. Rinse.
Repeat. The story is beautifully illustrated by Sam Citron, so it is
a delight to the eyes if overly familiar storywise.
The
vampire in issue 15's The Vampire's Vow bears a resemblance to
Marvel's Morbius The Living Vampire, who wouldn't appear in 1971. I
wonder if this was a subconscious influence or merely a coincidence.
Roy Thomas is a known lifelong comic reader and collector, so it is
not out of the realm of possibility that he owned this comic when he
was a teenager. That same issue's The Little Furry Things! is
the most disturbing story in the entire book. Great stuff there.
#16's
The Tunnel! has artwork by the godlike Ken Landau. His work is
very detailed and photo realistic, my favorite. I did some research
on him, and he later went to work for Hanna Barbara, which is pretty
cool. The most bizarre story in the entire book is issue 17's The
Professor And The Pixie! It is a lighthearted, whimsical romance
tale that feels like a precursor to Bewitched. Indeed, the end
of the story seems like the beginning of a series. There also seems
to be a Venus (Atlas Comics from the '50s) vibe to it,
especially in the artwork department. The story art is uncredited in
the book, but whoever it was tried to do their best Jack Kamen or
Matt Baker. Part of me wonders if one of them was moonlighting. Maybe
one of their helpers/inkers took the reigns here tried to do emulate
their style. Sadly, many of these mysteries will never be solved, as
most of these guys are dead and gone.
 |
| A page from The Tunnel! |
The
writing and artwork are all top notch here, and one can only wonder
how far and how high the artform would have progressed if not for the
implementation of the Comics Code Authority. And now for a slight
rant...
I
refuse to call the Comics Code Authority censorship. See, I have
argued with many Millennial/ Social Justice Warrior (SJW) types
online, and they claim that every time that they get butthurt and
into an online uproar which causes a comics cover to be changed, that
this not censorship. They claim that only the Government can censor
things. Okay then, using their logic (and I use the word very
loosely when pertaining to SJWs), comic books have never been
censored. The CCA was a voluntary body formed by the industry, not
the Government. Distributors refused to carry comics without the CCA,
but that's not censorship by their definition, either. Isn't
rewriting history fun, kids? Censorship used to come from outside,
from the establishment. In 2015 it comes from the people who
supposedly love what they are trying to kill, all in the name of
“being on the right side of history”. Pro tip, kids: There is
no right side of history. History always has, and always will, be
written by the victors. Put that in your tumblr and smoke it in your
eCigarette.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.
The
OCD zone-
I
enjoy huffing these Chinese made books. PS Artbooks smell the best.
Whenever I crack one open I sit there and snort it...Oh
yeah, that's the stuff.
I theorize that their delectable aroma comes from the stew of lead
paint chips, asbestos, and mercury from recalled thermometers
combined with the blood, sweat, and tears of the Chinese children
working in the sweatshop that makes these books.
Linework
and Color restoration: PS Artbooks use raw scans, meaning
that all of the printing imperfections of the original comic books
are present, such as line bleed and off register printing. This is a
warts and all approach that some fans prefer. I can see the benefits
and drawbacks to this method.
That
said, these are very good scans. PS has a hit and miss record with
scanning, but this volume looks very good overall.
Paper
stock:
Uncoated bright white stock.
Binding:
Smyth sewn binding. Lays mostly flat.
Hardback
cover notes:
No dustjacket. Image printed on casewrap with matte finish and spot
varnish.
