Review- CREEPSHOW

CREEPSHOW (Gallery 13, First Gallery 13 Printing, 2017; Softcover)

Original release on the top, new rerelease on the bottom.

Collects the Creepshow original graphic novel from 1982.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Review- STEPHEN KING: THE STAND OMNIBUS

STEPHEN KING: THE STAND OMNIBUS (Marvel, First Printing, 2012; Hardcover)

Omnibus dustjacket cover.

Collects Stephen King's The Stand: Captain Trips #1-5, Stephen King's The Stand: American Nightmares #1-5, Stephen King's The Stand: Soul Survivors #1-5, Stephen King's The Stand: Hardcases #1-5, Stephen King's The Stand: No Man's Land #1-5, and Stephen King's The Stand: The Night Has Come #1-6 (cover dates December, 2008- March, 2012)

Companion book dustjacket cover.

Writers: Original story by Stephen King, comic book adaptation by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Artist: Mike Perkins

Colorist: Laura Martin

Spines with dustjackets on.

Stephen King is synonymous with Horror. The Stand is a fan favorite, and while my mom was an early adopter of King in the '70s, I have never read the book. I'm not embarrassed to admit that my only prior knowledge of this story came from the Anthrax song Among The Living. I have no idea how well this holds up when compared to the source material, so my review will be based solely on how well it reads as a comic book.

Slipcase spine and spines of both books sans dustjackets.

I got a free copy of the Captain Trips Premiere Edition Hardcover a while back, read it, and loved it so much so that I bought this. Anyone who says that free tastes don't work is wrong. The gist of this series, for all four of you that don't know, is that the Army accidentally releases a supervirus codenamed Captain Trips which kills most of the population and causes the collapse of society.

It's through this chaos that an ultimate showdown between good and evil surfaces. On the side of Satan comes a man named Randall Flagg, “The Walkin' Dude”, a supernatural person with no past whose power grows as fear increases due to society's breakdown and the Government's attempts to suppress information. Flagg reaches out to the disenchanted through their dreams, playing on their fears and insecurities. He calls the survivors to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they will make their stand.

On the side of God is the world's oldest woman, Mother Abagail, who lives in rural Polk County, Nebraska. She reaches out through to the survivors through their dreams, with all of them making a perilous cross country journey to her farm. They end up reestablishing society, and the notion of a showdown with Flagg causes them to send spies to find out what is going on in Nevada. One of them, Tom Cullen, a man with special needs, ends up having a God-given shine that Flagg cannot pierce. Cullen ends up being my favorite character in the book, a real feat when you consider how fully formed the entire cast of characters is.

I won't go into the whys and hows of the battle, nor the outcome, nor how the story seems to continue on in an anticlimactic manner only to be saved at the last minute by a clever ending. I realize that my synopsis is vague, but that was done deliberately. I never give a blow by blow of the story when I do my reviews, as I am opposed to spoilers no matter how old the material is. I prefer to offer up an idea of what I have read as well as my thoughts about it. I am all about the joy of discovery. If this blog has a purpose it is to turn people onto comic books that they may missed amidst the never ending flurry of releases.

This was an incredibly satisfying read with beautiful artwork and tasteful coloring. It's dense and slow burning but it's a real page turner. It demands that you finish it, becoming more urgent with each passing issue. This material is available across a number of formats (original single issues, Premiere Edition hardcovers collecting each mini-series, softcover trade paperbacks which mirror those releases, this book, and of course digital), so there's no excuse not to check it out. Heck, your local library might even have it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Stephen King's adaptations of this and both The Dark Tower sets received a unique slicpase for their Omnibus releases not found in any other book in the line. They collected thirty or so issues in one book and then had all of the extras in a second hardcover. They were also priced 50% higher than any other Marvel Omnibus during this time frame. While the second book and cardboard slipcase certainly added an expense, was it really fifty dollars more of expense? Come on, man. That said, it is a beautiful set.

Paper stock: Thick glossy stock. I miss the high quality paper that Marvel used to use in their Omniboo five years ago.

Binding: Sewn binding, lays flat. This book will last longer than I will.

This stamping appears on the cover of both books in this set.

Dustjacket, Hardback, and Slipcase notes: Dustjacket has that frosted matte feeling with spot varnish. Hardbacks have the faux leather casewrap, front cover stamp, and dye foil stamping on the spine that Marvel has sadly since done away with on their Omnibus line of books. 

Review- STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS

STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects Stephen King's The Stand: Captain Trips Nos. 1-5 (cover dates December, 2008- March, 2009)

Writers: Stephen King and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Artist: Mike Perkins

Colorist: Laura Martin

I have, sadly, never read a Stephen King book. I have seen most of the movies, but never bothered to read an actual book. I'm not sure what dialogue and narrative passages are King's or Aguirre-Sacasa's in this comic, but whoever is responsible for what is tops. Mike Perkins' artwork is also unbelievably good, ditto Laura Martin's coloring.

An infected soldier escapes from an Army base, spreading the man made Project: Blue chemical weapon to others. The army attempts to contain the spread, but things go south very fast. The president goes on television and denies that this is happening. The army censors news and radio broadcasts at gunpoint. Society begins to unravel as Captain Trips (as it is nicknamed) spreads and kills people. There is no cure and so far only one man seems to be immune to it. He is held captive at a secret Government base. 

Stories like this are the most terrifying because they are the most plausible. Everything that happens here could and would happen like this in real life. King wrote this in the late '70s, so this was way, way ahead of it's time. The fact that it reads as a contemporary work 34 years later only cements the timeless quality of the story.

While this series is old news to much of the comic book buying public, I find it impossible to be everywhere at once. I am constantly reading comics but can never keep up. Has anyone read the rest of the comic books in this series? Is the quality as good (or dare I dream...better) than this? Are they worth reading? Help a brother out!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Interesting. The casewrap and endpapers are of higher quality than standard Marvel Premiere Edition hardcovers from this time period. I guess that Marvel figured on moving more units to “better” customers and so they spared no expense.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: The Stand Sketchbook (15 pages)

#1-5 variant covers by Mike Perkins and Laura Martin. (5 pages)

Cover process for #4 by Mike Perkins. (1 page)

#1-5 sketch variant covers by Lee Bermejo. (5 pages)

#3 script to final. (2 pages)

#4 script to final. (2 pages)

#5 script to final. (2 pages)

#5 page 2 pencils. (1 page)

#5 page 3 pencila. (1 page)

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Time was that Marvel used beautiful thick glossy coated stock in their books. This was book was from that time.

Binding rating: 4.5 out of 5. Curiouser and curiouser. This book has sewn binding, something that standard Marvel Premiere Edition hardcovers from this time period did not have.

Buy STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS HC at InStockTrades!

Also available in softcover flavor.