HOWARD
NOSTRAND'S NIGHTMARES: THE CHILLING ARCHIVES OF HORROR COMICS VOL. 8
(Yoe Books/ IDW, First Printing, 2014;
Hardcover)
Collects
selections from Chamber
Of Chills
#13, 17-21, 23, Witches
Tales
#18, 20-25, Black
Cat Mystery
#44-46, 48, Tomb
Of Terror
#8, 11, 12, and Ripley's
Believe It Or Not Magazine
#1 (cover dates October, 1952- August, 1954)
Writers:
Nat Barnett and Howard Nostrand (unconfirmed but suspected on many of
these stories)
Artist:
Howard Nostrand
Every
single one of these stories except for one has already been reprinted
and collected in PS Artbooks' Harvey Horrors line, making this
book a double dip for me. The main problem lies not in this book as
a book but rather the lack of content information in the text copy
when the book is originally solicited. The only saving grace that
this book has for me is that seven of the stories reprinted here are
scanned directly from the original artwork, making this kind of a
poor man's Howard Nostrand Artist Edition.
If
you do not own the aforementioned PS Artbooks then this book is a
pretty cool read. It is a complete overview of Nostrand's 1950s
Harvey Horror output (with the exception of stories that he inked for
other artists). Nostrand's artwork has a cartoony feel that is
completely removed from the era and the genre. It seems almost
humorous in appearance and it wouldn't surprise me if it helped
inform the underground “Comix” of the 1960s. I also appreciate
the cinematic feel of much of his work. His panel composition could
serve as a camera angle guide for a film or television show.
The
stories themselves all kind of run together, as non-EC Pre-Code
Horror comics tend to if you read a lot of them in a row. They were
still enjoyable on the reread and made for splendid pre-Hallowe'en
reading. I would recommend this book to folks who like Pre-Code
Horror comics who do not own the PS Artbooks or purists who want to
see the scans of the original artwork, which is something of a treat.
So much of the original art from this era is lost that it is great to
see complete stories reassembled with it. Blessed be the curators and
collectors.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.
 |
| The book was originally solicited with this cover, although it was never used. |
The
OCD zone-
Yoe
Books are high quality presentations, with lots of thought put into
the design and layout. Overall production values are very high. My
only complaint is that they are a hair wider than, say, the Creepy
or Eerie
Archives
from Dark Horse, meaning that they are too wide to be stored in a
white acid free magazine box.
Linework
and Color restoration: High resolution raw scans with the
yellowing removed. This warts and all approach is favored by some
fans while others prefer full blown restoration. I appreciate the
benefits and drawbacks of both. If good source material (film,
original art) is unavailable then raw scans are sometimes the best
way to go. Your mileage may vary. I have had countless discussions
with fans online and it all really boils down to preference.
Paper
stock: Super thick uncoated stock. This is the heaviest paper
used by any of the major publishers for collected editions today. No
bleed through from the other side of the page in any light. (I read
books in various rooms using various light sources for such
experiments. Natural sunlight, incandescent bulbs, CFL, and LED are
all in use in various rooms in my house. I have a halogen bulb on my
back porch and should add that in too.)
Binding:
Smyth sewn binding. The book lays mostly flat.
Hardback
cover notes:
No dustjacket. Image is printed on the paper casewrap. Blacks have a
matte finish while the colors have spot varnish, a kind of screen
printed lamination which gives the color a glossy appearance. I
experienced no scuffing on my copy while reading and handling this
book.
