Dark Horse Gets Creepy
I can tell you exactly when my obsession with horror began. First came the zombies in "Thriller," shambling their way into my overactive imagination. Despite a nightlight, I couldn't help but keep the covers pulled tightly over my head...I couldn't wait to see the video again. After that, my brother would always make me watch Captain USA with him at noon every Saturday. Thanks to him and the Captain, I grew up on a healthy dose of black and white classics, Hammer films, and other assorted creature features. 
As I grew older, I discovered Poe, Lovecraft, and Barker. But as far as comics were concerned, I never touched a horror title. The drugstore spinner rack (which I miss) was a superheroes-only affair, so no scares for me...
Only now, after reading volume one of Creepy Archives do I realize how excited I would have been as kid if this magazine had been on the shelves at the time.
More after the jump!
Most comic fans are aware of EC Comics classics like Tales from the Crypt, and the subsequent censorship wars that decimated the industry, shutting down many books altogether. But 1960s publisher James Warren knew readers craved horror, and what better way to get around the Comics Code than to present those stories in black-and-white magazine format? Creepy was born, followed later by a companion title called Eerie.
Creepy and Eerie gave readers exactly what they had been hungry for. The magazines boasted an impressive array of talent, including Joe Orlando, Archie Goodwin, Alex Toth, Frank Frazetta, Bernie Wrightson, and Neal Adams.
Not only is Dark Horse planning on reprinting the entire, 20-year run of both titles in hardcover, but they are also using the original magazine size. Each archive edition is complete with full-color covers for all five issues along with the original ads as well.
I can't recommend this collection enough. It's a must have for fans of horror and/or classic comics. Although the price may seem steep at $49.95, copies can easily be ordered from online retailers at great discounts. Frazetta's last interior comic book work on the story, "Werewolf," makes the first volume worth every penny.
And if you think Dark Horse is stopping there, think again. Both Creepy and Eerie are being resurrected by the publisher as comic anthologies featuring brand new tales of terror by contemporary writers and illustrators.
It's time to plug in the nightlight again.
Dr. Lexicon
Posted to Horror, Review, Trade Paperback on 12 September 2008
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