HAUNTED HORROR #29
Writer: Various
Artist: Various
Publisher: IDW Publishing
IDW gives us a chilling collection of classic horror stories. I love the fact that they didn’t redo the artwork or colors and published a book of scanned pages from the original comics. The faded words, bleeding colors, and yellow pages give the reader the full experience of perusing the vintage comics. With all the stories coming from the 1950s, readers get the full experience of parallel hatching, classic twists, and all the other elements that inspired the horror genre we have today.
A side note before we get started—some of the content in this comic book, while originally published in the 1950s, would be recognized as fairly offensive today. Though there are a few instances, what stands out the most is the treatment of a character with dwarfism in one of the stories. Reading it, there were moments when I was surprised it was included in this collection.
The first story selected was kind of weak. It was engaging enough until it came to the ending, which felt a bit like a cop out. More disappointing, the same ending appeared later in another story in this issue. Another disappointment was the inclusion of two vampire stories in a row. With the full range of monsters out there, I wish there could’ve been more variety.
But don’t let those few little points stop you from purchasing this book. Aside from them, it really is a phenomenal collection. I’ve been an avid horror reader ever since EC republished their Tales from the Crypt and similar lines in the early 90s, and none of the stories are anything I’d ever read before. Also, the penultimate story, Black Cat Mystery’s “The Body Maker” is truly one of the creepiest things I’ve read in a while.
Also, the artwork is incredible. From an evil, witch-faced mother-in-law, to a kid who looks like any moment he should fall down a well and be rescued by his collie, it’s authentic. It’s the kind of artwork that people try to replicate now, but it just can’t compare to the real thing.
With nine complete, non-remastered stories, this is a must buy for any fan of the classic horror comics.
Artist: Various
Publisher: IDW Publishing
IDW gives us a chilling collection of classic horror stories. I love the fact that they didn’t redo the artwork or colors and published a book of scanned pages from the original comics. The faded words, bleeding colors, and yellow pages give the reader the full experience of perusing the vintage comics. With all the stories coming from the 1950s, readers get the full experience of parallel hatching, classic twists, and all the other elements that inspired the horror genre we have today.
A side note before we get started—some of the content in this comic book, while originally published in the 1950s, would be recognized as fairly offensive today. Though there are a few instances, what stands out the most is the treatment of a character with dwarfism in one of the stories. Reading it, there were moments when I was surprised it was included in this collection.
The first story selected was kind of weak. It was engaging enough until it came to the ending, which felt a bit like a cop out. More disappointing, the same ending appeared later in another story in this issue. Another disappointment was the inclusion of two vampire stories in a row. With the full range of monsters out there, I wish there could’ve been more variety.
But don’t let those few little points stop you from purchasing this book. Aside from them, it really is a phenomenal collection. I’ve been an avid horror reader ever since EC republished their Tales from the Crypt and similar lines in the early 90s, and none of the stories are anything I’d ever read before. Also, the penultimate story, Black Cat Mystery’s “The Body Maker” is truly one of the creepiest things I’ve read in a while.
Also, the artwork is incredible. From an evil, witch-faced mother-in-law, to a kid who looks like any moment he should fall down a well and be rescued by his collie, it’s authentic. It’s the kind of artwork that people try to replicate now, but it just can’t compare to the real thing.
With nine complete, non-remastered stories, this is a must buy for any fan of the classic horror comics.
A Look Inside
