PopCultHQ received a review copy of CREEPY ARCHIVES Vol. 3 TPB from Dark Horse Comics. Available October 17th in bookstores & October 18th in comic book shops, the creators in this collected edition features writing by John Benson, Eando (Earl and Otto) Binder, Johnny Craig, Clark Dimond, Archie Goodwin, Ron Parker, Bill Pearson, Bob Stewart, and Carl Wessler, art by Neal Adams, Dan Adkins, Eugene Colan, Hector Castellon, Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall, Steve Ditko, Frank Frazetta, Jerry Grandenetti, Bob Jenney, Gil Kane, Rocco Mastroserio, Hray Morrow, Donald Norman [Norman Nodel], Joe Orlando, John Severin, Manny Stallman, and Angelo Torres, and letters by Ben Oda.
Here’s PopCultHQ’s spoiler-free review of…
CREEPY ARCHIVES Vol. 3 TPB
Credits:
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Format: B&W, 288 pages; TPB, 8 3/8″ x 10 7/8″
Genre: Science-Fiction
ISBN-13: 978-1-50673-615-0
ISBN-10: 1-50673-615-7
Ages: 12+
SRP: $24.99
Bookstore release date: 10/17/23
Comic shop release date: 10/18/23
Collects issues #11-#15 of Creepy magazine.
Cast your bloodshot eyes and feed your fetid imagination on the deliciously deranged tales of terror unearthed from the spine-chilling pages Creepy magazine!
Featuring virtuoso turns by comics legends Archie Goodwin, Frank Frazetta, Steve Ditko, Neal Adams, Gray Morrow and other masters of the macabre, Creepy proves that fear can be fun!
Collects Creepy issues #11-#15 in a value-priced paperback edition and includes original letters pages, text features, and ads.
PopCultHQ’s Comic Book Review:
With Halloween right around the corner, it is time to get freaky and spooky with another fang-tastic trade paperback from the good folks at Dark Horse. Get ready to step out of the coffin and stalk the night with Creepy Archives Volume 3! That’s right, dear readers, it is another frightful TPB collecting more classic Creepy issues, with scripts and art from some of the most legendary names in comics. Steve Ditko, Neal Adams, Gene Colan, Reed Crandall, Joe Orlando, and more. Every page is full of haunting tales that will have you jumping at every creaky floorboard and making sure to have a few candles lit around the crypt. Be prepared to say a prayer with another noteworthy chapter in the history of Creepy and its standout stories with a little something for every flavor of horror fan out there.
Writing: One thing that anyone new to Creepy, and its legacy of shock and awe stories, is that the scripts were penned by talented chaps who knew their way around a haunted house. As previously mentioned, each issue collected in this edition contains enough different types of fright-night fun for everyone. From werewolves, vampires, and strange beings from beyond the stars to adaptations of stories by Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe. No vile stone is left unturned. No corner where shadows do dwell is not cast into gruesome light by the perilous pens of these perfectly profane writers and their des histoires d’une nature horrible (stories of a gruesome nature).
Art: As it was with the stories, so it is with the artwork. For someone as well-versed in comics lore as am I, you’ll appreciate the knowledge that the likes of Neal Adams and Steve Ditko contributed, creating some of the spine-tingling takes within the pages of this fine volume. For anyone who was expecting lots of garish colors to go with your mayhem and murder, it is not so. But honestly, the fact that the art is black and white adds a little old-school excitement. Like the fright-night films of yesteryear, these delightful dances of death deal in daring dashes into the darker nature of the creative spirit.
Letters: What is most shocking about every issue collected here is that the lettering was all done by one individual. Ben Oda, a name that until now remained unknown to me, had a long and storied career as a letterer. Throughout a career that started at Walt Disney Studios and led to his working for significant publishers, from King Features and Chicago Tribune Syndicate to DC Comics and EC Comics, Ben provided lettering for many publications. What is impressive is that every story feels different, thanks in no small part to Ben. Each foray into the freaky feels like it pulses with an unholy atmosphere; as if every time someone picked up an issue of Creepy that Ben worked on, you may as well have walked right into a cemetery at midnight.
Overall Assessment:
Fall is a very fabulous time of year. With that chill in the air, the pleasant aroma of pumpkin spice permeates coffee shops everywhere as the leaves turn colors. And, of course, with October, that means Halloween, which in turn means the usual assortment of movie marathons, late-night fright fests, and all too familiar jack-o’-lanterns that adorn doorsteps. Thanks to Dark Horse Books, fellow children of the night (apologies, Bram Stoker) can sink their teeth into Creepy Archives Vol. 3 and all that lies within. It promises to be a devilishly good time and can command a place of honor in any coffin, crypt, or house on a haunted hill.
PopCultHQ’s Rating:
5 out of 5 Stars
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About Dark Horse Comics:
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics is an excellent example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and transform a company with humble beginnings into an industry giant. Over the years, Dark Horse has published the work of creative legends such as Yoshitaka Amano, Margaret Atwood, Paul Chadwick, Geof Darrow, Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, Faith Erin Hicks, Kazuo Koike, Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, Kentaro Miura, Moebius, Chuck Palahniuk, Wendy Pini, Richard Pini, and Gerard Way. In addition, Dark Horse has a long tradition of establishing exciting new creative talent throughout all of its divisions. The company has also set the industry standard for quality licensed comics, graphic novels, collectibles, and art books, including Stranger Things, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Dragon Age, James Cameron’s Avatar, Game of Thrones, Mass Effect, StarCraft, The Witcher, and Halo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.
