Dark Horse Comics; $49.95

In last week’s Main Event we told you how it all came together. This week we look at the results.

Back in the early 1960s, publisher Jim Warren wanted comics that were of the same caliber as the EC Comics titles he remembered from his childhood. The Comics Code being what it was, he didn’t think regular comic books with the kind of stories he wanted would fly, so he decided to go the black and white magazine route.

For art, he took EC veterans Frank Frazetta, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Joe Orlando, George Evans, Al Williamson, Alex Toth, and Angelo Torres, and added in Roy Krenkel, Gray Morrow, Al McWilliams, Maurice Whitman, and Bob Lubbers. For stories, he started with Archie Goodwin (he could have stopped there!) and added in Artur Porges, Otto Binder, Larry Engleheart, Russ Jones, Bill Pearson, and Larry Ivie.

The result was Creepy, a truly eclectic mix of horror and suspense, much of which was brilliantly executed by master craftsmen. Dark Horse Comics has collected the first five issues of the magazine into this beautifully produced hardcover volume, complete with dust jacket. The pages have been beautifully cleaned up, the printing is wonderful, and the introduction by writer-historian Jon B. Cooke (Comic Book Artist) sets the tone superbly for a very enjoyable experience.

For you EC fans, while just a smidge wider and shorter than Gemstone’s volumes of The EC Archives, this new series will look great right next to them on your bookshelves. A second volume is already in production and Creepy’s sister publication, Eerie, is set for the same treatment. Don’t miss this one or the ones that follow!