Infinite Bronze Horror Thread 16 16

[BassGMan]

Thanks very much, Keith!

 

At the same time, having said all these lovely things about BA horror...and I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes here...there's plenty of BA horror covers/issues that I find decidedly unappealing. I'm not a completist, but just someone who goes after "favorite" BA horror covers, and I do a fair amount of cherrypicking. Some covers do it for me, some don't...obviously it's very subjective. And I'm definitely a "cover collector" more than a contents collector with BA horror...is that pretty typical? If the cover looks junky, no matter how great the contents are, I probably won't go after it.

 

I also tend to gravitate towards the House of Mystery/House of Secrets books...I like the long runs that both series had, the link to Swamp Thing through HOS #92 (sentimental value again), even the logos!, and above all the classic covers. This probably means I'm missing out on some other great covers and series, though.

 

I apologize if this has been hashed out in the previous 329 pages already, but would anyone be up for sharing their five "favorite" bronze horror books? I would sure find that interesting. Or put another way, which five books do you think should be in every BA horror collector's collection? Since you guys obviously have much more comprehensive collections than I do, would love to hear some opinions and perhaps discover some great new stuff.

 

Point, you sound exactly like me. I don't read these books for the most part, and for the few that I have they do not even compare to the EC books that I have read. I'm into these books pure and simple for the subject matter and covers. I also am not a completist. I buy the best covers, and many multiples of each, and have no interest at all in owning even one copy of the unappealing covers (current favorite HoM #200). I've been a Wrightson fan for years but just recently became a huge Adams fan. With Kaluta, it's hit and miss for me. I tie the Batman/Detective Bronze books with Adams covers into my other Bronze horror books as a nice accompanying piece. Hey, welcome to the club.

[sterlingcomics]

My Personal Top 5 List

 

1. House of Mystery 186 Adams and Wrightson Interior Art

2. House of Mystery 201: Demon Within Story!

3. House of Mystery 236: My favorite Wrightson cover

4. House of Mystery 174: Classic cover

5. House of Secrets 81: Classic Cover

 

[BachelorOfComix]

5. House of Mystery 81: Classic Cover

 

HoS 81?

[Zonker]

.5-- If you haven't already, steer on over to the home page of this thread's co-founder: www.shiverbones.com

 

And, if you're primarily interested in collecting based on cover image, I'd recommend you take a gander at the early run of Unexpected. In the 110's you have Adams and by the 130's you have Nick Cardy, frequently drawing mini-skirt-clad babes in jeopardy. (it was the 70's after all)

 

I don't find the stories in Unexpected to be the equal to HoM/HoS, but those are some nice covers.

[Norrin_Radd]

I did like the whizzing statement in the pre-code thread!!

 

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/sho...true#Post643359

[precodekeith]

The cynical view also fits in here somehow...that home grown speculators have discovered a formerly disregarded and underpriced genre to fully exploit and hype for monetary value. This includes some horror collectors that saw the rise in PCH prices and are buying hoping for the same to occur with BA horror...

 

Jim

 

Yeah, I will ad that to my list of "BA rise reasons."

 

6. Speculation potential.

 

Good point, Jim!

[precodekeith]

 

I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes here...there's plenty of BA horror covers/issues that I find decidedly unappealing. I'm not a completist, but just someone who goes after "favorite" BA horror covers, and I do a fair amount of cherrypicking...and I'm definitely a "cover collector" more than a contents collector with BA horror...is that pretty typical?

 

POINT - I wouldn't consider that stepping on anyone's toes. I say: collect what you like! There are probably quite a few people on this thread that collect similar to yourself.

 

As far as that method being typical? I would have to say, based on 12 years of collecting strictly horror comics, that most of the horror guys I know do READ the books, in fact. I have noticed though since the advent of CGC the genre has attracted much more "cover collector" guys. Just my personal observation.

[BassGMan]

I would have to say, based on 12 years of collecting strictly horror comics, that most of the horror guys I know do READ the books, in fact. I have noticed though since the advent of CGC the genre has attracted much more "cover collector" guys. Just my personal observation.

 

That made me think of something. Just what IS the main reason that you guys collect or favor Bronze horror? Is it because you feel that the stories within are the best reading out there? Is it because you just love horror in general? Just like the covers? This is an affordable genre to collect although you enjoy the pre-codes just as much? Nostalgic? Speculation/investment potential?

 

Maybe each of you guys could just explain why you have chosen this genre as THE genre of choice, or at least one of your favorites if you have other areas you enjoy just as much.

 

My reasons:

Nostalgic as I was a kid (age 7-17) in the 70s ---Main Reason

I just love monsters and scary stuff and these covers are great --- Main reason

Speculation ---Secondary reason

Affordability ----Secondary reason

 

Not a factor at all:

Story quality

[DiceX]

Man, it's tough to narrow it down to five books, but I'll give it a try.

5) House of Secrets #96: CREEPY Wrightson cover!

4) Phantom Stranger #29: The Donminguez cover that puts a chill up your spine.

3) Ghosts #105: One of the most violent books to ever wear a CCA badge.

2) House of Secrets #94: Fabulous Wrightson cover!

1) House of Mystery #205: Most incredible horror cover...EVER!

[october]

Here are my top 5...very tough to list. (based on cover art)

 

1. HOM 195

2. Sinister House of Secret Love 3

3. HOM 236

4. Weird War 4

5. DC 100 page Super Spec. 4 (Weird Mystery)

 

 

Good stories in HOM 186 and 201. I would also check out the 2 House of Mystery paperbacks featuring great short stories by Jack Oleck. Those have nice Wrightson covers as well.

 

Honorable mentions...

 

HOM 193, 204

HOS 95, 96, 99, 106

Witching Hour 5, 10, 13

Weird War 24

Ghosts 5, 8, 11, 12

 

Overall, I think HOM is the strongest title by far. Best covers, best stories, best interior art. You really can't go wrong with any issue between 174 and 211 as far as cool covers go.

[sterlingcomics]

5. House of Mystery 81: Classic Cover

 

HoS 81?

 

Yes, typo

Fixed.

[sterlingcomics]

Sid, your reasons more or less mirrors my reason for collecting horror. I'm currently in BA but I will eventually spill back and collect GA issues and/or pre-code.

[sterlingcomics]

I did like the whizzing statement in the pre-code thread!!

 

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/sho...true#Post643359

 

That post is definitely one of my favorites now. I still remember ScarFace's rendition of "A Good Few Men" re-written for comics. Classic!

[precodekeith]

That made me think of something. Just what IS the main reason that you guys collect or favor Bronze horror?

 

Sid, I'd have to say that for me I simply am a horror fan. Comics, movies, books, TV, you name it. To boil it down into comics, I had some BA DC horror as a kid in the 70's, but they were tossed away by my parents or whatever. I wasn't a "collector."

 

In the 80's, when I did start collecting and going to cons, I bought Twisted Tales, etc. read those and loved them, but didn't consider myself a horror collector even then; as I was mostly into Conan or superhero stuff. It wasn't until the early 90's when I was about 22 when I said to myself, "Self, I still like comics, but these superheros just don't interest me. I still like that Twisted Tales stuff though, wonder if there is anything similar out there..."

 

It probably helped that before I became a "horror comic collector" I had been reading guys like Lovecraft, King, and REH for about a decade already. My teen angst had also been weened in movie theaters by flicks such as Return of the Living Dead, The Fly (remake), Nightmare on Elm Street, and whatever Friday the 13th was out that year. Guess horror has always been in my blood, so to speak.

 

As for BA, hey I gave it a bum rap for many years! I wanted uncensored pre-code, darn it! I remember a local show where a dealer had three long boxes of HG BA, mostly DC horror, and he was begging me to buy it because he knew I bought pre-code horror. I basically said," If it has that Comic Code on the cover, it can't make a good horror comic!"

 

Live and learn..... by far BA art is better than most pre-code. The EC stuff was ahead of it's time, though. The stories are not usually as garish, but when they are, the REALLY ARE! So, I read the stuff cuz I am an avid reader firstly, and for that cheap visceral thrill that a horror yarn can deliver if done properly. If I really want to be scared or creeped out by a story though, I read short story or a novel, and not a comic. In the horror literary totem pole, comics are the equivalant of a quick one-hitter.

[DiceX]

comics are the equivalant of a quick one-hitter.

 

What's a one-hitter?

[precodekeith]

comics are the equivalant of a quick one-hitter.

 

What's a one-hitter?

 

My bad, maybe I should have said "whippit" instead. Remember those? I think this graemlin just did one ----->

 

[BassGMan]

Keith, sounds like you really like reading horror. I wish I got that same kind of kick out of it, but I don't. I don't read anything for enjoyment, only for information. Other than movies (which are certainly entertainment for me) I am more of a visual horror fan. I love the art. Simple as that. I did read some Werewolf By Night as a kid, when all I had to do was go to school, watch cartoons and occasionally pick weeds or do my chores, so at least I did have some exposure to these Bronze horror stories. Later tried some ECs and liked those, tried a little bit of BA DC but that didn't do much for me at all. So I just do art now. Hell, it may sound strange but I'd rather read about what you guys think about the stories you read rather than read them myself.

[shiverbones]

Hey Point five, welcome aboard! Nice to see some discussion!!!!

 

Great call on the ghosts #105 Dice, that book stuns me in its content!

 

My top five...AND THIS IS HARD!

 

#1 - HOM #236 Favorite bronze horror cover

#2 - HOM #207 Great book cover to cover and the first "Back Issue" HOM I had

#3 - HOM #186 Perfect Issue

#4 - HOS #151 Killer content & cover

#5 - Ghosts #105 as mentioned above

[buttock]

I started buying these books back in the early-mid 90s for speculation and got hooked on the great stuff. Even back then, they weren't easy in HG. It helps to find a box full of HOM/HOS/Unexpected with a few 9.4s though!

 

In terms of my top 5:

1) HOS 151 - cover to cover greatness

2) HOM 186 - see Shiv's comments

3) HOM 207 - best damn cover of them all - with the proper colors and gloss, I pick this one over HOM 236.

4) HOS 119 - Archetypal 70s DC book with Suydam to boot

5) HOM 191 - Killer puppets and Adams, what more can you ask for?

[BassGMan]

3) Ghosts #105: One of the most violent books to ever wear a CCA badge.

 

Unfortunately my Ghosts collection stops at #104 but I have almost every issue before that. Could someone post a scan of #105 and let me know why it is so violent? Thanks.