OtherEric Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 On 3/6/2022 at 12:28 AM, damonwad said: Psychoanalysis may have been ahead of its time, but to me, the patients were just too whiny and self-pitying for me to enjoy the books. I would have much preferred having the psychiatrist deal with more interesting personalities instead of the average Joe or Jane. Obviously not what EC was going for though. The "post code" cure/breakthrough endings every story didn't help either (only read 2 issues though). At least a couple of the MD stories I can think of had mild twist endings (I especially liked the one for Worried Sick in #4). At least we can agree on EC war books and The Martian Chronicles. I put Piracy and Valor as my favorite New Direction titles but haven't read Aces High yet. I was holding out to get the originals, but so many in this thread have recommended it that I think I'll break down and buy the reprints. It would be a boring world indeed if everybody agreed all the time. And I freely admit I'm taking a bit of a contrarian position on Psychoanalysis. I think one other reason I like it is it's so clearly succeeding in what it's trying to do, all the other New Direction books are either hamstrung by the code or still figuring out what they want to be to some degree. Aces High is an EC war book firmly in the Kurtzman tradition, even if he's not the editor. It's excellent. Valor falls right in the middle for me... the stories are way too often bland or undercut by the code, while the art is uniformly excellent. I may only rank it fourth but I won't disagree with anybody who puts it higher. Grottu, damonwad and jimjum12 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirbyJack Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Two classic covers are heading my way! Pretty excited. I used to agonize about the wait, but now I enjoy the energized feeling. I will post when they arrive. Raze 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raze Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 On 3/6/2022 at 5:41 PM, KirbyJack said: Two classic covers are heading my way! Pretty excited. I used to agonize about the wait, but now I enjoy the energized feeling. I will post when they arrive. I just got one Ive wanted as well this week. Half the time I forget that I won something, so when it shows up its like a surprise. KirbyJack, fifties and Larryw7 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Point Five Posted March 8, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 8, 2022 On 3/5/2022 at 11:31 PM, OtherEric said: Psychoanalysis actually is probably my third favorite New Direction book, after Aces High and Piracy. It reads like it's decades ahead of its time, a well reviewed but poorly selling indy book from around the early 90's, only done in the 50's. I doubt I would want any more than four issues, but I think it takes an obviously horrible concept and presents the absolute best version of what that concept could ever be. It plays to EC's strengths of getting into the character's heads and Kamen's incredible skill at showing people's emotions on their face. Other than the fact it was an obviously horrible idea it wasn't a horrible idea. Oddly enough given your choice of wording, I first discovered the Psychoanalysis title **in the early 90s**, and I loved it! I thought the torqued-up drama was kind of a riot, and yet just as you say, I felt the content was way ahead of its time. By strange chance (a random issue #2 for sale at my then-current comic shop), it became my gateway drug for EC books of all kinds. AJD, Turnando, OtherEric and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Point Five Posted March 8, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 8, 2022 And here's a new pickup. It's been quite a long time since I've bought ECs, but I'm starting to get the bug again. Raze, Grottu, OtherEric and 11 others 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Grottu Posted March 8, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 8, 2022 On 3/3/2022 at 7:36 PM, Grottu said: I’m hesitant to share the ingenious, proprietary bidding strategy I used to win this on eBay tonight, but I’m feeling generous: I mistakenly left out the decimal point in my maximum bid amount. Thankfully it ended well, but talk about a sudden realization that’ll pucker your sphincter muscle! As for this copy, I decided to get it partly because, with a careful spine roll removal, the cover will actually look pretty good… My accidental eBay win arrived, and happy to report that I got much of the spine roll out of it and gave it a dry cleaning. Think it looks better. Love this one for that infamously gruesome baseball game that featured prominently in SOTI... Robot Man, Kevin.J, Mmehdy and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirbyJack Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 Missed out on a Haunt 19 last night. It is a great one! Point Five 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post KirbyJack Posted March 11, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 11, 2022 On 3/6/2022 at 5:41 PM, KirbyJack said: Two classic covers are heading my way! Pretty excited. I will post when they arrive. Can’t decide which I like better! damonwad, Kevin.J, Raze and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin.J Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 On 3/11/2022 at 11:15 PM, KirbyJack said: Can’t decide which I like better! I cant decide either, they are both awesome Raze and KirbyJack 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post OtherEric Posted March 11, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 11, 2022 On 3/11/2022 at 3:15 PM, KirbyJack said: Can’t decide which I like better! The only reasonable response is "Get both", of course. Which you have! KirbyJack, Point Five, Larryw7 and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonwad Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 On 3/11/2022 at 3:15 PM, KirbyJack said: Can’t decide which I like better! Congrats and definitely two classics (neither of which I own yet). If I had to choose though, I'd pick the Wood cover just because it reminds me of watching 50's sci-fi movies as a kid every time I look at it. KirbyJack 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirbyJack Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 I’m leaning that way, but it might be because it’s the first time I’ve owned a copy! damonwad and Raze 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBedrock Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 I say get both! Raze, Larryw7 and KirbyJack 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OtherEric Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 On 3/11/2022 at 4:38 PM, damonwad said: If I had to choose though, I'd pick the Wood cover just because it reminds me of watching 50's sci-fi movies as a kid every time I look at it. It reminds me of watching a 1996 sci-fi movie as an adult! damonwad, Raze and KirbyJack 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Raze Posted March 12, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 12, 2022 @KirbyJack Congrats on both! Ill go with the Wally Wood cover, Its one of my favorites from him! Plus I can share mine again!! One last thing Ill be posting my new EC tomorrow... Larryw7, Grottu, OtherEric and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cobbledclam Posted March 12, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 12, 2022 Nice fun book. Larryw7, greggy, KirbyJack and 3 others 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobbledclam Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 Gary had cases of these. Most were fifty cents or $1.00 price gun sticker on cover. aardvark88 and grendelbo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirbyJack Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 On 3/11/2022 at 11:29 PM, Cobbledclam said: Gary had cases of these. What did you have to do to get one? Point Five, OtherEric and vaultkeeper 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 On 3/11/2022 at 3:15 PM, KirbyJack said: Can’t decide which I like better! Two amazing classics! I would have to give a slight nod to the WS though. One of Wood’s best masterpieces and such a classic 1950’s piece of sci fi culture. Raze, Mmehdy, Larryw7 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobbledclam Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 On 3/12/2022 at 3:49 AM, KirbyJack said: What did you have to do to get one? Show a little skin…. Raze, TerrysComics and KirbyJack 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
