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Precode Horror Checklist

Started by PovertyRow,

12 posts in this topic

PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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A long while back I said I was going to create a list of all the precode horror books. I have finally started it. However, before I get too far, I would appreciate sopme feedback into what you precode horror folks would like to see in the list. I DO plan to complete and post the list as it stands now. But it folks want things more borked out, let me know and I will try to accomodate. This is a great learning experience - kind of like putting together some of Joanna's puzzles for covers I know well. I can do those covers now pretty quickly but as I do them I realize I am really paying attention to the composition anmd really appreciating more the images.

 

So - here is where I am so far (it kind of starts in the middle). I am using TALES TOO TERRIBLE TO TELL/TERROLOGY - the unfortunately aborted publication by George Suarez put out by New England Comics as a main guide. I shall delve more deeply as I go.

 

But if this is of interest even to one or two folks here, I would be glad to expand as you need.

 

So here is a piece of the first take. It is web page. To get it into a spreadsheet (probably Excel) do the following:

 

1) right click anywhere in the page and choose Select All

2) Choose Edit Copy

3) go to your spreadsheet and choose File New

4) From the spreadsheet choose Edit Paste

you will just have to expand the columns to see all the text.

 

You can also bring it into a word processor if you don;t have a spreadsheet. I suggest you make the page Landscape (under File Page Setup for Word) and it should fit ok.

 

precode horror books

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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Thanks DD!

 

It is now complete for pass 1. All the pre-code horror publishers and titles with issue numbers and years. NO Classics Illustrated though and I have decided to not include A Star Presentation #3 by Fox (Jekyll & Hyde adaptation) but feel free to include these for yourselves! grin.gif

 

Precode Horror Type Set List

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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Today the Haunt 17 is mine. Next week it should be in the hands of another EC collector/forum member.

 

Sweet! My representative copt of HOF is 19 - love the double-axehead cover but that cover beats it - however, I simly cannot give up the Foul Play story! grin.gif

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originalisbest

originalisbest

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Feldstein often has said he basically wished he could've taken back that story - when it was published the guys at EC were busting a gut to put out the amount of books/month they had going at the time, and it slipped by in the interests of getting the issue out. When they conceived it it was seen as a sort of poetic justice turnabout story, but it just turned out kind of vigilante-gross.

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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That Foul Play baseball intestines story was gruesome. Surprised it got by the editors & was actually printed in the early 50s.

 

Well, that was what the Comcis Code was all about. While the Senate ultimately determined that the case was not valid, they "suggested" - and you know what it means when the government "suggests" - that a "self-governing" body shoukld be formed.

 

Before that there was also a code of sorts - you can see some pre-code horror with the star that saus "conforms to the comics code" - usually quite small. This was encated in 1948 but was generally ignored, as was apparant by the content of the pre-code horror output from 1950-1955! grin.gif

 

So when that HOF #19 came out, there really was no governing body.

 

As originalisbest says, "When they conceived it it was seen as a sort of poetic justice turnabout story, but it just turned out kind of vigilante-gross."

 

Well, the gross part was on ocassion matched by other publishers, but I really do believe the EC folk saw it as a "turnabout is fair play".

 

Regardless, a fascinating bit of precode history!

 

 

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originalisbest

originalisbest

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Fascinating indeed, Pov. The other horror publishers would all have occasional gems, though EC in general in my opinion had the best consistently "good" output. But the other guys sure went all out to out-gross each other! One of my fave pre-code horror books is Mysterious Adventures #21, with a Tales from the Crypt #31 "inspired" cover and a truly disgusting disembowling story inside. It even shocked me the first time I read it and I'm a jaded pre-code fan!

 

For the longest time I couldn't find a MA #21, but eventually all things turn up if you look hard - last year I saw two VG-ish copies for reasonable prices at Wizard World Chicago. I highly recommend the ish to fans of gross-out "I can't believe they did that" '50's horror.

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