The Undead Thread: Pre-Code Horror 21 21

[Larryw7]

 

In my early collecting days(the late seventies), these Atlas books and most pre-code non EC horror could be had for about a buck or two a book in low grade. Those were the days!

 

You have my eternal envy!

 

Were you buying pre-code horror then? If so, do you still have the books?

 

Sadly, I don't have the books anymore.

[DevilBat-migration]

Great thread!

[DevilBat-migration]

BTW - I don't just mean the awesome scans, but some of the posts here are just funny beyond belief!

 

PrecodeKeith - You especially crack me up! Hilarious!

[DevilBat-migration]

The poll is very cool, but I can't believe two insufficiently_thoughtful_persons voted for FOX as a favorite pre-code horror publisher! What ! Yeah, it's their opinion & I'm supposed to respect it, but I bet $ FOX was picked by people ignorant about horror comics. FOX only put out 1 horror comic! It's not that great, to boot! No way does that one book surpass the efforts of just about ANY other publisher on the list!

 

[precodekeith]

DevilBat - Welcome to the Boards & thanks for the kindness!

 

I myself have wondered about those two votes for Fox. Very interesting pick. I almost didn't include them on the poll, but hey 1 horror comic is 1 horror comic.

 

I think it was reprinted by Star at some point, as well. Off the top of my head without double checking, anyway.

[precodekeith]

Some of these non-cluttered Atlas covers can really rock...

Edited August 12, 2005 by precodekeith

[precodekeith]

BTW - the above JIUW 26 has an Atom Bomb panel. Kewl.

[originalisbest]

That IS a cool cover Keith! Not in my collection (yet), though I eyed a copy of it at the most recent Chicago con. Had a smidge of CT on the spine though, so back it went and I got something else... which is the great thing about a con, unless you're talking particularly rare books, you can often have your pick of multiple copies, or, multiple choices from the same genre (pre-code, in my case.)

[adamstrange]

Very cool book, PKC. Harry Anderson is the cover artist and he had a real talent for those cadaverous Zombie critters.

[Jeffro.]

How about these two?

 

 

[Larryw7]

Cool books!

[precodekeith]

Jeffro, let me know if you ever want to part with the Amazing Detective 13!

[PovertyRow]

The poll is very cool, but I can't believe two insufficiently_thoughtful_persons voted for FOX as a favorite pre-code horror publisher! What ! Yeah, it's their opinion & I'm supposed to respect it, but I bet $ FOX was picked by people ignorant about horror comics. FOX only put out 1 horror comic! It's not that great, to boot! No way does that one book surpass the efforts of just about ANY other publisher on the list!

 

 

Welcome Dr. Carruthers!

 

Hmmm - are you referring to the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Star Presentations that Fox did? Is the only thing I can think of that may qualify as a horror comic.

[precodekeith]

Hey Pov, the Jekyl & Hyde book was the reason I myself put them on the list of "horror publishers" for the poll.

 

[PovertyRow]

Hey Pov, the Jekyl & Hyde book was the reason I myself put them on the list of "horror publishers" for the poll.

 

 

I know you made the poll, PCK. I responded to the first post about only Fox horror book.

 

But this brings up a pet debate of mine: Sci-Fi or Horror? I tend to be in the Bill Warren camp, feeling that the basis of the situation dictates the genre. For example, FRANKENSTEIN is actually sci-fi, despite the monster aspects Universal popularized. Same can be said for THE INVISIBLE MAN and, in this case, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. Despite the horrific aspects, such films are based in science and science-fiction, and especially the basis for the creation of the "monster" in question. It is the reason such books as this and the CI FRANKENSTEIN is not on my pre-code horror checklist. Should I ever decide to do a Sci-Fi type set, I would certainly be including them.

 

It would be interesting to get a take from the horror and sci-fi collectors here about there own perceptions.

[Jayman]

But this brings up a pet debate of mine: Sci-Fi or Horror? I tend to be in the Bill Warren camp, feeling that the basis of the situation dictates the genre. For example, FRANKENSTEIN is actually sci-fi, despite the monster aspects Universal popularized. Same can be said for THE INVISIBLE MAN and, in this case, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. Despite the horrific aspects, such films are based in science and science-fiction, and especially the basis for the creation of the "monster" in question. It is the reason such books as this and the CI FRANKENSTEIN is not on my pre-code horror checklist. Should I ever decide to do a Sci-Fi type set, I would certainly be including them.

 

It would be interesting to get a take from the horror and sci-fi collectors here about there own perceptions.

 

All good points POV but one cannot dismiss the horror elements altogether.

 

FRANKENSTEIN albeit brought to life through science, is in fact, a reanimated corpse and deemed as an evil being just as much as if it were summoned through supernatural forces.

 

INVISIBLE MAN & DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE show (again through scientific mesns) the EVIL that can be summoned up from man. Voodoo or science, what does it matter?

 

My take is that horror can be derived through various means; supernatural, scientific or even comedic situations. It's all good to me!

 

Just my 2 cents!

Disclamer: (any typos in the above response are to be deemed as accolades to POV!)

[PovertyRow]

All good points POV but one cannot dismiss the horror elements altogether.

 

Quite true, Jayman. Some folks here are aware of my campaign to get Overstreet to correct their rather nebulous attributions as to horror, supernatural, sci-fi etc. For example, in the world of literature, FRANKENSTEIN is often considered the first science-ficion novel, a percpetion I tend to share, especially if you contrast it to Stoker's DRACULA, which is most certainly a horror novel with supernatural elements.

 

My take is that such mixing of elements is quite common. Take the 1941 film THE WOLF MAN. Like DRACULA, it is horror with supernatural elements. But then you get a film like FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN and you have a real cross-genre entity.

 

My main interest in this whole topic, as some know, is my disagreement with the way Overstreet uses the terms "horror", "supernatural", "wierd" etc to define books. OS has the 1950 Crypt of Terror and Vault of horror listed as being tied for the first horror comic, the 1947 Eerie #1 the first "supernatural" comic, the 1948 (pre-Vault/Crypt) Adventures Into The Unknown the first "supernatural Series", 1949 (pre-Vault/Crypt) Marvel Tales just "horror/Weird Stories Begin". In the midst of this they list the CI Frankenstein from 1945 as "2nd horror comic?". I have been spending a bit of time on prepping my correspondence to Overstreet about this. Sned it a year or two ago but apparantly not received (?).

 

So as a collector of horror, terror, supernatural, weird etc. I want to see an intelligent, reasoned and justified use of these terms as opposed to something that seems to make OS want EC to be the founder of horror.

[adamstrange]

Hey Pov, the Jekyl & Hyde book was the reason I myself put them on the list of "horror publishers" for the poll.

 

 

"Feature Presentation" #5 contains cover/story "The Black Tarantuala", so there are 2 Fox horror comics. It's definitely a horror comic to my reading, but not good enough for me to vote for Fox as the favorite.

 

I looked for my copy to scan but couldn't find it.

[adamstrange]

All good points POV but one cannot dismiss the horror elements altogether.

 

Quite true, Jayman. Some folks here are aware of my campaign to get Overstreet to correct their rather nebulous attributions as to horror, supernatural, sci-fi etc. For example, in the world of literature, FRANKENSTEIN is often considered the first science-ficion novel, a percpetion I tend to share, especially if you contrast it to Stoker's DRACULA, which is most certainly a horror novel with supernatural elements.

 

My take is that such mixing of elements is quite common. Take the 1941 film THE WOLF MAN. Like DRACULA, it is horror with supernatural elements. But then you get a film like FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN and you have a real cross-genre entity.

 

My main interest in this whole topic, as some know, is my disagreement with the way Overstreet uses the terms "horror", "supernatural", "wierd" etc to define books. OS has the 1950 Crypt of Terror and Vault of horror listed as being tied for the first horror comic, the 1947 Eerie #1 the first "supernatural" comic, the 1948 (pre-Vault/Crypt) Adventures Into The Unknown the first "supernatural Series", 1949 (pre-Vault/Crypt) Marvel Tales just "horror/Weird Stories Begin". In the midst of this they list the CI Frankenstein from 1945 as "2nd horror comic?". I have been spending a bit of time on prepping my correspondence to Overstreet about this. Sned it a year or two ago but apparantly not received (?).

 

So as a collector of horror, terror, supernatural, weird etc. I want to see an intelligent, reasoned and justified use of these terms as opposed to something that seems to make OS want EC to be the founder of horror.

 

I understand your point about calling Franky sci-fi, but this is really the first I've heard of anyone espouse that. I could go with it being a mix of sci-fi and horror (isn't it still considered a classic example of gothic horror?), but not that it's only sci-fi. Regardless of my opinion, I think you're swimming upstream against a long-held, widely-shared belief of Frankenstein as one of the classic horror novels/movies/characters. Trying to convince Overstreet to buck popular on Franky is more likely to weaken your other arguments than to help them. It does seem that O's distinctions regarding horror comic evolution are little out of whack, but then I don't look for him to explain comics to me. I still haven't bought this year's guide and, unless I find it cheap, I don't intend to.

[Norrin_Radd]

"Feature Presentation" #5 contains cover/story "The Black Tarantuala", so there are 2 Fox horror comics. It's definitely a horror comic to my reading, but not good enough for me to vote for Fox as the favorite.

 

Never heard of that one before.