Axe Elf Posted July 23, 2023 Author Share Posted July 23, 2023 On 7/23/2023 at 12:16 AM, OtherEric said: Possibly, although it could be our scanners as well. But it would make sense that the issue could reoccur. I'm not going to spend the money this time on a tester copy to find out! OtherEric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lions Den Posted July 23, 2023 Share Posted July 23, 2023 On 7/23/2023 at 1:00 AM, Axe Elf said: I don't get to brag on many of my EERIEs, but this one represents one of the best deals I ever found in my collecting efforts. Structurally, it's nearly perfect, with just the tiniest little bindery issues at the top and bottom of the spine, and a couple of almost invisible spine tics. Then there is just the lightest and thinnest of all possible color-breaking scratches underneath the lowest branch of the tree, and that's it--and I found it on Amazon, of all places, for $6.95 ($12.50 landed, after 5.55 in shipping and tax)! I've seen copies in comparable condition sold for ten times that ($60-$70 on daBay), so I kinda feel like I stole one here. You most certainly did... Axe Elf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lions Den Posted July 23, 2023 Share Posted July 23, 2023 On 7/23/2023 at 1:03 AM, OtherEric said: Isle of the Vrykolakas: Nice art by Colon and a solid plot twist by Glut, with only unusually dire comments from Cousin Eerie bringing the story down a half point. I think it's interesting that "Vrykolakas" is spelled "Vryklakas" on the cover..."O" my! Axe Elf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OtherEric Posted July 23, 2023 Share Posted July 23, 2023 On 7/23/2023 at 8:28 AM, The Lions Den said: I think it's interesting that "Vrykolakas" is spelled "Vryklakas" on the cover..."O" my! It's a word I can easily forgive people for messing up, to be fair... Axe Elf and The Lions Den 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayman Posted July 23, 2023 Share Posted July 23, 2023 On 7/23/2023 at 11:28 AM, The Lions Den said: I think it's interesting that "Vrykolakas" is spelled "Vryklakas" on the cover..."O" my! The word totally reminds me of The Wurdulak story from Mario Bava’s 1963 film Black Sabbath with Boris Karloff! The Lions Den 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Elf Posted July 23, 2023 Author Share Posted July 23, 2023 On 7/23/2023 at 10:58 AM, OtherEric said: It's a word I can easily forgive people for messing up, to be fair... Spelling errors always catch my eye, but even my eye missed that one. The Lions Den 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lions Den Posted July 23, 2023 Share Posted July 23, 2023 On 7/23/2023 at 2:48 PM, Axe Elf said: Spelling errors always catch my eye, but even my eye missed that one. Now you know how it feels to be a grader at CGC... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Elf Posted July 23, 2023 Author Share Posted July 23, 2023 On 7/23/2023 at 4:43 PM, The Lions Den said: Now you know how it feels to be a grader at CGC. I would be thankful for my Quality Control support staff... I know they'd have my back. The Lions Den 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Elf Posted July 23, 2023 Author Share Posted July 23, 2023 On 7/23/2023 at 12:00 AM, Axe Elf said: Notes: Steranko’s sole contribution to Warren was nice, but gave the appearance of having been originally intended for the gothic paperback lines of the time rather than as an original painting done for the Warren line. Coincidentally this week... The Lions Den 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Elf Posted July 28, 2023 Author Share Posted July 28, 2023 So I thought it was just a made-up name, but I guess "Vrykolakas" are a thing. If you need help, as I did... So they're vampires. And this is indeed the Vrykolakas issue. Vampires here, vampires there, vampires everywhere you look... "EERIE Monster Gallery": Vampires. (And yes, I agree with @OtherEric that this is awfully wordy for a "gallery.") "Isle of the Vrykolakas": Yeah, it's really "Isle of the Vampires." (Although I wasn't too weary of the bloodsuckers by this point, so I thought this was a nice twist--a vampire who passes the "stink test" because he is a leprous vampire! Although it did occur to me that having to wait a few weeks to see if decay sets in is a pretty inefficient test for vampirism. Why couldn't they just hold up a pocket mirror and see if he casts a reflection? But then, no twist...) "Mistake": Mis-STAKE, get it? It's about a mobster killed for being a vampire when he was seen arising from his faked death. "Hijack to Horror": Some vampires and werewolves hijack a plane, not to Cuba (lol at remembering "hijacked to Cuba" being a going concern when I was a kid), but to New Transylvania. "To Pay the Piper" starts out with killing... Hooboy... At this point I actually put the magazine down and came back to it the next day; I just couldn't read another vampire story. Imagine my relief when I found that once all the vampires were dead, the story was really about werewolves. I didn't even remember that this story was a reprint, until after I went back to see what the other reprint was (I recognized "House of Evil," though it mainly just made me miss Joe Orlando's art). Not surprising, I guess, since it's from way back in CREEPY #2, but good grief, if they had their choice of reprints, why did they choose a fifth straight feature with VAMPIRES?? It's the ISSUE OF THE VRYKOLAKAS, that's why! Aaaand it looks like "Southern Exposure" is going to be a vampire story too, from the ending of Part 1--but at least there will be "something even more hideous than that" to share the spotlight. The most reasonable explanation as to why there is another reprint in this issue rather than the second part of this story--especially in light of @OtherEric's observation that Sutton's art seems rushed in places--is probably simply that it wasn't done yet. But I guess we will never know for sure. There's a "chicken or the egg" quality to whether the cover of this issue was drawn to represent the story, or whether the story was crafted around the cover, but this story seems to be clearly connected to the cover, with images from the Prologue being very similar to the cover. The early Warrens seem to be pretty heavy on "monster" themes in general, which makes sense, given that the Famous Monsters of Filmland title was doing so well. And even in getting away from the hordes of vampires that crowded the first part of this issue, "The Thing in the Cave" brings us a "Creature from the Black Lagoon" monster cloned straight from the movies as well. The story was kind of fun, though; what with the giant mutant moth, and the historical perspective of the growing experimentation with psilocybin and mescaline in pursuit of Native American spirituality. There's a good story somewhere in the idea for "Hex Marks the Spot," but this isn't it. It's like everyone in the world knows about these hexes, except for this guy's shrew wife--yet he lets her make the decision to remove their protection?? But there could have been a double-twist to this one--if the only difference between the "good hex" and the "bad hex" is the direction they are pointing, how does anyone know if a hex carved in a field is pointing up or down? The westward-facing farmer might have thought it was a good hex, but an eastward-facing demon might have grounds to disagree, and executed his mission (and the farmer) anyway. "Dear Cousin EERIE" was chock-full of praise for the cover of EERIE #23 ("Frazetta sure can draw pretty girls!"), and a couple of complaints about the price hike to 50 cents per issue--but my favorite was the kid who said his friend would have to stop buying EERIE because his mom thought the cover of #23 was "trashy." I didn't particularly care for any of the material in the "EERIE Fan Fare," although the second story took me a minute to catch on to what was happening (dumb as it was). @OtherEric made an interesting point about the advance copies of VAMPIRELLA #4 being a possible explanation for the two different text color cover variants. If no one has done it by then, when we get to VAMPIRELLA #4 in a couple of weeks I will break out my copies and compare the indicia to see if there is any difference--though to my knowledge the only difference between the two is the orange/purple text on the front cover. So I guess if you like vampires, this is the EERIE for you, and I think the gothic cover goes very well with the issue in that regard, whether or not it was created for that purpose. OtherEric, Jayman and The Lions Den 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OtherEric Posted July 29, 2023 Share Posted July 29, 2023 On 7/28/2023 at 4:31 PM, Axe Elf said: Aaaand it looks like "Southern Exposure" is going to be a vampire story too, from the ending of Part 1--but at least there will be "something even more hideous than that" to share the spotlight. The most reasonable explanation as to why there is another reprint in this issue rather than the second part of this story--especially in light of @OtherEric's observation that Sutton's art seems rushed in places--is probably simply that it wasn't done yet. But I guess we will never know for sure. There's a "chicken or the egg" quality to whether the cover of this issue was drawn to represent the story, or whether the story was crafted around the cover, but this story seems to be clearly connected to the cover, with images from the Prologue being very similar to the cover. Actually, now that you point it out... I wonder if they somehow got the rights to the cover, originally meant for elsewhere, and wanted to do a story based on it, but something was so last minute they had to go with the two parter? I could see Warren wanting to push the Steranko cover up in the queue, since he was a big name at this point, and the two parter being the only way they could tie it in in time for the deadline on the issue. The Lions Den and Axe Elf 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Elf Posted July 29, 2023 Author Share Posted July 29, 2023 On 7/28/2023 at 7:05 PM, OtherEric said: Actually, now that you point it out... I wonder if they somehow got the rights to the cover, originally meant for elsewhere, and wanted to do a story based on it, but something was so last minute they had to go with the two parter? I could see Warren wanting to push the Steranko cover up in the queue, since he was a big name at this point, and the two parter being the only way they could tie it in in time for the deadline on the issue. Sounds reasonable. OtherEric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Elf Posted July 30, 2023 Author Share Posted July 30, 2023 VAMPIRELLA #3 - January 1970 (This is one I get out to show people how nice-looking a 50+ year old magazine can be... It's sooo WHITE!) According to the Warren Magazine Index... 3. cover: Vaughn Bode & Larry Todd (Jan. 1970) 1) Vampi’s Feary Tales: Queen Of Outer Space! [Forrest J. Ackerman/MR. Piscopo] 1p [frontis] 2) Evily: Wicked Is Who Wicked Does! [Bill Parente/Tom Sutton] 7p 3) Blast Off To A Nightmare! [Al Hewetson/Jack Sparling] 10p 4) Eleven Footsteps To Lucy Fuhr [Terri Abrahms & Nick Beal/Ed Robbins] 7p 5) I Wake Up… Screaming! [Billy Graham] 8p 6) The Caliegia! [Nicola Cuti/MR. Piscopo] 7p 7) Didn’t I See You On Television? [Billy Graham] 4p 8) A Slimy Situation! [R. Michael Rosen/Jack Sparling] 6p Notes: Although it’s not that hard to find, this issue unaccountably is very expensive to acquire! Future comic writer Doug Moench sent in a letter. Billy Graham’s ‘I Wake Up…Screaming!’ featured characters with the likenesses of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Paul Newman, James Dean, David Niven, Kirk Douglas, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bill Cosby, Robert Culp, Robert Vaughn, David McCallum & David Janssen. For all that hoop-de-do, the best story here was ‘Eleven Steps To Lucy Fuhr’. With the exceptions of Sutton & Graham the artwork is still substandard. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would imagine that this is the last of the really "clean" issues for a while--no reprints, no letters column, no fan page--just seven new stories and a "Gorry Hackerman" Feary Tale. Pure Warrenness. I'm really looking forward to new Billy Graham art; hopefully it will be just as good as his "Rhapsody in Red" in the previous issue. I'm wondering if maybe the Index got the Billly Graham stories mixed up, though; doesn't it seem like all the celebrity likenesses would be in "Didn't I See You On Television?" rather than "I Wake Up... Screaming!"? And I didn't realize there was another Evily installment this soon, so that should be a highlight for me as well. OtherEric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OtherEric Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 (edited) Vampirella 3 thoughts: This issue is notorious for being scarce. I don't think it really is at this point, but similarly to the Eerie #17 this one disappeared from the back issue ads very early on, earning it a reputation of being hard to find. Cover: Our first Warren work from Vaughn Bode and Larry Todd. Bode only ever does a handful of covers for Warren, and never solo, although the co-artist varies. Todd has a couple of interior stories as well as covers. Both are best known for their work in underground comics, although in Bode's case that's not strictly accurate when you look at the record. Bode actually had tons of stuff published in mainstream magazines or books, such as National Lampoon, but it was the mainstream trying to show an interest in the underground, if that makes sense. Feary Tales: Another movie summary by Forrest J. Ackerman. I think this marks the end of Ackerman's work in the comic magazines, which is fine by me, since he never really seemed interested in the comics as a medium. Wicked is Who Wicked Does: Great art by Sutton, but the story is driven by a version of Vampirella (who only appears, in bat form, in the first panel in the story proper) that is very much not really the character as we now know her. So this winds up just feeling very odd. One interesting detail is the narrator bits... it's introduced by Evily but the conclusion is by Vampirella. Vampirella ad: I wish I knew more about the preview copy of Vampi #4, like I said when the ad appeared in Eerie last time. Blast Off to a Nightmare: After one story back in Creepy #18, we'll start seeing Jack Sparling and his studio quite a bit. This is also the debut of Al Hewetson, who does a fair number of stories before going off to Skywald. The story works well, almost in spite of itself, and I think the credit largely goes to Sparling for that. I noticed quite a few typos, I can only imagine how many @Axe Elf will spot. I wonder what came first, the cover or the story? My guess is story, but not sure. Eleven Footsteps to Lucy Fuhr: A story from three creators we'll never see again in the Warrens, the writers don't seem to have any other comic credits at all. Ed Robbins had an extensive comic career, dating as far back as 1940. The story draws from A. Merritt's Seven Footprints to Satan, as the name of one of the characters indicates. The original story is available here:https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0601971h.html It originally came out in 1927, so it's in the Public Domain in the US as well; not sure why it's not on the US Project Gutenburg yet. Maybe they're waiting for next year, since that's when the book version came out. After all that, the story is decent but I don't see why the index claims it's the best. I Wake Up... Screaming: Not quite a masterpiece, but Graham's work here is excellent. Miles better than the Lucy Fuhr story in my opinion. I can see the likenesses the index mentions but I probably wouldn't have if they hadn't been called out. The Caliegia: Piscopo's art is rather hit or miss, and Cuti is clearly still honing his skills. But this is still a charming fantasy story that makes a very nice change of pace. Didn't I See You on Television?: A very lightweight story, but great art by Graham again. And the change of pace works well. A Slimy Situation: Good art from Sparling and his studio, the story is fairly generic but it's at least trying to bring another level to the work with the prologue setting up the characters. It gets extra points for trying something new even if the execution is average. Overall, this was an excellent issue. Not flawless by any means, but all of the stories had something to add to the overall package, and there was a very nice mix of content here that elevates the book as a whole. Edited July 30, 2023 by OtherEric Jayman, The Lions Den and Axe Elf 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OtherEric Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Just some other Bode covers for comparison. The Lions Den and Axe Elf 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Elf Posted July 30, 2023 Author Share Posted July 30, 2023 Lots of great backstory and information--thanks! OtherEric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayman Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 On 7/30/2023 at 1:06 AM, OtherEric said: This is also the debut of Al Hewetson, who does a fair number of stories before going off to Skywald. This piqued my interest. I knew Hewetson had worked for Marvel but was unaware he did some Warren fare! Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lions Den Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 On 7/30/2023 at 10:55 AM, Jayman said: This piqued my interest. I knew Hewetson had worked for Marvel but was unaware he did some Warren fare! Thanks for the info! And from what I've read, Warren wasn't too thrilled when Hewetson went to Skywald and became part of the competition... Jayman and Axe Elf 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayman Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 On 7/30/2023 at 11:15 AM, The Lions Den said: And from what I've read, Warren wasn't too thrilled when Hewetson went to Skywald and became part of the competition... He also seemed to lure Tom Sutton away as well, at least for a couple of stories… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lions Den Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 On 7/30/2023 at 1:00 AM, Axe Elf said: VAMPIRELLA #3 - January 1970 (This is one I get out to show people how nice-looking a 50+ year old magazine can be... It's sooo WHITE!) According to the Warren Magazine Index... 3. cover: Vaughn Bode & Larry Todd (Jan. 1970) 1) Vampi’s Feary Tales: Queen Of Outer Space! [Forrest J. Ackerman/MR. Piscopo] 1p [frontis] 2) Evily: Wicked Is Who Wicked Does! [Bill Parente/Tom Sutton] 7p 3) Blast Off To A Nightmare! [Al Hewetson/Jack Sparling] 10p 4) Eleven Footsteps To Lucy Fuhr [Terri Abrahms & Nick Beal/Ed Robbins] 7p 5) I Wake Up… Screaming! [Billy Graham] 8p 6) The Caliegia! [Nicola Cuti/MR. Piscopo] 7p 7) Didn’t I See You On Television? [Billy Graham] 4p 8) A Slimy Situation! [R. Michael Rosen/Jack Sparling] 6p Notes: Although it’s not that hard to find, this issue unaccountably is very expensive to acquire! Future comic writer Doug Moench sent in a letter. Billy Graham’s ‘I Wake Up…Screaming!’ featured characters with the likenesses of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Paul Newman, James Dean, David Niven, Kirk Douglas, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bill Cosby, Robert Culp, Robert Vaughn, David McCallum & David Janssen. For all that hoop-de-do, the best story here was ‘Eleven Steps To Lucy Fuhr’. With the exceptions of Sutton & Graham the artwork is still substandard. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would imagine that this is the last of the really "clean" issues for a while--no reprints, no letters column, no fan page--just seven new stories and a "Gorry Hackerman" Feary Tale. Pure Warrenness. I'm really looking forward to new Billy Graham art; hopefully it will be just as good as his "Rhapsody in Red" in the previous issue. I'm wondering if maybe the Index got the Billly Graham stories mixed up, though; doesn't it seem like all the celebrity likenesses would be in "Didn't I See You On Television?" rather than "I Wake Up... Screaming!"? And I didn't realize there was another Evily installment this soon, so that should be a highlight for me as well. Notice how the greenish background on the front cover gets darker from left to right...quite common on this book. Another odd anomaly for those interested in such things... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
