Warren Magazine Reading Club! 7 7

[Jayman]

Creepy 45:

From the Warren Magazines Index:

Cover: Enrich Torres (May 1972) 

1) Creepy’s Loathsome Lore: The Chiklil Tablets! [Bill DuBay] 1p   [frontis]

2) Creepy Comments/The Story Behind ‘The Men Who Called Him Monster!’ [J. R. Cochran & Don McGregor] 1p   [text articles on the letters’ page]

3) What Rough Beast [Jan Strnad/Frank Brunner] 8p

4) Targos [Jack Katz/Jack Katz & Nebot] 10p

5) And Horror Crawls…From Out Of The Sea! [Kevin Pagan/Tom Sutton] 8p

6) For The Sake Of Your Children! [Ed Fedory/Jaime Brocal] 11p

7) Dungeons Of The Soul [T. Casey Brennan/Felix Mas] 8p

8) Creepy’s Fan Club: Jose Bea Profile/Remember Yesterday/The Cold Earth/Hybrid Of Hell/The Viewer/Out Of The Sea/The Gift/Stare [J. R. Cochran, Tony Boatright, Edgar Dejesus, Randy Williams, Jerome Herskovits, Kevin Schaffer, Barry Aydelotte & Jerry Bradman/Jose Bea, R. Taylor & Surn Iil Oh] 2p   [text article/stories]

9) The Picture Of Death [Jose Bea] 11p 

Notes: Editor: J. R. Cochran.  A short article entitled ‘Creepy Comments’ appeared on the letters’ page, as did the official beginning of ‘The Story Behind…’ series.  A ‘Little Orphan Annie’ strip from Dec. 1971, featuring a Prof. Creepy (who looked nothing like Warren’s Uncle Creepy) is reprinted on the letters’ page.  Future artist R. G. Taylor could be the R. Taylor featured on the fan page.  A pretty good issue with nice work from Frank Brunner and Tom Sutton, and interesting stories from Jan Strnad, Jack Katz, Ed Fedory & Kevin Pagan.  Best story though is Jose Bea’s ‘The Picture Of Death.’

—————————————————

A very creepy cover that I’m not sure the red border hinders or helps the painting. Already read this one last night and will have some thoughts to share soon. Always liked Jose Bea’s art. Nice learning more about him now.

[KirbyJack]

I had never photographed these before. 

[Jayman]

On 6/22/2024 at 6:01 PM, KirbyJack said:

I had never photographed these before. 

Ah…Hemmm!

Good Sir, this is the Warren Reading Club. Please kindly submit your reviews of these excellent issues…

 

 

[KirbyJack]

On 6/22/2024 at 7:18 PM, Jayman said:

Ah…Hemmm!

Good Sir, this is the Warren Reading Club. Please kindly submit your reviews of these excellent issues…

 

 

A thousand apologies. I read these a very long time ago, and have forgotten. I will bump them towards the top of my pile, but obviously not to the very top (legal reasons): it’ll be a bit. 

[KirbyJack]

I found a minute to read one! As war is my favorite EC genre, I started with Blazing Combat #4, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Overall, I felt the stories were more historical and less personal than Kurtzman's stuff, but excellent. Archie Goodwin is sorely missed.

Colan's first story had ups (page 6 bottom left panel) and downs (page 5's weird m-14/m-16 combination rifle). "Combat Suspenstories"!

The George Evans 2 pager was cool, and I learned why the French Open is played at a place called Roland Garros.

Love Alex Toth, and while "The Edge" isn't his best work, it's damned good. 

Russ Heath can really draw. His attention to detail is stunning: Harvey must have made a lasting impression. 

Wood's "ME-262" good story, great ending! 

The Severin story reminded me most of his old EC stuff. Maybe the most personal of the mag.

"Thermopylae". Fun bookend treatment, good guys win then lose, Reed Crandall; what's not to love?

Torres' made great use of the B&W format in "Night Drop!", and Goodwin's script matched it to the grim end.

All in all, I really dug this read, and now I'll certainly be hunting for the other issues. Oh, and Warren had a lot of nerve pushing subscriptions in the last issue! Did they send the suckers that signed up a Creepy, at least? 

 

[Jayman]

@KirbyJack, there was no intended pressure to review.  However, it was the purpose of this thread to revisit these issues and enjoy/dislike/discuss these mags. I’m very glad you enjoyed your read! 

[KirbyJack]

Hey,  rules is rules. 
I’m grateful to have been prodded into rereading!

I peeked at eBay to get a sense of prices for 1-3, and it looks like I’ll be seeking a cheaper way to own them. Does the ‘78 thickbook reprint everything?

[Jayman]

On 6/23/2024 at 11:19 AM, KirbyJack said:

Hey,  rules is rules. 
I’m grateful to have been prodded into rereading!

I peeked at eBay to get a sense of prices for 1-3, and it looks like I’ll be seeking a cheaper way to own them. Does the ‘78 thickbook reprint everything?

You mean this one?

I believe it does, but not 100% certain it has the letter and/or ad pages included as I don’t own all the originals myself and can’t compare.

[KirbyJack]

That’s the one. I think that’s my target. 
 

I should probably find out what it’s called, tho. I don’t imagine “thickbook” will get me where I want to be. 

[Stevemmg]

While it’s not always consistent, it’s generally referred to as the Blazing Combat Anthology. It has all of the stories, without any ads, etc. The four covers are at the rear of the book in full color. 

[The Lions Den]

On 6/23/2024 at 10:31 AM, KirbyJack said:

Russ Heath can really draw. His attention to detail is stunning: Harvey must have made a lasting impression. 

He allegedly used himself as a physical reference for every character in this story. Still one of the best things he ever did, IMHO... 

[Ken Aldred]

Fantagraphics also did a very nice Blazing Combat hardcover back in the mid 2000s, which I have a copy of.

[Ken Aldred]

On 6/18/2024 at 1:48 PM, Jayman said:

Mine too! One of the best things about it was how the ending was not grim, but almost promised hope for a continued existence no matter how small he got. Would have been great if they ever followed it up with his adventures in a sub atomic universe. Hence why this story reminded me of the movie.

 

On 6/18/2024 at 3:12 PM, The Lions Den said:

A great ending which almost didn't happen due to a difference of opinion. And Richard Matheson's first screenplay, as I recall...

For me, one of the best closing monologues in movie history.

[Jayman]

On 6/23/2024 at 7:21 PM, Ken Aldred said:

 

For me, one of the best closing monologues in movie history.

“I was continuing to shrink, to become… What? The infinitesimal? What was I? Still a human being? Or was I the man of the future? If there were other bursts of radiation, other clouds drifting across seas and continents, would other beings follow me into this vast new world? So close, the infinitesimal and the infinite. But suddenly I knew they were really the two ends of the same concept. The unbelievably small and the unbelievably vast eventually meet, like the closing of a gigantic circle. I looked up, as if somehow I would grasp the heavens, the universe, worlds beyond number. God’s silver tapestry spread across the night. And in that moment I knew the answer to the riddle of the infinite. I had thought in terms of Man’s own limited dimension. I had presumed upon Nature. That existence begins and ends is Man’s conception, not Nature’s. And I felt my body dwindling, melting, becoming nothing. My fears melted away and in their place came acceptance. All this vast majesty of creation, it had to mean something. And then I meant something too. Yes, smaller than the smallest, I meant something too. To God, there is no zero.”

”I still exist!”

Edited June 24 by Jayman
Missed “I still exist!”

[FoggyNelson]

On 6/22/2024 at 1:56 PM, Jayman said:

 

Creepy 45:

From the Warren Magazines Index:

Cover: Enrich Torres (May 1972) 

1) Creepy’s Loathsome Lore: The Chiklil Tablets! [Bill DuBay] 1p   [frontis]

2) Creepy Comments/The Story Behind ‘The Men Who Called Him Monster!’ [J. R. Cochran & Don McGregor] 1p   [text articles on the letters’ page]

3) What Rough Beast [Jan Strnad/Frank Brunner] 8p

4) Targos [Jack Katz/Jack Katz & Nebot] 10p

5) And Horror Crawls…From Out Of The Sea! [Kevin Pagan/Tom Sutton] 8p

6) For The Sake Of Your Children! [Ed Fedory/Jaime Brocal] 11p

7) Dungeons Of The Soul [T. Casey Brennan/Felix Mas] 8p

8) Creepy’s Fan Club: Jose Bea Profile/Remember Yesterday/The Cold Earth/Hybrid Of Hell/The Viewer/Out Of The Sea/The Gift/Stare [J. R. Cochran, Tony Boatright, Edgar Dejesus, Randy Williams, Jerome Herskovits, Kevin Schaffer, Barry Aydelotte & Jerry Bradman/Jose Bea, R. Taylor & Surn Iil Oh] 2p   [text article/stories]

9) The Picture Of Death [Jose Bea] 11p 

Notes: Editor: J. R. Cochran.  A short article entitled ‘Creepy Comments’ appeared on the letters’ page, as did the official beginning of ‘The Story Behind…’ series.  A ‘Little Orphan Annie’ strip from Dec. 1971, featuring a Prof. Creepy (who looked nothing like Warren’s Uncle Creepy) is reprinted on the letters’ page.  Future artist R. G. Taylor could be the R. Taylor featured on the fan page.  A pretty good issue with nice work from Frank Brunner and Tom Sutton, and interesting stories from Jan Strnad, Jack Katz, Ed Fedory & Kevin Pagan.  Best story though is Jose Bea’s ‘The Picture Of Death.’

—————————————————

A very creepy cover that I’m not sure the red border hinders or helps the painting. Already read this one last night and will have some thoughts to share soon. Always liked Jose Bea’s art. Nice learning more about him now.

Never saw#45 before an it’s 😎 

[Jayman]

Creepy 45 thoughts:

Cover: I’m leaning towards liking the red around this one. Enrich paints a ghoulish figure and the red border enhances the blood around the mouth IMO.

Creepy’s Loathsome Lore: The Chiklil Tablets!

The Chiklil tablets sound like something ripped from Erich von Däniken’s Chariots of the Gods. I searched the internet for any reference and found none, excluding a link to the Warren Reading Club! I’m assuming this Loathsome Lore was fabricated for this issue.

1 What Rough Beast:

The title is from a line of Yeat’s poem “The Second Coming”. This was an Antichrist type of tale with some nice art by Brunner. A little lofty in its approach with an ending that was just so-so to me.

2 Targos:

They tried to squeeze an epic story into a ten page slot with this one. I do find myself liking Nebot’s clean line style but the story was a bit on the over ambitious side. This I think would have worked better as a serial such as Dax the Warrior over in Eerie. Such as it was, it felt rushed to an un-climatic ending. 

3 And Horror Crawls…From Out Of The Sea!:

An interesting sci-fi tale with similar aspects to “The Thing” (Carpenter version). Perfect tale for Sutton’s style.

4 For The Sake Of Your Children!:

I read this one twice as I was sure I missed something. Still not sure I understand “the children” reference. The Vampire’s or the villagers? Then there’s the fact that children were murdered and both times the suspects denied the accusations saying it was a mistake! I did like Brocal’s art on this and it did end in a very chilling scene. Still not sure how Uncle Creepy ended up with the three gals at the closing though…

5 Dungeons Of The Soul:

Nice art and story for this one. Not really a horror story but more fantasy/romance. Being old-school myself, it reminded me of that Star Trek episode where Kirk’s good and evil personalities get split, The Enemy Within. I liked it.

6 The Picture Of Death:

Good story but was very reminiscent of one from Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. I think Creepy is doing a fairly good job of pairing up writer and artist to date. Bea does double duty on this one and his art works wonderful for his story.

There were more winners than losers in this issue for me with Targos being my least favorite.

Edited Tuesday at 03:06 AM by Jayman

[The Lions Den]

On 6/24/2024 at 10:59 PM, Jayman said:

An interesting sci-fi tale with similar aspects to “The Thing” (Carpenter version). Perfect tale for Sutton’s style.

I do see similarities to "The Thing" (another one of my favorite movies). This story actually does give me the creeps every time I read it, and Sutton's art is particularly effective. For me, this is another strong issue and another one that seems tougher to find in high grade... 

[OtherEric]

Creepy 45 thoughts:

Cover:  I'm less certain I like the cover border, although I imagine this stood out like a beacon on the stands.  My copy is every bit as beautiful as you would expect a book graded 6.0 by MCS to be, though.

Loathsome Lore:  It does look like DuBay was just making stuff up.  But as a lore piece, it's very much in the vein of von Däniken, so it would have felt like the stories going around at the time.  It's possible they couldn't actually use a von Däniken bit of story due to copyright.  But don't expect me to give them a pass for this very often.

What Rough Beast:  Beautiful art, and an odd ending that actually worked very well for me, although I get why it didn't for @Jayman.

Targos: Nice work by Katz and Nebot on many levels, but it feels like a 100 page or even longer story crammed into 10.  I really do need to sit down and read a few issues of Katz's The First Kingdom one of these days soon, I grabbed the 1st 4 issues a few weeks ago at a local store.

And Horror Crawls from out of the Sea:  Nice Sutton art, a decent enough story as a frame for such art but nothing terribly original.

For the Sake of Your Children:  Ed Fedory has 3 stories for Warren and a few dozen for others, mostly Skywald.  The story is, as suggested, a bit of a mess.  Nice art, though.

Dungeons of the Soul:  An excellent idea and great art, but I think it didn't all come together as well as it could have.  The flashbacks and backstory monologues don't quite work the rhythm of the story that well.  Still, that's very much something keeping the story from being a masterpiece, it's still very good.

Ad pages: I thought they had sold out of the Blazing Combat #1 a long time ago, they must have found a few more.  And I do like the ad for the Horror Comics of the 50's collection, because it's one of the first things I recall seeing in the ad pages (other than back issues) that I actually have.  An amazing book for EC fans.

Picture of Death:  I think the story spends too much time setting itself up, once you hit the actual scenes in the painting it's pretty great but it takes a long time to get there.

Overall, a solid issue, but nothing that really blew my mind.

[Jayman]

On 6/28/2024 at 6:59 PM, OtherEric said:

For the Sake of Your Children:  Ed Fedory has 3 stories for Warren and a few dozen for others, mostly Skywald.  The story is, as suggested, a bit of a mess.  Nice art, though.

 

Still puzzled as to who was the female vampires son. The original vampire that was beheaded? I am either clueless or the script was badly edited. Any idea?

[OtherEric]

Eerie # 40- June 1972

cover: Manuel Sanjulian (June 1972)

            1) Eerie’s Monster Gallery: Dracula’s Castle [Fred Ott/Rafael Auraleon] 2p   [frontis & on inside back cover]

            2) The Story Behind ‘Stake In The Game’. [Doug Moench] 1/3p   [text article on letters’ page]

            3) The Brain Of Frankenstein [Fred Ott/Mike Ploog] 10p

            4) The Once Powerful Prince [Steve Skeates/Jaime Brocal] 13p

            5) Dax The Warrior: The Paradise Tree [Esteban Maroto & ?/Esteban Maroto] 8p    [story credited solely to Maroto]

            6) Deathfall [Sanho Kim] 10p

7) The Prodigy Son [Don Glut/Jose Bea] 6p

8) Eerie Fanfare: Buddy Saunders Profile/Kingdom Come/The Grim Spectre/Snow/Puritan’s Progress/The Story Behind The Story: ‘The Night The Snow Spilled Blood!’/Paradise Lost!/Voice Of Doom [Buddy Saunders, James Charles, Rick Cook, Joe Letts, Jerry Bradman, ?, Don McGregor, David Yates & David A. Wasyk/Bruce Waldman, Tom Sutton & J. A. Williams] 2p   [text articles/stories w/photo]

9)       Pity The Grave Digger! [Buddy Saunders/Rafael Auraleon] 6p

Notes: Editor: J. R. Cochran.  Price increased to 75 cents and size increased to 72 pages.  Mike Ploog’s final Warren story appeared to be a warm up for his excellent Frankenstein series for Marvel, which appeared about six months later.  It was easily the best art in the issue, although Maroto, Kim and Auraleon also do noteworthy jobs.  ‘The Once Powerful Prince’ was a sequel to ‘The Other Side Of Atlantis’ from Eerie #37. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

 I seem to recall us complaining that "The Other Side of Atlantis" ended rather abruptly, so a sequel might actually be interesting.  I also don't recall a two page Monster Gallery before.  Otherwise, not a lot to say about this one before I read it.

Edited 17 hours ago by OtherEric