Warren Magazine Reading Club! 6 6

[Axe Elf]

CREEPY #9 - June 1966

According to the Warren Magazine Index...

9. cover: Frank Frazetta (June 1966)

1) Creepy’s Loathsome Lore: Giant Man-Apes! [Archie Goodwin/Roy G. Krenkel] 1p  [frontis]

2) Dark Kingdom! [Archie Goodwin/Gray Morrow] 8p

3) The Castle On The Moor! [Johnny Craig] 6p   [story & art credited to Jay Taycee]

4) Adam Link’s Vengeance! [Otto Binder/Joe Orlando] 8p   from the story by Binder

5) Overworked! [Archie Goodwin/Wally Wood & Dan Adkins] 6p

6) The Creepy Fan Club: Alex Toth Profile [Archie Goodwin/Berni Wrightson] 1p   [text article w/photo]

7) The Coffin Of Dracula, part 2 [Archie Goodwin/Reed Crandall] 8p

8) Out Of Time [Archie Goodwin/Alex Toth] 6p

9) The Spirit Of The Thing! [Archie Goodwin/Steve Ditko] 8p

10) Easy Way To A Tuff Surfboard! [Archie Goodwin/Frank Frazetta] ½p   [anti-smoking ad]

Notes: Frazetta’s cover of a swordsman attacked by flying vampires was only fair although the vampires were cool.  Morrow’s lead character in his story appears to be the same character he later used in his ‘Edge Of Chaos’ comic for Pacific Comics in the early 1980s.  The Wood/Adkins art was not very impressive but then neither was the story.  Berni Wrightson made his comics debut with a pin-up showing a man being dragged into a grave by three ghouls.  The tombstone in the foreground reads “Berni Wrightson, Dec. 15, 1965.”  All in all, this is not a very impressive issue with even the great artists appearing to have an off day and Goodwin’s stories feeling rushed and uninspired.  Best efforts are the conclusion to ‘Coffin Of Dracula’ & the Morrow story.

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It sounds like even the Warren Index guy wasn't too excited about this issue, but I'll have to see for myself. 

From Bernie A. Wrightson, the fan letter writer in CREEPY #5 to Berni Wrightson, the artist in CREEPY #9 in just 8 short months!  It's really kind of cool to follow along these timelines the way they played out originally in real time--just with an accelerated scope!

Speaking of time vortexes--the inked "4/19" date on my copy indicates that Warrens were still releasing a couple of months earlier than their cover dates.

Looking forward to the conclusion of "The Coffin of Dracula"--and what this installment of Adam Link might bring...

[OtherEric]

Creepy #9 thoughts:

Not a huge fan of the cover, although when looking to buy a copy it was very recognizable from the thumbnail.  The downside is I will forever think of this as the "E" cover, because the demons on the left look like a large E on the thumbnail.  Still, lesser Frazetta is better than 99.5% of everybody else.

Loathsome Lore:  Krenkel is probably the most Frazettaesque artist other than Frazetta himself, as shows here.  They were also frequently working together around this time, although I hadn't ever heard a suggestion Frazetta contributed to this page.  It wouldn't surprise me, though.

Dark Kingdom: Perhaps a little less innovative than what we've seen from Morrow recently, but still a very good job in service of a strong story.

The Castle on the Moor:  A bit too text-heavy for me.  Good work by Johnny Craig where it's actually visible.

Adam Link's Vengeance:  And back to 'meh' for these, honestly.

Overworked:  I liked this more than our indexer did.  I think part of the problem is it's in the shadow of three other stories Wally Wood worked on... "My World", "His Name is... Kane", and "My Word".  Two of which, to be fair, came after this story.  But the story feels like the least of the four, and that hurts it.  I suspect it worked better when it first came out, and even now it's a pretty strong piece.  But it's not one of the 100 greatest comic stories ever... and "My World" and "His Name is... Kane" are, if not on that list, serious contenders for it.

Creepy Fan Club:  I'm sure for some people this is the key point of the issue.  It's hard not to view it as far more important than was ever expected when it first appeared, given that Wrightson is one of the Warren legends.  But he won't actually do anything else for the company for quite a while.  It's still crazy neat in its own way.

The Coffin of Dracula:  Now that we've got the whole thing, it's not a bad story.  But it doesn't seem to warrant the 2-part status to my mind.  I suppose we could consider it the first step towards Warren's serials and view it more positively as a step towards what Warren eventually became.

Out of Time:  One of Goodwin's stronger stories this issue, with great Toth art.

The Spirit of the Thing:  Ditko gets more weirdness to play with than in his first story in Eerie, and it's a good thing.

Easy way to a Tuff Surfboard count: 2

The book ends stronger than it begins, I think, but there's just too much in this issue that's "just OK".  I think there's enough good material that it's probably fair to say the whole comes across as less than the sum of its parts.  But it is a step down from the other recent issues and it shows in the reaction.

[The Lions Den]

On 8/7/2022 at 3:09 PM, D.O.C.R. said:

Then substitute "magazines" for "comics". It was the industry norm 

Here we go again...down the "troll hole..."   

[Jayman]

On 8/7/2022 at 1:45 AM, OtherEric said:

Creepy #9 thoughts:

Not a huge fan of the cover, although when looking to buy a copy it was very recognizable from the thumbnail.  The downside is I will forever think of this as the "E" cover, because the demons on the left look like a large E on the thumbnail.  Still, lesser Frazetta is better than 99.5% of everybody else.

Back on track. Great reviews so far but I’ve always considered this to be a Frazetta classic! Eye of the beholder I guess but my favorite thing with this painting is the composition to it. Frazetta masterfully creates a circular flow around the warrior that draws your eye around and around. Also, in comparison to a Boris painting where his characters are technically beautiful but stiff or “posed”, the warrior here seems to be painted in motion. Frazetta has used this approach before on his WSF 29 cover. The art just flows like a pinwheel, around and around! 

[OtherEric]

On 8/7/2022 at 3:29 PM, Jayman said:

Back on track. Great reviews so far but I’ve always considered this to be a Frazetta classic! Eye of the beholder I guess but my favorite thing with this painting is the composition to it. Frazetta masterfully creates a circular flow around the warrior that draws your eye around and around. Also, in comparison to a Boris painting where his characters are technically beautiful but stiff or “posed”, the warrior here seems to be painted in motion. Frazetta has used this approach before on his WSF 29 cover. The art just flows like a pinwheel, around and around! 

Now that you point it out I see how he was going for a similar effect on both covers.  Nice catch!

[Jayman]

On 8/7/2022 at 11:59 PM, OtherEric said:

Now that you point it out I see how he was going for a similar effect on both covers.  Nice catch!

And if it’s not one of your favorites, that’s fine. I was just pointing out why I like it so much. Now I can’t get that “E” cover out of my head! 

[Axe Elf]

On 8/7/2022 at 12:45 AM, OtherEric said:

The downside is I will forever think of this as the "E" cover, because the demons on the left look like a large E on the thumbnail.

He is being attacked with the greatest of Es!

[Axe Elf]

 As I was reading this issue, I was thinking that my main focus for this review would be all of the amazing art in this issue--what I was seeing looked like it was all drawn in little patchwork patterns and I was like "This is amazing!" but after a few stories by different artists that all looked like they were using the same technique, I got suspicious and checked out the actual book.

Apparently the electronic copy I was reading suffers from scanner interference patterns that were producing the interesting effect--it wasn't a feature of the actual art after all!  So disappointing--but still pretty fabulous art--and stories!--throughout the book!

For instance, my "Castle on the Moor" looks like this:

Cool, yeah, but not how it actually looks in the book.  And this might have been my least-favorite story in the book, because of a really weak ending--although the story itself was engaging until the end.  Seems like this ghoul is a pretty picky eater.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

"Loathsome Lore" - I liked that this edition on giant apes/ape men was allowed to be at least semi-factual, rather than a completely supernatural topic.

Fan Letters - Nothing particularly remarkable this issue; just an assortment of "loved it"/"hated it" reports.

"Dark Kingdom" really kicked off the issue with a bang!  Usually the cover art is related to the last story in the book, but in this case, it's related to the opener--and it deserved the attention!  It seemed like a longer, more intricately plotted piece than Goodwin usually produces, and it was so fun to read with really great art as well!  It reminded my of Sir Bodsworth Rugglesby III (he's the only man who's ever been to HELL and come back alive!), but then, the debut Klaatu album would not be released for another 10 years...

 

"Adam Link's Vengeance" provides competition for the worst story of the issue.  The saga has lost its "Frankenstein" flavor, and it's not even really a sci-fi story any more--it's more like a soap opera for robots.  I guess it probably made a better standalone book than a horror comic serial.

"Overworked" was very cool, with amazing art as well!  The story worked, and the fantastical aspects of it provided a framework for an imaginative artist like Wally Wood to go to town.

The "CREEPY Fan Club" was an amazing bio of Alex Toth, and the "fan art" by Berni Wrightson is just another one of those little Easter eggs that nobody knew was an Easter egg at the time it was published.

Interesting that the "Coffin of Dracula" conclusion began with the inspiration for the cover art of CREEPY #8--with the men driving the stake through the heart of the vampire.  I thought the 2-parter was resolved competently, and told a cohesive tale (though it was a little "lucky" that the vampire accidentally fell so that a stick of wood went through his heart).

"Out of Time" was a good time-traveler story with a bit of a supernatural twist, and justice for all at the end.

"The Spirit of the Thing" looks like it might have been the story that someone mentioned earlier about Steve Ditko doing washtones.  It's another piece with amazing art, expecially all the "shadow creatures" in the ether.

Unfortunately, this piece also suffered from "scan patches" so I had to go look at it in the actual book as well.  And this electronic copy neglected to scan the advertisement pages too, but it doesn't look like there was anything particularly unusual or noteworthy about them this time. (But they did fail to scan the Frazetta smoking ad inside the back cover!)

Anyway, overall a great follow-up to EERIE #3.  I enjoyed both issues quite a bit.  They both felt more "familiar" to me, from my limited consumption of Warrens in my teens, than many of the issues and stories that we've read before, so it really feels like they are coming into their own by now.

Edited August 12, 2022 by Axe Elf

[OtherEric]

On 8/12/2022 at 3:33 PM, Axe Elf said:

 As I was reading this issue, I was thinking that my main focus for this review would be all of the amazing art in this issue--what I was seeing looked like it was all drawn in little patchwork patterns and I was like "This is amazing!" but after a few stories by different artists that all looked like they were using the same technique, I got suspicious and checked out the actual book.

Apparently the electronic copy I was reading suffers from scanner interference patterns that were producing the interesting effect--it wasn't a feature of the actual art after all!  So disappointing--but still pretty fabulous art--and stories!--throughout the book!

 

You're using electronic copies?  That goes completely against the spirit of the reading club, and wasn't the whole point you had the entire runs assembled?

(Yeah, I tend to read the book, then use the Internet Archive when I'm actually compiling my notes too... )

[Axe Elf]

On 8/12/2022 at 5:38 PM, OtherEric said:

You're using electronic copies?

Is that blasphemy?  I just don't want to damage the actual books!  (And it's a lot easier to screen shot the art!)

I do have about 50 undercopies of various books, mostly EERIEs, and I was planning to actually read the physical copies of them, when we get there.  I believe the first is EERIE #5.

I will especially be using electronic copies when we get to the Vampirellas.  Mine are too nice to handle!

Edited August 12, 2022 by Axe Elf

[OtherEric]

On 8/12/2022 at 3:49 PM, Axe Elf said:

Is that blasphemy?  I just don't want to damage the actual books!  (And it's a lot easier to screen shot the art!)

I do have about 50 undercopies of various books, mostly EERIEs, and I was planning to actually read the physical copies of them, when we get there.  I believe the first is EERIE #5.

I will especially be using electronic copies when we get to the Vampirellas.  Mine are too nice to handle!

I was mostly being silly... you may have noticed I tend to do that occasionally.  I have very few Warrens that are too nice to handle, so I'm going for the originals.  If I can't fill in books before we get to them I will probably fall back on the digital versions without blinking.

[Jayman]

On 8/12/2022 at 6:49 PM, Axe Elf said:

Is that blasphemy?  I just don't want to damage the actual books!  (And it's a lot easier to screen shot the art!)

Half the review should be about how the pages feel and smell! 

 

 

[Axe Elf]

On 8/12/2022 at 7:13 PM, Jayman said:

Half the review should be about how the pages feel and smell!

I did notice my CREEPY #9 had kind of a funky smell to it once opened.  A little vinegary/acidic?

Any book docs able to make a diagnosis from that?

The pages themselves were very nice; smooth and supple.

[Surfing Alien]

On 8/12/2022 at 8:13 PM, Jayman said:

Half the review should be about how the pages feel and smell! 

 

 

*THIS* !!!  

I don't have my copy of Creepy #9 yet so not commenting on this issue, but I have Eerie #4 and almost all of the issues coming up in the next couple of months so I feel like I can chime in here. Half the fun for me is leafing through the actual issue and allowing that aroma of old acidic paper to waft through the senses. E-reading is just not a book experience for me. Call me old fashioned

[Axe Elf]

EERIE #4 - July 1966

According to the Warren Magazine Index...

4. cover: Gray Morrow (July 1966)

1) Eerie’s Monster Gallery No. 3: Zombies! [Archie Goodwin/Roy G. Krenkel] 1p   [frontis]

2) House Of Evil [Archie Goodwin/Jerry Grandenetti & Joe Orlando] 8p   [art credited solely to Orlando]

3) Hatchet Man [Archie Goodwin/Gene Colan] 8p

4) Gnawing Fear! [Ron Parker/Rocco Mastroserio] 7p

5) Shrieking Man! [Archie Goodwin/Steve Ditko] 7p

6) Undying Love! [Archie Goodwin/Donald Norman] 6p

7) Island At World’s End! [Archie Goodwin/Gray Morrow] 10p

8) Easy Way To A Tuff Surfboard! [Archie Goodwin/Frank Frazetta] ½p   reprinted from Eerie #3 (May 1966)

Notes: Particularly nice art here from the Grandenetti/Orlando team and from Gray Morrow, but the art highlight was Gene Colan’s wash work on ‘Hatchet Man’, a story that foretold Warren’s horror slant of the 1970s as there’s nary a monster in sight, except for the human serial killer kind.  ‘Shrieking Man’ was reprinted in the 1980s as ‘The Incredible Shrieking Man’, which possibly was its original title and thus a homage to Richard Matheson’s 1950s novel ‘The Incredible Shrinking Man’.  Underground cartoonist Jay Lynch wrote in to praise Warren for its anti-smoking ad.  Good issue.

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Not much to say here, other than that I am looking forward to another great issue--and if the trend from the last few continues, I shouldn't be disappointed!

I wouldn't have noticed the cartoonist's name on the Letters page; can anyone clue me in as to what Jay Lynch is known for?

And it looks like the Frazetta anti-smoking ad counter is going up again!

[OtherEric]

On 8/13/2022 at 10:00 PM, Axe Elf said:

I wouldn't have noticed the cartoonist's name on the Letters page; can anyone clue me in as to what Jay Lynch is known for?

He's probably best known for Nard n' Pat and as the editor of Bijou Funnies.  Definitely a big name in underground comics, with his stuff showing up in a lot of places.  I believe his first national exposure was in three issues of Warren's Help! that appeared about a year or so before this.

[OtherEric]

Eerie #4 thoughts:

Cover:  One of Morrow's best covers for the Warren books, very disconcerting and effective.

Eerie's Monster Gallery:  A nice Zombies piece by Krenkel, although from before Night of the Living Dead redefined our impressions of zombies.

House of Evil:  Another "Orlando" art job that's far more Grandetti, although I like this one more than most of Grandetti's work... Perhaps Goodwin had figured out what he was actually getting and was leaning more into the artist's strengths.

Hatchet Man:  Gene Colan getting creative on a very strong story from Goodwin.  Great stuff.

Gnawing Fear:  I'm starting to really appreciate Mastroserio's art more, and the -script by Parker gives him some good stuff to work with.

Shrieking Man:  Goodwin/ Ditko is rapidly becoming a first rate team.  A deeply underrated run by the two of them... and I know it's actually quite highly rated by a lot of people.  It's still not as well loved as it deserves.

Creepy Fan Club ad:  Does anybody have a picture of the actual portrait by Frazetta they sent out?

Undying Love:  Donald Norman is actually Norman Nodel, who had a very long career in comics.  He does a good job here, but the story overall feels a little odd... like they took a story, edited it down to be acceptable to the code, and then edited it back since it didn't need code approval.  Not bad, it just doesn't feel like what I normally expect from Warren at this point.  Which isn't a bad thing, really... mixing things up is important.

Island at World's End:  And the cover story by Morrow wraps up the book.  Not sure it actually needed the longer length, but not being tied to the 6-8 page structure is a good thing going forward.

Easy way to a Tuff Surfboard count: 3

Hard to call the issue an all-time classic without a specific standout piece, but a great example of just how high the bar was at this time.  A great book all around.

[Axe Elf]

On 8/14/2022 at 1:03 AM, OtherEric said:

He's probably best known for Nard n' Pat and as the editor of Bijou Funnies.  Definitely a big name in underground comics, with his stuff showing up in a lot of places.  I believe his first national exposure was in three issues of Warren's Help! that appeared about a year or so before this.

I'm at least familiar with Bijou Funnies, though I've never read one.  Never heard of Nard n' Pat.  Heard of HELP! of course, but I'm still waiting for that full run to come up for sale before I get to read them!

Thanks for the info!

[Axe Elf]

On 8/14/2022 at 1:04 AM, OtherEric said:

Very much enjoy seeing your copy!  Mine is so scuffed and faded that it was hard for me to tell what was part of the painting and what was damage.  The colors on yours are so much richer, and I can see more of the starry details in the eyes--which on mine look more like moon craters.

[Surfing Alien]

 

Here's my 2 cents - I also used the Warren Index to grab the titles when I took my notes - makes life easy....

The Smell of this issue was awesome - it took me back 50 years to the bookshops of my youth

4. cover: Gray Morrow (July 1966) Excellent composition & upward motion - darkly colored and quite “eerie”

   1) Eerie’s Monster Gallery No. 3: Zombies! [Archie Goodwin/Roy G. Krenkel] 1p   [frontis]  Nice illustration – I like the whited out eyes (kind of like what Frazetta did with that Creepy #9 cover)

     2) House Of Evil [Archie Goodwin/Jerry Grandenetti & Joe Orlando] 8p   [art credited solely to Orlando] Cool splash – nice turn at the end – when I was a teenager I couldn't figure how these would go ahead of time but when you've read so many over your lifetime, you just have to enjoy how they unfold

    3) Hatchet Man [Archie Goodwin/Gene Colan] 8p     Very nice art by Colan – again predictable but fun

   4) Gnawing Fear! [Ron Parker/Rocco Mastroserio] 7p   Rocco is underrated, the drawing in this story is great - there's always a Rat story in these mags no?

  5) Shrieking Man! [Archie Goodwin/Steve Ditko] 7p Really well written to me – and Ditko's art is different from his usual but fits the story

6) Undying Love! [Archie Goodwin/Donald Norman]   6p I didn't know Norman was Nodel, the art was pretty good,

7) Island At World’s End! [Archie Goodwin/Gray Morrow] 10p     My favorite in this issue – I really like the atmosphere the artwork brings to the story