The Critical Guide to
the Warren Illustrated Magazines
1964-1983
by Uncle Jack
& Cousin Peter
Vic Prezio |
"Wentworth's Day"★★★
Story by H. P. Lovecraft & August Dereleth
Adaptation by Russ Jones
Art by Russ Jones & Frank Bolle
(Reprinted from Christopher Lee's Treasury of Terror, Pyramid, 1966)
"Ogre's Castle"
(Reprinted from Creepy #2)
"Tell-Tale Heart!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #3)
"Voodoo!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #1)
"Spawn of the Cat People"
(Reprinted from Creepy #2)
"The Success Story"
(Reprinted from Creepy #1)
"Wentworth's Day" |
The rest of the issue is filled with reprints from the first three issues of Creepy, which came out in late 1964 and early 1965. In comic book time, three to four years is not that long to wait to reprint something, and I expect some readers may have missed these the first time around. The Orlando story is not worth a second look, but the rest of the stories feature nice art by Torres, Williamson, and Crandall (twice). The writing is nothing special.-Jack
Peter-Archie Goodwin's departure from the editor's seat in late 1967 left a cavernous hole at the Warren Publishing office. Though it could be argued that Archie's scripts had become stale, it was obvious that Goodwin was the glue holding the empire together and his exit forced publisher Jim Warren to wear two caps for a time. It did not go well. Suddenly, the contents of Creepy and Eerie became stuffed with reprints and material licensed from Pyramid Books and the page count was cut.
Russ Jones, who had been the first editor of Creepy, was introducing a new concept in illustrated horror: original material for publication in paperbacks. Jones's most popular title in this new field was Ballantine's Dracula, adapted by Craig Tennis and Warren hack Otto Binder, with illos by Jones himself. Jones then headed over to Pyramid to release Christopher Lee's Treasury of Terror, an anthology of five "classic" horror stories done the illustrated way. Since Warren was hurting for original work (it might not have been a coincidence that Archie's exit occurred just as Warren the company was skidding on a long patch of black ice), it must have seemed a good idea at the time. Sales had leveled off and Warren had initiated a move from Philly to the Big Apple, a trek that proved almost deadly. Evidently, Warren must have struck a deal with Jones/Pyramid to reprint the stories within the Lee tome as all five tales would pop up in both titles in the next several months. The "Dark Days" as Jon Cooke labeled them in The Warren Companion (I'd look to author Guy N. Smith for a better sub-title for Warren 1968-1971--"The Sucking Pit!") is not an easy era to grade; reprints seem to be pulled at random and what little new material offered looked exactly like what it was: cheap crap, bought by Jim to fill pages.
The only "new" story here is the tame and lackadaisical "Wentworth's Day," with ho-hum graphics by Jones and Bolle (nothing more than dozens of panels of a character looking pensive), based on one of H.P.'s more average tales. The denouement, of the walking corpse strangling old Amos, was moldy by its original publication date (in The Survivor and Others) in 1957, thanks to the plethora of like climaxes found in Tales from the Crypt, etc., never mind its lack of anything chilling a decade later.
Prezio |
"The Mark of the Beast" ★
Story by Craig Tennis
Art by Johnny Craig
(Reprinted from Christopher Lee's Treasury of Terror. Pyramid, 1966)
"Carmilla" ★
Story by J. Sheridan LeFanu
Adaptation John Benson
Art by Bob Jenney
"Monsterwork"
(Reprinted from Eerie #3)
"Eye of the Beholder"
(Reprinted from Eerie #2)
In India, a hell-raiser named Fleete gets his just desserts when he insults the gods and is cursed by a leper. Luckily, his friends are able to reverse the curse and Fleete lives happily ever after. The second story ripped from the pages of Treasury of Terror is a limp noodle, boring and absent anything resembling thrills or chills. I haven't read Kipling's original story, so I can't comment on whether this was a faithful adaptation but, if so, I'll avoid tracking it down. Johnny Craig's art has never looked so rushed and lifeless.
The atrociously illustrated end of "Carmilla" |
Now we're talkin'! |
-Peter
Jack-Sadly, I agree with you on all counts, Peter. From the cheesy cover to the dull Craig reprint to the plodding version of "Carmilla," this issue is a chore to read. Rudyard Kipling's stories have not aged well and, read today, are somewhat embarrassing. Craig's heart just wasn't in this one. As for "Carmilla," a vampire story with lesbian overtones ought to be more fun than this endless (20 page!) retelling. The art is dull, too. One thing that has always bothered me about "Carmilla"--how dumb are these people not to see right away that "Carmilla," "Mircalla," and "Millarca" are all anagrams? One other observation: Eerie #13 reprints stories from Creepy, while Creepy #19 reprints stories from Eerie. Did Warren think people were not reading both mags and wouldn't notice? Unfortunately, the reprints this time out are at most two years old, from Eerie #2 and #3, and they are not very good stories.
Prezio |
"The Stalkers"
(Reprinted from Creepy #6)
"Pursuit of the Vampire!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #1)
"Howling Success!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #3)
"Untimely Tomb!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #5)
"Curse of the Full Moon!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #4)
"Blood and Orchids!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #4)
Jack-The first issue with nothing but reprints, Eerie #14 may have looked good to someone who was late to the party, but it was surely frustrating for those who did not want to have a hole in their collection. Six stories pulled from Creepy #1-6 and, while the art is uniformly good, the writing is weak for the most part. Three by Torres and one each by Toth, Crandall, and McWilliams certainly gives good value in the art department, if not in the originality department. Another uninspired cover by Prezio doesn't help matters.
Albert Nuetzell |
"Thumbs Down!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #6)
"Inheritors of Earth" ★
Story and Art by Hector Castellon
"Beauty or the Beast!" ★1/2
Story by Len Brown
Art by Sal Trapani and Dick Giordano (?)
"The Cask of Amontillado!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #6)
"The Damned Thing!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #4)
"A Vested Interest"
(Reprinted from Creepy #8)
Amateur night at the Warren Bijou |
A space exploration crew lands on an alien planet and the men are picked off, one by one, by a vicious, unseen beast that may or may not be the gorgeous local girl the commander has fallen in love with. Spoiler alert: it's not the girl; it's her jealous octopoid husband! "Beauty or the Beast!" is not as awful as "Inheritors of Earth" in either department but it's not very good just the same. It's your average dopey space-horror-opera, combining elements from various other dopey space-horror-operas. Sal Trapani's art is serviceable and gets across what few points are included in Len Brown's script. This was Brown's sole contribution to the Warren empire, but the writer is chiefly known for co-creating (with Wally Wood) T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents for Tower. Note that the Fan Page and Letters Page has disappeared from Creepy, ostensibly because Jim Warren got tired of reading all the complaints from fans who were plunking down their four dimes for reprints and swill. -Peter
"Beauty or the Beast!" |
Peter: That cover, by the way, is a reprint as well (from Famous Monsters #4)!!
Prezio |
"The Graves of Oconoco!"★★
Story by John Benson
Art by Pat Boyette & Rocco Mastroserio
"Wardrobe of Monsters!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #2)
"The Demon Wakes"★★
Story by Archie Goodwin
Art by Bill Fraccio & Tony Tallarico
"Under the Skin!"
(Reprinted from Eerie #3)
"The Doll Collector!"★★
Story by Dave Kahler
Art by Gutemberg Monteiro
"A Change in the Moon!"★★1/2
Story by Clark Dimond & Terry Bisson
Art by Jeff Jones
Archaeologist Frank Leeds arrives in Brazil, excited to explore "The Caves of Oronoco," which appear to be very old and man-made. Frank's friend Mitchell is a scientist whose lab is near the caves. Mitchell is working on figuring out how to extract nutritious food from dirt. Frank explores the caves and discovers skeletons dressed in warrior garb. Mitchell has no interest in the past and is focused on the future. Soon, his experiment is a success and he makes food from soil. Suddenly, the skeleton of an ancient wolf-dog from the caves comes to life and Mitchell strikes and kills it. He thinks the past is dead, but Frank points out that it is very much alive, as both men see the skeletal warriors from the caves approaching them by moonlight.
"The Caves of Oronoco" |
It's followed by a reprint of a fun story from Creepy #2. By the way, this issue's letters column features readers complaining about the reprints in Eerie #13. The editor promises that things will get better soon.
Harry Willet seems down, but what's the matter? Even he doesn't know, as the other denizens of his favorite bar query him without success. Deep in a pit, "The Demon Wakes" as Moloch awakens and ascends to the surface, where he kills his guards and is finally free. Back at the bar, Harry Willet suddenly snaps, grabs the bartender's gun, and goes on a shooting rampage before the cop on the beat shoots and kills him. What got into Harry? Moloch!
"The Demon Wakes" |
A second reprint follows, this time another pretty good piece from Eerie #3.
Miriam Hollis is "The Doll Collector," and she's a pretty sweet dish herself, even if she treats men as disposable items whose only purpose is to give her presents. When she travels to the Italian Riviera, she is entranced by the Theater of Living Dolls and wants to buy one for her personal collection. Fantocci, the owner, refuses to sell, so she waits till everyone is gone and tries to steal a doll. To her surprise, they are alive and, though she stabs one, she is overcome and added to the collection herself!
I was impressed by the Good Girl Art of Gutemberg Monteiro in the opening pages of this story but, as it went on, it became clear that an intriguing premise was going to lead nowhere. The conclusion is predictable and has been done many times before, and Monteiro's skill at drawing a pretty girl does not extend to the rest of the population.
Eerie gets Kinky! |
The bald man explains to Diane that she was attacked by a werewolf in Europe and she assumes Tony is affected by "A Change in the Moon!" It turns out that Diane is the werewolf, not Tony, and the bald man wants her to join him in "the dark feast." Baldy and Diane turns into werewolves; Tony shoots Baldy Wolf but can't bring himself to shoot furry Diane, so he lets her scratch him and looks forward to hunting with her at the next full moon.
In a classic issue of Eerie, this would be a pretty good story, but in the new era the art by Jeff Jones marks it as the issue's highlight. I found the story a bit hard to follow and think it demonstrates that Jones, early in his career, was still learning how to tell a story in a sequence of pictures. The plot is fairly inventive and the ending unexpected, so we're left with some art that looks nice and a package that works well enough to give me hope that Warren will right the ship soon.-Jack
From the Department of Unforgettable Sound Effects; a cousin of ELO's "Brooooooce!?" |
Gutemberg Monteiro |
"The Rats in the Walls" ★
Story by H. P. Lovecraft
Adaptation Uncredited
Art by Bob Jenney
"Room with a View"
(Reprinted from Eerie #3)
"The Immortals!" ★1/2
Story by Ron Parker
Art by Sal Trapani
"A Reasonable Doubt"★
Story by Ron Parker
Art by Tony Tallarico
"Swamped"
(Reprinted from Creepy #3)
"Timepiece to Terror!" ★1/2
Story by Bill Parente
Art by Gutemberg Monteiro
"The Rats in the Walls" |
In a future dystopian world, machines rule and man exists only to service "The Immortals!" and their mysterious "arrangement." One such servant, Oren 12-3429, dreams of breaking out of his chains and becoming an Immortal. When a group of servants attempt to enlist him in a rebellion, he reports them to management and his reward is to become an Immortal. His brain is removed and replaced with a machine. Comic books were awash with radical SF fiction in the 1960s--some ground-breaking, some coattail-riding, all written by writers who felt the urge to right all of society's wrongs. This badly-illustrated potboiler falls firmly in the coattail-riding camp and its eight-page length seems more like eighty. The only thing we learn from Ron Parker's "cautionary tale" is that folks would dress the same in the future as they did in the '60s. Well, except for the Immortals, who certainly look patterned after the forgotten 1960s' Archie Comics superhero, the Fly.
"A Reasonable Doubt" |
"Timepiece to Terror!" |
The Creepy Fan Club page announces Bill Parente as the new editor of Creepy and Eerie and features fan art by future Warren contributor Nick Cuti (who also co-created my partner Jack's favorite comic strip of all time, E-Man, for Charlton).
What's glaring, to me, after reading this big batch of dull, is how tame the Warren content had become. Not much blood or gore; no eye-opening risks. This despite the fact that the company had no worries about the Code and could take chances that Marvel and DC were denied.-Peter
Jack-I wouldn't say E-Man is my favorite comic strip of all time, but it's definitely in my top five. I was happy to see a new editor assigned and happier to note that he wrote the best story in the issue, "Timepiece to Terror!," which I enjoyed right up to the groaner of an ending. The other three stories were all average. My favorite line in "The Rats in the Walls" is the retort to the remark about having a cousin in Jamaica who runs a voodoo cult: "Every family has a few of those"!
"The Immortals!" is okay sci-fi but nothing special; I thought the Immortal looked like J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter. I have to admit they got me with the surprise ending of "A Reasonable Doubt," so I will slink to the back of the class. I had assumed that, since this is a Warren story, a gal who was accused of being a witch would turn out to be a witch. The two reprints are also solid stories. This issue, like the last issue of Eerie, gives me a glimmer of hope for the future.
Frazetta |
"The Duel of the Monsters!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #7)
"Return Trip!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #3)
"Abominable Snowman!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #6)
"Werewolf!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #1)
"The Thing in the Pit"
(Reprinted from Creepy #6)
"Vampires Fly at Dusk!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #1)
"Sand Doom"
(Reprinted from Creepy #5)
"Hot Spell!"
(Reprinted from Creepy #7)
What a perfectly fabulous idea: grab ahold of a batch of your best stories from the first four years and reprint them! Well, it would have been a better idea had it not landed smack dab in the midst of a reprinting frenzy. At least it's got a nice look to it, square-bound and all, and a generous 76 pages. I would argue with the choices but that's just me (no Ditko??!!). -Peter
Jack-I would argue with your characterization of this group as representative of the best stories. "The Duel of the Monsters!" is not good and most of the others are boring but have nice art. Once again, as in its first appearance, "Hot Spell!" is Best in Show but the best is saved for last.
Next Week... Michael Fleisher arrives to save Weird War Tales from itself. |
Hate to be The Pedantic Guy but Russ Jones’s nifty Dracula paperback was illustrated by Al McWilliams, not Jones hisself.
ReplyDeleteIf today’s post is any indication, I think I’m going to enjoy your coverage of Warren’s Dark Days. I’ve had complete sets of all the Warren mags for years and years, but I almost NEVER pull these out of their bags — so they remain relatively unexplored territory for me. I don’t even recognize the NAMES of some of these artists. And the really great thing is, reading about them and seeing random panels from the stories doesn’t make me want to re-visit them AT ALL. I’m all “Oh yeah, I have that comic, and Peter and Jack have read it so I don’t have to!”
- b.t.
b.t.-
ReplyDeleteYep, you caught me in a goof. Al McWilliams did indeed illustrate that Dracula novel released by Ballantine.
I'm waiting for some kind-hearted soul to volunteer to cover the rest of the dark ages for me and Jack but somehow I don't think that's going to happen. Being two posts ahead in my coverage, I can tell you that things... do not get any better.
The dark era begins! Garbage story after garbage story, when they’re not.reprints. The monster in Beauty or Beast is a swipe of the monster from the story Counter Clockwise in Weird Fantasy 18 as drawn by John Severin and Bill Elder. In starting to cover Skywald for my own blog, I can say that the Castellon story is even worse, aside from perhaps the 50s era reprints that litter their first few issues. You mention Ross Andru later on, he does some pretty good stuff for Skywald with The Heap, although gets help from Mike Esposito.
ReplyDeleteYou know it’s a dark era issue when the Tony Williamsune stories start appearing. We’ll be seeing lots of goofy monsters drawn by Tallarico and Fraccio coming up as they do quite a lot of stories.
Quiddity-
ReplyDeletePlease post the address of your blog. I'm dying to read your coverage of Skywald, a company I'd like to cover in the future (but maybe, with your blog, I won't feel the need anymore!).
http://averycreepyblog.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteCovered nearly all the Warren mags as well years back (all but 5 or so that I don't own copies of), granted not at the critical level of depth that you guys do here. Very excited to be covering Skywald, which I've heard about for many years but am only getting to read for the first time now.
I've linked your site on your main page and I'm itching to read your stuff on Skywald.
ReplyDelete