tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post4458017219417899116..comments2024-03-27T05:54:38.797-07:00Comments on <i>bare</i>•bones e-zine: EC Comics! It's An Entertaining Comic! Issue 36: July 1953John Scolerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082147756474762000noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-82937378000885176572017-07-19T16:26:03.863-07:002017-07-19T16:26:03.863-07:00Thank you both for your detailed comments! I will ...Thank you both for your detailed comments! I will be on the lookout for the apology regarding the Gaines bio. That's a funny story!Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-8204460705983044332017-07-18T19:06:57.649-07:002017-07-18T19:06:57.649-07:00(continued)
One of the Vault of Horror's best...(continued)<br /><br />One of the Vault of Horror's best issues this month, with really only "Peach of a Plot" being a weak story. "Easel Kill Ya" is one of my favorite Craig leads; by this point I think he's really improving with both his artwork and writing and the story contains quite the sad ending! "The Lake" is notable for me as being quite a bit different than the typical EC fare. A much quieter, but more emotional story. Something I didn't care for the first time I read it but I've appreciated a lot more over time. "One Good Turn" also comes off as a more unique EC story than the usual fare with our elderly protagonist going on quite the murder spree. One of several scary old ladies we'll get from Ingels towards the end of EC's run.<br /><br />Crime is also a strong issue, featuring Craig's only Bradbury adaption, as well as what is essentially full length EC quickies with "One for the Money" and "Two for the Show". "Fired is only so-so story-wise but some great Frazetta artwork on the women!Quiddity99https://www.blogger.com/profile/17809157926893454731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-2440032830596782692017-07-18T19:06:37.689-07:002017-07-18T19:06:37.689-07:00Really strong month, especialy the Vault and Shock...Really strong month, especialy the Vault and Shock issues!<br /><br />So as usual I don't have much to say about Mad's stories, although this is the issue with the infamous Bill Gaines fake biography which caused major controversy. From what I've heard, Gaines and Feldstein put it together while Kurtzman was sick and he was quite mad upon discovering what they had done. More importantly though it majorly upset the wholesalers, as there were lines in the bio about how Gaines got his start in pornography or something to that extent, and it ended up that there were wholesalers in the comics business who did get their start that way and were really offended over it. So EC had to issue this big apology over it. In addition the seemingly harmless "Nice clean, fat errand boy" language that Elder had included on a door on the first page of "Outer Sanctum" also got the wholesalers all upset as they thought it was intended for sexual perversion. Crazy stuff!<br /><br />Easily Shock's best issue to date; I even enjoy "The Meddlers" which seemed to be common consensus the weakest story of the issue. I remember coming across the story years ago and finding the Orlando artwork, especially the last page quite memorable, even if the story itself is so-so at best. It continues a theme of disdain for ignorant smalltown folk that's also seen in earlier Feldstein stories like "Chewed Out" (Weird Science 12). "The October Game" is arguably the most well known and memorable horror story Shock ever published, and like you mentioned, inspired at least another EC ending a bit later on. "Came the Dawn" has terrific Wood art although Reed Crandall's EC debut is the high point in what is a very memorable written story too. You mentioned him doing a lot of work for Warren; he was actually the EC artist who did the most work for them (although John Severin and Joe Orlando both come close). Although his art unfortunately does deteriorate quite a bit in the Warren books in the 70's, while always remaining high quality during the EC days.<br /><br />Tales from the Crypt is average at best this month; I'd agree that the Kamen story is really weak and I don't find the Davis lead story that good either. "Curiosity Killed" is fairly decent; I recall it having a Tales from the Crypt TV episode that had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with it other than the title. "The Handler" is quite a highlight though and probably worth getting the issue for this story alone. One of the more entertaining Bradbury stories they used. In fact this is the second time they used it, the lead story from Haunt #6, "A Strange Undertaking" I believe it was called was EC's first unauthorized Bradbury adaption, a few years before the more well known "Home to Stay" story in Weird Fantasy. The Handler also features one of the more overt and arguably offensive sexual references in an EC comic regarding what the Mr. Benedict does to one of the corpses.<br />Quiddity99https://www.blogger.com/profile/17809157926893454731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672923492889685727.post-61231180280941476372017-07-18T11:32:35.375-07:002017-07-18T11:32:35.375-07:00As a general rule, I'm a huge fan of the Kurtz...As a general rule, I'm a huge fan of the Kurtzman EC titles and less enthusiastic about the Feldstein books, but there's one major exception to that rule, and it's the run of Shock Suspenstories from #9 through #14. Number 9 is the best of the bunch: Reed Crandall's debut in "Carrion Death" is one of the best EC stories of all time, "Came the Dawn" is a perfect story for Wally Wood, and "The October Game" is my favorite Jack Kamen story in any title. While he may not have been as talented as the more extraordinary artists who drew for EC, I think some of the really horrible stories in Shock are really well suited to the less flashy artists; in this one, "The Orphan", and Evans's "Small Assassin", the fact that people who look like characters in a pedestrian Golden Age romance comic could do such terrible things is what really makes the stories work for me. Feldstein's spin on "Carrion Death" is one of his best covers, perhaps surpassed only by his issue #12 swan song. "The Meddlers" is . . . well, not as good as the rest of the issue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com