Creepy & Eerie comics

[Workshed]

Originally Posted by Workshed

Picked up Issue #1 of the new Creepy series today. Looks great in B&W--nice paper stock. I'm saving it for my vacation later this month.

Only bummer: it's a regular-sized comic for $4.99, not a magazine.

Not what I was hoping for, unfortunately. First story was really fun, but that was about it. Will not pick up issue #2, unless I hear better things.

[maybrick]

I'm anxiously awaiting Volumes 1 of Creepy and Eerie in the mail. I thought I only owned issues #1 and 2 of Creepy but it turns out I already have #4 as well. Oh well, at least I won't have to get any more fingerprints on them from now on. I don't own any issues of Eerie prior to the mid 20s so I'm looking forward more to that. (although, again, issue#1 was an ashcan copy of reprints taken from the very first issues of Creepy. But at least it has some intrinsic historic value as it's become legendary.) These Archives are getting released far faster than I could ever hope to keep up so it remains to be seen how many I'll ever buy. The first 3 volumes of Creepy and the first 2 of Eerie, probably. Beyond that I don't know. There was a dark period in the late 60s where Warren published mainly reprints mixed with subpar new material and didn't return to form until what I estimate to be around Creepy Archive Volume 7. As much as I'd want these in order, for the asking price I'd have to demand the most bang for my buck.

But to argue an earlier point, the peripheral materials such as ads and letter columns are absolutely essential to the personality of the magazine as a whole. As a lifelong reader of these magazines it just wouldn't be the same experience without them. It'd be exactly like watching DEATH PROOF and PLANET TERROR instead of GRINDHOUSE. Which would you rather have in your collection?

[maybrick]

My books arrived via UPS this morning. Man, they suck. UPS, I mean. Anyways, very nice presentation. I can't wait until I have time to sit down and start reading them.

[maybrick]

Originally Posted by Workshed

I don't know about the new comics, but I've been scooping up Dark Horse's awesome hardcover archival collections. They include the letter columns and original ads.

Okay, now that I've had a chance to open the books out of the plastic and compare what is represented to the original issues I own of Creepy #1 and 2 I want to clear up an apparent fallacy that has become rather widespread. While I have no doubt that the ads in the archives originally were published in Creepy Magazine at some point, the fact is that not only were the ads in the originals totally different, but there were more of them as well. Also, the back covers, both inside and out, haven't been reproduced. Don't mistake this to mean that I'm disappointed in my purchase. Not in the slightest. But to read the misconception over and over again on multiple sites that the Archives hold complete reproductions of the originals is a bit disconcerting. Apparently for too many reviewers these Archives are their first real "hands on" experience with these classics and couldn't do much else other than to parrot the press releases.

[Workshed]

Originally Posted by maybrick

Okay, now that I've had a chance to open the books out of the plastic and compare what is represented to the original issues I own of Creepy #1 and 2 I want to clear up an apparent fallacy that has become rather widespread. While I have no doubt that the ads in the archives originally were published in Creepy Magazine at some point, the fact is that not only were the ads in the originals totally different, but there were more of them as well. Also, the back covers, both inside and out, haven't been reproduced. Don't mistake this to mean that I'm disappointed in my purchase. Not in the slightest. But to read the misconception over and over again on multiple sites that the Archives hold complete reproductions of the originals is a bit disconcerting. Apparently for too many reviewers these Archives are their first real "hands on" experience with these classics and couldn't do much else other than to parrot the press releases.

the ads now, in the archives, all seem to be, at a glance, from "Captain Company," which I take to be someone/entity who has agreed to let the original ads run in the new dark horse archives. or maybe they are public domain? Can a new publisher reprint the entirety of a previous publisher's work, including ads--carte blanche, or do the ads also have to have permissions granted? I have no idea.

for example, i'm looking at Creepy Vol. 5 and the only ads seem to be from this Captain Company or else the advertisement owner has been removed. They're cool and kitschy, but they do seem to repeat. I'm far more interested in the letters pages, but again, there may be discrepancies there too. I'll leave it to maybrick to do the exhaustive side-by-side comparisons on those.

[maybrick]

Captain Company is run/owned by Warren. It's just what he decided to call the leg of his operation that deals with merchandise/fan club stuff they sell directly to the readers. Don't ask me why he named it that. All of the other ads that are missing are also Warren Publications related, such as promoting fan clubs or subscriptions. If these are all represented elsewhere in the Archive I don't know as of yet, but they're definitely out of order if they are.

[Workshed]

there are Cousin Eerie Amateur Fan Club ads in Vol. 5, the only one I have in front of me at the moment.

Are you saying that all the ads in the original Creepy & Eerie comics were by Warren Publications?

[maybrick]

Originally Posted by Workshed

there are Cousin Eerie Amateur Fan Club ads in Vol. 5, the only one I have in front of me at the moment.

Are you saying that all the ads in the original Creepy & Eerie comics were by Warren Publications?

I can double check for ya in the few that I have when I get a chance.

[Workshed]

Originally Posted by maybrick

I can double check for ya in the few that I have when I get a chance.

I'd be really curious. Sometimes I forgot what the ads looked like on these v. the Tales from the Crypt comics.

In any case, if I misled anyone on the advertisement reproductions, I apologize.

[maybrick]

From Creepy #1:

Pg 22-23: (between "Vampires Fly At Dusk" and "Werewolf") 2 page ad for another Warren Publication, "Monster World".

Pg 36: (just before "The Success Story") Capt. Co ads for a "Magnajector", Rodan in 8mm, Revenge of Frankenstein in 8mm, and a replica of a human skull

Pg 43: an ad for a Warren special publication devoted to the film "The Mole People"
Pg 44: (just before "Pursuit of the Vampire") More Captain Co ads. Miniature Germanium Radio, 10' inflatable snake, Phantom of the Opera in both 8mm and 16mm, Miniature Spy Camera, and Venus Fly Traps.

And that's all of them. There isn't a single advertisement anywhere to be seen from an outside source. Compared to modern magazines the early Warren Mags certainly don't seem to be very ad heavy!

[maybrick]

Originally Posted by Workshed

I'd be really curious. Sometimes I forgot what the ads looked like on these v. the Tales from the Crypt comics.

In any case, if I misled anyone on the advertisement reproductions, I apologize.

No apologies necessary. You didn't know, and my pleasure in these reprintings isn't degraded in the slightest. It's merely curious, that all. Why didn't they do the original ads as is? Is it some sort of measure to counter bootlegging? I'd love to know.

[Workshed]

man, I can't wait until Eerie Vol. 3. I devour these things in weekend gorges.

[maybrick]

In the past month as a Christmas Gift I got Eerie Volume 5 and I used some X-mas money to buy Volume 2. So so far that means I own Creepy 1-2 and Eerie 1-2, 5. As suspected I've fallen pretty far behind as Creepy has 8 archives already out but at the moment I'm more addicted than ever! The later issues are better so I'm looking forward to picking up the latest editions and working my way backwards. How are you doing at keeping up so far, Workshed?

[Paff]

I'll post more about this later (read: when I'm sober), but I was walking by a used bookstore and they had Eerie Archive volume 2 (Dark Horse) in the window for $12.50. Needless to say, I bought it. A lot of fun, albeit predictable stories. Still, I dig the artwork, and you can't beat that price.

[maybrick]

Originally Posted by Paff

I'll post more about this later (read: when I'm sober), but I was walking by a used bookstore and they had Eerie Archive volume 2 (Dark Horse) in the window for $12.50. Needless to say, I bought it. A lot of fun, albeit predictable stories. Still, I dig the artwork, and you can't beat that price.

Yeah, after reading both Creepy and Eerie Archives 1-2 I can honestly say that even though I enjoy a lot of it, I'm tired of Archie Goodwin's writing (the man wrote virtually all of the stories while he was editor). From here on out I'm going to be buying the most recent Archives and working my way backwards just so I can get a little more variety. The stuff from the '60s was okay, but I and a lot of other readers feel that the Golden Age of Warren magazines didn't occur until the early '70s.