Alligators living in the sewers of New York...
The woman who microwaved her dog in the microwave...
Urban legends. We've all heard of these stories. Whether we've told these stories around a glowing campfire or heard that these really happened (to a friend of a friend), our culture is filled with these stories. Some tales have were born from a bit of truth. Others are steeped in our fears or prejudices. But no matter where these urban legends came from, they've become a little bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.
I found the Big Book of Urban Legends in a bargain bin in one of my favorite local comics shops. I've been a fan of the Big Book series, published by now defunct DC Comics imprint Paradox Press, for quite some time and when I can find one to complete my collection, I rarely hesitate to own one. Maybe I'm biased but this one just happened to have a little bit of a special history for me.
The Big Book of Urban Legends was written by noted folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand. My mother, a lover of Gothic horror in her own right, just happened to own a trio of books devoted to urban legends and these books coincidentally were written by Brunvand!
I remember one rainy weekend that I found my mom's copies and read them- no I devoured them! Some were scary. Some were weird. Some were even titillating. But above all, they were all captivating. As a result, I became a fan of urban legends and this was a fun trip down memory lane for me in a way.
This collection features dozens of artists who tackled their favorite myths. Legends such as Joe Orlando, Dick Giordano, and Keith Griffin are just some of the talent found in this volume of over 200 different legends. Even this Madman's fan favorite Fred Hembeck illustrates a yarn about a car enthusiast and his jealous wife.
The Big Book of Urban Legends was a fun read. The only problem I have with it is that I didn't wait until closer to Halloween to read it and October just seems to me to be the perfect time to read urban legends and myths. But let's be honest folks, stories like the Vanishing Hitchhiker in which someone picks up a lonely girl on the side of a road only to learn she died years earlier, are NOT urban legends. Those are ghost stories and they deserved their own Big Book. But hey, it's still fun to read and maybe get a little freaked out.
Worth Consuming
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
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