Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer: The Comic Strip, Vol 2

I've got so many books that I had forgotten that I even owned this. I've been reading a lot of mystery noir lately and I was going through a forgotten corner of my comic book collection where I unearthed this read. So I was already in the mood to finally read it. How long has it been in my collection? I couldn't say other than I've not had it longer than 2007 when I started collecting again after over a decade pause.

From 1985, this collection from Ken Pierce, Inc., reprints the final half of the short-lived Mike Hammer comic strip that ran in nationally syndicated newspapers from 1953-54. Written by the master himself, Mickey Spillane, these stories are as gritty and violent as his novels. Take the wrap around cover image of a partially undressed girl being tied up, gagged and tortured with a lit cigarette being held to the bottom of her foot. It was so salacious at the time, several major newspapers dropped the strip immediately, spelling the end of the strip that ran 6 dailies along with a separate Sunday supplement story.

The cancellation didn't really bother Mickey Spillane all that much. He was getting tired of the grind of coming up with stories that would last about 6 weeks on average. The author wanted to focus on just novels once again. But for artist Ed Robbins, he took the cancellation very hard, causing a rift between the artist and Spillane.

Novelist Max Allan Collins interviewed Robbins for years and the two developed a friendship. Collins' forward to this book details that relationship along with an overview of the Mike Hammer strip and the events behind it's demise. Unfortunately, Ed Robbins died before this book could be published. Though I am happy to report, not before being able to patch things up with writer Spillane.

The stories are quite good. But they are not quite my taste. I prefer Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe stories. But I'd rather read something by Mickey Spillane than anything Dashell Hammett wrote any day of the week. 

The stories inside involves private eye Mike Hammer being targeted by an unknown assailant when the NYPD erroneously claims that the detective saw who killed a man he found dying in the streets. Mike and trusty secretary Velda then help a naive young couple who are swindled by a pair of loan sharks. Hammer also falls for a girl (the same one being tortured on the cover), who is trying to help her brother flee from gangsters that thinks he stole a jackpot's worth of dough from them. Lastly, Mike gets a paying customer for once; a dying old man who's desperate to reunite with his prodigal son one last time.

I think the most striking thing about this book was how different Mike Hammer looks in the strip compared to the detective I grew up watching on TV. I'm used to envisioning actor Stacy Keach in my head with his gray business suit and equally gray fedora with slicked back hair and mustache. That's because that's exactly what the actor looked like on the CBS TV series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer in the 1980s. Here, Hammer is short and stocky, with a buzz cut, a nose that has obviously been broken many times, and wearing really shabby looking clothes. Obviously, this is what Mike Hammer is supposed to look like as I highly doubt Mickey Spillane would have let Ed Robbins draw his signature character any other way. But it's a stark contrast from what I grew up watching.

I was satisfied enough to not need to search out volume 1. I enjoyed what I read here. But not enough to keep it. So I felt like I was nonplussed with needing to read further. That is until I found out that one of the stories contained in volume 1 is a Christmas Mike Hammer adventure. Well, let's put that on my holiday comic wish list.

Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in!!!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Cold War Correspondent (Family Comic Friday)

Book #11 in the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series goes back to the 1950s, along the 38th parallel. It looks at the beginning of the Korean War through the eyes of female war correspondent Marguerite Higgins. 

The forgotten war which took place from 1950-1953 is a period in American history, as well as personal history that means a ton to me. My grandfather, William Gordon Dillard, fought in that war. He was a soldier in the 7th Infantry at the Chosin Reservoir. During that battle, he was injured, by a mortar round, proclaimed dead and MIA for about 2 weeks. and suffered severe frostbite. Obviously, his survival meant that I'm here today to tell you that story. 

I learned a ton from this book which completely switches gears from the previous 10 volumes and allows Higgins to narrate this hazardous tale. First thing I can say is BOY, did we muck this up! After 5 years of battling Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito, America was more than ready to stop fighting and I get that. However, the Soviet war machine, despite losing almost 25 million soldiers and civilians in WW2, was more than ready to keep on rolling. And roll, they did! Tank battalions were ordered to clear out the Imperial Japanese occupational force from Korea and they had every intention to keep on rolling all the way from Pyongyang down to Pusan. So we stopped the Russians by putting up a barricade along the 38th parallel cutting off the industrial centers of the North from the fertile farmlands of the South.

From 1946-1950, war between the two halves of Korea looked inevitable. Syngman Rhee, the President of the capitalist backed South Korea, begged the United States for tanks, guns and planes. But because of a fear that by doing so, Rhee would use those weapons to invade the North, we never responded to those requests. So when the Communist backed troops of North Korea crossed the barricades in the Summer of 1950, the South was severely under armed and out-manned.

The key to the North's success were it's tanks: the T-34. It was a Soviet tank known to cut through Nazi lines like a hot knife through butter. When we sent American troops to repel the tanks, our weapons couldn't even put a dent onto the side. That's because America had pretty much paused any legitimate development in our defensive forces. In fact our reinforcements were so poorly trained, we had barbers, cooks and construction workers fighting hand-to-hand combat with literal commandos! And the food, uniforms and munitions were all surplus from World War II!

Our failure to begin the war with properly armed and trained forces as a result, would fuel an arms race that would bankrupt a small nation. In fact, we outspent the Soviet Union, the largest country on the globe at the time, to oblivion, resulting in the it's collapse in 1991. It's another reason we're not on very good terms with China, Cuba and many factions in the Middle East. While I'm more than proud of my grandpa's role in Korea, I'll also be the first to say that we really screwed up during that police action.

Cold War Correspondent marks my completion of having read the entire series. I just didn't do it in order. Thankfully, there's more fun on the horizon. In September of this year, the 13th volume will debut. It's a spooky collection of true tales of terror. I have no idea what to expect. But I can't wait to read it as part of my Halloween reads for 2025.

Great stuff for kids ages 12 and up who love history and graphic novels. Maybe they had a relative who fought in Korea like I did. Though this book stops before the end of 1950, meaning there is still 2 and a half years of war left  untold, this can be a valuable tool to help them understand what it was like for their loved ones who fought along the 38th parallel.

Worth Consuming!

Rating:  9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Premiere #35 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Having just escaped Communist spies, test pilot Chuck Chandler thinks it will be smooth sailing from now on. Jumping into an experimental rocket plane, Chandler is hoping to break some world records. Unfortunately, lady luck is not on Chuck's side. His plane is captured by a Skrull scout skip. 

The story of Chuck Chandler is set during the 1950s. With mankind on the verge of space flight, the Skrulls are interested in determining if the planet Earth is a threat to their empire. Chuck is to be interrogated before being returned to terra firma with his mind wiped. However, the pilot finds a way to escape in his test plane while sabotaging the UFO. 

On his way back home, the energy waves of the exploding Skrull saucer flood Chandler's plane. Upon his crash landing, Chandler emerges from the wreckage unscaved. Everything looks like it's going right for a young man who's had a very eventful 24-hours. And then Chuck Chandler disappeared.

The only person to witness Chuck Chandler's disappearance is his brother Hal. After the funeral, Hal discovers that an image of Chuck is embedded in his eyeglasses. In one lens, Chuck is green. The other, red. Hal's eyewear has turned into a macabre sort of 3-D glasses!

One night, Hal falls into a trance. During his slumber, Chuck emerges from Hal's glasses with new and fantastic powers. Now with the power of 3 men, Chuck can leap great heights, perform amazing feats of strength and outrun the fastest cars 1950s Detroit has to offer. Only there's a catch- Chuck Chandler can only exist outside of his brothers eyeglasses for only 3 hours at a time!

Created in 1977 by Roy Thomas (Aargh!) and Jim Craig (What If...), the 3-D Man was created as a tribute to Jack Kirby and Joe Simon's niche superhero Captain 3-D. Thomas wanted to create an entire series based on 3-D Man in a 3-D format. However, production costs just weren't feasible. So a 3-issue try-out in the pages of Marvel Premiere was the best Roy Thomas had to settle for. 

Ultimately, only the most ardent of comic book fans remember the 3-D Man. After appearing in Marvel Premiere #35-37, the character only popped up in a scattered number of books. A pair of Incredible Hulk issues, a brief appearance in Contest of Champions and a spot on Jimmy Woo's 50s era Avengers in What If... #9 would be 3-D Man's sole contributions to the Marvel Universe until a return almost 2 decades later as black man named Delroy Garrett (first known as Triathlon.)

Unfortunately for the Chuck Chandler 3-D Man, when Marvel made the events of that What If... issue a part of mainstream continuity in the 2006 miniseries, Agents of Atlas, the character was left off of the roster. Agents of Atlas writer Jeff Parker claimed it was because he only wanted to use characters from 1950s Atlas lineup. Since 3-D Man was created in the 70s as a retcon, Parker didn't make the nearly-forgotten character a part of that team. However, it may also have something to do with the fact that Kurt Busiek along with George Perez who created the Delroy Garrett 3-D Man, wanted to leave the character alone for other projects. As the contemporary 3-D Man did join a modern version of the Agents of Atlas, that theory holds a bit more water.

Since it's been over a decade since the original 3-D Man's last official appearance in a book, the Roy Thomas creation sadly looks to become nothing more than a small entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. Though who knows? Maybe the time will come for minor 70s characters to make a return to Marvel Comics for a nostalgic mini-series much like 2007's The Twelve. But until then, it's a safe bet that we won't be seeing Chuck Chandler any time soon.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #12 (Published the Year You Were Born) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The True Story of Smokey Bear (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Mandela Effect Quiz Time- How many of you thought the name was Smokey THE Bear? C'mon, lets see those hands!

Nope- It's Smokey Bear. Don't feel bad. I thought the same thing too. 

Now here's another Mandela Effect Quiz question- Smokey Bear the cartoon character was inspired by a cub found after a forest fire? If you raised your hands in agreement with this one, you are wrong again. But this time, don't blame a time traveler going back in time and screwing around with the time line. Blame the U.S. Forestry Service and a promotional comic book from 1959!

The character of Smokey Bear first appeared in ads in 1944. His first slogan was 'Smokey Says- Care Will Prevent 9 Out of 10 Forest Fires.' Three years later, Smokey came up with his now ubiquitous saying of 'Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires.' So where did the living symbol Smokey Bear originate from?

In 1950, a 17,000 acre fire swept through Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. A group of National Guardsmen were working in one particularly fierce hot spot when winds began to overtake the men. The soldiers found a rocky outcrop and safely rode out the fire. Afterwards, the men noticed a scene of total devastation. Animals and fauna were burnt beyond recognition. The only exception was that of a small cub clinging to the trunk of a partially destroyed tree.

The cub's hands and feet were badly singed. But he was alive. The guardsmen took the little guy to the nearest ranger station where a veterinarian was able to nurse the cub back to health. Originally the bear was named Hotfoot Teddy. He was renamed Smokey shortly after. 

As the cub regained his health, national news services picked up the story. Sensing a potential marketing windfall, the US Forestry Service adopted the cub as their real life Smokey Bear mascot. Little Smokey was sent on a PR tour all across the United States. People would flock to state fairs, festivals and local national parks for a chance to see the real life mascot. 

When Smokey got too big to tour, a special pen was set up at the National Zoo in Washington. Fan mail began pouring in to Smokey and his wife Goldie Bear to the point that the postal service had to create a new zip code just for them! 20252 is still used to this day. Those eager to learn about fire safety and prevention can still write to that address for free information. Though a lot of that stuff can now be found online.

So why do some of us think that the cartoon Smokey originated from a little New Mexican bear? In 1959 the Forest Service teamed with Dell Comics to produce a 16 page promotional comic titled 'The True Story of Smokey Bear.' To offset some of the cost, Dell released a 10cent comic called Smokey Bear: His Life Story (Four Color #962); which was filled with his biography, fictional adventures and fire prevention tips. The promo comic reprinted the biography from that issue and was given away to children for decades.

The True Story of Smokey Bear has been reprinted at least 7 times, including a Spanish edition. The last official printing of the comic appears to be from 1991. In the book, it's proclaimed that the Forest Services were inspired to create an ad based on the cub to warn against wild fires. Yes, for time, a realistic rendering of the cub was used in advertisements. However, Dell twisted the facts a bit to say that the cartoon bear we all know and obey evolved from that fire in 1950. 

Saying that you named a bear after a cartoon probably doesn't make for a good story. You might excuse Dell for using a little creative license. However, the legend of Smokey Bear, which was presented in comic book form for nearly 40 years, has now become the reality with TV shows, including History Channel's Pawn Stars going so far to state the the promotional icon got it's origin from a little bear that survived incredible odds.

Now you know the truth about Smokey. My apologies if I ruined childhood history. 

Smokey Bear passed away after a long life and legacy in November, 1976.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #27 (About Nature) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

John Wayne Movie Comics (Gwandanaland Comics #133)

Gwandanaland Comics presents a quartet of John Wayne movie adaptations that have lingered in the public domain. From the legendary Dell 4 Color series, these books have never been reprinted nor collected before. And since Dell and in the case of 2 of the films, the production companies don't exist anymore, you probably will never see these comics reissued.

First up is 1956's The Conqueror. Here, a very American John Wayne is portraying mighty Mongol Genghis Khan. Actually, there's no Genghis Khan. The film begins with the historical figure as just your everyday tribal chief named Temujin. Bent on revenge at the death of his father, Temujin seeks assistance from fellow tribal ally Wang Khan against the Tartars. But treachery is afoot as the Khan's shaman is scheming to overthrow his great leader in hopes of arising from the ashes of total war. 

Clearly, Temujin would run afoul of this plan. But the daughter of Tartar's chief has stolen his heart. The New York Times called this film an 'Oriental Western.' I call it schmaltz. Very uneven story and it's just weird trying to imagine all of the characters as Asia when they're all played by white Hollywood actors. 

Rating- 4 out of 10 stars.

Next up was an adaptation of 1959's Horse Soldiers. I reviewed this film separately as part of my 2022 reading challenge. It has John Wayne as a Union Soldier on a mission into deep Southern territory to ransack a supply depot and to destroy the railroad. William Holden and tennis legend Althea Gibson co-starred. 

A thrilling adventure that was also a bit uneven. The opening scene is about 18 pages long. The climatic final battle clocks in at just 2. But the story is nowhere as melodramatic as The Conqueror.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Then we have the western comedy North To Alaska. Wayne plays a prospector who goes into Seattle for supplies and to pick up his partner's fiance while the lover builds a honeymoon cottage on their claim. Well, fiancee decided that 2 years was too long to wait and went and got herself hitched to some other dude. 

So Wayne's character returns with another gal, a saloon hostess in hopes that she'll fall in love with the guy staying in Alaska. But she's in love with Big John. Meanwhile, claim jumpers are causing trouble all over the town. The Union had gotten involved and commandeered everybody's property. But like they say 'Hell Hath No Fury Like a John Wayne Scorned!'

Legendary comic and late night pioneer Ernie Kovacs played one of the swindlers. I'm a big fan of his and though this book is missing his wit and wry sense of humor, I really enjoyed this gold fever farce. I think I might actually seek this out if the movie ever hits AMC or TCM.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

1961's Comancheros is the featured adaptation on the cover. This is the book that really captured my interest. Sadly, it's the weakest of all the books. It's not Dell's fault though. 

The first half of the story has John Wayne playing a Texas Ranger who keeps getting the slip from a Louisianan card sharp on the lame for killing a man in a duel. That part is really good. But when the ranger and the rogue join forces to infiltrate gun runners to the violent Comanches, things get confusing. There's double-crosses. Wayne going undercover as one of the black marketeers just doesn't make sense because I feel that the guy who is his contact should have known who he said he was wasn't the guy. Plus, the whole dynamic of the family of gun runners that John Wayne finally meets is just off. Really, nothing made sense.

I've grown over the years to appreciate the films my dad and grandpa used to watch together. But if this was the first Western I'd give a try to, I wouldn't have the new found fondness. I'd stick with my original opinion as a tyke- Boring and jumbled!

Rating: 2 out of 10 stars.

The collection itself was a Gawndanaland Comics triumph. The images were colorful and crisp. Great color printing. I loved it. The subject mater varied in quality. Some of it is uneven and I put that blame on Dell for focusing too much on unimportant parts of films. Some of it is clumsy. I put that blame on the movies for not being all that well made. John Wayne might be an American icon much like Joe DiMaggio. But DiMaggio only batted .325. 

Face it- some of these films were duds.

Rating of the quality of the volume: 10 of 10 stars.

Overall Rating: Worth Consuming
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents World's Finest, Volume 1

Presenting some of the most off-the-wall adventures starring the Man of Steel, the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder. Aliens, love-sick dames, giant robots and rather unusual new teammates to the trio of heroes make up the list of opponents faced by the World's Finest. 

This black and white collection also contains the first ever meeting between Batman and Superman from the pages of Superman. The original Batwoman, Kathy Kane, attempts to shatter the glass ceiling in competition with Batman and The Man of Tomorrow. Lastly, in an all-time classic, The Joker and Lex Luthor join forces against their arch-enemies.

But where's Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen? The cub reporter was an integral part of the World's Finest issues of my father's that I used to read by the literal trunk-load as a kid. Jimmy and Robin would often have a generational gap competition in the pages of this DC Comics team-up. Not having the ginger teen in these stories is just rather weird to me. Perhaps he'll pop up in volume 2...

One unforgivable disappointment is the overuse of plots. Yes, with comic books, being nearly a century old, it's nearly impossible to not reuse plot lines. But to have so many repeat plot lines less than a year apart in time; things got predictable quick. Maybe if I was a reader in the mid-1950s approaching these as they were published on a bi-monthly basis, I wouldn't have noticed the lack of imagination. But I doubt it.

Still, this was a great collection of 1950s DC stories. Their naive optimism was a nice transition from the bleakness of the Atomic Knight and Great Disaster stories that I had been reading prior to this archive of Golden Age works.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents Strange Adventures, Volume 2

A great time capsule of the late 1950s science fiction. 9 out of 10 stories are about aliens from another world. Some of them are benevolent. Most want to take over the Earth or destroy it outright. The other 10 percent of stories involved inter-dimensional travel, attempts to prevent the destruction of the planet (usually thanks to time travel), or some strange new invention that goes horribly wrong.

DC was able to capture the fears of a nation in the pages of Strange Adventures. The red scare. The cold war. Nuclear war. 

But DC was also able to latch upon the wonder of the nuclear age. Space travel. The automation of industry. Hope that one day, universal peace could be achieved. 

Legends of not just the publishing company but the golden and silver age of comics worked on this volume. Gil Kane, Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and many more. This was a beautiful collection of sci-fi comics.

But there was one trope that got old and it got old pretty quick. The main way that the aliens are able to communicate with earthlings is thanks to telepathy. If it wasn't for mind reading, the different races wouldn't be able to interact. There'd be no story. Thankfully, DC Comics understood this as one of their tales actually asked the question: how could humans and alien species interact without the use of mental telepathy? 

After that story, you'd think that telepathy tales would be considered off limits by the editors. Unfortunately, that same old tired plot device was continuously used. OVER and OVER...

Okay, so Strange Adventures wasn't perfect. But it was a perfect representation of an imperfect time in American history. Communism made us crazy. But the hope of a better tomorrow showed a light at the end of the tunnel.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

DC Comics Presents" Blackhawk, Volume 1

Andre. Olaf. Chop-Chop. Chuck. Hendrickson. Blackhawk. Together, these seven men fight to protect right and stop evildoers all across the globe. Prior in World War II, the Blackhawks fought the Nazis and Imperial Japan. After the war, they continued their campaign, only this time against giant robots, aliens from outer space and escaped Nazi War criminals. 

This volume of DC Comics Presents covers issues of Blackhawk #108-127; the first 20 issues after DC obtained the rights of the property from defunct Quality Comics. I didn't know that DC did any anti-Communism stories during the 1950s. After the Comic Book scare, DC Comics tended to shy away from such overly controversial subjects. But in the first 5-6 issues, it seems like every villain the Blackhawks faced was part of the 'Communist scourge'. But that plot-line soon softened to having the Blackhawks mostly take on costumed villains. Though now a part of the Atomic Age 1950s, the team did have it's WWII throwbacks, mostly in fighting foes who wish to establish the Fourth Reich.

This version of the Blackhawks was clearly a product of it's time period; mostly with the troubling inclusion of Chop-Chop. Unlike Will Eisner's The Spirit, Blackhawk did not boast a racial caricature of an African American, But they did have an character who started out as a racial stereotype of the uneducated Asian houseboy in Chop-Chop. 

By 1955 when DC Comics took over the property, Chop-Chop looked less embellished. But he still spoke in a broken English filled with fortune cookie platitudes. (To be fair, the Swedish, French and German characters also spoke in stereotype.) Plus, he always rode in the back of Blackhawk's plane like a puppy on a ride with his owner. However, as this volume progresses, you start to notice that Chop-Chop is permitted to fly the plane on errands and becomes a martial arts wunderkind who gets the team out of their fair share of scrapes.

I appreciated that DC Comics decided to release this book unedited. In a disclaimer at the beginning of this volume, the publishers admit that Blackhawk had it's racist elements but felt that for historical merit those elements should be included. I think it doesn't glamorize racism. Instead, it shows how far we've come. With the recent cancellation of a pre-Batman Detective Comics omnibus, it's too bad that in only 11 short years, DC no longer feels worthy to share it's mistakes for the next generation of readers.

Lastly, let's talk about the forgotten Blackhawk. Earlier, I named 6 of the Blackhawks team. Yet, there are 7 of them. However, it might as well only have been 6! In most origin accounts, the Polish Stanislaus is the first to join Blackhawk's team and considered the team leader's most valued officer. Yet, in this book, I don't think I would be lying if I said that he only speaks in maybe 8 of the 60 stories reprinted here. 

Of all the Blackhawks of foreign heritage, Stan is the only one who doesn't speak with an exaggerated accent or mannerisms. Considering how Polish people have had a reputation as being the butt of many a bar room joke, Stanislaus is nobody's fool. But he's the least used team member. Possibly having 7 characters is just too many to given a proper attention to. Yet all the other teammates have at least one story in which they are the star in this collection. Stanislaus it seems is forever the bride maid.

An interesting look at DC's team of super soldiers from the 50s. It's very much a product of it's time period. The covers are great but the story's tend to fall flat with absurd endings. Plus, for a group having a secret island base, most of the criminal element of the world seem able to stumble across it. 

I enjoyed reading this edition, but I don't feel compelled to revisit the Blackhawks of time again. I would love to get my hands on their adventures in the late 60s when they became costume secret agents. But I think I've had enough of them from a time period fraught with racial ignorance.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Weird Love, Volume 1: You Know You Want It

Commie bad boy hunks. Mentally unhinged debutantes. Free love hippies, mini skirts, and Ronald Reagan?! It's all found in this edition of Weird Love: You Know You Want It!

Weird Love is a comic anthology from IDW Publishing and Yoe Books. The collaboration reprints some of the wildest, weirdest and down right prudish stories taken from the romance comics of the 1950s, 60s and 70s! 

I'm a fan of comics of all eras but my heart is firmly rooted in the Silver Age of comics when the Comics Code was just taking affect. There were so many titles out there trying to be lurid without attracting attention from politicians and angry moms. It's rather funny in an uncomfortable way.

A lot of these stories are like B-movies. They're so bad, that they're good! Fans of MST3K, Svengoolie and Ed Wood will delight in these forgotten gems from yesterday.

My wife got me this for Christmas. I have no idea where she got it. She's pretty well okay with a lot of oddball comics I bring in, including kids stuff. But the romance stuff, she tends to find that laughable and a little silly for a grown man like myself to read. But my mother had a bunch of them from when she was a girl and I being hooked on anything comic book related, gobbled them up. So, for me, it's not odd for men to read romance comics. 

But still, I'm a little mystified that my wife got this for me. I'm wondering if some of my buddies at my favorite comic book shop made the recommendation, as they know I am a huge fan of any type of comic book from this era. I guess that's one mystery I've leave unsolved.

This book was a thrill to read. I wouldn't mind reading more in the series or some of the sister books like Haunted Horror. I've read several other collections from Yoe Books and they always seem to find some great stuff. This edition does disappoint!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman: The Black Casebook

Relive the stories that inspired Grant Morrison's Batman: R.I.P. 

This collection of Batman tales are from the much maligned period of the mid-1950s to early 1960s when Batman went sci-fi. Battling robots, aliens, and mad scientists, those episodes kinda went against the core essence of the Caped Crusader. 

Fans mostly hate that era. I for one am okay with it as a whole. My biggest complaint is that several of these stories cheat by using elements that weren't there but suddenly are now for Batman to solve the big mystery. Poor editing, rush jobs, or the writers praying that the readers were too stupid to know any better??? Your guess is as good as mine. 

There's a few classics in here such as 1964's 'Robin Dies At Dawn.' Plus the first appearance of one of my all-time favorite mischief makers, Bat-Mite, occurs within the adventures contained in The Black Casebook.

Featuring a foreword from the mastermind of Batman: R.I.P., I don't recommend that you skip it. It provided me with some much sought after answers to lingering questions I had after completing R.I.P. However, Grant Morrison tends to give away the plot to some of these classic stories. So, It might not be a bad idea to wait until afterwards to read Morrison's essay.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Vault of Horror #14

• A pair of con men use a medium to swindle an old lady out of her inheritance. But the spirits have other plans. 
• In a play on an old urban legend, an African butler misinterprets the desires of his master and puts the man's fiance out for display.
• An animal loving wife is pushed beyond her limits when her cantankerous husband takes up a new hobby- taxidermy!
• A rising star in the boxing circuit must throw the match of his life or else never see his baby son ever again.

This issue of the Vault of Horror offers a score of terrifying treats. Everyone's favorite EC horror host is the Crypt-Keeper. But mine is the Vault-Keeper. I don't know why. His stories just seemed more interesting to me while CK's stuff, while good, just didn't seem so believable. 

No, that's not right. Something's missing with what I am trying to say, just like some of the details of Crypt-Keepers report of the boxer with the kidnapped child. The story jumps six months at one point but it's never revealed if the kid returned home safely or not. 

I usually am not big on the Old Witch's stuff at all. I'm just not a Ghastly (Graham Ingels) fan. But the story about the wife and her taxidermist hubby was a creepy story that actually begged for Ghastly's distressed touch. Plus, as an animal lover myself, I would be destroyed if I came home to find that my spouse did to- Oh, NO! You're not getting a spoiler out of me. I don't care if the stories reprinted are over 60 years old!

A fantastic addition to my EC Comics collection. I'm still a long ways off from completing it, but I get closer all the time.  

Featuring the art of the legendary Johnny Craig, this issue is a gem!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Psychoanalysis

  Seeing that the days of crime and horror comics were over, William Gaines sought to move EC Comics into a ‘New Direction.’ It was a short lived attempt as fans didn't enjoy this neutered approach. Most of EC’s talent left for greener (and career- safer) pastures. The newly formed Comics Code Authority was censoring material with abandon. One such title that didn't survive the changing tides of the 1950s comics industry was Psychoanalysis!

    The premise of Psychoanalysis was pretty revolutionary. Each chapter revolved around a patient of an unnamed therapist know only as The Psychiatrist. In reality, psychotherapy takes months, even years, to complete. So the idea behind Psychoanalysis was that each patient’s story was supposed to be spread out anywhere from 3-5 issues per case study.

   Unfortunately, the Psychiatrist gave up his practice after only 4 issues. Thankfully Gaines had the insight to complete all of the patient's therapy before closing the doors on this series.
     
    Chronicling the patient's progress was Jack Kamen. He had built up a small following with his works on the horror titles of EC. Yet, he's also one of the most controversial talents on Gaines’ roster. A lot of EC fans hate his art style, calling it 2-dimensional. His most fervent detractors call him a rip-off artist of universally accepted fan favorite, Johnny Craig.

      I didn't mind the effort of Kamen with this series. Kamen was the difficult task of taking an experimental book and making in work at a time when the industry was crippled thanks to the Estes-Kefauver hearings on juvenile delinquency. The stories themselves were quite interesting- so much that I think my psychology major wife might enjoy them as well.

   The endings to each episode were a little hoo-hum for my liking. How exciting can you end a procedure that has the practice of finishing with the immortal words ‘I'm sorry, that's all the time we have for today.’

     I've been collecting EC titles since I was 11. So I can expertly say that Psychoanalysis is the most difficult of all of the EC titles ​to find in any media. I found this volume just this past May during my Free Comic Book Day excursions. Believe me when I say that I shouted out the words 'Dibs!’ and 'Mine!’ when I found this!

  This collection also contains an in-depth interview with one of my personal EC favorites, Marie Severin. Her account of time spent as a pioneering woman artist in the man's world of the 1950s comics industry was fascinating. Severins’s story would make a fantastic series on AMC or Netflix!

Psychoanalysis may not the most polished of EC works. But this series has been on my wish list for quite a while. It was a major Grail find! Very cerebral!

  Worth Consuming!

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The EC Archives: Crime SuspenStories, Volume 3

   Dangerous dames, cunning con men, scorned lovers, and murderous psychos fill panel and page of Crime SuspenStories, Volume 3. Reprinting issues 13-18 of EC Comics’ classic crime thriller comic, this book is lovingly reprinted by Dark Horse Comics.

    I consider myself someone of an expert on EC books. I’ve been reading and collecting them since I was about 10. So, I have seen a variety publisher’s efforts to reprint this stories in so many different styles. In my opinion, I can officially declare that Dark Horse’s efforts are clearly best.

    Up until Dark Horse took over the license, I would have rated the Russ Cochran editions the best. These hardcover collections from 1986-1988, are considered by many to be the standard for EC Comics reprints. They were printed on prestige acid-free paper with beautifully bright covers. Unfortunately, the Cochran interiors were printed only in black and white. The decision  was in an effort to cut costs down, but ultimately it was disappointment to readers. That’s not the case with the Dark Horse volumes. Every dismembered victim is brought to gruesome life in vibrant 4-colors on shiny, hi-stock paper.

    Dark Horse’s collections are little paper time capsules. This era of EC Comics lore is just as the publisher was beginning to overtake DC Comics as the industry leader. With EC’s popularity, new titles were being developed. Initial advertisements for MAD, originally published as a comic book, are highlighted throughout the run of these books. There’s also a number of stories written by Ray Bradbury. Just  prior to issue #13’s release, Bradbury signed an exclusive contract with EC to publish comic adaptations of his works. Also highlighted are masters such as Johnny Craig and Jack Kamen who spin original yarns of revenge gone wrong. Volume 3 also collects the first ever EC works by Al Williamson.

    Another thing that I appreciate with this collection is that the original letters pages are restored. These pages contained Bill Gaines insightful editorial commentary. The Russ Cochran volumes reprinted the original pages as well. Yet when Gladstone took over the licence, they were replaced with a letters page composed of modern readers opinions. That’s all well and good for Gladstone. But the new letters don’t reflect the irreverent tone that would inspire Stan Lee with his letter pages at Marvel.

    The book retails for $49.99. For many, this collection isn’t cheap. But it’s a superior omnibus of reprints that rival anything currently on the market. Collectors of 1950s shock comics will love this book.

    Book will arrive in stores on June 27th, 2017.

    Worth Consuming!

    Rating: 9 out of 10 Stars.

  (This review originally was posted on Outrightgeekery.com on 5/24/17.)

The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories

   I actually waited a full-scale year to read this book. My wife gave it to me for Christmas. But since we had traveled to St. Louis to visit her family, we didn't exchange gifts with each other until after we got back a few days after Christmas 2015. So I added this treasury to my collection database, put it on my 'To Read' shelf and I waited... and waited... and waited until it was Christmas time 2016 to finally read this volume.
    The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories is just that; it's over one hundred and seventy pages of classic Christmas themed comics from the 1940s up till 1960. It features the work of comic book legends such as John Stanley (Little Lulu), Walt Kelly (Pogo), and even an Al Fago yuletide yarn starring his creation Atomic Mouse. Added to the holiday fun is a rare comic story from children's book master Richard Scarry (Busytown.) 
    Some of these stories are quite dated, either in appearance or conventional mores. A few are quite silly and there were a couple of duds. But this was a pretty enjoyable read. Plus, not liking every story is to be expected in a collection such as this and as long as the majority of the stories are gems, it still makes for an overall favorable read.
    This treasury was co-published by YOe Books, in cooperation with IDW Publishing. YOe has been building a reputation with it's massive editions of comic works featuring Steve Ditko, Dan DeCarlo, and Jack Kirby and the level of quality and detail in this treasury shows. 
     A really awesome Christmas present that was worth the wait. 

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
   

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

 

  The literary event of 2015 asks the question, 'When is a sequel not a sequel?' Though Go Set A Watchman follows up with Scout, Atticus, Jem, Calpurnia, and many more characters from Lee's 1960 masterpiece To Kill A Mockingbird it is not a sequel to the award winning classic. Instead, this book was actually the first draft for Mockingbird.

    Harper Lee finished the manuscript for this book in 1957. Her publisher liked this book but felt that it lacked a concrete plot. Also, editor Tay Hohoff felt that the flashback parts of when Scout, Jem, and Dill were kids were the best parts of the book and encouraged Lee to start over with that time period. 

I'm so glad Harper Lee listened to Hohoff.

    See, Mockingbird is my favorite book of all-time and though I read more comic books than fiction these days, I was counting down the days until this book dropped on July 14th. I'm such a fan of TKAM that I've read the book like 7 times (and it's the only novel I've read more than once, except for school assignments.) I'm such a fan of TKAM, I pre-ordered this book on Amazon. I'm such a fan of TKAM, I even paid a little extra on shipping so that the book was delivered to my door on the day the book came out. 

    Go Set A Watchman is a book fraught with controversy. First many question as to whether this book was actually written by Harper Lee. Some point to her deteriorated state. Born in 1926, the 89-year old Pulitzer Prize winner is now deaf and blind and some critics feel that her guardians pushed for this book's release in order to exploit and extort from the beloved civil rights figure. 

   Another source of controversy is how much Atticus Finch changed from being a champion of the lower class and  people of color during the Depression to a dyed in the wool bigot at the height of the 1950s civil rights movement, particularly eyeing the NAACP as a threat to the way of life of Southern Whites. Such a change left not only only daughter Scout Finch disillusioned but many readers as well. 

    I for one overlook this change in the Finch family patriarch. For one thing as I mentioned earlier, this book was a rough draft. Reports say that Lee put this book in a safe deposit box sometime between 1957 and 1960 and then forgot about it until her lawyers and accountants discovered it in 2014. In her elderly state, I doubt she made any changes to the original manuscript and it was published as-is.

   Another factor that may prove my theory right is Scout's recollection of Atticus' defense of a one-armed black man when she was a little girl. In this book, Tom Robinson was acquitted! Yet in Mockingbird, poor Tom was found guilty despite Atticus proving that Bob Ewell severely beat his daughter Mayella! 

    With inconsistencies between the two novels, readers of this book will need to take it with a grain of salt. Don't read this book as a sequel as much as a return to some of the most beloved characters in 20th Century American literature. The scenes of Scout, Jem, and Dill are the best parts of this book (especially when the trio play Revival.) 

   The rest of the book was quite interesting with Scout returning to her hometown of Maycomb in her 20s from living in the Big Apple for several years (though for the life of me, I have no idea what Jean Louise did for a living as it's not even mentioned.) However, Scout roams around the small town having debates about love, life, and equality while having those childhood flashbacks of her's with any and everyone she meets. Like the main character, this book lacks direction and jumps from place to place as well as points in time from Scout's childhood to becoming a young woman to her previous return visits from up North. 

   Even though this book is like a compass without a needle, Go Set A Watchman is going to become a classic if only for the fact that it's a lost work of the elusive Harper Lee who only wrote one other published book. Watchman is like when JRR Tolkien's son posthumously published scores of the Middle Earth creator's notes and unfinished pieces on the Lord of the Rings trilogy- it gives glimpses of already established and much loved characters but it doesn't change the main body of work published by the author who I might add is a talented storyteller. 

   Since this isn't an official sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird you the reader have every right to accept the parts you enjoyed as canon and reject those you hated. So if you dislike that Atticus Finch becomes more like Archie Bunker when the NAACP comes to town, then you can just say 'That's not how that happened.' You won't be right or wrong. You'll be an observer from afar, watching life in the 1950s Solid South. You may be offended. You may be vindicated. But no matter what view you take, at least you'll be a little entertained when you do.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: Superman Family, Volume 4

  When I was a little kid, it would be a special treat when my father would bring our his collection of comics from when he was a youngster. Born in 1955, my dad's collection was from the Silver Age of comics. So  most of my introduction into comics were titles from about 1956-1968. That's not a bad tutorial for a kid born in 1977 to have.

   My pop had things like the first appearance of the Barry Allen Flash, the Hal Jordan Green Lantern, and the Black Panther. (I later inherited these gems only to have them stolen by an older high school 'friend.') But my favorite comics were the ones that starred Superman, particularly those adventures that starred members of Superman's Family. Those titles included Superman's best friend Jimmy Olsen and the Man of Steel's best gal, Lois Lane.

    This collection reprints some of those gems from the Olsen and Lane titles. Ranging from 1959-1960, this book includes the first appearance of Jimmy as Giant Turtle Man, the beginning of the Imaginary Tales stories that pondered what would happen if Superman finally married Lois, and numerous cameos from another Superman Family favorite of mine- Supergirl!

    Featuring art from Silver Age legends Curt Swan and Kurt Schaffenberger, these stories are true American treasures. Sadly, just who wrote most of these classics has become lost to time or poor record keeping but you can see the deft handiwork of iconic DC editor, Julius Schwartz. The only thing missing would be a few ape covers because hey- gorillas sell books, kids!

   Besides being an anthology of some of the lesser known Superman titles, this was a time capsule to my childhood. It's been almost exactly 2 years since this title was published and a fifth volume in this series has yet to be issued. I hope DC hasn't given up on this series as there are at least another 10 years worth of stories left to be retold.

  Sometimes hokey, with some archaic views towards women and teens, but never boring, this is great stuff from the Silver Age that's totally Worth Consuming!

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Aces High #1

   In an attempt to placate critics, brought forth by the witchhunt of Dr. Frederic Wertham, EC Comics canceled many of it's most controversial (but ultimately popular)  titles. In their stead were several more 'family friendly' titles that still contained the shock ending that was EC's signature. This approach was called EC's NEW DIRECTION- and it was a colossal failure.

    One such title was called 'Aces High.' It was a war comic devoted to the aerial maneuvers of World War I. While stories about the bi-planes of the War to End All Wars would've made for some interesting additions to EC's previous war titles such as 'Two-Fisted Tales' or 'Frontline Combat' t to have an entire 48-page comic devoted to Sopwith Camels and Spitfires while trying to shock the reader with a twist ending just didn't work on paper.  The title only lasting 5-issues was such proof of the formula not working. By issue 3, the publisher allowed for the title to also include stories about the infantrymen and land wars of WWI but it still couldn't save the title from an early extinction.

    This issue featured 4 stories. The first tale is called 'The Way it Was.' With the art by George Evans, it features a grandfatherly type character giving an overview of the war to a young boy. It's actually a clever way to start the series.

   The next story is a Wally Wood work titled 'The Outsider' and it involves a newcomer to a fighter squadron and the prejudice he occurs as he tries to fit into the unit. Only once he's baptized by fire is he finally considered one of the guys. It's a powerful tale.

   The third adventure was my favorite. 'The Mascot' involves a puppy that can tell when one of the pilot's of a squad isn't going to make it back from their mission. Call it a sixth sense but when the mascot refuses to acknowledge the demise of a pilot listed as Missing In Action, his buddies conduct a hi-flying rescue mission that would've made a great addition to Speilberg's short-lived 80's TV series 'Amazing Stories.'

   Lastly, we meet 'The New C.O.' He's a take no prisoners type and he's got a tough mission ahead of him. His new assignment is known as a bunch of goof-offs and now Uncle Sam expects him to make them into aerial killing machines. Featuring art by the great Jack Davis, it's a poignant story about the horrors of war- not just physical but the psychological effects as well.

    Along with these four EC gems was a short story called 'The Stork With Talons.' In was a jumbled mess but it was necessary for EC to include in this book in  order to qualify this title as first-class mail. Lastly, this reprint included something that wasn't in the original publication. It's the first part of an interview with artist George Evans. It included some very interesting inside info about EC during the 1950s. I hate that I don't have issue #2 in order to read the rest of this interview, but I have something to look forward to someday.

      While this isn't my ideal EC title, it was an enjoyable read. The classic art was worth the cover price alone. But even with a weak premise, the stories themselves were quite good. Plus, these 'New Direction' titles are important parts of comic book history and they show the sad progression of EC's ultimate demise.

Darn you, Dr. Wertham!!!

Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

   

Walt Disney's Christmas Parade, 1988 (Family Comic Friday)

    I promised to try and review some newer titles in time for Christmas. But I just couldn't pass this up. In the past year, I've found several Disney holiday comics for $3 or less at stores such as Dollar General and the Dollar Store. Not to mention that there's dozens of Disney holiday comics to be found at your local comic shop. If you live in the Durham area, I recommend searching the Disney section at Books Do Furnish a Room. They also carry the current selection of Archie Christmas-themed comics, of which I will be reviewing next week.

 For a very long time, Gemstone published the Disney titles. That's now changed over to Marvel, now that Disney is their parent company. However, they don't seem to release very much in comics form nowadays.

    Gemstone losing the licensing rights is one reason you can find Disney comics for cheap. Another is that many of the Christmas-themed books were comprised of reprints. With no artists or writers to pay, the cost of books was lower. Also, first run stuff is more sought after than reprinted material. But that doesn't mean that these books are not worth owning or reading. Let's look at the book I read.

    In this treasury from 1988, Donald and his nephews deal with some new residents living in his Christmas Tree, later Huey, Dewey, and Louie must figure out what Donald wants for Christmas if their going to receive the only item on their wish list. Then Minnie tries to spread some holiday cheer to the animals of the forest while Mickey and Goofy deliver a ceramic Santa to a mysterious client. Then Jiminy Cricket helps Thumper outfox a wolf, so they can make it to Christmas Dinner with the Seven Dwarfs and Uncle Scrooge tries to recall one good deed he did in the previous year in hopes Santa will visit him. Along with a few one-page gags starring the nephews and Goofy, there are two tales starring characters I've never heard of before.

     One is a fellow named Bucky Bug. He and a friend build a house out of discarded candy while annoyingly talking in verse. Then we meet the Three Little Kittens who've taken up residence with a young girl, but can't seem to keep out of trouble. Neither of these tales is Christmas or other holiday related. Yet, with 9 out the 11 or so stories being holiday themed I will excuse this oversight (and frequent pet peeve of mine.) Plus, with material dated from 1950-1988, only the Bucky Bug story feels dated. The rest were fresh and relevant to me as I am sure they were when first published.

    I think I paid $4 or less for this book online and as I mentioned before there are Disney comic treasuries galore to be found at discount stores and comic shops nationwide. You just gotta search. You and your kids will be glad you did.

  Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Weird Science-Fiction Fantasy Annual #2 (Banned Comics Week)

My final selection for Banned Comics week is a unique time capsule of the changes that EC Comics would have to endure after the Juvenile Delinquency Senate hearings and with the coming of the comic’s code. Sales of comic books had been plummeting across the board. To spare jobs and to keep from closing, EC cancelled its horror comics and began to merge other titles together. For instance, Weird Science and Weird Fantasy were merged together after both published their final issue #22. The new title was called Weird Science-Fantasy.

The new title was still edgy with bizarre aliens, screaming femme fatales and twist endings that stunned the reader back into reality. But when the CCA formed in 1954 one of the rules stated the word “Weird” could not be used in the title of a book. Thus, Gaines and Co. changed the name of the series to Incredible Science Fiction at issues #30. This book has the distinction of the being the very first comic to be approved by the CCA (as according to the reprint editors of this annual.)

ISF is tepid. The stories are no longer thrilling. The endings still have a twist but EC’s stunning style had been neutered. Incredible lasted 4 more issues but thanks to an confrontation with the CCA, Gaines decided to stop publishing comics altogether.

Before issue 34 was published, William Gaines sent a reprinted story for approval called “Judgment Day!" (Weird Fantasy  #18). This anti-racism story, was rejected because Judge Charles Murphy, the Comics Code Administrator, demanded that the star of the story, a black astronaut, be changed into a white hero. Gaines refused and threatened to take the matter all the way to the Supreme Court. The CCA, not wanting an early case of more unwanted publicity, backed down.  Gaines went on and  printed the story both without any changes or the CCA approval stamp. It would be the last comic printed by Gaines who would go one to devote his energies to the now magazine formatted MAD Magazine. Yes Mad would be just as subversive but because the book was no longer published in the size of a comic book, it was free from the intrusion of the Comics Code.

I’m not so much a fan of this treasury of latter day EC reprints. But for their historical value, this collection is priceless. You can see through volume 1 and later this second volume how EC’s style was slowly reined in to fit an Ozzie & Harriet lifestyle. Ultimately, by focusing on MAD, Gaines got the upper hand, thumbing his nose at American society all the way to the bank.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Vault of Horror #22 (Banned Comics Week)

 This issue has stuck with me for years since I first read it back in 1990. The cover bears the image of a group of child carrying a scratch made coffin down a dirt path. The story is titled ‘Let The Punishment Fit The Crime.’ In this tale, a group of children hold a mock funeral through a small town. The town’s folk then recall how the kids asked them each questions about justice and capital punishment. It’s only on the last page do we learn that these kids have found one of their peers guilty of a criminal offense (kidnapping a girl’s dolly) and had him killed by pushing him onto a live wire and then buried.

   Now my biggest peeve is if kids pushed someone onto a live wire, how did they get the child off the electricity and into a coffin without killing themselves in the process? But in the 1950s, child advocacy groups hit a conniption fit with this issue, saying it encouraged children to exact vigilante justice. (Interestingly enough, when Dr. Wertham attacked the most well-known vigilante superhero, Batman, he didn’t criticize his sense of justice. No, Dr. Wertham implied that since Batman hung around with a young boy who wore hot pants, he must’ve been a homosexual! - Don’t believe me- look it up on Google!)

Anyway, back to this comic. I mentioned that civic groups saw this issue as a prime example of being a bad influence on children. But I would argue that it would be the advocates for children who did more damage than these comics. Wertham skewed his research by twisting around the responses of the children he interviewed until they forcefully admitted that they were deviants and in need of therapy thanks to the damning influence of comics.

  There’s another instance that I cannot remember how I found out about this but I both read about it in the great book about the comic book scare of the 50s called “The 10-cent Plague” and I saw a video of the episode somewhere and I just cannot recall it for citing purposes. But the program I recall was a 1950s news show that devotes one episode on juvenile delinquency. In the episode, it showed kids reading EC Comics and then smoking, playing with knives, and then tying up a chum and beating him up.

The newscaster’s narration blames comic books for this wanton behavior. What he does not mention is that producers of his show hired kids off the street, and filmed them while encouraging them to use weapons and hog-tie one of their friends. The only thing the kids reportedly did on their own volition was to read the comic books. It was a bunch of so called responsible adults who put the kids up to acting like a bunch of thugs.

There are 3 more really good stories in this issue. First up is ‘Together They Lie,’ a creepy story of a man who discovers that his wife may not have been as faithful to him as he originally believed. The ending of this story seems to me might have heavily influenced the first vignette in the classic Stephen King tribute to EC Comics, Creepshow.

  After the cover story, we join old Doc Swanson as he tracks down a killer in a small town in a story called “A Slight Case of Murder!” I was on edge trying to guess who the killer was and I admit I was shocked when I found out. But looking back, I can see that this issue must have inspired the film Men In Black in a way. I won’t spoil it, but if you read this tale, you’ll know I am right. Lastly, a marionette artist spends his final night on earth reflecting on his art and his marriage that suddenly went sour. It’s got a gruesome ending, but in my opinion the weakest of the 4 stories.

This issue reprints Vault of Horror #33. It’s a favorite of mine and a spooky classic.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.