The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus, Vol. 3: Fiendish Fables of Devilish Delicacies

The third and final Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Omnibus is here! Well, actually it debuted in August and I kept waiting on it to show up at my favorite comic book shop. But for one reason or another, the book never came. Once my guys determined that the distributors weren't going to fill the order request, I went to Amazon and ordered it myself. I hate not being able to support a local small business like that...

'Fiendish Fables of Devilish Delicacies' might be the best of the bunch. It features a bunch of celebrity writers taking horrifying shots at America's Favorite Family. Comedian Thomas Lennon and Rocker Rob Zombie are among those who contribute. But it was the re-pairing of 2 iconic teams from the pages of comic history that were my favorite out of all 3 volumes.

Swamp Thing co-creators, Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, join forces once again to pose a tale that suggests what might have happened if Homer was killed and put into a vat of Apu's Squishee mix to become the Squish Thing! Then Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan reunite to propose what would happen if Homer lead a team of vampire hunters against the dreaded Count Dracula. I must admit it took me a couple of pages to realize that this was a parody of Marvel's The Tomb of Dracula horror comic from the 70s and not a send-up of Universal's Dracula. However, once I did, I was enthralled because I cut my horror comic lovin' teeth on that series! Colan's artwork was so stunning. It looked 3-D. Artists today can barely make classic comic characters look 2-D. When you read that story, you are in the presence of genius. 2 geniuses! 

Speaking of bad art, there was one story called 'Boo-tleg' in which the Kwik-E-Mart is selling poisoned Halloween candy to the citizens of Springfield. To hide his crimes, Apu keeps making clones of the townsfolk. But the results are less than ideal. I get the premise of the story and I liked the satire of the effect cloning could have on society. Yet, the artwork looked like really poor computer animation. Like so bad, it makes the Dire Straits music video, 'Money For Nothing' look modern!

One thing I had been missing were the covers. This book includes that much desired cover gallery. I still never got the Treehouse of Horror Halloween annuals printed in order; but at least I now have all of the material that would be included, if I owned the entire set. But there are lots of extras that only appeared in the trade collections. So that makes this a super-omnibus. Even with the near $150 I paid for all 3 volumes, I came out on top. Prices for some of those annuals are with price tags of $30-$50 each. No way in heck am I going shell out that type of money for a Simpsons floppy; no matter how much I love Halloween books!

Now if only Harry N. Abrams would collect the Simpsons Winter Wingdings and other seasonal Holiday material in an omnibus or two...

They saved the best material for last!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Berni Wrightson: Master of the Macabre #5

I'm not wanting to be very dark in my Halloween readings this year. What with the stress of COVID and teaching and all. But I don't want to spend my whole countdown to All Hallow's Eve reading kiddie books either. So for Day 3, I'm turning to a trusted source for my horror- the one and only, Berni(e) Wrightson.

Before he made comic book history with the co-creation of Swamp Thing in 1971, Wrightson cut his teeth on a variety of publications such as Eerie and Creepy and a host of other books from long defunct comic publications. That's the premise for the 5 issue miniseries from Pacific/Eclipse Comics. 

Berni Wrightson: Master of the Macabre is an anthology celebration of the artist and writer's earliest and somewhat forgotten works. In this, the last issue of the miniseries, there are several stories of horror and gore. The first story revolves around a Dr. Frankenstein type character and his abused servant as they rush to feed the doctor's most recent discovery- the mysteriously titled 'It!' Then underground dwelling mutants go top side looking for survivors of an atomic holocaust. An elderly man kills his nagging wife who continues to berate the guy long after passing. Finally, there's a comedic yarn about a hillbilly who wont let death deprive him of his thirst for moonshine. 

There's also a couple of one-pagers for a series named after it's title character- Limpstrel. These are beautifully illustrated but their also a little too high brow. I just didn't really understand them. Maybe it's because they were intended for a fantasy mag called Witzend and not horror which is really more my thing.

You don't have to have the other 4 issues of this mini in order to enjoy #5. I have no idea where I got this book. Probably a dollar box or a grab bag. I don't recall even how long I've held onto this early 80s issue in my collection. But this issue was creepy fun and definitely a title that I'd like to get my hands on the rest of the run.

A very haunting masterpiece by one of the master of horror comics. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

Creepshow

Stephen King's love letter to the horror comics of the 1950s has returned to print.

Next to his young adult novel Eyes of the Dragon, 1982's Creepshow is Master of Horror's most rare book. For one thing, the book is done in graphic novel form. For most of his fans, this isn't the preferred medium for a Stephen King work. After I read this (well re-read it as my library had a copy of this back in the 90s) I offered to let my wife read it. She informed me that she had no interest. 

As for myself, I was thrilled with it. When I found out this was being reissued, I put it first and foremost on my wish list. Creepshow- the film, is perhaps my favorite horror film of all-time. Plus, the book features the artwork of the late Master of Horror Comics Bernie Wrightson! Plus the cover is by EC Comics' legend Jack Kamen. It's a win-win!

The stories are classics:

• The grave will not stop a matriarch from getting his father's day cake.
• A jealous husband enacts video revenge against the man who stole his wife.
• The so-called sterile apartment of a wealthy spinster has a bit of a roach problem.
• ...and much, much more spine chilling tales await inside!

A couple of things are missing from this book, including the beginning and ending sequences featuring a young boy named Billy, played on screen by a very young Joe Hill.

Another thing I wasn't a big fan of was the coloring of the book. It's a mix between washed out marker and over-diluted water colors. You would have thought that the muted tones might be the result of print negatives poorly saved over the course of 35-years. But that's actually how the book originally looked.

A classic of horror comics and horror literature that's back in print- albeit probably not for long...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 79

   
  Yesterday the legendary artist and writer Bernie Wrightson lost his battle with brain cancer. 
It's a real sad day for the comic book community and fans like me. Wrightson was a master horror and the macabre and I spent many a day of my youth pouring over his works.

    Let me just say that my parents didn't have the best sense of discretion. Or maybe they were the coolest parents ever. When it came to books, they let me read just about anything I wanted. The very first comic book I ever bought was a horror comic book was Ghostly Tales #152. It didn't feature artwork by Bernie Wrightson but it did start me down the path to reading and collecting horror comics. 

     One of my group of favorite horror books are the classic EC books from the 1950s. Those controversial books influenced Wrightson to focus on horror books over the course of his career. Well it had been a goal of mine to own an original EC Comic of any sort. In a bittersweet moment of glory for this Madman, on the same day I finally get to own an original EC book, the comic book world lost Bernie.

In '77, Wrightson did a series of lithos
based on dinosaurs.

Wrightson's most famous creation, Swamp Thing.
A short story from an issue of House of Secrets, the plant man hero is a fan favorite.

Some villagers trying to kill a vampire.

A scene from Wrightson's 1977 Frankenstein project.

Though Wrightson is noted as a master of horror,
he did many other genres including this Jonah Hex cover, a western.

Heroes For Hope Starring The X-Men #1

   A couple of days ago, I reviewed DC's Heroes Against Hunger, a benefit comic book released in 1986 to raise awareness and funds for famine relief in Africa. Unbeknownst to me until after reading Heroes For Hunger, it turns out DC was following suit after Marvel published their benefit comic a year earlier. Maybe had I known this, I would've read Marvel's offering first. But I was really looking forward to reading Heroes Against Hunger and chose it first instead. But hey, in the spirit of fairness, I went on and read Heroes For Hope afterwards.

    In this benefit special, the X-Men are facing their worst fears and they are trembling in terror and defeat. With the help of Rachel Summers and Storm, the mutants are able to regain their confidence. After the attacks, the X-Men determines that the offender is stationed in Africa and race to the region to prevent further damage. 

    Landing in Ethiopia, the X-Men come face-to-face with the horrors of hunger and famine and volunteer to unload planes laden with relief supplies. But the mutants will have to act fast because every minute they spend helping their fellow man, the unseen terror that assaulted them back at the X-Men mansion grows ever stronger.

    Geez- this was a stinker. I gave Heroes Against Hunger a solid rating, trying to be as impartial as can be. I tried to do the same with this book but Marvel didn't make it easy for me. Yes, dozens of legendary writers, artists, and editors got together and worked pro bono for this project- including Berni Wrightson, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, and The Man himself, Stan Lee. Why even the master of horror, Stephen King contributed 3 or 4 pages! But no matter how hard I tried, I just hated this book. 

     The plot was a mess. There was very little cohesion between the assortment of writers. Plus, I thought this book was supposed to be about hunger relief. But honestly, the famine in Africa seemed like an afterthought. Plus, most of this story takes place in the deepest darkest recesses of the minds of several X-Men, including Magneto and man was it dark! 

     I know that people dying of starvation isn't joyful stuff. But unlike DC's publication, this special was a giant downer. For a title called Heroes For Hope, the main characters sure are hopeless.

Sorry folks, but I just ain't on board with this one. Like they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and the intentions behind this landmark comic were very genuine. However, I found that attempting to get through this rambling mess was hellish to say the least.

    Not Worth Consuming.

    Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

The Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #60- PLOP!

Plop!- the short-lived companion piece to the House Of Secrets, the House Of Mystery, and The Witching Hour. It's true, as brother Cain and Abel and the Old Witch shared duties as the host to many of the stories contained within. It's moniker billed the comic as the “Magazine of Weird Humor” and boy does this collection not disappoint.

  This Blue Ribbon Digest was a much sought after gem that I stumbled across at a pop-up book sale. These digests, while completely filled with reprints, are holy grails to collectors such as myself who have found memories of these treasuries and actively seek them out and buy them with gusto. However, age has caught up with me as the tiny print was hard to read and I had to take frequent breaks least I end up with a headache. But that doesn't mean that I didn't have a ball reading this.

 Plop! featured the creative talents of Basil Wolverton, Wally Wood, Bernie Wrightson, and Sergio Aragones. It was like an old EC Comic was combined with Mad Magazine and had a baby… a very weird baby. Along with some silly fables, a Lord of the Rings parody, and a reprint of the award-winning story ‘ The Poster Plague’- a short tale from House Of Mystery that started it all. Why there's even a few Murphy Anderson penciled shorts that skewer some of you favorite heroes of the DC Universe.

I enjoyed this so much that if I ever come across further issues of PLOP! in my scourings of bargain bins, they will become a part of my collection! Without a doubt!

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Weird #4 (of 4)

 

Okay, spoilers aside for a moment. I had said in my review of issue one of this mini-series that I had never heard of the Weird before I came across these books. I’ve never seen him before and I have never seen him since. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happens at the end of this book, based on that knowledge. So, when I talk about what transpired, I hope you’ll understand that I’m really not giving anything away.

 

The Justice League must prevent the Weird from going critical and destroying the earth. But before they can do they, they’ve all got to team together to fight two of the Weird’s enslavers from his home dimension. Only, these hostile entities don’t want to leave and have taken up residence in two of earth’s mightiest beings in hopes of enslaving this dimension and maybe blowing up a few solar systems in the process.

 

I won’t mention who are used as vessels by these evil beings. I’ll try to keep that plotline from getting spoiled. However, I will say that the final fate of the Weird is heroic, tragic, and just plain heartbreaking. Thankfully, the Weird is allowed to tie-up a few loose ends with his son, who was introduced in issue 2. But just because there is a perfect moment in time between a father and his child that does not mean that there is a happy ending for this mini-series.

 

While I hate the way this series ended, I wouldn’t trade it. It’s a permanent part of my collection and I am proud to say that if you collect comics, then this series should become a part of yours too!

 

Fantastic writing and excellent art by the great Bernie Wrightson. I cannot recommend Wrightson enough. For more examples of his work, check out back issues of the 70s horror anthologies the House of Secrets and the House of Mystery. You’ll be glad you did!

 

Worth Consuming.

 

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.