Creepy Archives HC Collection

Creepy Archives Vol. 1; Cover painted by Frank Frazetta

Warren Publishing Continued ... Part 2

Warren Publishers first break-out success was Creepy in 1964.  It was published in magazine format, larger than that of regular comics.  It also cost $.35 as opposed to the usual $.12.  It was published in glorious black & white which brought a unique atmosphere to the horror tales contained within.

Originally published quarterly, because of popularity it quickly moved to a bi-monthly basis.  Jim Warren was more than just a publisher, he was very hands-on in his approach to Creepy.  One of his best assets was luring some of the best writers and artists at the time to work for him.  Much of the early success of the horror magazine was the leadership of Archie Goodwin, who came on as editor in 1965.  Some of the writers and artists who worked for Warren Publishing over the years include: Alex Toth, Frank Frazetta, Joe Orlando, Wally Wood, Neal Adams, Steve Ditko, Angelo Torres, Al Williamson, Carmine Infanto and too many others to name.

Uncle Creepy

This 48-page horror magazine was hosted by none other than Uncle Creepy, who introduced stories and generally guide the reader through the issue.  Creepy was not just EC Comics resurrected under another name, it was it's own creation.  That said, it did employ some of the storytelling techniques that has mad EC Comics so popular.

Creepy debuted in late 1964 and ended in February 1983, with a total run of 145 issues.  These issues are now very rare and hard to come by.  Fortunately, a group of creators and investors, New Comic Company LLC, reached a deal with Jim Warren in 2007 acquiring all rights to publication for Creepy, as well as it's sister magazines, Eerie and Vampirella.  They soon merged with Dark Horse and in 2008, the first archive edition of Creepy was published, containing the first five issues of the magazine.  These hardback archived editions are absolutely beautiful.  Check them out for yourself.

Warren Publishing, 1957-1983

Famous Monsters of Filmland #56, 1969

Warren Publishing, 1957-1983

When you think of comic publishers of the 1960s and 1970s, who do you think about?  DC?  Marvel? Dell?  Charlton?  Gold Key?

Here's one you may have forgotten, but is very important to the history of comics - Warren Publishing.  Started by James Warren in 1957, he published a series of comic-oriented magazine titles.  The reason that they were published in magazine format was to be free from the constraints of the Comic Code Authority, established in the 1950s.

Warren's first major hit was a title called, Monsters of Filmland.  It was the first such magazine aim which focused on the horror movie industry.  It began in 1958 and ran until 1983, reaching 191 issues.  Warren co-edited this magazine with the well known science fiction aficionado, Forrest J Ackerman.  Ackerman is known for many things, but least of which is coining the term "Sci-Fi" for science fiction.

Infamous cover of Crime SuspenStories

By the early 1960s, Warren was inspired by the 1940s-1950s horror comics publisher, EC Comics.  EC was at the center of the famous controversy promoted by Dr. Frederic Wertham that comic books were increasingly detrimental to the lives of youth.  He argued that the violence, sexuality, and horror depicted in many comics caused depravity in youth.  Wertham wrote a controversial best-seller entitled, "Seduction of the Innocent" in 1954.  Congressional hearings were held.  Comic book burnings ensued.  Then the top comic book publishers came together and established The Comic Code Authority, which strictly enforced the new mandates and encouraged a new conformist and positive outlook in comics.  EC Comics, published by Maxwell Gaines and his son, William Gaines, ceased publishing all of its horror comics rather than be censored.  The only comic to survive was Mad Magazine, which ironically led to great financial success.

Warren wanted to re-establish the horror genre in comics publishing.  But instead of publishing in regular comic book format, he chose the route of the magazine format, which allowed him to circumvent the rules of the Comic Code Authority.  His three most famous and successful horror magazines were: Creepy (1964-1983), Eerie (1966-1983) and Vampirella (1969-1983).  More about these in the next three postings.

Herbie #18 - "Make Way For the Fat Fury..."

It Came From the Long Box...

Last night I pulled out my oldest and most well-read (re: tattered) comics researching for my previous article on The Fantastic Four.  As I thumbed my way through these fragile issues, I was flooded with memories.  Most of the comics I remember reading as a child in the mid-1960s and early 1970s.  One issue in particular stood out, Herbie #18.

Herbie was one of the oddest (and most subversive) comics that I have ever read.  It's about a young, very fat boy, whose father constantly refers to him as a "little fat nothing."  But unknown to his father, Herbie Popnecker is a secret hero, known and well-regarded not just by presidents and prime ministers, but by some of the greatest leaders in human history.  The secret to his heroic identity - the Fat Fury - lies in some very special lollipops.  These lollipops of various flavors and colors transform him into a costumed superhero who could time travel, hypnotize his opponents, fly, become invisible, use magic and do many other stupendous things.

In this issue, #18, Herbie encounters and assists such persons as President Lyndon Johnson, Vice-President Hubert Humphrey, Governor Nelson Rockefeller, President Charles de Gaulle, and Queen Elizabeth II.  Published in June/July of 1966, this issue had two stories, but it's the second story that I want to tell you about.  It's called, "Clear the Road for Skinny."  Herbie's dad is on his back about being so fat, so Herbie calls in a favor from President Johnson to have his father appointed Ambassador to Hongadingia - a land where there has been a civil war between its inhabitants, the Hissians and the Pigturtles.  The Hissians were a snake like people and the Pigturtles were, well, a cross between pigs and turtles.  During his tenure there, Herbie's father is bitten by a Pigturtle and becomes fat and Herbie is bitten by a Hissian and becomes skinny.  By the end of the story, their fates are reversed again.  Herbie's dad, who is known for his quick money schemes, gets a Hissian and Pigturtle to come back to the U.S. with him where he starts a business - for people who was to lose weight, they are bitten by a Hissian, and those who want to put on some weight are bitten by a Pigturtle - all for a fee, of course.

Herbie Figurine

Herbie was a creation of Richard E. Hughes (aka, Shane O'Shea) and Ogden Whitney for the American Comics Group (ACG).  Herbie first appeared in Forbidden Worlds #73 in 1958.  Herbie made several more appearances in ACG's titles until he finally got his own title in 1964.  The comic lasted 23 issues until ACG folded.  The good news is that the Herbie comics have been re-collected by Dark Horse Comics and published in three beautiful hardback editions.  I strongly encourage anyone interested in Herbie to check these out.