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.

Detective Comics #410 - A Reflection

Detective Comics #410, April 1971

It Came From the Long Box...

It was April 1971, the same month that I turned 11, when I went with my dad to Wallace's News Shop, the local newsstand in my home town.  As Dad perused the latest issue of Popular Mechanics, I went to the shelves where the latest comics were.  Detective Comics #410 caught my eye immediately.  The art on the cover called out to me.  I was transfixed by the image of Batman trying to save what looked-like a cross between a boy and a seal.  I immediately pulled a copy for myself.  I couldn't wait to get home and read it.

The art on the cover, as well as inside, was by Neal Adams.  He was one of the best artists on Batman at DC during this time period, in my opinion.  The story was written by Dennis O'Neil - a great writer for Batman at the time, too.  Adams and O'Neil were the perfect team-up for this strangely dark and twisted tail in Detective Comics.

The story, in part, is about Batman's pursuit of an escaped killer.  While on the pursuit, he encounters a stranded group of circus folk.  They consist of Charley Bones, Maud the Fat Lady, Goliath the Strong Man, and Skippy the mute Seal Boy.  While Batman battles the escaped con, Charley Bones is found hanged.  The Great Detective himself soon determines that it was Goliath the Strong Man who killed Bones, not the escaped killer who was blamed.  Goliath had killed Bones out of jealous love for Maud.  He flees Batman, climbing three stories in a church, carrying Skippy with him.  In the bell tower, Goliath threatens to throw Skippy to his certain death.  When Batman refuses to back off, Goliath does indeed drop the seal-boy.  Batman plunges after him, and fortunately is able to save Skippy.  As the story concludes, Batman had rescued the boy and taken into custody both the escaped con and the strong man killer.

The story haunted me after I read it.  Mainly, I was disturbed by Skippy and his plight.  He had flippers for hands and feet.  He was mute and could not express his feelings to others.  He was trapped in his own body, making his living being displayed as a freak in a carny sideshow.  But Batman had saved his life and saw his humanity beneath his disfigurement.

As I said earlier, this was a very dark story.  The mood was heavy and thick, dripping with dread.  Most of the comics that I read were lighter in nature - even the ones with Batman.  This was my first encounter with the superhero who would, in the not-so-distant-future, be known once again as the Dark Knight.  I found that I liked this darkness in the winged Detective.  But I would have to wait until Frank Miller re-imagined Batman in 1986 when the Dark Knight Returned.