EC Archives: Tales From the Crypt Vol. 1
Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig, Wally Wood, Graham Ingels, Harvey Kurtzman
Gemstone Publishing

Mention Tales from the Crypt to anyone under the age of 30, and they’ll immediately recall the gory HBO horror series or the spin-off cinematic releases, but not the original, groundbreaking Entertaining Comics series that ran from 1950 to 1955. A shame really, as the series pioneered the horror comic genre that would go onto to influence some of the great horror minds such as Stephen King, George Romero, and John Carpenter.

Fortunately, Gemstone Publishing is reintroducing the dark tales to a new generation of readers with EC Archives: Tales From the Crypt Vol. 1. This wonderful hardcover reprints the first six complete issues of the horror series, featuring a whopping 24 stories of werewolves, the undead, psychotics, and twisted science experiments. The stories in this collection are solid and entertaining, and the twist endings that many employ hold up surprisingly well, despite a few ho-hummers that are somewhat predictable by today’s standards.

Back in the ’50s before televisions filled every room of the home, Tales From the Crypt was edgy entertainment. These were mature stories of murder, revenge, and unpunished criminal acts–a far cry from the family friendly fare of the day. So much so that critics of the day stated that EC’s brand of comics had no redeeming value to society, which eventually led to the genre’s death. But before the EC closed its doors, it churned out “Death Suits Him”, a story of envy taken to the extreme, “Death Must Come”, a morality tale detailing the folly of vanity, and “Impending Doom”, where a man discovers the date of his death – all of which are collected here.

Tales From the Crypt was known for its “SuspenStories”, but the series’ excellent art helped to convey the mood of each yarn with clean, highly-detailed pencils. Gemstone Publishing went through the trouble of recoloring the pages to return vibrancy to the fifty-year old pages.

Besides the horror tales, EC Archives: Tales From the Crypt Vol. 1 also contains several insightful behind-the-scenes looks at Al Feldstein (who wrote most of the stories), a forward by John Carpenter, a few Russ Cochran historical pieces, letter pages in which the Crypt-Keeper responds to readers’ mail, and the occasional all-text short story. These serve to give series newcomers a sense of the title’s importance in the history of the comics medium, and does an admiral job in doing so.

Gemstone Publishing should be commended for putting together this masterpiece of a tome that simultaneously entertains while giving readers a true sample of comics history. Fans of Poe, The Twilight Zone, or any other suspenseful or supernatural narrative will find EC Archives: Tales From the Crypt Vol 1. to be an invaluable resource. Grab a copy, curl up on the couch, and enjoy a true classic.

–Jeffrey Wilson

Empowered
Adam Warren
Dark Horse Comics

One of the longtime critiques of comics (besides corrupting America’s youth and dulling its minds) has been the medium’s portrayal of women, particularly those in the cape-and-cowl sector. Long, flowing hair, flat bellies, huge breasts, and perfect asses have been the norm virtually since the art’s creation; a norm which is far from typical in the real world. While social commentators and wannabe- psychologists guestimate the effect that this image has on the mind of males and females alike, writer/artist Adam Warren tackles the sexy superheroine syndrome with Empowered, a comedic take on the traditional tights-based comics.

The 248-paged black-and-white book chronicles the details of the eponymous bombshell, a C-level heroine who never quite gets the job done. She’s bound and gagged by baddies in virtually every story in this collection, but it’s no fault of her own; her ridiculously tight super-suit, which grants super strength and energy-projection, rips at the drop of a dime, leaving her powerless, and oft times, semi-nude.

It’s at these moments when Empowered’s insecurities come into play both as a hero and as a woman. As an adventurer, she’s frequently the butt of jokes from her colleagues, the Super Homeys; as a lady, she’s frequently the butt of jokes about, well, her butt (such as when an alien attempts to kidnap Empowered into an intergalactic harem, he scans her figure and determines that her rump is a bit too full for his master’s bidding).

The first half of Empowered offers little in the way of traditional storytelling; many of the tales are simple throwaway shorts that begin with Empowered captured by hornball thugs who either berate her superheroing or make lewd remarks (to be fair, this was before Warren fleshed out the character). It’ s not until Empowered meets her boyfriend (an ex-thug with a heart of gold who appreciates her posterior) around the half-way point of the collection, that she comes into her own as a hero.

She frequently breaks up crime scene tomfoolery instead of being the victim, but this comes mostly when her boyfriend purposefully puts himself in danger, as successful heroics spikes Empowered’s sex drive. Here lies the problem with Empowered: When we first meet her, she’s the insecure sexy damsel in distress who “grows” to become an insecure sexaholic over the course of the book–not exactly empowering. Also, the story feeds into the idea that good girls long for bad boys and that guys look for insecure women for an easy lay–very stereotypical and far from empowering.

Warren’s character art is simply wonderful. His manga-influenced figures, be it the hyper-sexualized Empowered, super-villains, or just street thugs burst with energy and are joys to behold. Granted, there isn’t much in terms of background art, but with such dynamic characters, it’s a minor gripe and keeps you turning pages despite the low-brow humor and shaky dialog.

If you go into Empowered seeking an engaging satire dissecting superheroine sexuality, you’ll be greatly disappointed. However, if you’re into T+A jokes, and numerous gratuitous booty shots of hot women in tight clothing, it’ll satisfy immensely. Still, I’m hoping that by the time Empowered Volume 2 hits shelves, Mr. Warren will flesh out the characters more, an inject some thought-provoking ideas to truly challenge the superhero norm, instead of playing up the most obvious aspects of it.

–Jeffery Wilson

If there’s a comic event to be held, you can count on The Daily Cross Hatch to be at the scene with coverage of the shenanigans. I raided Forbidden Planet on Free Comic Book Day to cop some sweet swag from one of New York City’s top comic retailers – and had saw Spider-Man watching over the denizens of city. Details and pics, after the jump.

When I arrived at Forbidden Planet, there were two decent sized lines of comic-hungry fiends aligning the shop’s exterior which, fortunately, moved at a brisk pace. Someone commented that it was odd that there weren’t many children present – further proof that the art form we love has a heavy adult following and shouldn’t be held to the same standards as pure children’s literature. Let the runts have their XStations and PlayBoxes – that’s just more comics for the over-18 crowd to devour.

Upon entering the shop, there was another brief line that led to a table in the rear that held the much sought after four-color booty. I was able to select any two comics of our choosing from the spread presented to us, plus a free autographed copies of Arvid Nelson’s Zero Killer, courtesy of Dark Horse Comics. In addition, I got another free goodie bag that contained a decent mix of titles from Dark Horse, DC, and Marvel. From the look of matters it was total $1 bin material, but eh, it’s free.

After exiting with my stash, I noticed a guy in a mask and a form fitting red and blue bodysuit. While this is typical lower-Manhattan fare, this guy stood out because it was our favorite friendly neighborhood superhero no doubt enjoying NYC’s Spider-Man Week.

All in all, a good day for comics fans in lower Manhattan. What did you snag today?

–Jeffrey Wilson

Eye Trauma Comix’ Other Heroes exhibition at Mississippi’s Jackson State University starts now and will run until April 25th. The event serves as a showcase of work by African-American comics artists juxtaposed against the image of Black characters existing in the medium as well as serving as charity event for the poor that lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina – all profits of the Other Heroes catalog will go to Scholarship America, which will provide tuition support to low-income residents.

One of the Other Heroes contributors–amongst the likes of Kyle Baker and Lance Tooks–is Dawud Anyabwile, the creative mind behind Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline, who we had the fortune of wrangling up for a brief interview. Mr. Anyabwile gave his thoughts on the state of African-Americans in modern comics, what needs to be done to see more diversity in both faces and storyline.

We understand that you’re going to participate in The Other Heroes showcase. Could you tell us about your contribution to the show?

I will have a few reproductions from some of the original Brotherman comic books on display. They will be enlargements of a couple pages selected by curator Prof. John Jennings.

Traditionally, Black superheroes in mainstream comics usually fell into one of two categories: the angry, “I’m angry at White society” reluctant hero, or the poor, ghetto dweller that acquired powers. Do you see today’s minority characters breaking that stereotypical mold?

Yes. I think it is happening at a more rapid rate then when I was coming up as a teen. I do see a variety of Black hero images in the independent comics as well as television and other media. We still have a long way to go but the change is happening. I think the independent comic explosion of the 1990’s was the seed for this dynamic change. The major publishers always had access and power to create a wealth of positive black images yet it took the efforts of independents like us to demonstrate that there is a market for a variety of black heroes.

I agree, but what do you think needs to be done to foster more diversity in the type of Black characters that are presented?

I think we need to expand our thinking. Incorporate more creative and clever thought into our works. We cannot get locked into hood stories and gun toting. That’s fine if done well but there are so many stories to tell that are rooted in our history, our future, our spirituality and so many other genres that make up a people. Too often the easy route is taken which demonstrates that the writer may need to read more or the artist needs to refine his/her skills more. I challenge myself all the time to do better. We all need to do that in order to expand and evolve.

So what led you to create Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline?

The seed was planted as a child when my father recommended that if I wanted to see a Black superhero on TV or in the comics then I better not wait, but instead make it myself. Of course Brotherman did not come into mind at that young age, actually not until 1988, when I drew a character in my sketchbook and called him Brotherman. I would say it was a lifelong journey of various experiences that culminated into a production that began as a promotional gimmick for a storefront that my brother and I were operating in East Orange, New Jersey. Immediately after we introduced the book at the Black Expo in NYC it gained a huge following and we took it more and more seriously and developed the stories more as we went along. The story was always a tribute to the real ‘Dictators of Discipline,’ which are the men in our communities who fight, struggle and teach positive values to the youth but may never get recognized for their efforts. They have no super powers but they do uncanny deeds on a daily basis. The comic began as a parody of the traditional superhero but as Big City evolved and the characters within it, it took on a whole new meaning. You can see the difference between issue #1 and issue #11.

As a kid, I always thought it strange that so many blacks read comics, but upon going to conventions, there was a startling lack of black creators. Do you think that there has been a stronger black representation nowadays than in years past?

Definitely. I may not be the best to answer that because after I burned my comics in the seventh grade I no longer had an interest in them so I did not attend a comic convention until we came out with our book in 1990. However, I did see a difference from when we first came out and when I go to a convention now. Very big change in representation for creators and participants.

For more information on Other Heroes, check out Eye Trauma Comics’ page for a list of participating artists and room location.

–Jeffrey Wilson

Little Bat Koku Volume II
by Jim Kilpatrick

One of the finer aspects of attending events like WonderCon, is the chance to meet creators who are still flying just below radar, but are churning out solid work. Such is Jim Kilpatrick, creator and self-publisher of Little Bat Koku, which is the tale of Koku Katsuragi, a young girl who discovers a magic ring while collecting seashells on a beach. The mysterious ring does more than provide lovely hand ornamentation – it attracts the attention of a dark cult that sends its demon-agents after the plucky protagonist. In the ensuing chase, Koku’s ring activates, transforming her into a mystically-enhanced novice hero with bat-like abilities.

Little Bat Koku Volume II, which collects issues three and four of the series into one book, delves into the origin of the ring and introduces Koku to Kita, her bat guide and apparent familiar of sorts. Kita, ironically, represents the one problem with the book: pacing. By the time Kita finally finds Koku in chapter four of Volume II – you’ll wonder why it took so long, considering that the story is pretty straight forward. Kilpatrick, who utilizes a cute anime-by-way-of-America art style, frequently maxes his panel count to three or four per page, which gives the book an artificial sense of length. During action sequences, the sparse paneling assists in taking in the scope of battle, but in quieter moments it would’ve been nice to linger on a page and absorb its content rather than speed read through.

Fans of fun, supernatural adventure in the vein of Hellboy Animated, will probably take a liking to Little Bat Koku Volume II. Kilpatrick has created solid groundwork for future stories that we hope will provide more in-depth looks at the characters and better utilize page space.

–Jeffrey Wilson

The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft #0/Preview #1
By Mac Carter/Jeff Blitz and Adam Byrne

The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft #0/Preview #1 serves as an introduction to a series featuring the popular horror scribe as a character tormented by his own monstrous nightmares; nightmares that take residence outside of the dreamworld. This eight-page teaser showcases Mac Carter’s and Jeff Blitz’ moody storytelling and Adam Byrne’s dark, dynamic visuals, which wonderfully combine Lovecraft’s real-life torments with his writings to create an intriguing protagonist who literally battles his own demons. The creative team is currently working on landing a publisher, but with the potential displayed in this mini-ish, it shouldn’t be too long before we see more Lovecraft stories down the pipe.

–Jeffrey Wilson

Did you really think that WonderCon 2007 would come and go without The Daily Crosshatch crashing the party? I surprised bossman Brian Heater with an e-mail stating that I was in San Fran geeking it out with other comic-lovin’ fiends. The three-day event was a stellar showcase of all thing comics, fantasy, sci-fi. Elbows were rubbed with up-and-coming comics talent as well as established vets who, for the most part, were engaging, insightful, and willing to chat it up (in between the hundreds of autographs doled out per hour). Here are some of the show highlights:

• I copped a signed copy of The Life of Groo from comics legend Sergio Aragones, who mentioned an upcoming Groo/Conan crossover title. Expect a high body count.

• Jason Kruse, creator of The World of Quest, told us that he landed a sweet deal with Kids WB to bring his characters to television. Kruse learned of the deal from his agents Dave Alpert and Kemper Donovan while on the show floor.

• Erik Larsen gave us a few words regarding The Savage Dragon. He said to expect two more reprinted TPBs before the end of 07 and, when asked about The Savage Dragon animated series, he replied without hesitation that, “it was retarded.”

• The new TMNT trailer that debuted at the show will unquestionably sell you on the quality of the film. Personally, I was leery of the flick after the initial teaser, but I’ll so be there when it opens.

• After getting a 10 minute sneak peek at the final product, all I can say about Frank Miller’s 300 is WOW. Even if the script is less than stellar, it’s a must see just for the visuals alone. The way that Miller’s panels were integrated into the movie is simply awesome.

And that was only the very tip of the iceberg. We scored lots of sweet books that you’ll see reviewed in upcoming posts and we’re arranging some choice interviews for your reading pleasure. Until then, enjoy some photos from the show.

The signed copy of The Life of Groo.

The new Green Lantern Corps.

X-Men and your humble WonderCon reporter.

Miscellaneous jungle girl (with purse).

Sergio and a fan.

If you’re looking for a surefire method to get a buddy into the hobby during the hype of Spidey-mania, then you’d be wise to circle May 5th on your calendar. Coinciding with Spider-Man 3’s opening weekend, the upcoming Free Comic Book Day celebrates and raises awareness of the artform by giving visitors to approximately 2,000 participating comic shops a free book – no purchase required. While you probably won’t be able to waltz into a shop and snatch up a signed copy of Maus, we welcome the industry’s attempt to broaden its audience. For a list of sponsers and the issues that are poised for giveaway, checkout www.freecomicbookday.com.

–Jeffrey Wilson

Hellboy Animated Volume 1: The Black Wedding
By Jim Pascoe/Rick Lacy (The Black Wedding) and Tad Stones/Fabio Laguna (Pyramid of Death)
Dark Horse Comics
Hellboy Animated, a 4-color spin-off of the direct-to-video Hellboy animated DVDs, continues the adventures of Mike Mignola’s popular paranormal-investigators. The series’ first volume features two entertaining tales: The Black Wedding and Pyramid of Death. In The Black Wedding – story by Jim Pascoe, art by Rick Lacy – Hellboy, Abe Sapien, and Agent Ecton are out to prevent a witch from fulfilling her sinister scheme of summoning an ancient evil to this world; a scheme that involves Hellboy’s main squeeze, Liz Sherman, and ultimately, the death of a Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense member.

Pyramid of Death is a lighthearted short penned by Tad Stones, with art by Fabio Laguna, in which a young Hellboy, imitating the crime-fighting prowess of his favorite radio program adventurer, the Lobster, proves that a vivid imagination can be as troublesome as any villain.

Featuring a cover by Jeff Matsuda and a pin-up by Mignola, Hellboy Animated Volume 1 is a fine, fast-paced addition to the animated series and the original, darker Hellboy comic.

–Jeffrey Wilson