Dog Star Omnibus: Creepy

Of the many enterprises inspired by EC's classic line of comics from the 1950s, Jim Warren's Creepy was quite possibly the best of the lot. Edited by the immortal Archie Goodwin and featuring some of the best artists of the 60s (or any era), it is, pound for pound, possibly even better than the ECs that inspired them. Different eras and (slightly) different audiences, for sure, but Creepy is arguably less "clunky" to 21st century eyes. Although those things are happily in the eye of the beholder.

Only 10 years separate the ECs from the Creepys - almost contemporaries, but when Creepy first appeared and in most commentary on it thereafter, it was seen as an heir to EC, not a contemporary. And as a black and white magazine Creepy enjoyed the advantage of being able to actually publish the kind of material EC used to publish, something which the Comics Code at that time prohibited any actual comic book from doing. In a world where Pepsi was verboten, so to speak, Coca Cola enjoyed 100% of the market share. (Swap in your own cola metaphors as you please.)

But! Save the speeches for Malcolm X, as they used to say, at least in the movie Heathers. We're here on Scenic Route business. 'Tis the season... for CREEPY.

NEW WINE

FROM OLD

DECANTERS

(as a fella once said)

The stories are all drawn from familiar tropes, and most follow the horror-comic tradition of the twist ending. (Sometimes to amusing effect: not only is character X a werewolf, but character Y is a vampire, and (penultimate panel) they've been wearing bullet-proof vests the whole time!)

And that's all well and good; everything moves along at a fast and familiar clip and the art is relentlessly great.

Here are some panels - I'll do credits all at once at the end of the post - from the first ten issues.

Chances are, even with no context, you'll pick up on what's going on in the larger story of every panel represented.

Reed Crandall knew how to draw pants. It's a skill. I mean no snark here! The guy knew how to draw everything, I'm just saying, but look at all the pants here. Each pair is distinctive. It's the accumulation of perfect little details that give rise to a panorama of illustrative majesty.

Is this from a Hitchcock movie?

From the Poe story adaptation, obviously (one of a few in here.) Now this is a parade.

They might've added a little something at the end.

Twist ending for the Bluebeard saga, as well.

I may be losing people by just posting snippets of different stories, I don't know. I just look at it like a collage or something. We all know the context of these things. No disrespect or irritation intended. The overriding concern is:

ATMOSPHERE

Oh, Jack, you snarky bastard.

DITKO!

I'm going to be honest: there are times when Steve Ditko's approach and/or execution does not appeal to me. Obviously I have the highest respect for him and all the usual accolades, but I think he is at the very least guilty of crimes against finger and knuckles. Not everyone has fingers that bend in 3 different directions, yet all of Ditko's characters do. I exaggerate. Anyway, he has a story in here that is masterfully done.

A bit familiar. (This was 1965, I think.)

This is a motif at the end of every other page of the story -

the eyelids slowly drooping to lifelessness,

before the final panel reveals:

TITLE PAGES

Some great ones in these 10 issues.

The incomparable Angelo Torres and Joe Orlando. Such greats! Again, credits at the end, just a momentary lapse of restraint.

And detail:

LOATHSOME LORE

Creepy had historical snippets strewn throughout, so you learn a little something about the historical legacy of the horrors presented to the reader.