The Mammoth Book of Best Horror Comics [Paperback]

Peter Normanton (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Mammoth Book of | Publication Date: March 25, 2008

Bringing together the finest names in comic book horror, this volume features nearly 50 comics that caused a furor in the US and sparked legislation to crack down on explicit horror—from the 1940s to the 21st century. Includes names like Steve Niles, Pete Von Sholly, Michael Kaluta, Mike Ploog, Rudy Palais, Rand Holmes, Vincent Locke, Frank Brunner, and many more. Reproduced in black and white for this brand-new collection.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Normanton has for eight years edited and published the horror comics zine, From The Tomb, now into its 23rd issue. He is widely admired for his love of the genre and for supporting the efforts of horror artists and small publishers. He lives in Rochdale, England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; First Edition edition (March 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786720727
• ISBN-13: 978-0786720729
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Way above par for the corpse, well-conceived, ambitious and knowledgeable, March 23, 2008

By 

Clark Dimond - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Best Horror Comics (Paperback)

I'm giving a positive review. I really think it's a swell anthology and I suggest you check this one out. Where else but a stack of old comics with crumbling pages or stored in plastic bags can one find Pete Morisi, Jack Cole, a John Stanley horror story, Mike Kaluta, Matt Baker all in one place??? This Mammoth pulp paperback is an anthology of well-selected stories that are both typical of their era and better than the run-of the mill. There's a cross-sampling of styles, an overview of the non-EC,DC,Atlas titles. The collection clearly demonstrates the mutation of comic horror storytelling over the last 60 years, and is a worthy purchase whether for socio-cultural purposes or for entertainment value.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good with limitations, April 6, 2008

By 

D. Webb - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Best Horror Comics (Paperback)

The pages are reduced in size and in black and white, but that is true of many reprints of horror comics. There are some good pre-code stories not available in other anthologies. The newer stuff can't hold a candle to the old stuff, but it's still a decent book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great selection for the price, nicely done. One big flaw., August 31, 2008

By 

Chuck E Coli (NJ) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Best Horror Comics (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone interested in the history of horror comics. The omission of EC comics and Warren magazines is appropriate as they are archived and written about so many other places. All the other positive aspects of this book have been covered in other reviews and most of the negatives are slightly unfair or simply a matter of opinion.

My one complaint is this; for a book where the editor tells us how striking and brilliant the art work is, it is printed rather poorly. I did not expect, or want, the book in color. I DID expect the pages not to be shrunken to the point where the lettering and many panels are hard to make out. I would have happily shelled out and additional $10 to $15 for the same book with clearly printed pages.