8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Be warned. This Book Is Tiny, October 19, 2007
This review is from: Tales from the Crypt #1: Ghouls Gone Wild (Hardcover)
I guess I should pay more attention to the details before I order something. This "Graphic Novel" is about the size of a DVD case.As far as content goes, the stories are alright. Cant match COMPLETELY DOOMED for writing quality. It just needs to be a regular sized graphic novel.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite EC, but I'll take what I can get..., January 29, 2009
Being a HUGE fan of the original pre-code EC horror comics, I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered that someone had licensed the property and was publishing new material under the "Tales from the Crypt" impremeture. With the history and importance of the original EC books on pop-culture and the horror genre, it seemed a reasonable assumption that these guys should be able to get some of today's top horror and comic writers and artists to contribute to the worthwhile effort of bringing EC horror to the audiences of today.
However, I was disappointed when I actually received the book. Yes, the book is small--about the size of a regular paperback--but that doesn't bother me in the slightest. My problem is with the conceptual presentation and the quality of the material. In the original EC books, the Ghoulunatics never interacted together, insead hosting their own stories in solo fashion; while they were a bit silly--cracking jokes, making puns, addressing the hapless characters in the stories, and breaking the fouth wall to address the reader--they also managed to maintain a sinsiter and creepy feel to them. In these new books, they are portrayed a little like the Three Stooges, interacting together in a bumbling, buffoonish manner that doesn't become them.
My biggest issue, however, is with the art. Somebody mentioned the lack of realism in these books, but that doesn't bother me too terribly much. I enjoy stylized artwork. The original EC artists varied from realism (George Evans, Reed Crandall, Al Williamson) to highly stylized (Jack Davis, "Ghastly" Graham Ingles, Bernie Krigstein). The difference here being that those guys were GOOD! I don't recognize most, if any, of the artists illustrating these new books and the quality of their art, the inking, and the coloring leaves a LOT to be desired. For me, the art in these new books ranges from sub-par to downright poor, which is a BIG disservice to the memory of the original EC books and their fans.
The writing is okay. The stories do have the traditional twist ending, but I miss the admittedly dated 1950's feel of the originals, although I'm not sure that would be a wise thing to adhere to in the 2000's. Still, the writing is a bit hit-or-miss and being that they are publishing "Tales from the Crypt", I'm sure there would be no shortage of top-notch, well-known horror and comic writers who harbor a great love and understanding of the original EC books who would be quite happy to contribute... probably for a lot less than their going rate.
The hardcover editions of these new books are quality items and are made to hold up. They make a nice addition to the ol' bookshelf. As a die-hard fan of EC and their horror titles I will continue to purchase these books in the hope that they will improve over time. However, if you want to experience the real deal, check out the current EC Archives being published by Gemstone and available right here on Amazon. They are beautiful hardcover, graphic novel sized volumes that reprint the original books in chronological order and in color. So far, they've published three volumes of "Tales from the Crypt", one volume of "The Vault of Horror", and the first volume of "The Haunt of Fear" is forthcoming. They're a bit pricey but they're defintiely worth it for comic book fans/historians, horror fans, and pop-culture buffs.
Also, fans of horror and horror comics and EC should probably check out the Creepy Archives being published by Dark Horse. These reprint Creepy magazine which began being published not quite 10 years after the demise of the EC horror mags, and while the writing leaves a lot to be desired, the art is handled largely by the EC veteran artists and sport some beuatiful covers by the legendary Frank Frazetta.
Cheers & chills!
Brent
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just ok...., September 30, 2008
The artwork is not impressive and there is no comparison between the artwork of new and the original work. The stories are more modernized. I found it entertaining, but I really miss the real deal!
I was curious as to what other reviewers thought. I was thinking it was just me, but it wasn't.
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