The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Horror Comics: A Basic History
In the Beginning
Depending on who you ask, the answer may vary on the origin of horror comics. Mike Howlett, a horror comics history scholar, would tell you to look back to December 1940 for the comic based on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This story was published in “The New Adventures of Frankenstein” from Prize Comics #7. Individual horror comics could possibly trace their origins to the comic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde appearing in Gilberton Publications’ Classic Comics #13 in August 1943.
Looking back even further, DC Comics decided to get in on the fun with Dr. Occult in the 1930s. Eerie (1947) from Avon Publications is championed as the first horror comic series with original content. However, it is Adventures into the Unknown (American Comics Group) that claims the title of the first horror comics title since 1948.
From then on, the genre continued to spread and evolve with mixed reception.
Yet horror comics began to expand. Many tropes of today can be found in these popular stories. They began to include terrible villains, bloodshed, monsters, scanty damsels in distress, torture and more.
Gilberton, Dell Comics, Gold Key Comics, Warren Publishing, and many others filled the spaces of horror than fans needed. Fawcett, Youthful Magazines, Harvey Comics, Charlton. The list goes on and on.
Readers became more exposed to these treacherous tales thank to a sudden boom in the genre. About 1950, comics saw the great birth of horror from EC Comics! Famed as one of the most influential in the horror game, fans today still speak their praises. Censorship in the 1950’s pushed EC a bit off track, but it didn’t stay for long. Some great tales from its day can now be found in reprints, but you can always look deeper into seller sites for the real deal. EC Comics was often imitated but never duplicated.
Some of your favorite publishers got caught up in the wave too, creating such titles like Journey into Mystery, House of Mystery, and Strange Tales. Our favorite superheroes may not have existed if not for this great explosion. What a thought!
Enter: Dr. Fredric Wertham!
You all knew this was coming. In 1954, comics all over were hit when Dr. Wertham published Seduction of the Innocent. Comics all over were hit with, regulations and policies and near censorship. Crime and horror comics were seemingly choked, and some were laid to rest altogether. Pretty soon your favorite titles had that big CCA on the cover. Not all books felt the same effects as others, though.
Crime and horror had to be set straight. The heroes must be distinguishable from the villains. No bloodshed or mangled bodies after a fight. The heroes must always win! Sounds pretty lame, right? Not everyone wants a happy ending.
The comic book media was determined to keep moving forward. Even through failed titles and “implosions”, the mainstream publishers grew. Wertham couldn’t keep his claws in our books forever
Not Dead Yet
Not even the off base “studies” of an out of touch psychiatrist could hold its grip on horror comics. Lots of publishers began to fill in the void. There was no stopping this hype train.
In 1962, Dell Comics published Ghost Stories to kick off it horror line. 1966 saw the birth of Charlton horror comics with Ghostly Tales. The blood-sucking seductress Vampirella made her debut in 1969.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Marvel dipped its hand into the game. They began putting out titles like Tower of Shadows, Chamber of Darkness, Where Monsters Dwell, Where Creatures Roam, The Fear, and others. Some of these publications dropped of or were simply reprints of old stories, but the ripple effect is still felt .Comic titles Werewolf By Night, Tomb of Dracula, and other classic horror tales sprung up. During this time, we see the emergence of fan favorites Morbius, Man-Thing, Blade, and more.
Many of these characters may be featured in more modern stories or crossing over with your favorite web-slinger or such.
DC Comics got in on this too. Stories like The Unexpected, House of Mystery, Secrets of Haunted House, and more popped up and sometimes spurned spinoffs for readers to enjoy. The Modern Age saw fit to carry on some horror titles as well. DC Comics imprint, Vertigo, also threw its hat in the game with Hellblazer, Preacher, and others like it. Swamp Thing, John Constantine, and Elvira were just a small few of the characters of horror that have stayed fan faves for years.
This doesn’t begin to cover the horror titles that come out from other parts of the world. Many countries published many of their own comics. Some have more classic characters and stories than others. Mexico, India, Japan, Korea, and many countries all over the world staked their claim in the game. Many of them stand on their own. I haven’t read these books, but I’m sure they’re good reads. As interesting as they seem, I’m only one person with so much time on her hands. I would certainly say that if you are looking for something more mature, definitely check out non-American books.
Disclaimer: Some of these titles are more adult than others. We are not responsible if you got caught reading dirty books.
Modern Horror
In the last two or so decades, indie comics and publishers have been on the rise. You can still find a few horror comics from your favorite big names. However, the amount of books available is exciting and can be daunting to some. I say, there are no wrong ways to go about your horror comics hunt. Everybody’s getting in on the horror comics.
In the information age, he only thing stopping you from bloodcurdling books is a bad Wi-Fi connection. Archie, Revival, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Jughead, iZombie, Hellblazer, Preacher are a drop in the bucket of horrific content. You could have it all! Please do not read this as Outright Geekery being in support of illegally obtaining comics.
DC Comics, Vertigo, Image Comics, Aftershock Comics. I could sit here all day pointing fingers in different directions.
So What’s the Big Deal?
Why are people so interested in the horror game, you may ask. Well, why shouldn’t we be. People have been obsessed with things that go bump in the night for as long as stories have been told. Whether you want a rush or to satisfy some dark fantasies, there’s something for everyone. There’s gotta be a dark spot to counter all that truth, justice, and American way, right?
Personally, I love good scare. The dark, and morbid nature of humans is brought to light in these fantastical tales. That, is an interesting thing to see. Combine that with the spooky voice of the writer, the compelling and supernatural pencil of the artist, and the attraction and relatability of the characters. Just look at those covers! How can you sit there and say you don’t want to rip those open and give them a read?
The human mind is complex thing. What better way to poke and prod at a man’s subconscious than to bring out his worst nightmare? What better way to poke and prod at our own psyche than to want to read such stories?
Itching for more spine-tingling and flesh-crawling stories? Check out your local comic shop or visit the website of your favorite publisher for more. Now, go get your spook on!
The Rogue Not Taken: Scandal & Scoundrel, Book I..... I would have taken this Rogue many, many times..
The Rogue Not Taken: Scandal & Scoundrel, Book I….. I would have taken this Rogue many, many times..
I had a bad day on Friday not because it was Friday the 13th but because it was just a bad pain day, I have fibromyalgia and I was just feeling awful in general. So after hitting the gym which is a holistic way I am dealing with my Fibro I was still feeling the ick and when a girl feels down she goes shopping…for books! I picked up Five…
"Desperate after her Season comes to a spectacularly disastrous end, the Honorable Miss Clara Vetry jumps into a carriage hired to take a housekeeper to Scotland.
The laird of Castle CaerLaven has no interest in a wife, especially a love match—but when Caelan sees his new housekeeper, he changes his mind. Marriage to a delectable bookworm strikes him as a perfect arrangement.
To his surprise, Clara refuses his proposal once…and again…yet again.
When her true identity is revealed, and they’re forced to marry, Caelan realizes he has a far more crucial challenge.
He finally has Clara’s hand—but how will he ever win her heart? "
From the pen of a master of historical romance. I jumped at the chance to read this latest Eloisa James book. I'm delighted Clara gets her story told. She was a lovely tragic figure in the previous book, Viscount in Love. Clara was the best friend of that heroine showing promise of having an interesting tale. The ton isn't nice to people who don't conform. Being quirky is a sure way to stand on the sideline while the other girls dance the night away. I loved Clara's handmade reticules although they were dangerous. She has imagination, brains, beauty and our hero, Caelan, sees her for the first time he knows she's special. They have a meet cute at his Scottish Castle, the romance begins and doesn't stop. Caelan has his own issues that make watching him bloom coming back to life is part of the moving way their relationship flourishes. I'm giving a rare, for me, 5 stars - that's how much I love Clara and her journey to happiness.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Publisher : Avon (29 April 2021)Language : EnglishHardcover : 400 pagesISBN-10 : 000837922XISBN-13 : 978-0008379223
Synopsis
You come to Soul Shrink to be healed. You don’t expect to die.
Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong.
Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving…
It’s nearly Halloween, and if I had a better sense of timing and theme I would have done what lots of other comic book journalists and writers do and dedicated the entire month of October to horror comics. The horror genre is an incredibly popular genre for comic books with plenty of opportunities for fantastic art with strange and shocking story material that is perfect for grabbing the readers…
A Scot in The Dark... Where can I find one of my own?
A Scot in The Dark… Where can I find one of my own?
So to continue my Binge of the scandal and scoundrel series I read A Scot in the Dark. Holy shit this book was just….Just lovely! The basics of this book is Lillian Hargrove has been a ward of the Duke of Warnick all her life, she has basically lived forgotten in one of the many houses the Dukedom owns while the each Duke died leaving the next to care…
Time to review Would Like To Meet... by Polly James
About the book:
Could the worst thing that’s ever happened to Hannah Pinkman also turn out to be one of the best?
She and her husband Dan have reached the end of the line. Bored with the same gripes, the same old arguments in fact, bored with everything they split up after a trivial row turns into something much more serious.
Now Hannah has to make a new life for herself, but that’s not easy. She’s been so busy being a wife and mum that she’s let all her other interests slip away, along with her friends. And when Hannah is persuaded to join a dating site, her best match’ is the very last person she expects it to be...
A clever, funny and poignant novel about life after a long relationship, the importance of friendship, and rediscovering your identity.
I was drawn to this book by its cover. Turquoise wall, purple tablecloth, mugs with tea... onto a winner, surely?
Well...
Hannah is approaching The Big 5-0, which I’m sure can be a pretty scary time in anyone’s life. However, breaking up with your husband of over thirty years - Dan - over a petty squabble when you’re both tired enough to know better? That just makes your life hard for no real reason. Then add in a mix of ‘awfully dreary job’ and ‘manager from hell’, along with ‘my old friends have all disappeared on me’ and ‘my new friends are either excellent or out to steal my (sort-of-ex-)husband’ and you get a little glimpse of the plot line.
Sometimes (quite a lot), Hannah really frustrated me. Hacking into your husband’s dating site profile is a really petty thing to do, more so when you yourself have signed up at least five different dating sites. Her newest friend, Eva, often came up with brilliant ideas to help Hannah get out of her rut and back on the up again. She takes Hannah clothes shopping and at one point tells her, “Clothes are only vintage if you don’t look old enough to have worn them the first time round... otherwise, they’re simply your old clothes.”
One of the characters (the ‘manager from hell’, aka The Fembot) is only spoken of using her nickname, and her actual name is finally revealed three quarters of the way into the book. This grated on me from the get-go, unfortunately (no matter how awful a person is, they’re still a person and they have a name, so use that instead of resorting to petty school playground tactics). A description of another character went as follows: “a man who looks just like Will Smith. A slightly camp Will Smith, admittedly, but one who probably shares his lookalike’s personal trainer.” At no point is this person physically described by any other means, the only way his skin colour is spoken of is by describing him as a Will Smith lookalike. It felt an immature way of handling a character description.
There’s a lot to like about this book. There are moments when I laughed aloud at descriptions and things characters said. But I really feel like I spent most of the time shouting through my Kindle screen that Hannah and Dan should just bloody talk to each other. Funnily enough, when they finally do, everything is sorted.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest opinion.
