Afbeelding auteur

Peter Normanton

Auteur van The Mammoth Book of Best Horror Comics

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I liked this one. It is a pretty big collection of old comic books from the mid-40s to today. Though they are in black and white, the quality is still good. The stories are an interesting blend of monsters, horror, scary situations, and things reminiscent of an episode from "The Twilight Zone." TO be honest, as a reader today, I did find it kind of amusing to see what some people considered "shocking" back then. They worried kids would go insane if they read some of those comics. Then again, I probably would have been the kid back then sneaking these comics into their house. Overall, the publisher did a good job of bringing these together in one volume. It also looks like they put out similar volumes on other topics, which I may seek out. Anyhow, if you want a look at older comics, or you want something to read for Halloween, this is certainly a good choice. And it lends itself to browsing and skipping too if that is more your style.

I borrowed it through Interlibrary Loan at my workplace, but this would be something I could see myself buying.

* * * *

I first read it in October 2008. Reread it in September 2010 after I got in the mood for some horror (and hey, just in time for Halloween). I finally bought a copy (it was pretty cheap, so I said why not). I had forgotten that this book, as other reviewers mentioned, seems to have shipped out with a couple of defective pages (basically a couple of pages in a couple of the comics are duplicated, and I noticed one incorrect cover in an introduction), which can be a bit of a nuisance. However this is still a pretty good collection.

The best part is definitely the chapter with the comics from the 1950s and 1960s. I think not only are the comics entertaining (certainly some are cheesy by today's standards), but you get a glimpse at what people thought was a "big deal" back then. The 70s and 80s was ok, a bit of hit and miss. The 1990s was ok, better than the previous decade. The new stuff was interesting. Clearly, you get to see a variety in the genre. It is a pretty good time to read horror and horror comics/graphic novels, even if you do have to put a bit of effort to find some since it seems the best work is being done by smaller publishers.

So, the anthology is not perfect, but it is pretty good. And I think a lot of readers will enjoy it.
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bloodravenlib | 3 andere besprekingen | Aug 17, 2020 |
‘From The Tomb’ was a British fanzine from about the 1950s comics created by Peter Normanton, a long time fan of the genre. It had reached the staggering total of 64 readers with its third issue and Normanton’s ambitions were almost achieved. He expected to max at a hundred. Some success in the United States and a good printing deal meant that it carried on for a while longer but, though much loved, it was finished off by the recession. However, TwoMorrows Publishing has put together this collection of material that would otherwise be hard to get. Good for them!

This book is very visual, stuffed full of art, much of it cover art, from the pre-code comics it celebrates. It’s really a coffee table book, to pick up and browse through when the adverts come on the telly. However, it’s not the kind of book to leave on the coffee table if your elderly maiden aunt is coming round for tea. She might be distressed. There are thirty-two articles, mostly by Peter Normanton and Frank Motler but others, too. Subjects range from ‘The Covers That Made Them Fry’ to ‘Bad American Comics Presents: Unreformed’. The former is about the electric chair and how it featured heavily in 1950s crime comics. The latter is about the femme fatale, gang moll and other naughty girls. Ghosts and gore feature prominently but the book also has articles on other kinds of comics to which horror was a contributory factor. These include crime and Science Fiction, with scary aliens. Scantily clad women in transparent tops feature heavily on many Science Fiction covers, even though this is not really a practical outfit in a vacuum. ‘Invasion Of The Love Robots’ is the title of one story. The cover shows a Love Robot kissing a voluptuous lady.

This is all good fun and even clean fun by today‘s standards. There’s a wonderful primitive gusto to the whole business of early comics. The pictures are often crude, with huge bulging eyes depicting terror and huge bulging bosoms to indicate lust. Art by many great names is featured: Steve Ditko, Simon and Kirby, Wally Wood, John Craig and others. Much of the book is in black and white, which is a shame because the few pages in gaudy colour give a better impression of the genre.

Best of all, there are several good articles on the creators and their careers. ‘The Archie Goodwin Years’ by Peter Normanton surveys that great editor’s time in charge of ‘Creepy’. The same contributor does ‘The Joe Sinnott Interview’ in which Joltin’ Joe tells about his early career and has a word or two about inking Jack Kirby. Jerry Grandenetti is interviewed by Richard Andt and there are features about Frank Frazetta, Rudolph ‘Rudy’ Palais and Johny Craig, as well as a Steve Ditko gallery. It’s unfortunate, I think, that the interview with Al Feldstein consists almost entirely of complaints about how Bill Gaines has tried to write him out of history and taken all the credit for his work. He is understandably irate but it might have been better to focus on what he did achieve at EC Comics and ‘Mad’ magazine rather than who took the credit. Alas, comic book history is full of such tales. The people with power frequently screwed the creative talent.

Never mind. There’s the article ‘Comic Book Killer!’ by Carl Alessi, which tells all about how Dr. Frederic Wertham put an end to this kind of thing, at least for a decade or so. He went a bit over the top, implying that Superman is a Nazi. On the other hand, he did have a point. The comic creators went a bit over the top, too. Were pictures of men dying in agony in an electric chair suitable for children? Probably not. However, censorship is a tricky issue. As a small boy, I was perfectly content with the sixties stuff ‘approved by the comics code authority’ but it’s interesting, now that I’m safely grown-up, to see what I missed. This book makes an important contribution to the field of comic book history.

Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/

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Gemarkeerd
bigfootmurf | Aug 11, 2019 |
WOW! This thing is brimming with weirdness. Fun look at pulps you'd never see otherwise. I try to read one a night before going to sleep... muhahah.
 
Gemarkeerd
arnzen | 3 andere besprekingen | Mar 8, 2015 |
I’ve just read the reviews for this book on Amazon’s US site, and there seems to be some annoyance about the films included. I came to this book as a casual fan of horror films, and the selection of films didn’t seem a big deal to me, I simply enjoyed it for what it was.

In his introduction, Peter Normanton clearly states that this is not a comprehensive list, despite having over 250 films listed. By the end of his research, he had over 1000, so he’s tried to come up with a good selection. One thing I did notice is that sequels don’t get their own entries, but are simply mentioned under the original film. I’m sure a whole book could be written about horror movie sequels, but don’t expect to find them here.

The films included are in alphabetical order, with basic info, a synopsis of the story, and some background information, such as whether they were banned, or notes on filming. They’re also given a ‘splatter rating’. It seems important to point out that these are ‘slasher and splatter’ movies, which means a lot of zombie type films are included.

There are a few little extras, such as an overview of the genre, information on some of the directors, and a list of ‘video nasties’ which were banned.

I enjoyed looking up the films I’ve watched in the past, as well as finding some I’d like to try.
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Gemarkeerd
michelle_bcf | Oct 21, 2012 |

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Statistieken

Werken
8
Leden
208
Populariteit
#106,482
Waardering
½ 3.5
Besprekingen
6
ISBNs
11

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