The PopCult Bookshelf
The Creeps #3
written and drawn by various creators
published by Warrant Publishing
$5.95
A few months ago I told you about the first two issues of The Creeps, a great new black-and-white horror anthology magazine-sized comic book. They were a great throwback to the classic Warren Magazines, Creepy and Eerie, using some of the original artists and writers and featuring cover art from some of the classic artists of the Warren era.
Their third issue is another terrific journey through a forgotten form of comics. The cover artist is none other than the late Frank Frazetta, who was THE definitive Warren cover painter. Interior art and story is provided by a mix of Warren veterans like Neal Adams, Rich Buckler, Roger McKenzie, and Alan Weiss with newcomers Artie Godwin, Alex Williamson and Mikael Bergkvist and others.
With the page count increased since the first issue, and the creators finding their footing, this third issue of The Creeps is the best yet. The stories are solid and the art is nearly up to the old Warren standards.
Incredible art by Daman
The book is filled with stand-out stories. The opening tale, “Monster,”sees Roger McKenzie and Steve Blevins put a surprising spin on Frazetta’s cover painting. A Western tale, “The Desperado,” written by Artie Godwin, features art by Mansyur Daman that manages to look like the work of Neal Adams, Russ Heath and Bernie Wrightson…all at the same time. Alan Weiss contributes a delightfully twisted take on The Wizard of OZ.
Weiss takes on OZ
The book is pretty uniformly excellent. You can tell the writers and artists are having a ball and so will the readers. This is especially true if you grew up on the original Creepy and Eerie magazines.
With this issue, The Creeps has attained some newsstand distribution, but the best way to make sure you don’t miss an issue is to go to their website, where you can pre-order issue #4. Pre-orders get a free poster of the cover artwork, so that’s another reason to click that link. Subscriptions are available now, as well.
With the next issue, The Creeps increases its publishing frequency from twice a year to four times a year. So the next one should be out in a month or so, since I’m a bit behind writing my reviews. This one’s been in my hands since June.
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