comiXology Unlimited Staff Selects
‘Taint the Meat…It’s the Humanity!
Writer/Artist: Jack Davis (written by Al Feldstein)
What it’s about: A collection of E.C. (Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror etc.) horror comics illustrated by Jack Davis
How you discovered it: I probably first saw Jack Davis’ work in MAD Magazine as a kid, and I’ve always been a horror comics fanatic, so when @fantagraphics started releasing their E.C. Artists series, I was all aboard!
Why you like it: The stories are grimly funny and Davis’ detailed, cartoony style lends itself well to gruesome horror. E.C. usually managed to slip a little social commentary into their comics as well, so many of the tales in this book have a bit of weight to them, emotionally or politically.
Favorite story: The title story, ‘Taint the Meat…It’s the Humanity is a lowkey existential masterpiece.
Recommended by Harris Smith, senior production coordinator/creator outreach/social media editor
Read ‘Taint the Meat…It’s the Humanity! and thousands of other comics with all new all-you-can-read subscription service comiXology Unlimited!
comiXology Unlimited Staff Selects
Title: The High Cost of Dying, @fantagraphics
Writer/Artist: Reed Crandall (with Al Feldstein and others)
How
you discovered it: I’ve been ravenously snapping up any EC comics
I could get my hands on since I first saw the Tales from the Crypt TV show as a
kid, so Fantagraphics’ EC artists series is a dream come true.
Why
you like it: Each of the EC artists had a distinctive style that lent
itself to different kinds of stories, but Crandall’s blend of fine lines
and shadowing was adaptable to all of EC’s genres- crime (my favorite),
horror (2nd favorite), sci-fi (close 3rd)…All are well represented in
this volume.
Favorite characters: The doomed tough guy from the first
story, “Carrion Death” (”C’mon, you lousy vultures! C’mon down here and
FEAST!”)
Favorite moments: The hearbreaking ending of the “Kindapper,” the grim twist in “Together They Lie”
-Harris Smith, Senior Production Coordinator/Creator Outreach/Social Media Editor
Read The High Cost of Dying and thousands of other comics with comiXology Unlimited!
Did you Star Know…
Before play Moff Tarkin in Star Wars, actor Peter Cushing appeared in dozens of British horror films. Among his best roles came in the 1972 film of the 50′s American horror comic, “Tales from the Crypt.” In an adaptation of the Al Feldstein/Graham Ingels story “Poetic Justice” (originally printed in Haunt of Fear), Cushing plays a kindly junkman tormented by cruel neighbors. He also played Dr. Who in two 1960′s movies.
Classic spooky & spacey EC Comics from fantagraphics are still on sale for more than half off!
For a limited time, get up to 52% off select EC Comics collections and more from fantagraphics. Featuring spooky horror comics, incredible sci-fi tales, gritty crime thrillers, and amazing adventures, experience these stories in Guided View! Hurry, sale ends 10/31!
A comiXologist Recommends:
Harris Smith recommends Judgment Day
The impression one walks away with after reading Judgment Day, a collection of science-fiction stories drawn by Joe Orlando, as well as the other recently released volumes in fantagraphics’ EC Comics Library is that, had the 1954 Senate Subcommittee Hearings on Juvenile Delinquency not led to the formation of the Comics Code Authority, effectively rendering EC unable to continue publishing their forward-thinking but hard-edged line of crime, horror and sci-fi comics, the medium of comics as a whole would have been viewed much earlier with the kind of legitimacy it has garnered today. EC is known today for producing gory, controversial horror comics like Tales From the Crypt and Vault of Horror, these titles and others they published contained superior art and writing to anything else being published at the time (one notable exception being Will Eisner’s The Spirit. In addition to the high quality of their comics, EC brought an intelligence to their work, with literary adaptations of Ray Bradbury stories, satirical humor in , and comics dealing with important issues of the day, such as racism and anti-semitism.
The title story in “Judgement Day,” written (like many of EC’s best stories) by Al Feldstein and drawn by the legendary, influential Orlando, is one of such story, dealing slyly yet poignantly with racial prejudice. It was the censoring of this comic by the Comics Code, in fact, that inspired EC Publisher William Gaines to turn his focus from comic books to Mad Magazine, of which Orlando would eventually become associate publisher.
History and controversy aside, pick up Judgment Day for, if nothing else, the wonderful stories and beautiful draftsmanship by Orlando, presented in crisp, detailed black and white. Whether your interest is in what could have been or just what was, you are in for an experience.
[Read Judgment Day on comiXology]
For fans of: horror, classics, science fiction
Harris Smith is a Brooklyn-based comics and media professional. In addition to his role as a Senior Production Coordinator at comiXology, he edits several comics anthologies, including Jeans and Felony Comics, under the banner of Negative Pleasure Publications. He’s also the host of the weekly radio show Neagtive Pleasure on Newtown Radio.
Picking up Graham Ingles’ Sucker Bait before bed is a surefire recipe for some nightmares. #LateNightReads or #Masochism, you tell me…
