Comic Book Talk
- Thread starter akajomiha
- Start date
So for the past week or two, as we've been getting closer and closer to Halloween, I've been thinking about what comics I wanted to use for the big finale. It had to be something memorable, scary as hell, and truly iconic to fans of horror and the supernatural. Well, this is the day. All Hallow's Eve. The Gaelic festival of Samhain. Halloween.
At the end of the day, when you look at the history of horror comics, there can really be only one series.
From April 1971, House of Secrets #92. Cover penciled and inked by Bernie Wrightson, colored by Jack Adler.
From October 1984, The Saga of the Swamp Thing #33. Cover penciled and inked by John Totleben, colored by Tatjana Wood.
Swamp Thing was created by writer Len Wein and the greatest horror artist in comics, Bernie Wrightson. Their award winning ten issue run on the character has become legend and is considered to be a timeless classic.
And it was the Wein and Wrightson stories that laid the foundation for what I consider to be the greatest horror comics of all time. In 1982 writer Alan Moore, penciler Stephen R. Bissette and inker John Totleben took over the title and completely transformed the character. They turned the industry on it's head. Everyone stood up and took notice. This was unlike anything ever done in horror comics. Their run was an absolute masterpiece and a quantum leap forward for the comics industry. Moore's brilliant work paved the way for what was called the British invasion of writers like Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison.
I could go on and on but I think you get the idea. The Moore, Bissette and Totleben run lasted nearly four years, from September 1983 to May 1987, and in that relatively short amount of time they created stories and art that are still talked about to this day and had enormous influence on generations of writers and artists.
And frightening? The American Gothic storyline is perhaps the scariest thing I ever read. As scary, if scarier, than anything written by Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft or Robert Bloch. No kidding. Swamp Thing #45, a story about a haunted mansion that's loosely based on the real life Winchester House, scared me so bad I had to sleep with the lights on everynight for a week. True story. My then girlfriend wanted me to get help from a mental health professional.
These stories will be in print forever so if you've never read them and you like horror and you like the DC Universe, give them a try. You won't be sorry.
"See, as it happens, I have front row tickets for the end of the universe. I thought it'd be best to use them now. I mean, you never know ... There may not be a second performance."
- John Constantine.
At the end of the day, when you look at the history of horror comics, there can really be only one series.
From April 1971, House of Secrets #92. Cover penciled and inked by Bernie Wrightson, colored by Jack Adler.
From October 1984, The Saga of the Swamp Thing #33. Cover penciled and inked by John Totleben, colored by Tatjana Wood.
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Swamp Thing was created by writer Len Wein and the greatest horror artist in comics, Bernie Wrightson. Their award winning ten issue run on the character has become legend and is considered to be a timeless classic.
And it was the Wein and Wrightson stories that laid the foundation for what I consider to be the greatest horror comics of all time. In 1982 writer Alan Moore, penciler Stephen R. Bissette and inker John Totleben took over the title and completely transformed the character. They turned the industry on it's head. Everyone stood up and took notice. This was unlike anything ever done in horror comics. Their run was an absolute masterpiece and a quantum leap forward for the comics industry. Moore's brilliant work paved the way for what was called the British invasion of writers like Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison.
I could go on and on but I think you get the idea. The Moore, Bissette and Totleben run lasted nearly four years, from September 1983 to May 1987, and in that relatively short amount of time they created stories and art that are still talked about to this day and had enormous influence on generations of writers and artists.
And frightening? The American Gothic storyline is perhaps the scariest thing I ever read. As scary, if scarier, than anything written by Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft or Robert Bloch. No kidding. Swamp Thing #45, a story about a haunted mansion that's loosely based on the real life Winchester House, scared me so bad I had to sleep with the lights on everynight for a week. True story. My then girlfriend wanted me to get help from a mental health professional.
These stories will be in print forever so if you've never read them and you like horror and you like the DC Universe, give them a try. You won't be sorry.
"See, as it happens, I have front row tickets for the end of the universe. I thought it'd be best to use them now. I mean, you never know ... There may not be a second performance."
- John Constantine.
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Moore's Swamp Thing is so good.
altcunningham
Mr. Ana de Armas
Watch out for Blades in your candy. Some motherfuckers are always trying to ice skate up hill.Happy Halloween, everybody! Have fun and stay safe!
