Part Two
by Richard Corben
from Skull No. 6, 1972
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Thursday, October 12, 2017
A Gothic Tale Part One
A Gothic Tale
Part One
by Greg Irons
from Skull No. 6, 1972
'A Gothic Tale' ran as a two-part story taking up the entire contents of issue 6 of Skull comics. Featuring great artwork by Greg Irons and Richard Corben, 'A Gothic Tale' matched the best of any story then appearing in the Warren magazines of the early 70s, and went one better in terms of graphic, 'adults only' content.
I'm posting Part One here; Part Two will be posted shortly.
Part One
by Greg Irons
from Skull No. 6, 1972
'A Gothic Tale' ran as a two-part story taking up the entire contents of issue 6 of Skull comics. Featuring great artwork by Greg Irons and Richard Corben, 'A Gothic Tale' matched the best of any story then appearing in the Warren magazines of the early 70s, and went one better in terms of graphic, 'adults only' content.
I'm posting Part One here; Part Two will be posted shortly.
Monday, October 9, 2017
Book Review: 'Crucifax'
Book Review: 'Crucifax' by Ray Garton
2 / 5 Stars
Garton’s novel ‘Cruxifax Autumn’ was published in 1988 by Dark Harvest, a small press publisher. When Pocket Books released the novel as a mass market paperback titled ‘Crucifax’ (387 pp) in June, 1988, they obliged Garton to remove a scene featuring some particularly ‘gooshy’ action.
2 / 5 Stars
Garton’s novel ‘Cruxifax Autumn’ was published in 1988 by Dark Harvest, a small press publisher. When Pocket Books released the novel as a mass market paperback titled ‘Crucifax’ (387 pp) in June, 1988, they obliged Garton to remove a scene featuring some particularly ‘gooshy’ action.
[ I picked up the Pocket Books edition of 'Crucifax' at McKay's Used Books in Manassass, Virginia, for $3.25. According to Will Errickson at the Too Much Horror blog, finding an affordable copy of this book in good condition is not easy. ]
The missing segment later was included in Paul M. Sammons’ 1991 compilation Splatterpunks: Extreme Horror. From what I remember of reading that ‘missing’ segment over 25 years ago, its absence from ‘Crucifax’ doesn’t harm the novel.
‘Crucifax’ is set in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles county in the mid- to late- 80s. Think of the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and you get the necessary sense of place.
The lead character is teenager Jeff Carr, who lives with his Mom, and younger sister Mallory, in a modest apartment. As the novel opens, a Mysterious Storm rolls into the Valley just as Summer is coming to an end. This obviously is a Portent of Doom.
Soon afterwards, a man named Mace becomes a regular fixture at the Mall and the other teen hangouts in the Valley. Mace looks like Billy Idol on steroids: tall, thin, with his long white hair in a mullet. He comes equipped with a long overcoat. Gold-flecked eyes, and an easy sarcasm. And mirrorshades !
The missing segment later was included in Paul M. Sammons’ 1991 compilation Splatterpunks: Extreme Horror. From what I remember of reading that ‘missing’ segment over 25 years ago, its absence from ‘Crucifax’ doesn’t harm the novel.
‘Crucifax’ is set in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles county in the mid- to late- 80s. Think of the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and you get the necessary sense of place.
The lead character is teenager Jeff Carr, who lives with his Mom, and younger sister Mallory, in a modest apartment. As the novel opens, a Mysterious Storm rolls into the Valley just as Summer is coming to an end. This obviously is a Portent of Doom.
Soon afterwards, a man named Mace becomes a regular fixture at the Mall and the other teen hangouts in the Valley. Mace looks like Billy Idol on steroids: tall, thin, with his long white hair in a mullet. He comes equipped with a long overcoat. Gold-flecked eyes, and an easy sarcasm. And mirrorshades !
No one knows where Mace comes from, or what he does for a living……….but he has a unique rapport with Troubled Youth, and soon kids are hanging out at the abandoned health club that Mace has turned into a clubhouse. Rumors soon fill the Valley of illicit goings-on in Mace's hangout.
As Mace lures more and more of the Valley’s teens into his sinister circle, Jeff becomes increasingly alarmed that Mallory may become a Mace convert. But confronting Mace is fraught with danger, because Mace knows and exploits a lot of deep, dark secrets, like Jeff’s well-hidden, incestuous infatuation with Mallory. And anyone who crosses Mace must deal with his demon familiars………nasty little creatures straight out of the movie Gremlins.
As Mace’s influence grows, his talk of taking everyone to a ‘better place’ takes on an ominous meaning. Can Jeff, and caring high school counselor J. R. Haskell, intervene in time to prevent a Teen Holocaust........... ? !
‘Crucifax’ is really not a horror novel, but rather, a Teen Melodrama sprinkled with splatterpunk segments here and there. The plot is set up in the first 75 pages, after which the narrative lumbers along with interminable dialogue passages dealing with teens conflicting with their parents; teens conflicting with authority figures; teens conflicting with Society; teens conflicting........with.........everything.
Slowing the narrative up even further are the musings of the adults; for example, a monologue of self-recrimination delivered by an evangelical pastor takes up over three pages.
By the time ‘Crucifax’ finally reaches its denouement, the continuous vignettes of teen angst had become so tiresome that I was rooting for Mace.
It doesn’t help matters that author Garton tries to imbue his novel with Social Relevance, by regularly reminding the reader that Mace is able to corrupt his followers because the kids have been neglected by parents who are too consumed with self-interest, and lust for material possessions, to Really Care.
One thing 'Crucifax' does very well is recall the pop culture atmosphere of the mid 80s. The jukeboxes play Robert Palmer, there is reference to Twisted Sister, and malls are 'in' places to hang out, not the crumbling retail wastelands they are nowadays.
The verdict ? Those pursuing a copy of ‘Crucifax’ in the hopes of obtaining a splatterpunk classic are likely to be disappointed. It may offer some reward as a snapshot of 80s teen drama, for those so inclined. For anyone else, well, this book is for Garton completists only.
As Mace lures more and more of the Valley’s teens into his sinister circle, Jeff becomes increasingly alarmed that Mallory may become a Mace convert. But confronting Mace is fraught with danger, because Mace knows and exploits a lot of deep, dark secrets, like Jeff’s well-hidden, incestuous infatuation with Mallory. And anyone who crosses Mace must deal with his demon familiars………nasty little creatures straight out of the movie Gremlins.
As Mace’s influence grows, his talk of taking everyone to a ‘better place’ takes on an ominous meaning. Can Jeff, and caring high school counselor J. R. Haskell, intervene in time to prevent a Teen Holocaust........... ? !
‘Crucifax’ is really not a horror novel, but rather, a Teen Melodrama sprinkled with splatterpunk segments here and there. The plot is set up in the first 75 pages, after which the narrative lumbers along with interminable dialogue passages dealing with teens conflicting with their parents; teens conflicting with authority figures; teens conflicting with Society; teens conflicting........with.........everything.
Slowing the narrative up even further are the musings of the adults; for example, a monologue of self-recrimination delivered by an evangelical pastor takes up over three pages.
By the time ‘Crucifax’ finally reaches its denouement, the continuous vignettes of teen angst had become so tiresome that I was rooting for Mace.
It doesn’t help matters that author Garton tries to imbue his novel with Social Relevance, by regularly reminding the reader that Mace is able to corrupt his followers because the kids have been neglected by parents who are too consumed with self-interest, and lust for material possessions, to Really Care.
One thing 'Crucifax' does very well is recall the pop culture atmosphere of the mid 80s. The jukeboxes play Robert Palmer, there is reference to Twisted Sister, and malls are 'in' places to hang out, not the crumbling retail wastelands they are nowadays.
The verdict ? Those pursuing a copy of ‘Crucifax’ in the hopes of obtaining a splatterpunk classic are likely to be disappointed. It may offer some reward as a snapshot of 80s teen drama, for those so inclined. For anyone else, well, this book is for Garton completists only.
Friday, October 6, 2017
Autumn acquisitions
Autumn Acquisitions
Grady Hendrix's newly published celebration of 70s and 80s horror paperbacks, Paperbacks from Hell, certainly is an entertaining read.
However, every one of those schlock paperbacks appearing in the book is going to be snapped up soon by fans and speculators. Even the most cheeseball of the titles published by Zebra, Leisure, Signet, and Pocket during that era are going to see their asking prices double.......or triple. Or quadruple.
So, over the past two weeks, I've been making my own forays to grab those schlock horror stories while they still are affordable.......in other words, no more than $5.00 each or so.
I've done reasonably well (pictures below). My advice ? Now is as good a time as any to decide which books from Paperbacks from Hell deserve your attention, and act accordingly.....before the speculators start elbowing their way in...........
Grady Hendrix's newly published celebration of 70s and 80s horror paperbacks, Paperbacks from Hell, certainly is an entertaining read.
However, every one of those schlock paperbacks appearing in the book is going to be snapped up soon by fans and speculators. Even the most cheeseball of the titles published by Zebra, Leisure, Signet, and Pocket during that era are going to see their asking prices double.......or triple. Or quadruple.
So, over the past two weeks, I've been making my own forays to grab those schlock horror stories while they still are affordable.......in other words, no more than $5.00 each or so.
I've done reasonably well (pictures below). My advice ? Now is as good a time as any to decide which books from Paperbacks from Hell deserve your attention, and act accordingly.....before the speculators start elbowing their way in...........
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Paperbacks from Hell
Paperbacks from Hell
The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction
by Grady Hendrix
Paperbacks from Hell is a thick, chunky, very well-made book. It's a trade paperback with glossy, thick-stock paper pages, and high-res reproductions of the covers of its collected paperbacks.
Author Hendrix's narrative is informed by his readings of over 200 of the horror paperbacks published during the two-decade interval covered in the book. His chapters are roughly chronological in order, starting with an overview of the paperback industry in the late 60s, when the publication of Rosemary's Baby kicked off what would come to be the 'horror boom'.
Hendrix's narrative then covers the 70s and 80s, and closes with the dying of the paperback horror genre with the coming of The Silence of the Lambs, and the transitioning of the publishing industry to the 'serial killer' fad of the early 90s.
Succeeding chapters cover the themes of 'Creepy Kids', 'When Animals Attack', 'Weird Science', and 'Inhumanoids', among others. Hendrix enlivens his discourses with frequently humorous observations on the social and pop culture phenomena underlying these topics.
If you're at all acquainted with the subject matter, you're sure to see some of your favorites and even some long-lost forgotten treasures among the pages of Paperbacks from Hell........and thus get charged with nostalgia.
You're also sure to see more than a few paperbacks that you'd like to add to your collection. I did !
The closing pages of Paperbacks from Hell present a short Appendix of prominent artists and authors of the era. For his part, Errickson contributes an Afterward focusing on Recommended Reading.
Paperbacks from Hell does have one major problem: too often, Hendrix DISCLOSES SPOILERS. For example, he reveals the fate of the protagonist of Pierce Nace's gorehound abomination, Eat Them Alive. This is not right !
Author Hendrix doesn't hide the fact that many of the books profiled in Paperbacks from Hell are an acquired taste, and reading them likely will be unrewarding for all but the most ardent fans of the genre. But he also takes pains to point out that there are a good share of gems to be found amidst the dross.
Summing up, if you're a Bay Boomer like me, then this book is going to bring back some great memories of a genre in its full flower..
If you're not a Baby Boomer, but a younger reader who finds that the stuff from the 70s and 80s has the kind of uniquely warped character that appeals to you, then Paperbacks from Hell also is just the ticket to satisfy your need for an informative catalog of what was done, and who did it.
So there you have it. Paperbacks from Hell..........out just in time for Halloween !
The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction
by Grady Hendrix
When - last Summer - Will Errickson at the Too Much Horror Fiction blog announced he was a contributing author to a coffee table - style book celebrating 70s and 80s horror paperbacks, I assigned it to my amazon.com Wish List. Having received the book just a few days after its September 19 release date, I've since been poring over it, and here's my take on the book.
Author Hendrix's narrative is informed by his readings of over 200 of the horror paperbacks published during the two-decade interval covered in the book. His chapters are roughly chronological in order, starting with an overview of the paperback industry in the late 60s, when the publication of Rosemary's Baby kicked off what would come to be the 'horror boom'.
You're also sure to see more than a few paperbacks that you'd like to add to your collection. I did !
Summing up, if you're a Bay Boomer like me, then this book is going to bring back some great memories of a genre in its full flower..
If you're not a Baby Boomer, but a younger reader who finds that the stuff from the 70s and 80s has the kind of uniquely warped character that appeals to you, then Paperbacks from Hell also is just the ticket to satisfy your need for an informative catalog of what was done, and who did it.
So there you have it. Paperbacks from Hell..........out just in time for Halloween !
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