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| UPDATE! Ol' Groove's "High Moon" will appear in this very issue, #13! Order your copy NOW! |
If you love Black and White Wednesday here on the Diversions, you really want to get this mag! Rich Sala not only writes and edits, but he's also collected a small army of outstanding artists like Nik Poliwko, Jason Paulos, Russ Rainbolt, Mansyur Daman, Reno Maniquis, and several others whose styles don't ape but instead truly capture the feel of the classic EC-inspired styles of James Warren's original line-up of artists for his Creepy and Eerie mags. If that's not enough for you, then dig this: Sala has also managed to get art and stories from Warren alumni like Ken Kelly, Sanjulian, Rich Corben, Alex Nino, Pablo Marcos, Rich Buckler, Neal Adams, Frank Brunner, Ralph Reese, Jeff Easley, Alan Weiss, Val Mayerik, Bill Black, Nick Cuti, Don Glut, Roger McKenzie, T. Casey Brennan...I can keep going, but I'm sure you get the idea. Check out this random gallery of contents pages and splashes! If these don't turn you on, I don't know what will!
Oh, and as Ol' Groove has mentioned before, Sala even lets me write a terror-tale every now and again. My "Clownin' Around" was in ish #8, and I have another called "High Moon" that will appear in issue #13! Whoooo!
So what are you waiting for, baby? You want comics that capture the Groovy Age vibe--and use honest-to-gosh Groovy Age creators, to boot? Then get thee to The Creeps' website (or to thine fave comics shop or Barnes and Noble) and get...THE CREEPS!
It is fantastic that this mag is around, the Warren books were among my all time personal faves so it is nice to see it live on, how did you manage to be become a contributor to the magazine Groove?
ReplyDeleteI just sent Rich Sala a story idea (Clownin' Around). He liked it and had me write it in The Creeps' script format (which means putting panels on a page and inserting the captions and dialogue in boxes and balloons). T'was a thrill, let me tell ya!
Deletethat justice for Frankenstein story looks interesting, how about printing the whole story?
ReplyDeleteIt's new and in print, so, no I won't be sharing those stories on here. Give it 40 years though... ;D
DeleteMy only problem is the cover price ($6 per issue, same as Mad, People, and other less reputable publications). Maybe I'm an old fuddy, but I'd rather have something like this in the $4 range. Agree or disagree?
ReplyDeleteIt's on newsprint, so that costs more, believe it or not. To me, though, it's magazine-sized, several pages longer than a standard comic, very few ads, and SCREAMS (literally, screams, baby) Groovy Age, so the extra buck or so is worth it. Plus, I can read and re-read an issue and feel satisfied, whereas a 4 or 5 buck standard comic leaves my eyes sore, my head confused, and my wallet cheated. But that's just me. ;D
DeleteIt's good to see Pablo Marcos still doing work.
ReplyDeleteHe's still going strong!
DeleteI had no idea this was out there. I've been digging through a ton of old Warren mags this past month, and these really look like they capture the feel of the classic titles.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up on these.
And, hobbyfan - yeah. I'm more than a little put off by the price.
Indy comics are a little more expensive, but to me they're worth it because I get far more enjoyment from them than the 3, 4, and 5 buck Marvel and DC train-wrecks. But again, that's just my opinion. Buy what you like and spend what you want as long as you dig what you're getting is my motto! :D
DeleteAgreed. It looks well worth the price. I have a feeling some of those artists are superstars of the future.
DeleteI wish he'd model his approach more after Warren of, say, 1974-78, when the O. Henry twist ending was largely dispensed with, and more sophisticated stories and themes were introduced. Kids today would roll their eyes at the cheesy formula of CREEPS. Even Bruce Jones wisely decided not to publish a new run of ALIEN WORLDS (a Pacific Comics title of the early '80s which, along with TWISTED TALES, tried to ape the old E. C. Comics...and the same ol' O. Henry twist-ending stories with the tired puns). It's a formula that's played out, stale, and uninteresting to youngsters these days. And it's REALLY insulting to the memory of Archie Goodwin, a class act in every department, that these cheeseball stories are scripted by Sala under the pseudonym "Artie Godwin." Get a life, fella! And some originality while you're at it.
ReplyDeleteChris A.
Wellllll...if you read my post, Chris, you know I disagree with almost everything you've said. Curious, though, since a lot of the folk who worked at Warren during the era you cite as the best are working on Rich's mag. But hey, if we were all liked the same stuff it would be very boring 'round here, wouldn't it?
DeleteI believe Artie Godwin is done in the spirit of an homage to the late, great Archie Goodwin (it's only since I've been listening to classic radio drama that I've also encountered a fictional Archie Goodwin on Nero Wolf). But since the whole magazine is an homage to that classic Warren period, I think we could have dispensed with the clunky pseudonym.
DeleteI’ve been buying The Creeps since I discovered it at Barnes & Noble. I didn’t mind the $5 price, but it’s now $6, and every extra dollar hurts. As for “the kids” not being interested, well, they won’t! This mag is clearly intended for fans of the old Warrens. Possibly the folks who were teens in the 1960s/70s who were digging on the Warrens during the classic days. (Just like the Warrens were also for the adults who’d read the ECs as kids.)
ReplyDeleteI don't even see it at Barnes & Noble anymore, and have actually looked for it for months. It used to be carried by them.
ReplyDeleteStill carried by B&N, now at many comic shops too....
DeleteHey Ol' Groove, artist Mike Dubisch here, first time commenter, long time lurker. Just wanted to say it's great to see my pages here among the legends you feature. The old horror comics were my inspiration to get into comics and art, from the ECs to Twisted Tales- The Creeps, fulfills my lifelong dream. All the best!!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear from ya here on the blog, Mike! I hope we can work on a story for The Creeps sometime! I really dig your art! The Creeps, by its very existence, is a dream come true for a lot of us, but to get to be a part of it, and stand among those giants every once in a while, is an awesome feeling. Keep up the fab-a-mundo work!
DeleteThank you Sir! Will do! Hopefully the Old Creep will match us up sometime soon :D
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