Haunted Horror #1 - Review

Issue: Haunted Horror #1
Creators: Various
Editors: Craig Yoe, Steve Banes, Clizia Gussoni
Publisher: IDW
Release Date: October 2012
Price: $3.99

"A comic so good it's…SCARY! Imagine you were a kid in the 1950s reading contraband horror comics under the bed covers by flashlight! You were devouring the very comic books you parents, your teachers and anti-comics crusader Dr. Fredric Wertham were trying to keep out of your hands! Now you can recreate that same experience, because the comics that were banned are back in actual comic-book format! The people that brought you Dick Briefer's Frankenstein, Bob Powell's Terror and Zombies are now producing a comic book series filled with the best of worst vintage horror comics that will rot your mind! Don't dare miss the first issue of Scary from the Chilling Archives of Horror Comics fiends!"

Dying Breath: 5.0 out of 5
Are you new to horror comics? Have you ever wondered why most people who like horror comics always say the books of the past were better or had a different feel to them? Haunted Horrors #1, which is brought to us by the same great editing team as Chilling Archives Zombies, is the perfect way to find out why people say such great things about old school horror comics. Now keep in mind there is really nothing new in this book, other than the amazing Horror Host, Forelock the Warlock, who has a slight resemblance to editor Craig Yoe. The talent in this collection is amazing, with work from Jack Kirby, C.A. Winters, Bernard Baily, Mike Sekowsky, Bill Walton, Joe Simon, Jack Cole, and the man who seriously stole the show, Jay Disbrow. With 52 pages in this book, you could estimate it taking 30 or so minutes to read, but you would be wrong. We are talking old school horror here, so these stories are wordy, and packed with a punch. 'The Constant Eye' is a story that just creeped me out. The fact that he was always being watched, just left this uneasy feeling lingering over me. I always thought that older horror stories had a moral limit, meaning they ended with a finger waving at yhe audience, that was until i read 'Slaughter-house!' Simon and Kirby delivered on this story, it could easily scare the crap out of someone today, and the ending was so unexpected and yet so real. The final thing I really have to touch on is creator Jay Disbrow. His story 'Ultimate Destiny' was the perfect choice to have end this book. All you have to do is look at the final page and you will buy this just to find out what is going on, on that page. Typically if you want to get reprints of Pre-code Horror you need to pay $35 - $50 for a hardcover collection. IDW and Yoe Books say screw that, here are 52 GORE-Geous pages for only $3.99. Put down that crossover book that won't mean anything tomorrow and spend your hard earned money on something that is a timeless classic. I praise these guys for collecting these stories for preservation and to bring them to a new generation. Do not miss this series!

Artwork: 5.0 out of 5 • Story: 5.0 out of 5

If you would like to buy or know more about Haunted Horror you can find it at www.idwpublishing.com