From: Bud Plant Posted: 01/06/09
Better than EC? Better than Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror and Haunt of Fear? Well, there is a good argument to be made that these stories are some of the best written and best drawn in the horror comics world.
First, here were those same EC artists, ten years after the last EC bit the dust. They're now matured and at the peak of their skills. Here also are comics newcomers like Neal Adams who would soon make his mark, and Steve Ditko, who never worked at EC but sure could have.
And while EC mined a particular genre of stories, written primarily by 2 or 3 writers, here you also have new more contemporary talents such are Archie Goodwin, taking inspiration from EC but giving it new twists and turns. brIf that isn't enough, here is the young Frank Frazetta, fresh off his run on L'il Abner and itching to do his own work. He contributes his final, and one of his finest, comic stories in this collection. His stunning new cover paintings on issues #2-5 reveal the incredible talent only beginning to be recognized. He'd painted several Tarzan paperback covers by then but hadn't even drawn the legendary Conan paintings yet. This is the very beginning of his incredible career as a paperback cover artist and, eventually, fine art painter.
To get by the comics code, Creepy was done as a magazine and in black and white, further challenging the artists to add depth and texture to their work. There's no question of the quality of redone color--in fact, the printing here is superior to that of the original magazines.
Creepy would shortly spawn sister magazines Eerie, Vampirella and the short-lived Blazing Combat. Publisher Jim Warren found the best talent in comics were easily affordable and eager to try their hand in a new adult medium after years of stifling censorship. Discover it again or for the first time in this fine new collection, the first in what I hope will be a great many.