Click HERE for all the info!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Skywald Horror-Mood
Out of New York City in the early seventies emerged a series of b&w horror comics titled Nightmare, Psycho, and Scream. Lasting only several years, these pre-code influenced comics established themselves as something wholly unique thanks to the editorship of Alan Hewetson, whose dark and perverse in-house style became known as the “Horror-Mood.” This collection from 2004 not only chronicles their illustrative stories and influence, but also their top writers and artists as well, with plenty of anecdotes, indepth bonus features, and nineteen reprints of the best stories. Over 250 pages!
Click HERE for all the info!
Click HERE for all the info!
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10 comments:
I've read 10 skywald mags and they were all pretty much crap.
Most of the art was ranging from OK to good but the writting was not moody but absolute sub par.
I know many people who feel this way too about Skywald. But like any published horror (even EC and pre-code Atlas) I have read stories that aren't so good as well, though I have also read many Skywald tales that are excellent. And this Horror-Mood collection is so much more than being just about the stories though, there's some really fascinating history explored here of not only 70's black and white comics and the creators behind them, but also the history of horror comics in general that make this essential reading to those with any interest in this genre.
Skywald wasn't the greatest, but they are far from being the worst.
Alot of people seem to rag on skywald and I've never been sure why exactly. While I don't own every thing theyve ever put out what I have read has not been bad at all. I bought the horrormood collection when it first came out and reread it all the time
When I was child, around the year 1980, I have read some issue of the italian edition of Psycho... today, after so many yeras, I remember again those stories, from my blog this is my favorite story:
http://cicciofoca.blogspot.com/2007/02/il-passero-ferito.html
I HAVE THIS HORROR-MOOD COLLECTION TOO AND LOVE IT. I AGREE THEY COULD HAVE PICKED BETTER STORIES TO SHOWCASE BUT THE WEALTH OF OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED IS INVALUABLE TO HORROR COMICS FANS. I REMEMBER NEGATIVE COMMENTS LIKE THESE AS FAR BACK AS THE 70'S, APPARENTLY IT'S STILL HIP TO UNJUSTLY BASH SKYWALD. WHATEVER.
Actually, there are quite a few people who think Skywald WAS one of the best horror publishers out there and their stuff has become quite collectable. The book claims that many consider Scream #1 the greatest horror comic ever published (??!!?). I wouldn't go nearly that far but I did enjoy a lot of Skywald stories quite a bit. They had their share of detractors - especially from Warren fans it seems, as James Warren detested Skywald. I enjoyed the "horror-mood" writing style and did find it moody (it is unclear to be whether X found it moody or not, as he appears to be a non-native speaker) though it isn't everyone's cup of tea. They published some stinkers too, but who didn't? Warren published some of the best stuff out there but IMO they also produced a good deal of crap (i.e. the vast majority of the stuff they published after their decline from about 1978-1983 when Eerie was no longer doing horror and was producing continuing series like the execrable Rook). The earliest EC horror stories were also pretty weak.
I have always loved the nightmarish covers on this line,like HEAVY METAL only doing gothic horror,cant pass judgement now,but i will definitely seek the book or the old magazines out to see the contents,as a horror-pariah i have peculiar tastes.
>as a horror-pariah i have peculiar tastes.
Instead of being "anonymous" you should become The Horror Pariah.
The Horror Pariah said...
If Warren's mags were A-Grade movies, Skywald would be the kind of B-Grade cinematic fare that Roger Corman produced in the sixties and seventies. None, with maybe a couple of exceptions, was an outright classic, but most of them made for highly entertaining reading nevertheless. The Heap stories were fantabulous.
The Mark of the Feast
Skywald published 19 EDGAR ALLAN POE adaptations in their time. Turns out, they would have done at least 20... but closed up before the last one saw print.
That last one being "THE NARRATIVE OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM". Adapted by Al Hewetson & illustrated by Cesar Lopez Vera.
This was completely but never saw the light of day. From conflicting info I've found, it may-- or may not-- have been included in some colection somewhere. Does anybody know? And, more importantly, could anyone provide me with SCANS?
I have been painstakingly compiling and restoring EVERY Poe comics adaptation I can find, including ALL 19 of the published Skywalds. It would be a real coup if I could have all 20 in one place.
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