I almost missed this, one of my favorite things.

Doc Martin4 wrote:
How did the usually-tame Dell get away with this?

They didn't. They got a flood of angry letters from stupid parents. John Stanley was "called on the carpet" or reprimanded, and nothing like this was never tried again. Thus, my favorite and cherished alternative form of horror comic became extinct overnight. We will never know if Stanley could have improved his horror style, or merely become repetitious, as E.C. did.


ByronOrlok wrote:
Art-wise, they're frankly nothing to write home about. I freely admit to being something of an Art Snob -- much of my enjoyment of comics comes from appreciating the artwork, and there's not a whole lot to get excited about here.

That's usually the way I feel as well. I'm a big E.C. fan because of the art, but if you read too many, it's the same type of story over and over with little variation, and they even refer to their own comics within their own stories! "Why, this is like something I read in a comic magazine about a town full of vampires!" Oy!
It has already been said correctly that John Stanley had originality, and a way of thinking outside the box in spite of any shortcomings. The fact that they have the illogical nightmare logic of a child's dream was a huge plus to me- at age 12. "The Door" is a perfect example of this, plus it has the worst art of both comics.
Things are never explained, they simply "are". "The Werewolf Wasp!!" The mud man.
Even as a child, I realized the art wasn't going to win any prizes, but the stories enchanted me.
"Scariest"? No. More like uniquely odd and enthralling.

Last Edited By: Babetician Jun 25 11 5:44 PM. Edited 6 times.