Review: Creepy Archives - Vol. 21

I mentioned this series in my Eerie review as one of the big three of the classic Warren horror magazines along with Vampirella.  In my opinion Creepy is the superior series.  Eerie always seemed to rely on overt horror; scary monsters, shocking art and slasher type stories.  Creepy is more mature.  It relies on a more, pun intended, creeping horror.  The stories involve ordinary people struggling to deal with extraordinary circumstances and where Eerie may have focused of the circumstances Creepy focuses on the people and as a result the stories are more engrossing and more disturbing because of it. Creepy-Vol-21-2-11-15This is a really solid cross-section of Creepy stories.  From the wholly nihilistic issue 99 with its theme of “Earth Shattering Disasters” and its series of soul crushing tales of the end of the world all the way to the following issues The Insuperable Myron.  The Insuperable Myron is really just a great heartwarming romance story with a few fantastical elements sandwiched between all the horror stories that are par for the course.  Throw in some heavy sci-fi stories and you have a decent mix that won’t leave you feeling numb.

There are so many great stories that to go one by one would take too long.  There is barely a weak link in the whole bunch, each story sucks you in and most manage to deliver a Twilight Zone style twist at the end that is both surprising and makes sense within the greater narrative.  It really comes down to if you like horror stories or not.  Much like horror movies sometimes it’s just not enough that everything is excellently drawn and superbly written, if you aren’t interested in the horror element then you aren’t going to get your itch scratched.  However if you have even an inkling of interest in the horror genre I would highly recommend this volume of Creepy more so than its sister publication Eerie.  This is horror done right, it’s a clinic in how to write and draw horror.  It’s worth your time and you’ll most likely find yourself, like I did, reading it until 3 in the morning unable to put it down until it’s done.


Score: 4/5


Writer: Various Artist: Various Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $49.99 Release Date: 2/11/15 Format: Hardcover; Print/Digital