Tales From The Crypt: Have Yourself A Scary Little Christmas (1994 - 320kbps)

Christmas Eve has arrived, which means that our Nightmare Before Christmas event is drawing to a horrific conclusion. Now that we've shared an abundance of dreadful sounds throughout the month of December, I hope you have yourself a scary little Christmas. I thought that I would break from the straight forward horror posts to share something which takes a bit more of a light-hearted jab at Christmas. "Tales From The Crypt: Have Yourself A Scary Little Christmas" features John Kassir aka The Crypt Keeper from Tales From The Crypt, putting a blasphemous, yet humorous spin on everyone's favorite traditional Christmas carols. If it isn't obvious by now, the idea of Christmas horrifies me more than any of the music that I have posted this month. I'm particularly repulsed by the Christmas music which can be heard months before the holiday actually takes place. I worked at a retail clothing store a few years ago, and we were forced to listen to Christmas music every day, nonstop, for almost three months straight. If I ever hear "Santa Baby" again I may destroy whatever infernal device the sound happens to emanate from.

If you share the same sentiment towards Christmas Music, and chances are you might if you have been following along with us this month, then this album will be right up your alley. Throw this twisted Christmas album on when you want to get a rise out of stone-faced prudes or overly-sensitive Christmas lovers. With lyrics such as ""Stockings stuffed with ears and fingers (fa la la la la la la la la) Chopped from all those carolling singers (fa la la la la la la la la)", you'll be sure to enjoy a good laugh as they display signs of obvious disgust.

This CD came with a bonus comic book entitled "And All Through The House". "And All Through The House" was the second episode from season 1 of Tales From The Crypt which aired in 1989. It was based on a story first printed in 1954 within the pages of issue #35 of the classic EC horror comic, "The Vault of Horror", one of the sister publications of the original Tales From The Crypt comic. The story revolves a woman who murders her husband on Christmas Eve in order to collect on his substantial insurance policy. Unfortunately for her, a deranged mental patient dressed as Santa has already brutally dismembered four young women not far from her home. Perhaps he has heard "Santa Baby" one too many times? As fortunate would have it, she discovers that the killer is trying to force his way into her home as she is trying to dispose of her dead husband's corpse. Below you will find a download of the classic television episode in its entirety, as well as a complete scan of the aforementioned Vault of Horror #35. Merry Cryptmas!

Year of Release: 1994
Label: The Right Stuff (Capitol)
Catalog #: T2-31330
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
1. Intro to Album
2. Deck The Hall With Parts of Charlie
3. Juggle Bills
4. We Wish You'd Bury the Missus
5. Moe Teitlebaum
6. A Christmas Card for the Cryptkeeper
7. Christmas Rap
8. Intro to Cryptkeepr's Family Christmas
9. Cryptkeeper's Family Christmas
10. Twas The Fright Before Christmas
11. 12 Days of Cryptmas
12. Intro to Revenge of the Cryptkeepr
13. Revenge of the Cryptkeepr
14. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
15. Should Old Cadavers Be Forgot

Download: Tales From The Crypt: Have Yourself A Scary Little Christmas (1994 - 320kbps)
Download Size: 95MB

Bonus Downloads:

The Vault Of Horror #35 (1954 - EC Comics)

Download:
Vault of Horror #35 (1954 - EC Comics)
Download Size: 21MB

Tales From The Crypt - All Through The House

Download:
Tales From The Crypt - And All Through The House
(Season 1: Episode 2 - 1989)
Download Mirror: http://www.mediafire.com/?7w9vza882y721mv
Download Size: 175MB

Famous Monsters of Filmland" Magazine - Issues 11-20 (1961-1962)

As promised, here is my second installment of issues of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. I covered the basic history of the magazine in my original post, so I'm simply going to copy and paste it below to save myself some time. Directly below you will find the link to my original post, which contains issues 1-10, and issues 11-20 can be found at the bottom of this post.

Famous Monsters of Filmland - Issues 1-10 (1958-1961)

Since the scans of horror comics/magazines "Creepy", "Eerie" and "Tales From The Crypt" proved to be much more popular than I ever anticipated that they would be, and many of you have been requested for me to share more, I thought I would share another popular horror magazine that made its debut in the 1950s. Several years before the first issues of "Creepy" and "Eerie" hit the stand, Warren Publishing found a hit on its hands in the form of "Famous Monsters of Filmland", which made it's debut in 1958. It was the first magazine to cater to the fans of horror films. The following scans come courtesy of the scanning duo of "Teachbug & Sprout." As with the previous scans of horror comics and magazines from the 1950s, some of these are reprints, while others original issues. I didn't go through and label each file to distinguish between the originals and the reprints, but it is easy to differentiate between the two based on the condition of the pages. I plan to post the first 30 issues of FM before the Nightmare Before Christmas event ends. I will make 3 posts, with each one containing 10 issues. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia's very informative article on Famous Monsters of Filmland:

"Famous Monsters of Filmland is a genre-specific film magazine started in 1958 by publisher James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman. Famous Monsters of Filmland (which quickly became known to fans as simply FM was originally conceived as a one-shot publication by James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman (1916-2008), with no discernible future, published in the wake of the widespread success of the package of old horror movies syndicated to American television in 1957. But the first issue, published in February 1958, was so successful that it required a second printing to fulfill public demand. Its future as part of American culture was immediately obvious to both men. The success prompted spinoff magazines such as Spacemen, Famous Westerns of Filmland, Screen Thrills Illustrated, Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella.

FM offered brief articles, well-illustrated with publicity stills and graphic artwork, on horror movies from the silent era to the current date of publication, their stars and filmmakers. Warren and Ackerman decided to aim the text at late pre-adolescents and young teenagers.
In the pages of FM, Forrest J Ackerman promoted the memory of Lon Chaney, Sr., whose silent works were mostly beyond the accessibility of fans for most of the magazine's life, but were a great influence on his own childhood. He also introduced film fans to science fiction fandom through direct references, first-person experiences, and adoption of fandom terms and customs. The magazine regularly published photos from King Kong (1933), including one from the film's infamous "spider pit sequence", featured in Issue #108 (1974) which, until Ackerman discovered a photo of a spider in the cavern setting, had never been proven definitively to have actually been filmed.

FM's peak years were from its first issues through the late 1960s, when the disappearance of the older films from television and the decline of talent in the imaginative film industry left it with a dearth of subject matter acceptable to both editor and fan. Warren and Ackerman created a jump in issue numbering from issue 69, which was printed in September of 1970, to issue 80 in October of 1970. They did this (according to the editorial in issue 80) because it brought them closer to issue 100, justifying the numerical jump because of the publishing of ten issues of the short-lived companion magazine 'Monster World' as issues that 'would have been' Famous Monsters issues. During the '70s, the magazine came to rely heavily on reprints of articles from the '60s. In the early 1980s, the magazine folded after Warren became ill and unable to carry on as publisher, and Ackerman resigned as editor in the face of the increasing disorganization within the captainless Warren Publishing Company. The magazine stopped publication in 1983 after a run of 191 issues.

The magazine directly inspired the creation of many other similar publications in the ensuing years, including Castle of Frankenstein, Cinefantastique, Fangoria, The Monster Times, and Video Watchdog. In addition, hundreds, if not thousands, of FM-influenced horror, fantasy and science fiction movie-related fanzines have been produced, some of which have continued to publish for decades, such as Midnight Marquee and Little Shoppe of Horrors. - Wikipedia"

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Monthly
Publication Date: 1958-1983
Number of Issues: 191
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Famous Monsters of Filmland - Issues 11-15 (1961-1962)
Download Size: 165MB

Download: Famous Monsters of Filmland - Issues 16-20 (1962)
Download Size: 139MB

Gore Shriek - Volumes 1 & 2 (1986-1991 - FantaCo Enterprises)

Gore Shriek Vol. 1 - Issue 1

When I first posted scans of issues of both "Creepy" and "Eerie" a couple of months ago for Halloween Countdown 2010, I had no idea that they would be recieved as well as they did. Since that time I have shared several scans of horror comics and magazines from the 1950s which have all achieved legendary status within the genre. Now I would like to focus on a series which appeared many decades later in the 1980s, Gore Shriek. Gore Shriek was published by FantoCo Enterprises, which began in 1978 as a comic book store and mail-order business, owned and operated by Tom Skulan, who decided to expand his enterprise to include publishing in 1980. Gore Shriek was the first horror title published by FantaCo, which would eventually lead to the company releasing numerous books, magazines and comics dedicated to horror. They even started their own horror convention, FantaCon, which ran from 1979 to 1990 in Albany, NY. Of all the horror titles released by FantaCo, it was Gore Shriek that captivated me the most. The amazing artwork, stories, and unrepentent horror and gore made it the best horror comic of the decade in my opinion. The artists, writers, and editors involved were not only extremely talented, but they were true fans of horror, possessing a nearly infinite amount of knowledge about the history of the genre. Despite their immense talent, they were also some of the most humble and down-to-earth artists in the industry. While I don't have time to cover every artist who ever worked on Gore Shriek, I would like to pay tribute to a few of the most talented individuals who worked on the series.

Gore Shriek Vol. 2 - Issue 1

Stephen Bissette was one of the most multi-talented individuals who worked on Gore Shriek, and has proven to be an important figure in the world of comics over the last 30 years. He also happens to be one of my favorite artists who worked on the series. Bissette is best known for collaborating with legendary writer Alan Moore to create DC's "Saga of the Swamp Thing" from 1983 to 1987. He also published the horror anthology "Taboo" under his Spiderbaby Grafix imprint, which played host to numerous legendary figures in the comics world. Alan Moore, Neil Gaimain, Dave Vess and many others appeared in its pages from 1987 to 1995. In addition to contributing several of his own stories to Gore Shriek, Bissette also served as editor beginning with issue #4, and was responsible for introducing a few changes which greatly enhanced the the series. He implemented the amazing text articles which appeared in the series, which featured articles from industry legends such as Archie Goodwin and Tom Veitch. Fortunately, Bissette still maintains a visible online presence, and was gracious enough to write a series of articles detailing his time spent working on Gore Shriek. A great deal of information I obtained for this post was culled from these articles, so I would like to thank Mr. Bissette for putting together these fascinating and insightful posts. Those articles can be found here: http://srbissette.com/?p=1548

Of all the artists who worked on Gore Shriek, I enjoyed the art of David Spaulding Fuller the most. He was responsible for the majority of the cover art for the series, and also contributed several stories of his own. His cover art undoubtedly influenced many people's decision to buy the first issue of Gore Shriek. Fuller would eventually leave the comic industry, moving on to fulfill his dream by becoming a special effects makeup artists, and would go on to work in films such as Terminator 2, Army of Darkness, Edward Scissorhands, and Bride of Re-Animator among other films.

Gurchain Singh aka "The Gurch" was a close second behind Fuller. In many ways his artwork is reminiscent of the legendary Bernie Wrightson, who I recently featured here on DM. The Gurch was known for his graphic illustrations of the undead dispatching unsuspecting victims in a most brutal manner. His work was held in such high regard that FantaCo released a special issue, #2 1/2, which consisted entirely of full-page illustrations by "The Gurch". While doing research for this post, I was fortunate enough to stumble across this forum thread that Steve Bissette started regarding Gore Shriek. The Gurch made an appearance in the thread and dropped several scans of his original artwork, including several sketches and paintings, a few of which are recent efforts. I attempted to enlarge and sharpen up those scans a bit, and have included them as a bonus download to accompany both volumes of Gore Shriek below.

Chas. Balun was anothter multi-talented indivudual who worked on Gore Shriek. Before joining FantaCo, Chas. had already established himself as a succesful independent comic book artist and writer who published and distributed his own work. Chas. managed to gain a cult following after self-publishing "The Connoisseur's Guide to the Contemporary Horror Film" and "Gore Score", which offered straight-forward reviews, injected with Balun's trademark humor, of contemporary horror films and splatter flicks. He also published the first issue of the horror magazine, "Deep Red". In addition to distrubuting his previously published books via their mail-order operation, FantaCo also released "Horror Holocaust", and also revived "Deep Red". Unfortunately we lost a very talented individual when Chas Balun passed away earlier this year at the age of 61 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Greg Capullo is a name that many of you avid comic book collectors will be familiar with. While he wasn't the most talented artist within FantaCo, his talent would increase exponentially in the years to come. In fact, of all the artists that worked on Gore Shriek, it is perhaps Greg Capullo who went on to have the most successful career as a comic book artist after FantaCo folded. He eventually went on to work for major mainstream publishers, penciling titles such as X-Force from '91-93, and Todd McFarlane's Spawn from '94-99. Capullo made his debut as a comic artist in Gore Shriek Vol. 1 #2, in which he illustrated Bill Townsend's story, "Need For Speed".

During the mid-90s the infamous collapse of the speculation market occurred, which had a devistating impact on both mainstream and independent comic book publishers. Unfortunately, FantaCo was no exception, and in 1998 they made the decision to close their doors for good, thus killing any potential possibility of a Gore Shriek revival. However due to the internet, Gore Shriek and FantaCo have received a recent surge in popularity. A great deal of information about the company and the comic can be contributed to outspoken former FantaCo employees who have maintained a visible online presence, which has led to more and more people seeking out back issues of the comic, as well as other FantaCo releases. Below you will find digital scans of every issue that FantaCo released of Gore Shriek between 1986 and 1991. I have uploaded each of the issues in both .cbr and .pdf format, so you can choose the format you want, and split them up into packages consisting of Volume 1 and 2. Below is a table of contents detailing the artists, writers, and notes about each issue, and beyond that you will find the download links.

Gore Shriek - Table of Contents

Volume 1 - Issue #1 (1986)

Artists: Bruce Spaulding Fuller, Greg capullo, Steve Bissette
Writers: Kevin McReavy, Bruce Spaulding Fuller, Bill Townsend, Steve Bissette
Cover Art: Bruce Spaulding Fuller

Volume 1 - Issue #2 (1988)

Artists: Bruce Spaulding Fuller, Rolf Stark, Greg Capullo
Writers: Rolf Stark, Bill Townsend
Cover Art: Bruce Spaulding Fuller
Notes: Contains Rolf Stark's debut as a comic artist/writer

Volume 1 - Issue #3 (1988)

Artists: Bruce Spaulding Fuller, Chas. Balun, Greg Capullo, Rolf Stark
Writers: Chas. Balun, Bill Townsend, Rolf Stark, Bruce Spaulding Fuller
Cover Art: Chas. Balun

Volume 1 - Issue #4 (1988)

Artists: Steve Bissette, Bruce Spaulding Fuller, Rolf Stark, Greg Capullo
Writers: Steve Bissette, Augustus Mattick II, Henry J. Jansen III, Tom Skulan, Rolf Stark, Marlene Stevens
Cover Art: Greg Capullo (Color By Bruce Spaulding Fuller)
Notes: Contains a preview of "Mars Attacks"

Volume 1 - Issue #5 (1988)

Artists: Bruce Spaulding Fuller, Steve Bissette, Rick McCollum, Bill Anderson, Chris Pelletiere, Chas. Balun, David Marshall
Writers: Rick McCollum, Chris Pelletiere, David Marshall
Text Articles: Archie Goodwin, Tom Veitch, Stan Wiater
Cover Art: Bruce Spaulding Fuller

Volume 1 - Issue #6 (1988)

Artists: Michael Dubisch, Gary Crutchley, Ben Dilworth, Gurchain Singh, Rolf Stark, Steve Bissette
Writers: Michael Dubisch, Gary Crutchley, David Hern, Steve Bissette
Text Articles: Jack Butterworth, Tom Veitch, Stan Wiater
Cover Art: Bruce Spaulding Fuller

Volume 1 - Issue #6 1/2 (1989)

Artists: Gurchain Singh, Eric Stanaway, Rolf Stark, David MacDowell
Writers: Eric Stanway, Rolf Stark, David MacDowell
Cover Art: Gurchain Singh
Notes: Special half-size issue which was only available as a free giveaway at FantaCon Conventions and through the FantaCo mail-order catalog

Volume 2 - Issue #1 (1990)

Artists: Gurchain Singh, Chas. Balun, Steve Bissette, Eric Stanway, Bruce Spaulding Fuller
Writers: Gurchain Singh, Charles Dickens
Cover Art: Gurchain Singh
Notes: Contains a special Night of the Living Dead section by Steve Bissette

Volume 2 - Issue #2 (1990)

Artists: Chas. Balun, Gurchain Singh, Eric Stanway, Mike Dubisch
Writers: Robert Louis Stevenson, Gurchain Singh
Text Article: Anthony Timpone
Cover Art: Bruce Spaulding Fuller

Volume 2 - Issue #2 1/2 (1990)

Artist: Gurchain Singh
Cover Art: Gurchain Singh
Notes: Composed entirely of full page illustrations by "The Gurch"

Volume 2 - Issue 3 (1991)

Artists: Gurchain Singh, Eric Stanway, L.G. McDonald, Allen Koszowski
Writers: Gurchain Singh, Eric Stanway, David Kramer
Cover Art: Allen Koszowski
Notes: Contains adaptions of stories by Edgar Allan Poe and the Brothers Grimm

Volume 2 - Annual #1 (1990)

Artists: Landon McDonald, Gurchain Signh, Dave MacDowell, Eric Stanway, Mike Dusisch, Alex Diaz, Rolph Stark, Eric Talbot, Chris Pelletiere, Mark Martin, Gary Grutchley, Ben Dilworth, Rick McCollum, B. Anderson, Chris Pryzgrodzki, Wendy Snow-Lang
Writers: Landon McDonald, Gurchain Singh, Dave MacDowell, Eric Stanway, , Mike Dubisch, Rick hautala, Alex Diaz, Chris Pelletiere, Mark Martin, Dave Henney, Rick McCollum, Gary Crutchley
Cover Art: Allen Koszowski
Notes: Contains adaptions of stories by Robert Bloch, Edgar Allan Poe, and Ambrose Bierce

Download: Gore Shriek Volume 1 - Issues 1-6 1/2 (PDF Versions)
Download Size: 139MB

Download: Gore Shriek Volume 2 - Issues 1-3 (PDF Versions)
Download Size: 91MB

Download: Gore Shriek Volume 1 - Issues 1-6 1/2 (CBR Versions)
Download Size: 111MB

Download: Gore Shriek Volume 2 - Issues 1-3 (CBR Versions)
Download Size: 82MB

Bonus Download: Misc. Drawings & Paintings of Gurchain Singh (aka "The Gurch")
Download Size: 23MB

Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein (E-Book) (1983)

For those of you who aren't familiar with Bernie Wrightson, prepared to be blown away by some of the most detailed pen-and-ink illustrations you have ever seen. In 1983 "Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein" was released, leaving artists and fans alike picking their jaws up off the floor after beholding Bernie Wrightson's absolutely brilliant cross-hatch pen-and-ink renditions of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

The majority of Bernie Wrightson's professional work has been devoted to the comic book industry, particularly the genres of horror, science-fiction and weird fiction. Bernie Wrightson is considered a living legend within the comic book industry. His unimitable style has made him a sought after artist within the industry, and inspired the awe and envy of many of his contemporaries. Although he has worked on numerous titles for various different publishers since he broke into the comic book industry in 1968, he is best remembered for the work he produced for DC and Warren during the 1960s and '70s.

The two titles which Wrightson's artwork appeared in the most were DC's "House of Mystery" and "House of Secrets." He made his debut in the pages of House of Mystery #179 in 1968. Wrightson would eventually produce artwork for more than 23 issues of House of Mystery from 1968 to 1978, which is far more than he produced for any other single title. He is also known for co-creating the character of "Swamp Thing" along with with writer Len Wein. Wrightson introduced the character in House of Secrets #92 in 1971. The next year DC asked Wrightson and Wein to create an ongoing series. Wrightson went on to illustrate the first 10 issues, and received numerous industry awards for his work. He received a Shazam Award for Best Penciller three years in a row (1972-1974), Best Inker in 1973, and two awards for Best Individual Story for Swamp Thing #1 and #6.

In 1974 Wrightson left DC to work for Warren Publishing. From 1974 to 1978 Wrightson appeared in six issues of "Creepy", four issues of "Eerie", and two issues of "Vampirella". He produced a series of original work along with several short story adaptions, such as Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat" and H.P. Lovecraft's "Cool Air." Although his output from the Warren years didn't begin to approach the amount of art he produced for DC, many believe that he produced some of his finest work during this period.

In 1975 Wrightson, along with several fellow artists, started to pursue work outside of the comic book industry. Although he would continue to create artwork for the comic industry, he also started producing artwork for posters, prints, calenders, and magazines. During his time between these projects he started working on on the illustrations that would appear in "Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein". His Frankenstein illustrations were not for a professional project, but created for his own personal satisfcation. In fact, he has described it as his most personal work, and it is easy to see why. Here is what he had so say during an interview regarding the time he spent working on the illustrations:

"I've always had a thing for Frankenstein, and it was a labor of love. It was not an assignment, it was not a job. I would do the drawings in between paying gigs, when I had enough to be caught up with bills and groceries and what-not. I would take three days here, a week there, to work on the Frankenstein volume. It took about seven years - Bernie Wrightson"

"Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein" consists of 45 full-page black & white pen-and-ink illustrations. The first illustration that I saw from this book absolutely floored me. It was a picture of Dr. Frankenstein standing over his creation, layed out on a table in the lab. They are surrounded by an immense amount of scientific equipment and various other objects. It contains some of the most intricate pen-and-ink work that I have ever seen, and an insane amount of detail. Rather than attempt to continue to find the words to describe the sheer awesomeness of his illustrations, I will simply allow you to see some of them for yourself. I will start with the illustration I described above, and follow it up with a few other favorites. I encourage you to click on the pictures to see these high-resolution scans in full size, which will give you a better understanding of the amount of detail he injects into his illustrations.

Update: I forgot to mention that the file in the RAR archive is in .cbz format, a Comic Book Reader file. I recommend using either CDisplay or ComicRack if you don't already have a comic book reader program. If you would prefer, you can simply change the extension to .rar and extract all of the images to a folder.

Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein - Page 33

Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein - Page 34

Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein - Page 43

Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein - Page 27

Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein - Page 9

Download: Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein
Download Size: 96MB

"Famous Monsters of Filmland" Magazine - Issues 1-10 (1958-1961

Since the scans of horror comics/magazines "Creepy", "Eerie" and "Tales From The Crypt" proved to be much more popular than I ever anticipated that they would be, and many of you have been requested for me to share more, I thought I would share another popular horror magazine that made its debut in the 1950s. Several years before the first issues of "Creepy" and "Eerie" hit the stand, Warren Publishing found a hit on its hands in the form of "Famous Monsters of Filmland", which made it's debut in 1958. It was the first magazine to cater to the fans of horror films. The following scans come courtesy of the scanning duo of "Teachbug & Sprout." As with the previous scans of horror comics and magazines from the 1950s, some of these are reprints, while others original issues. I didn't go through and label each file to distinguish between the originals and the reprints, but it is easy to differentiate between the two based on the condition of the pages. I plan to post the first 30 issues of FM before the Nightmare Before Christmas event ends. I will make 3 posts, with each one containing 10 issues. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia's very informative article on Famous Monsters of Filmland:

"Famous Monsters of Filmland is a genre-specific film magazine started in 1958 by publisher James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman. Famous Monsters of Filmland (which quickly became known to fans as simply FM was originally conceived as a one-shot publication by James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman (1916-2008), with no discernible future, published in the wake of the widespread success of the package of old horror movies syndicated to American television in 1957. But the first issue, published in February 1958, was so successful that it required a second printing to fulfill public demand. Its future as part of American culture was immediately obvious to both men. The success prompted spinoff magazines such as Spacemen, Famous Westerns of Filmland, Screen Thrills Illustrated, Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella.

FM offered brief articles, well-illustrated with publicity stills and graphic artwork, on horror movies from the silent era to the current date of publication, their stars and filmmakers. Warren and Ackerman decided to aim the text at late pre-adolescents and young teenagers.
In the pages of FM, Forrest J Ackerman promoted the memory of Lon Chaney, Sr., whose silent works were mostly beyond the accessibility of fans for most of the magazine's life, but were a great influence on his own childhood. He also introduced film fans to science fiction fandom through direct references, first-person experiences, and adoption of fandom terms and customs. The magazine regularly published photos from King Kong (1933), including one from the film's infamous "spider pit sequence", featured in Issue #108 (1974) which, until Ackerman discovered a photo of a spider in the cavern setting, had never been proven definitively to have actually been filmed.

FM's peak years were from its first issues through the late 1960s, when the disappearance of the older films from television and the decline of talent in the imaginative film industry left it with a dearth of subject matter acceptable to both editor and fan. Warren and Ackerman created a jump in issue numbering from issue 69, which was printed in September of 1970, to issue 80 in October of 1970. They did this (according to the editorial in issue 80) because it brought them closer to issue 100, justifying the numerical jump because of the publishing of ten issues of the short-lived companion magazine 'Monster World' as issues that 'would have been' Famous Monsters issues. During the '70s, the magazine came to rely heavily on reprints of articles from the '60s. In the early 1980s, the magazine folded after Warren became ill and unable to carry on as publisher, and Ackerman resigned as editor in the face of the increasing disorganization within the captainless Warren Publishing Company. The magazine stopped publication in 1983 after a run of 191 issues.

The magazine directly inspired the creation of many other similar publications in the ensuing years, including Castle of Frankenstein, Cinefantastique, Fangoria, The Monster Times, and Video Watchdog. In addition, hundreds, if not thousands, of FM-influenced horror, fantasy and science fiction movie-related fanzines have been produced, some of which have continued to publish for decades, such as Midnight Marquee and Little Shoppe of Horrors. - Wikipedia"

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Monthly
Publication Date: 1958-1983
Number of Issues: 191
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Famous Monsters of Filmland - Issues 1-5 (1958-1959)
Download Size: 176MB

Download: Famous Monsters of Filmland - Issues 6-10 (1960-1961)
Download Size: 192.6MB

H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival #1-3 (Comic Mini-Series)

This will be my last post for the 2010 Halloween Countdown. It is after midnight where I'm at, which means that Halloween is technically over, but I'm one of those people who don't consider it to be over with until I finally close my eyes and go to sleep, which means that you all get one more horror-inspired post for the night. Please be sure to check out my "Post-Halloween Countdown Report" that I plan to post tomorrow. There are a few announcements I would like to make regarding my plans for the blog during November and December, as well as a few people that I would like to thank. I've had a lot of fun posting horror-related material all month long, and having the chance to interact with many of you in the process. I would like to thank both contributors and visitors alike for helping to make Digital Meltd0wn's 2010 Halloween Countdown one kick-ass event.

Those of you who follow this blog regularly should know by now that I'm a huge Lovecraft fan. In fact, I plan to put together an index of all my Lovecraftian posts next month so that you can easily find any Lovecraft-related item you might happen to be looking for here. I plan to create a "master index", as well as a sub-index for each medium, such as one for audiobooks, e-books, etc. I also plan to make a major announcement next month that will hopefully excite Lovecraft fans everywhere, so you may want to keep an eye out for that. I recently started posting the occasional digital comic download here on the blog, due in part to my own recently renewed interest in comics, as well as the unexpected interest expressed by many of the visitors here.

"H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival" was a three part mini-series published by Millennium Productions in 1993. It is based on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and follows the perils faced by a group of investigators called the Mistkatonic Project. Unfortunately Millennium Comics closed its doors for good in 2000, inevitably making this comic out of print. Millennium was well known for releasing one-shots, graphic novels and mini-series, rather than primarily focusing on continuing series as most comic publishers tend to do. In addition to Cthulhu: The Festival, Millennium also released two other mini-series based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, including "H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu" three part mini-series (1991) and "H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: Whisperer In Darkness" 3 issue mini-series (1991). For more H.P. Lovecraft comic goodness, check out my H.P. Lovecraft Comic Book & Graphic Novel post here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2008/10/hp-lovecraft-comic-books-graphic-novels.html

Year of Release: 1993-1994
Publisher: Millennium Productions
Genre: Horror, Science-Fiction
Format: .cbr (Comic Book Reader file)

Download: H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival #1-3 Mini-Series
Download Size: 41MB

Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 42-46 (EC Comics)

I made a mistake when I posted what was intended to be my final installment in the complete run of "Tales From The Crypt" comics, a series of horror comics spanning 27 issues which were published by EC Comics during the 1950s. I had intended to post issues 38-46, but ended up accidently leaving issues 42-46 out of the file I posted. Here are the final fives issues of Tales From The Crypt for your enjoyment. I covered most of the history behind the comic in my last post, so I'm simply going to copy & paste that info below to save some time. You can find the previously posted issues here:

Tales From The Crypt - Issues 38-41
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 28-37
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 17-27

Note: Series started with issue #17

"Despite the fact that only 27 issues were published, Tales From The Crypt managed to be one of the most influential horror comics of all time, spawning three movies, a television series on HBO and a Saturday morning cartoon.

I will be posting these 10 issues at a time, with the first collection starting at #17 and ending at #27, which were published between 1950-1953. If you are wondering why I am starting with issue #17, it is because during this time publishers would often change the name of a comic, yet keep the numbering system for issues intact. In this case the original comic was called "Crime Patrol", until issue #17 where it was changed to "Crypt of Terror". After two issues EC again changed the name to "Tales From The Crypt". The collection presented for download contains scans of both the original comics as well as reprints. I should point out that the reprints are numbered differently than the original. For example, the reprint issue #18 of Crypt of Terror, is numbered as issue #2 on the cover. I have kept the original numbering system for the issues intact, so the file names are correct, even though the reprint covers might have a different issue number. The reprints are noted in the file name and are of much better quality than the original scans. You can find a summary of the stories contained in each comic on the Wikipedia article for the comic, which I have linked to above. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia covering the history of the comic and it's sibling publications. You will need a comic book reader program to view the .cbr and .cbz files. I suggest CDisplay if you only need a simple viewer, or ComicRack if you're looking for a more fully featured program, both of which are freeware programs. Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia outlining the history behind the comic:


"Tales from the Crypt is a bi-monthly horror comic anthology series that, together with its horror siblings The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror were published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Tales from the Crypt hit newsstands with its April/May 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, producing a total of 30 issues. The title was popular, but, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers, and others who believed the books contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. In April and June 1954, highly publicized Congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code, EC Comics publisher William Maxwell Gaines canceled Tales from the Crypt and its two companion titles in September 1954. All three titles have been reprinted at various times since their demise and have been adapted for television and film.

In 1950, publisher William Gaines and his editor Al Feldstein discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles. Tales from the Crypt traces its origin to a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol (#15, December 1949/January 1950) with the Crypt-Keeper making his debut as host. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, and, with issue #17, the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title, and continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues. The title saw its final form, Tales from the Crypt, with issue #20, October/November, 1950." - Wikipedia

Publisher: EC Comics
Schedule: Bimonthly
Publication Date: 1950-1955
Number of Issues: 27
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Tales From The Crypt - Issues 42-46 (EC Comics)
Download Size: 86MB

Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 38-41 (EC Comics)

Here is the final installment, covering issues #38-46, of the complete run of Tales From the Crypt comics published by EC Comics from 1950-1955. You can find issues #17-27 posted here, and issues #28-37 posted here. I covered most of the history behind the comic in my last post, so I'm simply going to copy & paste that info below to save some time. You can find the other issues in the series here:

Tales From The Crypt - Issues 42-46
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 28-37
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 17-27

Note: Series started with issue #17

"Despite the fact that only 27 issues were published, Tales From The Crypt managed to be one of the most influential horror comics of all time, spawning three movies, a television series on HBO and a Saturday morning cartoon.

I will be posting these 10 issues at a time, with the first collection starting at #17 and ending at #27, which were published between 1950-1953. If you are wondering why I am starting with issue #17, it is because during this time publishers would often change the name of a comic, yet keep the numbering system for issues intact. In this case the original comic was called "Crime Patrol", until issue #17 where it was changed to "Crypt of Terror". After two issues EC again changed the name to "Tales From The Crypt". The collection presented for download contains scans of both the original comics as well as reprints. I should point out that the reprints are numbered differently than the original. For example, the reprint issue #18 of Crypt of Terror, is numbered as issue #2 on the cover. I have kept the original numbering system for the issues intact, so the file names are correct, even though the reprint covers might have a different issue number. The reprints are noted in the file name and are of much better quality than the original scans. You can find a summary of the stories contained in each comic on the Wikipedia article for the comic, which I have linked to above. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia covering the history of the comic and it's sibling publications. You will need a comic book reader program to view the .cbr and .cbz files. I suggest CDisplay if you only need a simple viewer, or ComicRack if you're looking for a more fully featured program, both of which are freeware programs."

"Tales from the Crypt is a bi-monthly horror comic anthology series that, together with its horror siblings The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror were published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Tales from the Crypt hit newsstands with its April/May 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, producing a total of 30 issues. The title was popular, but, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers, and others who believed the books contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. In April and June 1954, highly publicized Congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code, EC Comics publisher William Maxwell Gaines canceled Tales from the Crypt and its two companion titles in September 1954. All three titles have been reprinted at various times since their demise and have been adapted for television and film.

In 1950, publisher William Gaines and his editor Al Feldstein discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles. Tales from the Crypt traces its origin to a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol (#15, December 1949/January 1950) with the Crypt-Keeper making his debut as host. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, and, with issue #17, the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title, and continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues. The title saw its final form, Tales from the Crypt, with issue #20, October/November, 1950." - Wikipedia

Publisher: EC Comics
Schedule: Bimonthly
Publication Date: 1950-1955
Number of Issues: 27
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 38-41 (EC Comics)
Download Size: 41MB

Update: A couple of readers informed me that the archive is missing files 42-46. I will be uploading this on the morning of October 31st and adding them to this post. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 28-37 (EC Comics)

Here is the second installment in what will eventually be the complete run of Tales From the Crypt comics published by EC Comics from 1950-1955. I had originally planned to post the entire run of both "The Haunt of Fear" and "The Vault of Horror" also, but it doesn't look like I will have time before Halloween arrives. I posted the first 11 issues (#17-27) in my last post. Below you will find the next 10 issues in the series (#28-37). I covered most of the history behind the comic in my last post, so I'm simply going to copy & paste that info below to save some time. You can find the rest of the issues I posted here:

Tales From The Crypt - Issues 42-46
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 38-41
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 17-27

Note: Series started with issue #17

"Despite the fact that only 27 issues were published, Tales From The Crypt managed to be one of the most influential horror comics of all time, spawning three movies, a television series on HBO and a Saturday morning cartoon.

I will be posting these 10 issues at a time, with the first collection starting at #17 and ending at #27, which were published between 1950-1953. If you are wondering why I am starting with issue #17, it is because during this time publishers would often change the name of a comic, yet keep the numbering system for issues intact. In this case the original comic was called "Crime Patrol", until issue #17 where it was changed to "Crypt of Terror". After two issues EC again changed the name to "Tales From The Crypt". The collection presented for download contains scans of both the original comics as well as reprints. I should point out that the reprints are numbered differently than the original. For example, the reprint issue #18 of Crypt of Terror, is numbered as issue #2 on the cover. I have kept the original numbering system for the issues intact, so the file names are correct, even though the reprint covers might have a different issue number. The reprints are noted in the file name and are of much better quality than the original scans. You can find a summary of the stories contained in each comic on the Wikipedia article for the comic, which I have linked to above. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia covering the history of the comic and it's sibling publications. You will need a comic book reader program to view the .cbr and .cbz files. I suggest CDisplay if you only need a simple viewer, or ComicRack if you're looking for a more fully featured program, both of which are freeware programs."

"Tales from the Crypt is a bi-monthly horror comic anthology series that, together with its horror siblings The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror were published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Tales from the Crypt hit newsstands with its April/May 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, producing a total of 30 issues. The title was popular, but, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers, and others who believed the books contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. In April and June 1954, highly publicized Congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code, EC Comics publisher William Maxwell Gaines canceled Tales from the Crypt and its two companion titles in September 1954. All three titles have been reprinted at various times since their demise and have been adapted for television and film.

In 1950, publisher William Gaines and his editor Al Feldstein discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles. Tales from the Crypt traces its origin to a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol (#15, December 1949/January 1950) with the Crypt-Keeper making his debut as host. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, and, with issue #17, the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title, and continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues. The title saw its final form, Tales from the Crypt, with issue #20, October/November, 1950." - Wikipedia

Publisher: EC Comics
Schedule: Bimonthly
Publication Date: 1950-1955
Number of Issues: 27
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 28-37 (EC Comics)
Download Size: 140MB

Tales From the Crypt Comic - Issues 17-27 (EC Comics)

Many of you left comments expressing your gratitude for the "Creepy" and "Eerie" horror comics that I recently posted. While I believe that Creepy and Eerie are two of the best horror comics to ever see print, I would like to add a bit of variety here before the Halloween Countdown ends. Several of you have requested that I post a few of the horror titles that EC Comics released beginning in the early 1950s. I hope to be able to share the complete run of the three titles that most people are familiar with, "Tales From the Crypt", "Vault of Horror", and "The Haunt of Fear". I will start with the most well known title of the three "Tales From The Crypt". Despite the fact that only 27 issues were published, Tales From The Crypt managed to be one of the most influential horror comics of all time, spawning three movies, a television series on HBO and a Saturday morning cartoon.

I will be posting these 10 issues at a time, with the first collection starting at #17 and ending at #27, which were published between 1950-1953. If you are wondering why I am starting with issue #17, it is because during this time publishers would often change the name of a comic, yet keep the numbering system for issues intact. In this case the original comic was called "Crime Patrol", until issue #17 where it was changed to "Crypt of Terror". After two issues EC again changed the name to "Tales From The Crypt". The collection presented for download contains scans of both the original comics as well as reprints. The reprints are noted in the file name and are of much better quality than the original scans. You can find a summary of the stories contained in each comic on the Wikipedia article for the comic, which I have linked to above. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia covering the history of the comic and it's sibling publications. You will need a comic book reader program to view the .cbr and .cbz files. I suggest CDisplay if you only need a simple viewer, or ComicRack if you're looking for a more fully featured program, both of which are freeware programs.

"Tales from the Crypt is a bi-monthly horror comic anthology series that, together with its horror siblings The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror were published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Tales from the Crypt hit newsstands with its April/May 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, producing a total of 30 issues. The title was popular, but, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers, and others who believed the books contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. In April and June 1954, highly publicized Congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code, EC Comics publisher William Maxwell Gaines canceled Tales from the Crypt and its two companion titles in September 1954. All three titles have been reprinted at various times since their demise and have been adapted for television and film.

In 1950, publisher William Gaines and his editor Al Feldstein discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles. Tales from the Crypt traces its origin to a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol (#15, December 1949/January 1950) with the Crypt-Keeper making his debut as host. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, and, with issue #17, the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title, and continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues. The title saw its final form, Tales from the Crypt, with issue #20, October/November, 1950." - Wikipedia

Publisher: EC Comics
Schedule: Bimonthly
Publication Date: 1950-1955
Number of Issues: 27
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 17-27 (EC Comics)
Download Size: 137MB


The remaining issues in the series can be found below:

Tales From The Crypt - Issues 28-37
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 38-41
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 42-46

Note: Series started with issue #17

"Eerie" Horror Comics - Issues 21-30

This will be my last post dedicated to Warren Publishing's horror comics "Creepy" & "Eerie" for the time being. I've had a number of people request that I post some of the horror comics released by EC Comics, and while I believe that the titles released by Warren are far superior, I prefer to cater to my readers. I may return to posting issues of Creepy and Eerie if I have time, or move on to something else. I would like to showcase some modern horror comics, but I'm wary of receiving a DMCA takedown notice. If any of you could recommend some good contemporary horror comics that would be safe to share here I would greatly appreciate the gesture. Now, moving on to the subject of the post, I have already posted issues 1-20 of Eerie, which brings us to issues #21-30.

I already covered everything I could think of in my first post dedicated to Eerie, so I'm simply going to repost it here to save myself some much needed time. If you need help with the .cbr or .cbz (comic book reader format files), please refer to this post.

Panel From Eerie #13
(Click to Enlarge)

As promised, here are the first 10 issues of the horror comic/magazine, "Eerie". In case you missed it, I posted the first 10 issues of "Creepy" here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2010/10/creepy-horror-comics-issues-1-10-1964.html

Eerie was created by Warren Publishing as a sister publication to Creepy, with the first issue being released in 1965, one year after the launch of Creepy. There were numerous similarities between the two publications from the start, with the most obvious being that they both focused on supernatural tales of horror. Both featured top-notch artists and writers. Creepy had its own host character in "Uncle Creepy", while Eerie introduced "Cousin Eerie". As with Creepy, Eerie also started off very succesfully, only to suffer after the departure of Editor Archie Goodwin and a lack of funds in the late '60s. Both publications were forced to rely on issuing reprints to stay afloat, eventually emerging stronger than ever in the mid-70s by introducing color issues and increasing the frequency with which they published to nine issues per year.

Despite the numerous similarites there were also a few key differences, although these differences would not manifest themeselves until midway through the series. Eerie eventually introduced a number of serials, based on original characters with their own contuity, in order to differentiate itself from Creepy, which focused on standalone anthology stories. Near the end of its run Creepy started issuing reprints, once again due to a lack of editorial direction and funds. Eerie came to an unfortunate end when Warren Publishing declared bankruptcy in February 1983, making issue 139 the last in the series.

I hope you all enjoy these issues of this legendary horror comic/magazine. Now that I've put up issues 1-10 of both Creepy and Eerie as I had originally planned, I would like to know if you all would be interested in seeing more issues posted here. I had planned to at least post the first 30 issues of both series, but I wanted to know if their is enough interest before I follow through with my plans. Please leave a comment to let me know if you would like to see more of these posted for Halloween Countdown.

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1965-1983
Number of Issues: 139
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Eerie #21 (1969)
Download Size: 21MB

Download: Eerie #22 (1969)
Download Size: 31MB

Download: Eerie #23 (1969)
Download Size: 36MB

Download: Eerie #24 (1969)
Download Size: 32MB

Download: Eerie #25 (1969)
Download Size: 28MB

Download: Eerie #26 (1970)
Download Size: 29MB

Download: Eerie #27 (1970)
Download Size: 28MB

Download: Eerie #28 (1970)
Download Size: 29MB

Download: Eerie #29 (1970)
Download Size: 26MB

Download: Eerie #30 (1970)
Download Size: 56MB

"Creepy" Horror Comics - Issues 21-30

In case you haven't been following the blog recently, I have been posting issues of the horror comics/magazines "Creepy" and "Eerie". You can find issues #1-10 of Creepy here and issues #11-20 here

So we're up to issues #21-30 now. As with my previous post I'm simply going to copy and paste the information about Creepy and how to handle the comic book reader files (.cbr & .cbz) presented for download. I'll be posting issues #21-30 of Eerie next, and then I will either continue posting issues of both, or move on to posting some titles from EC Comics. Please let me know which route you would prefer me to take by leaving a comment. I'll base my decision on how the majority of you respond.

I last participated in the "Halloween Countdown" event in 2008, and I had intended to post scans of the original "Creepy" horror comic/magazine back then. Unfortunately I ended up running out of time because I became so wrapped up in preparing my Lovecraft grand finale, and so I wasn't able to post these for the countdown that year. Other than the two copies of Weird Tales that I recently posted, I haven't posted any scans of comics or magazines in E-book format during the four years I have been running this blog. Most people come here expecting to find music when I update this blog, so I prefer to only post this sort of thing whenever a special event is going on here. The Weird Tales scans were received rather well here, and considering these will likely appeal to a broader range of people, I thought they would be perfect to post for Halloween Countdown. For those unfamiliar with digital comics, you will need a comic book reader program to handle the file format (.cbr & .cbz). I suggest either CDisplay for those looking for a simpler program, or ComicRack for those looking for a fully featured reader. Both are free and have relatively small download sizes. I personally prefer CDisplay, simply because I don't need all the features that ComicRack includes.

If you've never had the pleasure of checking out an issue of Creepy you're in for a real treat. "Creepy" is considered the first horror-comic magazine, and inspired a slew of imitators. Both the artwork and writing are top-notch, as Creepy had the money to lure in some of the most talented writers and artists in the comic-book world at that time, and also gave them a great degree of artistic freedom. Creepy often included a great deal of graphic artwork and mature subject-matter which was intended for adults rather than children, . They were able to do this by taking advantage of a loophole, publishing their material as a black & white magazine, rather than a comic. Thus they were able to bypass the required approval of the Comics Code Authority, which tightly regulated the amount of violence and gore in horror comics during that time period.

As with my more recent posts, I'm going to allow Wikipedia to fill you in on all the specific details about "Creepy", as I have a ton of other material that I'm preparing for you.

General Info:
Creepy was an American horror-comics magazine launched by Warren Publishing in 1964. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. The anthology magazine was initially published quarterly but later went bimonthly. Each issue's stories were introduced by the host character, Uncle Creepy. Its sister publications were Eerie and Vampirella.

The Creepy Launch:
Russ Jones, the founding editor of Creepy in 1964, detailed the magazine's origins and his lengthy negotiations with Warren in his memoir, "Creepy & Eerie," at his website. While doing covers, illustrated stories and photo stories for Warren, Jones continued trying to sell him on the idea of doing a comics magazine, and eventually Warren agreed:

"Originally it was to be a 64-page magazine. Jim cut it back to 48... I made a sketch of my host for the mag and sent it off to Jack Davis to work up a cover. Still no title. Titles are tough. Ask anyone who ever had to come up with one. One night I was sitting in the studio alone, looking at Woody's tear-sheets from the ECs, when Warren called. He was furious and demanded a name for Project D. I was looking at a balloon over an Ingels Old Witch, and in her narrative, the word "creepy" grabbed out at me. I muttered the name to Jim... We now had a title for our mag." - Russ Jones

Joe Orlando was not only an illustrator for Creepy but also a behind-the-scenes story editor on early issues. His credit on the first issue masthead read: "Story Ideas: Joe Orlando." Bill Pearson also worked on the first issue.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creepy

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1964-1983
Number of Issues: 145
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Creepy #21 (1968)
Download Size: 38MB

Download: Creepy #22 (1968)
Download Size: 38MB

Download: Creepy #23 (1968)
Download Size: 39MB

Download: Creepy #24 (1968)
Download Size: 34MB

Download: Creepy #25 (1968)
Download Size: 35MB

Download: Creepy #26 (1968)
Download Size: 20MB

Download: Creepy #27 (1969)
Download Size: 39MB

Download: Creepy #28 (1969)
Download Size: 44MB

Download: Creepy #29 (1969)
Download Size: 25MB

Download: Creepy #30 (1969)
Download Size: 45MB

"Eerie" Horror Comics - Issues 11-20 (1967-1968)

I'm picking up where I left off with my last post dedicated to the horror comic/magazine, "Eerie". I posted the first ten issues last time, so here are issues #11 through #20. I already covered everything I could think of in my first post dedicated to Eerie, so I'm simply going to repost it here to save myself some much needed time. If you need help with the .cbr or .cbz (comic book reader format files), please refer to this post.

I was planning on continuing posting issues of both Creepy and Eerie, but I have also considered posting some old horror comics from the '50s, such as EC Comics "Tales From the Crypt", in order to provide a bit of variety. However, I honestly think that the artwork and writing in Creepy and Eerie are far superior than anything put out by EC. I'm not familiar with any of the more recently published horror comics other than The Walking Dead (Which is absolutely amazing, and I can't recommend it enough), so I am avoiding posting them because I do not know what is safe to post. I would love to see some comments in response to these ideas, and please let me know if you have any recommendations.

Panel From Eerie #13
(Click to Enlarge)

As promised, here are the first 10 issues of the horror comic/magazine, "Eerie". In case you missed it, I posted the first 10 issues of "Creepy" here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2010/10/creepy-horror-comics-issues-1-10-1964.html

Eerie was created by Warren Publishing as a sister publication to Creepy, with the first issue being released in 1965, one year after the launch of Creepy. There were numerous similarities between the two publications from the start, with the most obvious being that they both focused on supernatural tales of horror. Both featured top-notch artists and writers. Creepy had its own host character in "Uncle Creepy", while Eerie introduced "Cousin Eerie". As with Creepy, Eerie also started off very succesfully, only to suffer after the departure of Editor Archie Goodwin and a lack of funds in the late '60s. Both publications were forced to rely on issuing reprints to stay afloat, eventually emerging stronger than ever in the mid-70s by introducing color issues and increasing the frequency with which they published to nine issues per year.

Despite the numerous similarites there were also a few key differences, although these differences would not manifest themeselves until midway through the series. Eerie eventually introduced a number of serials, based on original characters with their own contuity, in order to differentiate itself from Creepy, which focused on standalone anthology stories. Near the end of its run Creepy started issuing reprints, once again due to a lack of editorial direction and funds. Eerie came to an unfortunate end when Warren Publishing declared bankruptcy in February 1983, making issue 139 the last in the series.

I hope you all enjoy these issues of this legendary horror comic/magazine. Now that I've put up issues 1-10 of both Creepy and Eerie as I had originally planned, I would like to know if you all would be interested in seeing more issues posted here. I had planned to at least post the first 30 issues of both series, but I wanted to know if their is enough interest before I follow through with my plans. Please leave a comment to let me know if you would like to see more of these posted for Halloween Countdown.

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1965-1983
Number of Issues: 139
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Eerie #11 (1967)
Download Size: 32MB

Download: Eerie #12 (1967)
Download Size: 30MB

Download: Eerie #13 (1968)
Download Size: 26MB

Download: Eerie #14 (1968)
Download Size: 14MB

Download: Eerie #15 (1968)
Download Size: 22MB

Download: Eerie #16 (1968)
Download Size: 29MB

Download: Eerie #17 (1968)
Download Size: 41MB

Download: Eerie #18 (1968)
Download Size: 24MB

Download: Eerie #19 (1968)
Download Size: 25MB

Download: Eerie #20 (1968)
Download Size: 57MB

"Creepy" Horror Comics - Issues 11-20 (1966-1968)

As promised, I'm picking up where I left off with my last post dedicated to the horror comic/magazine, "Creepy". I posted the first ten issues in my previous "Creepy" post, so here are issues #11 through #20. I already posted all the information I have on Creepy, the comic book reader files, and the programs you need to read them in my first post, so I'm simply going to repost that information below to save myself some much needed time.

I last participated in the "Halloween Countdown" event in 2008, and I had intended to post scans of the original "Creepy" horror comic/magazine back then. Unfortunately I ended up running out of time because I became so wrapped up in preparing my Lovecraft grand finale, and so I wasn't able to post these for the countdown that year. Other than the two copies of Weird Tales that I recently posted, I haven't posted any scans of comics or magazines in E-book format during the four years I have been running this blog. Most people come here expecting to find music when I update this blog, so I prefer to only post this sort of thing whenever a special event is going on here. The Weird Tales scans were received rather well here, and considering these will likely appeal to a broader range of people, I thought they would be perfect to post for Halloween Countdown. For those unfamiliar with digital comics, you will need a comic book reader program to handle the file format (.cbr & .cbz). I suggest either CDisplay for those looking for a simpler program, or ComicRack for those looking for a fully featured reader. Both are free and have relatively small download sizes. I personally prefer CDisplay, simply because I don't need all the features that ComicRack includes.

If you've never had the pleasure of checking out an issue of Creepy you're in for a real treat. "Creepy" is considered the first horror-comic magazine, and inspired a slew of imitators. Both the artwork and writing are top-notch, as Creepy had the money to lure in some of the most talented writers and artists in the comic-book world at that time, and also gave them a great degree of artistic freedom. Creepy often included a great deal of graphic artwork and mature subject-matter which was intended for adults rather than children, . They were able to do this by taking advantage of a loophole, publishing their material as a black & white magazine, rather than a comic. Thus they were able to bypass the required approval of the Comics Code Authority, which tightly regulated the amount of violence and gore in horror comics during that time period.

As with my more recent posts, I'm going to allow Wikipedia to fill you in on all the specific details about "Creepy", as I have a ton of other material that I'm preparing for you.

General Info:
Creepy was an American horror-comics magazine launched by Warren Publishing in 1964. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. The anthology magazine was initially published quarterly but later went bimonthly. Each issue's stories were introduced by the host character, Uncle Creepy. Its sister publications were Eerie and Vampirella.

The Creepy Launch:
Russ Jones, the founding editor of Creepy in 1964, detailed the magazine's origins and his lengthy negotiations with Warren in his memoir, "Creepy & Eerie," at his website. While doing covers, illustrated stories and photo stories for Warren, Jones continued trying to sell him on the idea of doing a comics magazine, and eventually Warren agreed:

"Originally it was to be a 64-page magazine. Jim cut it back to 48... I made a sketch of my host for the mag and sent it off to Jack Davis to work up a cover. Still no title. Titles are tough. Ask anyone who ever had to come up with one. One night I was sitting in the studio alone, looking at Woody's tear-sheets from the ECs, when Warren called. He was furious and demanded a name for Project D. I was looking at a balloon over an Ingels Old Witch, and in her narrative, the word "creepy" grabbed out at me. I muttered the name to Jim... We now had a title for our mag." - Russ Jones

Joe Orlando was not only an illustrator for Creepy but also a behind-the-scenes story editor on early issues. His credit on the first issue masthead read: "Story Ideas: Joe Orlando." Bill Pearson also worked on the first issue.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creepy

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1964-1983
Number of Issues: 145
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Creepy #11 (1966)
Download Size: 37MB

Download: Creepy #12 (1966)
Download Size: 45MB

Download: Creepy #13(1966)
Download Size: 33MB

Download: Creepy #14 (1967)
Download Size: 37MB

Download: Creepy #15 (1967)
Download Size: 29MB

Download: Creepy #16 (1967)
Download Size: 43MB

Download: Creepy #17 (1967)
Download Size: 33MB

Download: Creepy #18 (1967)
Download Size: 50MB

Download: Creepy #19 (1967)
Download Size: 33MB

Download: Creepy #20 (1968)
Download Size: 34MB

"Eerie" Horror Comics - Issues 1-10 (1965-1967)

As promised, here are the first 10 issues of the horror comic/magazine, "Eerie". In case you missed it, I posted the first 10 issues of "Creepy" here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2010/10/creepy-horror-comics-issues-1-10-1964.html

Eerie was created by Warren Publishing as a sister publication to Creepy, with the first issue being released in 1965, one year after the launch of Creepy. There were numerous similarities between the two publications from the start, with the most obvious being that they both focused on supernatural tales of horror. Both featured top-notch artists and writers. Creepy had its own host character in "Uncle Creepy", while Eerie introduced "Cousin Eerie". As with Creepy, Eerie also started off very succesfully, only to suffer after the departure of Editor Archie Goodwin and a lack of funds in the late '60s. Both publications were forced to rely on issuing reprints to stay afloat, eventually emerging stronger than ever in the mid-70s by introducing color issues and increasing the frequency with which they published to nine issues per year.

Despite the numerous similarites there were also a few key differences, although these differences would not manifest themeselves until midway through the series. Eerie eventually introduced a number of serials, based on original characters with their own contuity, in order to differentiate itself from Creepy, which focused on standalone anthology stories. Near the end of its run Creepy started issuing reprints, once again due to a lack of editorial direction and funds. Eerie came to an unfortunate end when Warren Publishing declared bankruptcy in February 1983, making issue 139 the last in the series.

I hope you all enjoy these issues of this legendary horror comic/magazine. Now that I've put up issues 1-10 of both Creepy and Eerie as I had originally planned, I would like to know if you all would be interested in seeing more issues posted here. I had planned to at least post the first 30 issues of both series, but I wanted to know if their is enough interest before I follow through with my plans. Please leave a comment to let me know if you would like to see more of these posted for Halloween Countdown.

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1965-1983
Number of Issues: 139
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Eerie #1 (1965)
Download Size: 15MB

Download: Eerie #2 (1966)
Download Size: 24MB

Download: Eerie #3 (1966)
Download Size: 44MB

Download: Eerie #4 (1966)
Download Size: 42MB

Download: Eerie #5 (1966)
Download Size: 43MB

Download: Eerie # 6(1966)
Download Size: 42MB

Download: Eerie #7 (1967)
Download Size: 24MB

Download: Eerie #8 (1967)
Download Size: 34MB

Download: Eerie #9 (1967)
Download Size: 33MB

Download: Eerie #10 (1967)
Download Size: 35MB

"Creepy" Horror Comics - Issues 1-10 (1964-1966)

I last participated in the "Halloween Countdown" event in 2008, and I had intended to post scans of the original "Creepy" horror comic/magazine back then. Unfortunately I ended up running out of time because I became so wrapped up in preparing my Lovecraft grand finale, and so I wasn't able to post these for the countdown that year. Other than the two copies of Weird Tales that I recently posted, I haven't posted any scans of comics or magazines in E-book format during the four years I have been running this blog. Most people come here expecting to find music when I update this blog, so I prefer to only post this sort of thing whenever a special event is going on here. The Weird Tales scans were received rather well here, and considering these will likely appeal to a broader range of people, I thought they would be perfect to post for Halloween Countdown. For those unfamiliar with digital comics, you will need a comic book reader program to handle the file format (.cbr & .cbz). I suggest either CDisplay for those looking for a simpler program, or ComicRack for those looking for a fully featured reader. Both are free and have relatively small download sizes. I personally prefer CDisplay, simply because I don't need all the features that ComicRack includes.

If you've never had the pleasure of checking out an issue of Creepy you're in for a real treat. "Creepy" is considered the first horror-comic magazine, and inspired a slew of imitators. Both the artwork and writing are top-notch, as Creepy had the money to lure in some of the most talented writers and artists in the comic-book world at that time, and also gave them a great degree of artistic freedom. Creepy often included a great deal of graphic artwork and mature subject-matter which was intended for adults rather than children, . They were able to do this by taking advantage of a loophole, publishing their material as a black & white magazine, rather than a comic. Thus they were able to bypass the required approval of the Comics Code Authority, which tightly regulated the amount of violence and gore in horror comics during that time period.

I haven't posted anything like this until recently, so please leave a comment and let me know if you enjoy these and wouldn't mind seeing more posted, otherwise I will simply stick to posting music. I have the full run of "Creepy" and "Eery", several horror titles released by EC Comics, and a few more comics inspired by H.P. Lovecraft which I didn't share in my Lovecraft post from Halloween Countdown 2008. I was considering at least posting the first 30 issues of both "Creepy" and "Eery" in 10 issue installments of each, and dedicate another post to the remaining scans of Weird Tales. I hope that you all enjoy these classic horror comics, and again, please let me know if you enjoy these and wouldn't mind seeing more horror comics/magazines posted.

As with my more recent posts, I'm going to allow Wikipedia to fill you in on all the specific details about "Creepy", as I have a ton of other material that I'm preparing for you.

General Info:
Creepy was an American horror-comics magazine launched by Warren Publishing in 1964. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. The anthology magazine was initially published quarterly but later went bimonthly. Each issue's stories were introduced by the host character, Uncle Creepy. Its sister publications were Eerie and Vampirella.

The Creepy Launch:
Russ Jones, the founding editor of Creepy in 1964, detailed the magazine's origins and his lengthy negotiations with Warren in his memoir, "Creepy & Eerie," at his website. While doing covers, illustrated stories and photo stories for Warren, Jones continued trying to sell him on the idea of doing a comics magazine, and eventually Warren agreed:

"Originally it was to be a 64-page magazine. Jim cut it back to 48... I made a sketch of my host for the mag and sent it off to Jack Davis to work up a cover. Still no title. Titles are tough. Ask anyone who ever had to come up with one. One night I was sitting in the studio alone, looking at Woody's tear-sheets from the ECs, when Warren called. He was furious and demanded a name for Project D. I was looking at a balloon over an Ingels Old Witch, and in her narrative, the word "creepy" grabbed out at me. I muttered the name to Jim... We now had a title for our mag." - Russ Jones

Joe Orlando was not only an illustrator for Creepy but also a behind-the-scenes story editor on early issues. His credit on the first issue masthead read: "Story Ideas: Joe Orlando." Bill Pearson also worked on the first issue.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creepy

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1964-1983
Number of Issues: 145
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Creepy #1 (1964)
Download Size: 20MB

Download: Creepy #2 (1965)
Download Size: 35MB

Download: Creepy #3(1965)
Download Size: 35MB

Download: Creepy #4 (1965)
Download Size:

Download: Creepy #5 (1965)
Download Size: 38MB

Download: Creepy #6 (1965)
Download Size: 44MB

Download: Creepy #7 (1965)
Download Size: 43MB

Download: Creepy #8 (1965)
Download Size: 32MB

Download: Creepy #9 (1966)
Download Size: 34MB

Download: Creepy #10 (1966)
Download Size: 43MB