THE COMPLETE WEB OF HORROR - Dana Marie Andra, editor

1969 was just a hair early for me to be reading comic books - especially those that were of a darker nature, like Creepy, Eerie, and Web of Horror. Even when I was reading comics in the 70's, I didn't read anything darker than Savage Sword of Conan.

Which is really too bad.

My interest in comics was primarily with the artwork (as the budding young artist I was) and the artwork in a comic like this, now collected as a book, is just phenomenal. Artists such as Bernie Wrightson, Michael Kaluta, Bruce Jones, and Frank Brunner (collected here, along with others) are artists whose work I came to really seek out in the 70's. My preference has always been B&W fine line art and in many cases, every page is a work of art here.

The stories are less interesting to me.  Despite some familiar names penning the stories (such as stalwart Otto Binder) these stories ranged from cheesy schlock (that's an official category people) to moderately interesting.

The power of this collection is not just in the reprinting of the collection but in the additional material - from Terry Bison's Foreword to an essay on the magazine's rise and fall and a reminiscence by some fanzine publishers.  For someone like me who didn't read the magazine when it was first published, it was nice to set this look back from people who had a strong interest.

Looking for a good book? If you have an interest in comics, the history of comics, pop culture history, or just some solid comic art, The Complete Web of Horror, edited by Dana Marie Andra is well worth adding to your collection.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

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The Complete Web of Horror

editor: Dana Marie Andra

publisher: Fantagraphics

ISBN: 9781683969372

hardcover, 296 pages