Since 1938, Superheroes have been the dominant genre in comic books. When superman hit the scene the industry changed almost overnight from adventure and comedy to men in tights leaping tall buildings. Superheroes took a struggling new medium and changed it into an industry that thrives to this day.
However, if there is a second most influential genre in comics it would have to be Horror. Vampires, werewolves, demons and creatures of the night have appeared in comics since the very beginning but it was with the emergence of EC comics that the horror genre in comics found it’s voice.
Entertaining Comics, also known as EC Comics, specialized in Horror, crime, science fictiona nd satire from the 1940s through the mid-1950s. The most notable title was Tales From the Crypt, until censorship pressures, driven by Frederick Wertham’s campaign and book Seduction Of the innocent, prompted it to concentrate on the seminal humor magazine, MAD which adopted a magazine format and avoided the Comics Code Authority. The publishing company was privately owned by Maxwell Gaines and later, during its period of notoriety in the early-mid 1950s, by his son, William Gaines.
The elder Gaines was originally an editor with all American Comics. When All American merged with DC, Max Gaines retained the rights to one comic; Picture Stories from the Bible. With this title he set out to establish a comic company that would focus on history, science and religion which would be marketed through churches around the country. Maxwell Gaines had been one of the earliest comics publishers and his Famous Funnies is considered to be the first true comic book.
In 1947, the elder Gaines was killed in a boating accident and his son William Gaines took over the business. Not being interested in an educational comic books Gaines took a decidedly different track.
He introduced series focusing on Horror, Science Fiction, War, Crime and Suspense. His editors, Al Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman, gathered highly accomplished freelance artists. Among them were Joe Orlando and Wally Wood. Kurtzman and Feldstein themselves also drew stories, which generally were written by them and Craig, with assistance from Gaines. Other writers including and Otto Binder who would later co create Brainiac and Supergirl for DC were later brought on board.
EC had success with its fresh approach and pioneered in forming relationships with its readers through its letters to the editor and its fan organization, the National EC Fan-Addict Club. This was a practice that Stan Lee Would later adopt with the Marvel “Bullpen” to great success.
EC’s horror line focused on adult story lines, often with twist “O’Henry” style endings and high quality, often gory, art. As the popularity of , Tales From the Crypt, Vault of Horror and The Haunt Of Fear continued to grow, the stories and in particular the covers kept pushing the envelope of both censorship and taste. These were comics aimed at a teenage rather than a pre-teen audience and each new excess in storytelling and art was met with resounding approval. It also helped that these were very well crafted stories, that could compete in quality with the likes of Television’s Twilight Zone. Gaines was, in fact a pioneer in showing that comics could be a legitimate form of literature.
Gaines could not, however foresee that his company would become the prime target of a real life withc hunt.
In the late 1940s, the comic book industry became the target of mounting public criticism for the content of comic books and their potentially harmful effects on children. In 1954, the publication of Frederick’s Wertham's Seduction Of The Innocent and a highly publicized Congressional hearing put comic books under increasing criticism. At the same time, a federal investigation led to a shakeup in the distribution companies that delivered comic books and across America. Sales plummeted, and several companies went out of business.
The result of this backlash was the establishment of The Comics Code Authority. The CCA code expanded on the ACMP's restrictions. Unlike its predecessor, the CCA code was rigorously enforced, with all comics requiring code approval prior to their publication. Among the Code's new rules were that no comic book title could use the words "horror" or "terror" or "weird" on its cover. The Comics Code had little impact on DC, Dell or the other comics companies as they had all more or less adopted self censorship that was similar to that of the CCA. In fact it seemed as if the CCA was aimed specifically at driving EC Comics out of business.
When distributors refused to handle many of his comics, Gaines ended publication of his three horror and the two Suspense Story titles. EC shifted its focus to a line of more realistic comic book titles, including M.D. and Psychoanalysis (known as the New Direction line). It also renamed its remaining science-fiction comic. Since the initial issues did not carry the Comics Code seal, the wholesalers refused to carry them. After consulting with his staff, Gaines reluctantly started submitting his comics to the Comics Code; all the New Direction titles carried the seal starting with the second issue. This attempted revamp failed commercially and after the fifth issues, all the New Direction titles were canceled. Eventually Gaines would move MAD over to a magazine only format where it would become tremendously successful and influential, abandoning the comic book format altogether.
With the demise of EC, horror would literally disappear from comics until the early 1970’s. At that time the CCA began to lose influence because of Marvel and DC publishing stories that focused on drug abuse (Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Spiderman). This opened the door for Marvel to introduce a line of horror based comics that would enjoy great creative and popular success. Titles such as Tomb Of Dracula, Werewolf By Night and Ghost Rider drove marvel sales through much of the decade. Tomb Of Dracula in particular raised the creative bar at marvel both in the writing by Marv Wolfman and art by Gene Colan. This was the forerunner of the adult comic for an adult audience.
Since it’s revival in the 1970’s horror has remained a staple in comic books with titles like Army of Darkness, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Hellboy leading the way. While things that go bump in the night have not displaced superheroes as the most popular genre in comics, horror (happily) is here to stay.
Both the EC Classic horror comics and Tomb Of Dracula have been collected in both hard bound and soft bound editions over the years. I highly recommend them as must have additions to any serious comic collection!
That’s 30!
Mitch
Monday, October 12, 2009
Previews and Reviews with Gore Jones
Whaddup World,
Monday afternoon here in good ole Staten Island, after a long ass weekend. My girlfriend and I headed down to Baltimore for the Comic Con and man was it awesome. This convention is amazing, not only are you hanging with the top names in the comics and the coolest up and comers without 9 billion people in front of you but you get to talk and hang with everyone like they were your best friends. If you get the chance next year take the trip down there and go. It's so worth the drive.
I was filming for a friend, who has a web show coming out soon called "The Comic Show" and all the footage should be on youtube this week so look up "The Comic Show" and see who I interviewed and what Baltimore Con really looked like.
Big Ups to our friends and family that we got to see and hang with, Sucks I couldn't stay longer but next time its on!
Motorcycle Boy Graphic Novel #1
So I was interviewing Steve Niles for the show and his sister Janice was there selling her photography. We got into talking about what I was doing and she asked if she could introduce me to someone. I said yes of course and off we went to meet Billy Poe author and star of the comic "MOTORCYCLE BOY". I interviewed Billy for the show and listening to him explain the concept of the book I was very interested to read it. The basic story was built from a poem he had written when a childhood friend of his was murdered. The book grew from the poem and the character of Motorcycle Boy was given life. The book is very unusual for a comic, Intertwined within the pages are the poems which Billy wrote that act as the dialogue and direction for the artwork and story itself. The premise of the story is Billy Nex (Nex being a latin word for death) finds out a friend of his who is a junkie is murdered in D.C and the case is swept under the carpet because they brand it as him just being another junkie dying in a alley. Billy wants to find out who murdered his friend and takes justice into his own hands. The vigilante concept has been done to death in movies and comics but the way Motorcycle Boy is done is really good because Billy Nex has no previous military or police background, it's just an average guy who takes matters into his own hands. This first graphic novel is also really cool because it's not drenched in blood, it's not overly violent for the sake of violence and like I said the dialogue is very far and few between. The poems speak for everything. As of right now Motorcycle Boy isn't available through diamond or comic shops so go online and check out their site Motorcycleboycomics.com and order it direct from them.
5 out of 5
Love in the time of damnation #1 & 2
While standing around talking with Socko and Boomie, I was given 2 issues of a very independent comic. I got home, sat down and finally got a chance to check it out. At first glance it's very simple. Black and white printed out self produced indie style book. This would turn most people off from even reading it but if your a true comic fan this doesn't stop you EVER!. I read issue one and found myself rushing to read the second. The story is plain and simple. Frank and Mitch, two friends, are thrown head first into the Zombie Apocalypse. Unlike most zombie comics, we're not given the drama of "Oh my god what are they and what are we supposed to do" These dudes know right off the bat what's going on and how to deal with the situation. They get supplies and head off to a house in the mountains where they plan to survive in. The artwork is simple as well as the dialogue, like I said these guys aren't questioning anything, they know what's going on and how to deal with it. It's a simple story with simple characters but it's something any horror enthusiast can enjoy. Exaggerated Comics the self published company that puts out this fine book isn't distributed through diamond or comic shops but they have a blogspot and you should check it out and get in touch with them to get yourself copies of the book.
http://exaggeratedcomics.blogspot.com
5 out of 5
DOCTOR VOODOO AVENGER OF SUPERNATURAL #1
New to comics this week we get this amazing book! I've been waiting for this since Brother Voodoo was named Dr. Strange's replacement in the pages of New Avengers. Not only does Marvel give one of it's more underused characters a book but they also give RICK FRICKIN REMENDER the writting duties! This book is probably my new favorite title. This issue gives a a look into what Dr Strange and the newly named Dr. Voodoo have been up to since they disappeared in New Avengers. Dr Voodoo rolls up on Dormammu and banishes him from the earth realm for the time being, then he battles Dr. Doom for the Eye of Amagatto. Dr. Doom see's something in the eye and runs off...what did he see?
5 out of 5!!
HAUNT #1
Todd McFarlane, Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley and Greg Capullo together on a new book!! WoW!! Yes, this fantastic foursome comes together to bring life to the new title from Image Comics; Haunt. Haunt is about a mercenary who is killed and comes back to life or comes back as a ghost who only his brother can see (Spawn-ish?) When his brother's life in put in danger while looking after his dead brother's wife, they "merge" to become Haunt and they shoot weblike symbiote suit stuff..I'm sorry I really wanted to like this comic and I do like it but at first glance this book is riddled with Spawn and almost Spider-Man like qualities. Robert Kirkman may be scripting it but McFarlane is plotting it and I feel like he's really taking elements from himself. The layouts are done by Greg Capullo (famous Spawn artist) and Ryan Ottley puts the finishing touches on everything. It's a well done book and I'm on for the ride because I'm a big fan of everyone involved but I'm skeptical about what may come..
3 out of 5
and that's all folks...
What I'm Jonesin' for this week in comics!
ADVENTURE COMICS #3
DEADPOOL #900
PUNISHER FRANK CASTLE MAX #75
CLIVE BARKERS SEDUTH 3-D #1
ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE RECORDED ATTACKS GN
Monday afternoon here in good ole Staten Island, after a long ass weekend. My girlfriend and I headed down to Baltimore for the Comic Con and man was it awesome. This convention is amazing, not only are you hanging with the top names in the comics and the coolest up and comers without 9 billion people in front of you but you get to talk and hang with everyone like they were your best friends. If you get the chance next year take the trip down there and go. It's so worth the drive.
I was filming for a friend, who has a web show coming out soon called "The Comic Show" and all the footage should be on youtube this week so look up "The Comic Show" and see who I interviewed and what Baltimore Con really looked like.
Big Ups to our friends and family that we got to see and hang with, Sucks I couldn't stay longer but next time its on!
Motorcycle Boy Graphic Novel #1
So I was interviewing Steve Niles for the show and his sister Janice was there selling her photography. We got into talking about what I was doing and she asked if she could introduce me to someone. I said yes of course and off we went to meet Billy Poe author and star of the comic "MOTORCYCLE BOY". I interviewed Billy for the show and listening to him explain the concept of the book I was very interested to read it. The basic story was built from a poem he had written when a childhood friend of his was murdered. The book grew from the poem and the character of Motorcycle Boy was given life. The book is very unusual for a comic, Intertwined within the pages are the poems which Billy wrote that act as the dialogue and direction for the artwork and story itself. The premise of the story is Billy Nex (Nex being a latin word for death) finds out a friend of his who is a junkie is murdered in D.C and the case is swept under the carpet because they brand it as him just being another junkie dying in a alley. Billy wants to find out who murdered his friend and takes justice into his own hands. The vigilante concept has been done to death in movies and comics but the way Motorcycle Boy is done is really good because Billy Nex has no previous military or police background, it's just an average guy who takes matters into his own hands. This first graphic novel is also really cool because it's not drenched in blood, it's not overly violent for the sake of violence and like I said the dialogue is very far and few between. The poems speak for everything. As of right now Motorcycle Boy isn't available through diamond or comic shops so go online and check out their site Motorcycleboycomics.com and order it direct from them.
5 out of 5
Love in the time of damnation #1 & 2
While standing around talking with Socko and Boomie, I was given 2 issues of a very independent comic. I got home, sat down and finally got a chance to check it out. At first glance it's very simple. Black and white printed out self produced indie style book. This would turn most people off from even reading it but if your a true comic fan this doesn't stop you EVER!. I read issue one and found myself rushing to read the second. The story is plain and simple. Frank and Mitch, two friends, are thrown head first into the Zombie Apocalypse. Unlike most zombie comics, we're not given the drama of "Oh my god what are they and what are we supposed to do" These dudes know right off the bat what's going on and how to deal with the situation. They get supplies and head off to a house in the mountains where they plan to survive in. The artwork is simple as well as the dialogue, like I said these guys aren't questioning anything, they know what's going on and how to deal with it. It's a simple story with simple characters but it's something any horror enthusiast can enjoy. Exaggerated Comics the self published company that puts out this fine book isn't distributed through diamond or comic shops but they have a blogspot and you should check it out and get in touch with them to get yourself copies of the book.
http://exaggeratedcomics.blogspot.com
5 out of 5
DOCTOR VOODOO AVENGER OF SUPERNATURAL #1
New to comics this week we get this amazing book! I've been waiting for this since Brother Voodoo was named Dr. Strange's replacement in the pages of New Avengers. Not only does Marvel give one of it's more underused characters a book but they also give RICK FRICKIN REMENDER the writting duties! This book is probably my new favorite title. This issue gives a a look into what Dr Strange and the newly named Dr. Voodoo have been up to since they disappeared in New Avengers. Dr Voodoo rolls up on Dormammu and banishes him from the earth realm for the time being, then he battles Dr. Doom for the Eye of Amagatto. Dr. Doom see's something in the eye and runs off...what did he see?
5 out of 5!!
HAUNT #1
Todd McFarlane, Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley and Greg Capullo together on a new book!! WoW!! Yes, this fantastic foursome comes together to bring life to the new title from Image Comics; Haunt. Haunt is about a mercenary who is killed and comes back to life or comes back as a ghost who only his brother can see (Spawn-ish?) When his brother's life in put in danger while looking after his dead brother's wife, they "merge" to become Haunt and they shoot weblike symbiote suit stuff..I'm sorry I really wanted to like this comic and I do like it but at first glance this book is riddled with Spawn and almost Spider-Man like qualities. Robert Kirkman may be scripting it but McFarlane is plotting it and I feel like he's really taking elements from himself. The layouts are done by Greg Capullo (famous Spawn artist) and Ryan Ottley puts the finishing touches on everything. It's a well done book and I'm on for the ride because I'm a big fan of everyone involved but I'm skeptical about what may come..
3 out of 5
and that's all folks...
What I'm Jonesin' for this week in comics!
ADVENTURE COMICS #3
DEADPOOL #900
PUNISHER FRANK CASTLE MAX #75
CLIVE BARKERS SEDUTH 3-D #1
ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE RECORDED ATTACKS GN
Friday, October 9, 2009
NEWS & EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF 10/14/09
Hey! If you're heading to the Baltimore Con this weekend make sure you say hello to Socko! He'll be roaming the convention floor so be sure to give him a smack on the head if you see him!
Unfortunately we will not be able to do a tailgate party for Where The Wild Things Are, regardless of whether or not there will be a midnight showing for it (currently there is not one posted). We are sorry for this inconvenience and hope that there will be a movie we can do one for shortly.
Anyway, once again we've got another great week coming up so make sure you take a look over the list of all the brand spanking new stuff we've got coming in on Wednesday as well as the other news and happenings at the store. And follow us on Twitter! We've got some awesome sales going on each and every day that most of you don't even know about! See ya at the shop!
WATCHMEN MOVIE COMEDIAN GUNS RAFFLE
Time for another raffle, you crazies (in case you were wondering, last week's winner chose the JLA Trophy Room Bat Signal). This time we're raffling off the Comedian's Guns and Dog Tags plaque from the Watchmen movie. Many of you have asked about it so here's a good opportunity to take this home for only a dollar or two or however many raffles you choose to put in the mix. The replica retails for $294.99 and, as always, raffle tickets are only $1. Feel free to get as many as you like! The raffle ends on Wednesday, October 14th at 8:30 PM.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
OK, you're our friend on Facebook. That's all well and good but if you followed us on Twitter you would be privy to all the daily sales we recently started doing. Every single day there is a great and unique sale, so be hip to our tweets and follow ComicBookJones!
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Ambush Bug Year None #7 - 10/21/09
Cable #20 - 11/11/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Criminal Sinners #2 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Dark Avengers Ares #1 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/21/09)
Dark Avengers Ares #2 - 11/25/09 (Old Date 11/18/09)
Dark Reign Hawkeye #5 - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Deadpool #17 - 11/11/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Flash Rebirth #5 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
God of War #2 - 12/2/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Incredible Hercules #139 - 12/23/09 (Old Date 12/9/09)
Starcraft #6 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/25/09)
Strange #1 - 11/11/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Thor #604 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Thor Giant Size Finale - 11/11/09 (Old Date 10/28/09)
Ultimate Comics Avengers #3 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Ultimate Comics Avengers #4 - 11/25/09 (Old Date 11/11/09)
Ultimate Comics Avengers #5 - 1/6/10 (Old Date 12/9/09)
Vengeance of Moon Knight #3 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
War Machine #10 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/21/09)
War Machine #11 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
War Machine #12 - 12/9/09 (Old Date 11/18/09)
X-Babies #2 - 11/11/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
X-Force #20 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
X Necrosha One Shot - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/21/09)
Unfortunately we will not be able to do a tailgate party for Where The Wild Things Are, regardless of whether or not there will be a midnight showing for it (currently there is not one posted). We are sorry for this inconvenience and hope that there will be a movie we can do one for shortly.
Anyway, once again we've got another great week coming up so make sure you take a look over the list of all the brand spanking new stuff we've got coming in on Wednesday as well as the other news and happenings at the store. And follow us on Twitter! We've got some awesome sales going on each and every day that most of you don't even know about! See ya at the shop!
WATCHMEN MOVIE COMEDIAN GUNS RAFFLE
Time for another raffle, you crazies (in case you were wondering, last week's winner chose the JLA Trophy Room Bat Signal). This time we're raffling off the Comedian's Guns and Dog Tags plaque from the Watchmen movie. Many of you have asked about it so here's a good opportunity to take this home for only a dollar or two or however many raffles you choose to put in the mix. The replica retails for $294.99 and, as always, raffle tickets are only $1. Feel free to get as many as you like! The raffle ends on Wednesday, October 14th at 8:30 PM.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
OK, you're our friend on Facebook. That's all well and good but if you followed us on Twitter you would be privy to all the daily sales we recently started doing. Every single day there is a great and unique sale, so be hip to our tweets and follow ComicBookJones!
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Ambush Bug Year None #7 - 10/21/09
Cable #20 - 11/11/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Criminal Sinners #2 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Dark Avengers Ares #1 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/21/09)
Dark Avengers Ares #2 - 11/25/09 (Old Date 11/18/09)
Dark Reign Hawkeye #5 - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Deadpool #17 - 11/11/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Flash Rebirth #5 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
God of War #2 - 12/2/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Incredible Hercules #139 - 12/23/09 (Old Date 12/9/09)
Starcraft #6 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/25/09)
Strange #1 - 11/11/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Thor #604 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Thor Giant Size Finale - 11/11/09 (Old Date 10/28/09)
Ultimate Comics Avengers #3 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Ultimate Comics Avengers #4 - 11/25/09 (Old Date 11/11/09)
Ultimate Comics Avengers #5 - 1/6/10 (Old Date 12/9/09)
Vengeance of Moon Knight #3 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
War Machine #10 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/21/09)
War Machine #11 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
War Machine #12 - 12/9/09 (Old Date 11/18/09)
X-Babies #2 - 11/11/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
X-Force #20 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
X Necrosha One Shot - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/21/09)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Superman/Batman Public enemies, the latest DC animated feature, was released last week. As usual Bruce Timm and his team have given us another superior effort. The script efficiently compresses the events from the Superman/Batman comics Public Enemies story arc and the animation is the usual high quality. But this column is not really about this recent release. In watching Superman/Batman Public Enemies I was reminded of the fact that Superman has been appearing as an animated character since 1941!
SIXTY EIGHT years and still going strong.
The interesting thing is that it was those Fleischer Superman cartoons that remain the highest quality of all the Animated Adventures Of Superman. Today animation is a much slicker process, involving the use of artists and powerful computer rendering plus entire CGI sequences. Modern animation techniques allow studios such as Warner to release MANY more features than in the past. Consider that DC Animated gives us two to three features a year. This was not the case in 1941. In those days every single cell had to be hand drawn (24 for ONE second of animation). This process meant that it took far longer to produce a quality short. In the case of the first Superman cartoon, it took nearly 11 months and of $50,000 (equivalent to $1,316,000 today).
The Superman cartoons, were a series of seventeen animated shorts, produced by Fleischer from 1941 to 1942 and Famous from 1942 to 1943. These high quality TECHNICOLOR cartoons were released to theaters through Paramount Studios and met with both critical and commercial success.
The first short, simply entitled “Superman” garnered an Academy Award nomination for best short subject
The first seven cartoons originated the classic opening line which was later adopted by the Superman radio series and in the live-action television series in 1951.
"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!" However, for the final two of the first nine Fleischer-produced cartoons and first of the eight Famous Studios-produced cartoons, the opening was changed to "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to soar higher than any plane!".
The Fleischer cartoons were also responsible for Superman being able to fly. When they started work on the series, Superman could only leap from place to place But they deemed it as "silly looking" after seeing it animated and decided to have him fly instead.
Superman was voiced by Bud Coyler who had been portraying the Man of Steel on the hit radio show for the previous two years. Joan Alexander, radio’s Lois Lane, reprised her role in the shorts as well. As a side note, Jack Mercer, the long time voice of Popeye voiced the Mad Scientist in the first Superman short.
The Fleischer Studio was one of the very first houses to use the technique called rotoscoping. , Rotoscoping is the process of tracing animation drawings from live-action footage, was used extensively to lend realism to the human characters and Superman. However, of Superman's actions, however, could not be rotoscoped (flying, lifting very large objects, and so on). In these sequences the animators hat to rely on the comics and their imaginations for inspiration. In this area they met with great success. The films are simply stunning and remain a standard in animation even today.
The films were SO successful that DC produced a Superman story where Clark and Lois attend a screening of an animated short and Clark must distract her so that lois does not see Clark change to Superman on the screen! Warners produced a spoof of the Superman series called Snafuperman in 1944 and even comissioned the Fliescher theme song!
Fleischer produced the first seven cartoons before it folded and was absorbed by Famous Studios. The drop in quality was immediately apparent, though the cartoons were still of very high quality. The stories also moved from Sci-fi (Mechanical Monsters) to WWII propaganda (Japateurs).
Famous Studios ended the series after a total of seventeen shorts had been produced. The high cost of the series kept it from continuing in the face of budgetary restrictions that were imposed under the new management sans the Flieschers.
Over the years the Superman cartoons moved into the public domain and became widely available on VHS and DVD. However the quality of the prints was generally very poor. Recently, however, yet another release was made, this time a collection of all the cartoons released by Warner Home Video has released the first authorized collection from the original masters, titled Max Fleischer's Superman: 1941-1942. The prints, while not as pristine as advertised, ARE of excellent quality and a joy to behold.
The Fleischer Superman cartoons are wonder six decades after the last was produced. If you enjoy classic animation, it does not get better than this!
That’s 30!
Mitch
Friday, October 2, 2009
Previews and Reviews with Gore Jones
What up world!
Go see Pandorum. I saw it the other day and it's the sleeper movie of the fall. That shit was awesome! Any fan of "Event Horizon" will really dig this flick. I know everyone's waiting for Zombieland, so am I. Anyways, I've got some thangs to say about books this week.,,
Marvel Zombies Return #5
Hold on a second I'm beating a dead horse...Whip..whip..whip...WTF!!!! I can sit here for hours and bitch and complain about how this series could've been cool but I won't waste your time or get myself angry all over again. Simply put, this series was a serious let down and I think Marvel should stop doing anything with this property and quick. Here's what gets me; Zombie Spider-Man comes up with "the cure" which turns out to be a zombie flesh eating nanite infested Sandman who destroys the undead upon contact. GREAT IDEA! Yet, Spidey is accompanied by Zombie Hulk and Zombie Wolverine who are fighting to save the DEAD EARTH THEY FAILED TO SAVE!!!!!! WTF! The Sentry is the head honcho in charge of the new "MARVEL ZOMBIES" and gets sent to another earth by the not-so-dead Watcher. Which is the begining and the end of the entire story. BOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a waste of 5 weeks of reading this garbage. I had high hopes but then the toilet flushed and they went down the drain
-10,000 out of 5!
Dark Reign The Hood
This week offered the last issue to The Hood's second miniseries. We all know he's a member of Norman Osborn's Cabal and that he's got this Super-Villain army backing him and his methods of mob-esque tactics work above and beyond his cohorts expectations. What we also know is that Parker Robbins aka The Hood has a wife and small daughter who he keeps secret from everyone and does a hell of a job hiding it. The series as a whole is about how Parker is dealing with giving up Dormammu's influence and powers because he feels it's consuming him and how The White Fang(a widow who's husband Parker killed) follows him and finds out about his family. Great Concept, well done up until this last issue came out and then everything went out the window. Who the hell challenges someone to a one on one fight on THE STATEN ISLAND DUMPS??? HOW IN NEW AVENGERS IS PARKER WITH MADAM MASQUE AND LOKI LOCATING A NEW POWER SOURCE FOR HIM TO REPLACE THE POWERS HE LOST WHEN HE REVOKED DORMAMMU'S POWERS AND INFLUENCE?? HOW THE HELL AT THE END OF ISSUE FIVE OF THIS MINI DOES PARKER SUDDENLY STILL HAVE DORMAMMU'S POWERS???? WHERES THE CONTINUITY?? WHERE'S THE TIME FRAME BETWEEN THIS BOOK AND NEW AVENGERS??? HELLO IS ANYONE ELSE GETTING FRUSTRATED WITH THIS BULL!!
2 out of 5
Gotham City Sirens #4
If you're not reading this book I feel bad for you. It's a good replacement for Birds Of Prey and it's written by some dude named PAUL DINI! You know him from some cartoon shows like Batman the animated series or Justice League Unlimited. Picking up from last issue, Hush now posing as Bruce Wayne has "kidnapped" Harley Quinn and plans to kick her off this shwank high rise hot spot when MR. J (aka The Joker) see's Harley on the news with Bruce and decides if he can't stand her then no one can have her. Classic Paul Dini in this issue, between Joker's thugs bitching about wearing the stupid outfits to the banter between the Joker and Harley. This issue felt like it was an adaptation of a Batman the animated series episode. Like I said if you're not reading this book I truly feel bad for you.
5 out of 5
Teen Titans #75
I think this is the book that DC uses to kill characters. It should be called Teen Martyrs or something along those lines. Last issue they buried another member of the team, Kid Devil who got blown up helping the team save the day. This issue starts with the remaining team ( a term I use very loosely) sitting down eating, waiting for Beast Boy to show up. Beast Boy arrives and starts stating his case of how he should be the leader of The Teen Titans, for what reason..we'll have to wait and see. Raven is attacked by some other dimensional monster and thats the issue. There is so much going on in the DCU that can and hasn't been addressed in this book. Every time you turn around either they're losing a member, someone dies or they're having a membership drive. In my personal opinion this book needs to go somewhere or just get canceled.
2 out of 5
Spider-Man The Clone Saga #1 (of 6)
Either you loved it, hated it, didn't read it or just don't know about it. The Clone saga was a two year venture by Marvel to reboot Spider-Man that just went on for too long, lost the point and pissed plenty of people off. This is Marvel's and two of the many writers attempt to retell the story the way it was intended to be told. Short and sweet. The first issue reintroduces Ben Reily into Peter's life albeit very quickly but it references the original clone story from back in 1975. I was lucky / unlucky enough to begin collecting comics around the time this all came about so I have a decent knowledge of the ups and downs of the story. I would recommend this to anyone because thus far it's got the potential to make sense out of something that didn't and for new readers who never read all the b.s. can get a cool story in only six issues.
5 out of 5
Green Lantern #46 & Blackest Night Titans #2
This weeks helping of Blackest Night gives us Green Lantern #46. Sinestro goes to Zamaron to get the trapped members of the Sinestro Corps to find the planet under siege by The Black Lanterns. Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris and Indigo-1 show up to recruit Sinestro's help in saving the universe from The Blackest Night from coming to fruition. The uneasy pact is made and they journey to Daxam where Sinestro shows Mongul who the real boss of the "I name my own Corps" is. Why do I get the feeling that Sinestro is going to become the "White Lantern"? He could have killed Mongul but he seals him within the Yellow Lantern Core...exciting cool and yet just what exactly does he have planned for him?
5 out of 5
Blackest Night Titans #2 was the next offering this week and it gives way for new potential with these "zombie" Lanterns. Donna Troy is confronted by her dead husband and child whom are just the most twisted things to come back especially for her. She holds the kid in her arms and he bites her...Later on in the issue, we see her eyes have the "Black Lantern" symbol and her veins start bulging black. Now does this mean that you don't need a ring or to be dead to become a Black Lantern? If so that would be cool as shit. Furthermore, Hawk (the girl) gets turned by Hawk (the man) into a Black Lantern and they both hunt down Dove. The ending is the best part where we see.....I can't spoil everything...
5 out of 5..
Now what I'm Jonesin' for this week in comics....
PLANETARY #27
REBELS ANNUAL STARRO THE CONQUEROR #1
DAREDEVIL #501
DOCTOR VOODOO AVENGER OF SUPERNATURAL #1
HAUNT #1
thats all I wrote...Catch you later peoples.
Go see Pandorum. I saw it the other day and it's the sleeper movie of the fall. That shit was awesome! Any fan of "Event Horizon" will really dig this flick. I know everyone's waiting for Zombieland, so am I. Anyways, I've got some thangs to say about books this week.,,
Marvel Zombies Return #5
Hold on a second I'm beating a dead horse...Whip..whip..whip...WTF!!!! I can sit here for hours and bitch and complain about how this series could've been cool but I won't waste your time or get myself angry all over again. Simply put, this series was a serious let down and I think Marvel should stop doing anything with this property and quick. Here's what gets me; Zombie Spider-Man comes up with "the cure" which turns out to be a zombie flesh eating nanite infested Sandman who destroys the undead upon contact. GREAT IDEA! Yet, Spidey is accompanied by Zombie Hulk and Zombie Wolverine who are fighting to save the DEAD EARTH THEY FAILED TO SAVE!!!!!! WTF! The Sentry is the head honcho in charge of the new "MARVEL ZOMBIES" and gets sent to another earth by the not-so-dead Watcher. Which is the begining and the end of the entire story. BOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a waste of 5 weeks of reading this garbage. I had high hopes but then the toilet flushed and they went down the drain
-10,000 out of 5!
Dark Reign The Hood
This week offered the last issue to The Hood's second miniseries. We all know he's a member of Norman Osborn's Cabal and that he's got this Super-Villain army backing him and his methods of mob-esque tactics work above and beyond his cohorts expectations. What we also know is that Parker Robbins aka The Hood has a wife and small daughter who he keeps secret from everyone and does a hell of a job hiding it. The series as a whole is about how Parker is dealing with giving up Dormammu's influence and powers because he feels it's consuming him and how The White Fang(a widow who's husband Parker killed) follows him and finds out about his family. Great Concept, well done up until this last issue came out and then everything went out the window. Who the hell challenges someone to a one on one fight on THE STATEN ISLAND DUMPS??? HOW IN NEW AVENGERS IS PARKER WITH MADAM MASQUE AND LOKI LOCATING A NEW POWER SOURCE FOR HIM TO REPLACE THE POWERS HE LOST WHEN HE REVOKED DORMAMMU'S POWERS AND INFLUENCE?? HOW THE HELL AT THE END OF ISSUE FIVE OF THIS MINI DOES PARKER SUDDENLY STILL HAVE DORMAMMU'S POWERS???? WHERES THE CONTINUITY?? WHERE'S THE TIME FRAME BETWEEN THIS BOOK AND NEW AVENGERS??? HELLO IS ANYONE ELSE GETTING FRUSTRATED WITH THIS BULL!!
2 out of 5
Gotham City Sirens #4
If you're not reading this book I feel bad for you. It's a good replacement for Birds Of Prey and it's written by some dude named PAUL DINI! You know him from some cartoon shows like Batman the animated series or Justice League Unlimited. Picking up from last issue, Hush now posing as Bruce Wayne has "kidnapped" Harley Quinn and plans to kick her off this shwank high rise hot spot when MR. J (aka The Joker) see's Harley on the news with Bruce and decides if he can't stand her then no one can have her. Classic Paul Dini in this issue, between Joker's thugs bitching about wearing the stupid outfits to the banter between the Joker and Harley. This issue felt like it was an adaptation of a Batman the animated series episode. Like I said if you're not reading this book I truly feel bad for you.
5 out of 5
Teen Titans #75
I think this is the book that DC uses to kill characters. It should be called Teen Martyrs or something along those lines. Last issue they buried another member of the team, Kid Devil who got blown up helping the team save the day. This issue starts with the remaining team ( a term I use very loosely) sitting down eating, waiting for Beast Boy to show up. Beast Boy arrives and starts stating his case of how he should be the leader of The Teen Titans, for what reason..we'll have to wait and see. Raven is attacked by some other dimensional monster and thats the issue. There is so much going on in the DCU that can and hasn't been addressed in this book. Every time you turn around either they're losing a member, someone dies or they're having a membership drive. In my personal opinion this book needs to go somewhere or just get canceled.
2 out of 5
Spider-Man The Clone Saga #1 (of 6)
Either you loved it, hated it, didn't read it or just don't know about it. The Clone saga was a two year venture by Marvel to reboot Spider-Man that just went on for too long, lost the point and pissed plenty of people off. This is Marvel's and two of the many writers attempt to retell the story the way it was intended to be told. Short and sweet. The first issue reintroduces Ben Reily into Peter's life albeit very quickly but it references the original clone story from back in 1975. I was lucky / unlucky enough to begin collecting comics around the time this all came about so I have a decent knowledge of the ups and downs of the story. I would recommend this to anyone because thus far it's got the potential to make sense out of something that didn't and for new readers who never read all the b.s. can get a cool story in only six issues.
5 out of 5
Green Lantern #46 & Blackest Night Titans #2
This weeks helping of Blackest Night gives us Green Lantern #46. Sinestro goes to Zamaron to get the trapped members of the Sinestro Corps to find the planet under siege by The Black Lanterns. Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris and Indigo-1 show up to recruit Sinestro's help in saving the universe from The Blackest Night from coming to fruition. The uneasy pact is made and they journey to Daxam where Sinestro shows Mongul who the real boss of the "I name my own Corps" is. Why do I get the feeling that Sinestro is going to become the "White Lantern"? He could have killed Mongul but he seals him within the Yellow Lantern Core...exciting cool and yet just what exactly does he have planned for him?
5 out of 5
Blackest Night Titans #2 was the next offering this week and it gives way for new potential with these "zombie" Lanterns. Donna Troy is confronted by her dead husband and child whom are just the most twisted things to come back especially for her. She holds the kid in her arms and he bites her...Later on in the issue, we see her eyes have the "Black Lantern" symbol and her veins start bulging black. Now does this mean that you don't need a ring or to be dead to become a Black Lantern? If so that would be cool as shit. Furthermore, Hawk (the girl) gets turned by Hawk (the man) into a Black Lantern and they both hunt down Dove. The ending is the best part where we see.....I can't spoil everything...
5 out of 5..
Now what I'm Jonesin' for this week in comics....
PLANETARY #27
REBELS ANNUAL STARRO THE CONQUEROR #1
DAREDEVIL #501
DOCTOR VOODOO AVENGER OF SUPERNATURAL #1
HAUNT #1
thats all I wrote...Catch you later peoples.
NEWS & EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF 10/7/09
We've got some great things coming up at the store. This week proves to be another eventful one for new books and toys, we've got a brand new raffle up this week and a tentative tailgate for a movie that I'm really looking forward to seeing, hopefully there will be a midnight showing. For all that and a look into what's coming in this week keep reading!
WATCHMEN MOVIE COMEDIAN GUNS RAFFLE
Time for another raffle you crazies (in case you were wondering, last week's winner chose the JLA Trophy Room Bat Signal). This time we're raffling off the Comedian's Guns and Dog Tags plaque from the Watchmen movie. Many of you have asked about it so here's a good opportunity to take this home for only a dollar or two or however many raffles you choose to put in the mix. The replica retails for $294.99 and, as always, raffle tickets are only $1. Feel free to get as many as you like!
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE TAILGATE
If all goes well and there is a midnight showing we will be having a tailgate party for Where The Wild Things Are. The tentative date is Thursday, October 15th starting at 9:00 PM. We will keep you posted and let you know if the UA Theater on Forest Avenue is, in fact, having a midnight showing.
STILL don't know about our tailgate parties? It's simple. Grab your ticket to the midnight showing of the movie and meet us at the store beforehand, starting at 9:00 PM when we close and join us for some free food, drinks and our special tailgate sale where we pull a percentage out of a hat and everything in the store is between 15% - 70%, depending on what's pulled! Be sure to join us!
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
OK, you're our friend on Facebook. That's all well and good but if you followed us on Twitter you would be privy to all the daily sales we recently started doing. We've done some good ones over the past few days including 25% off all hardcovers, 50% off all manga, and buy one t-shirt get one 1/2 off! So be hip to our tweets and follow ComicBookJones!
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Dark Reign List: Punisher - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Gears of War #10 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 9/30/09)
Gears of War #11 - 12/2/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
God of War #1 - 11/4/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Starcraft #5 - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/7/09)
Starcraft #6 - 11/25/09 (Old Date 10/28/09)
Starcraft #7 - 12/23/09 (Old Date 11/25/09)
Wolverine: Dark Wolverine Vol 1 HC - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
WATCHMEN MOVIE COMEDIAN GUNS RAFFLE
Time for another raffle you crazies (in case you were wondering, last week's winner chose the JLA Trophy Room Bat Signal). This time we're raffling off the Comedian's Guns and Dog Tags plaque from the Watchmen movie. Many of you have asked about it so here's a good opportunity to take this home for only a dollar or two or however many raffles you choose to put in the mix. The replica retails for $294.99 and, as always, raffle tickets are only $1. Feel free to get as many as you like!
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE TAILGATE
If all goes well and there is a midnight showing we will be having a tailgate party for Where The Wild Things Are. The tentative date is Thursday, October 15th starting at 9:00 PM. We will keep you posted and let you know if the UA Theater on Forest Avenue is, in fact, having a midnight showing.
STILL don't know about our tailgate parties? It's simple. Grab your ticket to the midnight showing of the movie and meet us at the store beforehand, starting at 9:00 PM when we close and join us for some free food, drinks and our special tailgate sale where we pull a percentage out of a hat and everything in the store is between 15% - 70%, depending on what's pulled! Be sure to join us!
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
OK, you're our friend on Facebook. That's all well and good but if you followed us on Twitter you would be privy to all the daily sales we recently started doing. We've done some good ones over the past few days including 25% off all hardcovers, 50% off all manga, and buy one t-shirt get one 1/2 off! So be hip to our tweets and follow ComicBookJones!
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Dark Reign List: Punisher - 10/28/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Gears of War #10 - 10/28/09 (Old Date 9/30/09)
Gears of War #11 - 12/2/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
God of War #1 - 11/4/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Starcraft #5 - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/7/09)
Starcraft #6 - 11/25/09 (Old Date 10/28/09)
Starcraft #7 - 12/23/09 (Old Date 11/25/09)
Wolverine: Dark Wolverine Vol 1 HC - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Classics For Halloween!
Here we are on October 1st. Where did the summer go? Oh that’s right, we didn’t actually HAVE one! Oh well, maybe next year. In the meantime the Fall really kicks off, for me, with Halloween. As I do every year, I open the DVD Vault in the Maglio household, brush away the cobwebs and rummage through my library of over 5000 films which include such classics as:
White Apache
Bela Lugosi Meets the Brooklyn Gorilla
Billy the kid Meets Dracula
And of course the deathless
Count Yorga – Vampire (what else would someone named Count Yorga BE?!)…
After much deliberation and mindless staring off into space I have come up with my theme and list of the Horror films that I will make sure to screen during Halloween week. Perhaps YOU dear reader will decide to watch some of these films as well…
I decided that THIS year I would screen Classic Horror (Pre 1960 Only). Last year was MODERN Horror so it seemed only fair. So here we go. TEN deathless horror films from the halcyon days of yore (or even mine)
1) Phantom Of the Opera – The silent Lon Chaney classic can still chill your bones to this day. The scene where Mary Philbin unmasks Chaney and the subsequent quick cut close-ups to the skull like visage of The Phantom set the audience screaming in 1927 and still shocks every time I see it. If you are a horror fan you owe to yourself to see the great Chaney at the very height of his powers. Some recently reissued prints show some scenes shot with early versions of Technicolor.
2) Nosferatu – 1922 – The first full length adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula was made in violation of copyright but is no less marvelous for that fact. F.W. Murnau , Director and Max Schreck, Star give certainly the creepiest version of Dracula ever committed to film. Unlike the urbane, and good looking Lugosi who would make the role his own in 1931, Nosferatu features a rat faced vampire who is a monster both inside and out. The film’s special effects hold up wonderfully even today. This film DRIPS atmosphere. Watch it with the lights out!
3) Frankenstein/Bride Of Frankenstein (1931/1935) – You have to see these Karloff/ James Whale classics as a single piece. This original was released in the same year as Dracula and Lugosi was actually first cast by the studio to play The Monster as early press kits confirm. Thankfully a relatively unknown actor named Boris Karloff was finally cast and the rest is history. Between Karloff’s performance (greatly enhanced by the makeup genius of Jack pierce), Whale’s fluid directing style and a sequel that surpasses the original as one of the great black comedies in cinema history, this is a double feature you can’t pass up.
4) Dracula – 1931 – Bela Lugosi. This was a straight adaptation of the 1927 Broadway stage play. Lugosi had played the role over 1000 times before he ever portrayed the Count on screen! Bringing a combination of terror and sexual allure to the role, Lugosi wrote the book on cinematic vampires that is still followed today. While more static than the Spanish version, which was filmed concurrently, the 1931 Dracula remains vital simply because Lugosi is in it.
5) Mark of the Vampire – Bela (you know who!) – This was a 1935 remake of the lost Lon Chaney film London After Midnight. It is really more of a detective story and I won’t spoil the ending for you. As always, any excuse to see Lugosi in the cape is an evening well spent. Mark of the Vampire was originally 75 minutes, but was cut back to 60 minutes by MGM. Reportedly this was due to incestuous overtones ,then unacceptable by the standards of the production Code, between Count Mora (played by Lugosi) and his daughter.
6) The Wolfman - Even a man who is pure at heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright. What horror fan does not know that rhyme? But did you know that it has no place in werewolf lore? In fact it was written FOR the film but has since become an accepted part of lycanthropic legend. Chaney Jr. ! Jack pierce makeup! SEE IT!
7) Dracula’s Daughter – 1936. – This film was actually the direct sequel to the 1931 Dracula. EASILY the sexiest of the 1930’s horror films. It is atmospheric and languidly paced. More a seductress than murderer, Gloria Holden’s Vampire has a real taste for the ladies. Universal acknowledged the emphasis on lesbian overtones in the film. Quite ahead of it’s time!
8) The Invisible Man – 1933 – Based VERY loosely on the H.G. Wells Novel, The Invisible Man combines bitingly funny black humor in the James Whale style, with genuine terror. The film is fast paced and engaging from start to finish. The film also introduces American cinema to Claude Raines (Casablanca) who we don’t actually see until the final scene of the film where he is revealed in of of the great process shots of all time. Watch for the wonderful Una O’Connor in a hilarious turn as an hysterical housewife who crosses paths with the Invisible man himself!
9) Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman – 1943 – If one monster is good, Universal reasoned, then TWO monsters must be great! Anyway that was the idea. For the most part the universal “team Up” monster movies were not all that good, but Frankenstein meets the Wolfman was the first and (almost) the best. By 1943 Lugosi’s star had fallen far enough that he was willing to play the Frankenstein monster (a role he had turned down in the original). The final clash between The Wolfman and The Monster WAS very exciting. Lon Chaney Jr. has the distinction of being the ONLY actor to portray Lawrence Talbot (The Wolfman) for Universal and as always brought a sense of pathos to the role.
10) Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein – 1948 – Now THIS was the greatest “Monster team Up” movie ever made. Frankenstein! Dracula! The Wolfman! And even a cameo by The Invisible Man! PLUS Abbott And Costello. This may be the greatest horror comedy ever made! It’s pacing and sheer lunacy rivals and in some cases surpasses Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. The scene where Lou inadvertently sits in The Monster’s lap is a classic. Outtakes pf that scene show that Glenn Strange (The Monster) could not get through the scene without being cracked up by the great Lou Costello’s antics. This film is the last appearance Lugosi would make as Dracula and his last film for Universal.
There you have it! My top ten for Halloween 2010! The BEST thing about these films?
They are ALL available on the cheap on DVD! Run…don’t walk…get some of them!...better yet…buy them ALL. You won’t be sorry!
See you at the movies!
That’s 30!
Mitch
White Apache
Bela Lugosi Meets the Brooklyn Gorilla
Billy the kid Meets Dracula
And of course the deathless
Count Yorga – Vampire (what else would someone named Count Yorga BE?!)…
After much deliberation and mindless staring off into space I have come up with my theme and list of the Horror films that I will make sure to screen during Halloween week. Perhaps YOU dear reader will decide to watch some of these films as well…
I decided that THIS year I would screen Classic Horror (Pre 1960 Only). Last year was MODERN Horror so it seemed only fair. So here we go. TEN deathless horror films from the halcyon days of yore (or even mine)
1) Phantom Of the Opera – The silent Lon Chaney classic can still chill your bones to this day. The scene where Mary Philbin unmasks Chaney and the subsequent quick cut close-ups to the skull like visage of The Phantom set the audience screaming in 1927 and still shocks every time I see it. If you are a horror fan you owe to yourself to see the great Chaney at the very height of his powers. Some recently reissued prints show some scenes shot with early versions of Technicolor.
2) Nosferatu – 1922 – The first full length adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula was made in violation of copyright but is no less marvelous for that fact. F.W. Murnau , Director and Max Schreck, Star give certainly the creepiest version of Dracula ever committed to film. Unlike the urbane, and good looking Lugosi who would make the role his own in 1931, Nosferatu features a rat faced vampire who is a monster both inside and out. The film’s special effects hold up wonderfully even today. This film DRIPS atmosphere. Watch it with the lights out!
3) Frankenstein/Bride Of Frankenstein (1931/1935) – You have to see these Karloff/ James Whale classics as a single piece. This original was released in the same year as Dracula and Lugosi was actually first cast by the studio to play The Monster as early press kits confirm. Thankfully a relatively unknown actor named Boris Karloff was finally cast and the rest is history. Between Karloff’s performance (greatly enhanced by the makeup genius of Jack pierce), Whale’s fluid directing style and a sequel that surpasses the original as one of the great black comedies in cinema history, this is a double feature you can’t pass up.
4) Dracula – 1931 – Bela Lugosi. This was a straight adaptation of the 1927 Broadway stage play. Lugosi had played the role over 1000 times before he ever portrayed the Count on screen! Bringing a combination of terror and sexual allure to the role, Lugosi wrote the book on cinematic vampires that is still followed today. While more static than the Spanish version, which was filmed concurrently, the 1931 Dracula remains vital simply because Lugosi is in it.
5) Mark of the Vampire – Bela (you know who!) – This was a 1935 remake of the lost Lon Chaney film London After Midnight. It is really more of a detective story and I won’t spoil the ending for you. As always, any excuse to see Lugosi in the cape is an evening well spent. Mark of the Vampire was originally 75 minutes, but was cut back to 60 minutes by MGM. Reportedly this was due to incestuous overtones ,then unacceptable by the standards of the production Code, between Count Mora (played by Lugosi) and his daughter.
6) The Wolfman - Even a man who is pure at heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright. What horror fan does not know that rhyme? But did you know that it has no place in werewolf lore? In fact it was written FOR the film but has since become an accepted part of lycanthropic legend. Chaney Jr. ! Jack pierce makeup! SEE IT!
7) Dracula’s Daughter – 1936. – This film was actually the direct sequel to the 1931 Dracula. EASILY the sexiest of the 1930’s horror films. It is atmospheric and languidly paced. More a seductress than murderer, Gloria Holden’s Vampire has a real taste for the ladies. Universal acknowledged the emphasis on lesbian overtones in the film. Quite ahead of it’s time!
8) The Invisible Man – 1933 – Based VERY loosely on the H.G. Wells Novel, The Invisible Man combines bitingly funny black humor in the James Whale style, with genuine terror. The film is fast paced and engaging from start to finish. The film also introduces American cinema to Claude Raines (Casablanca) who we don’t actually see until the final scene of the film where he is revealed in of of the great process shots of all time. Watch for the wonderful Una O’Connor in a hilarious turn as an hysterical housewife who crosses paths with the Invisible man himself!
9) Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman – 1943 – If one monster is good, Universal reasoned, then TWO monsters must be great! Anyway that was the idea. For the most part the universal “team Up” monster movies were not all that good, but Frankenstein meets the Wolfman was the first and (almost) the best. By 1943 Lugosi’s star had fallen far enough that he was willing to play the Frankenstein monster (a role he had turned down in the original). The final clash between The Wolfman and The Monster WAS very exciting. Lon Chaney Jr. has the distinction of being the ONLY actor to portray Lawrence Talbot (The Wolfman) for Universal and as always brought a sense of pathos to the role.
10) Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein – 1948 – Now THIS was the greatest “Monster team Up” movie ever made. Frankenstein! Dracula! The Wolfman! And even a cameo by The Invisible Man! PLUS Abbott And Costello. This may be the greatest horror comedy ever made! It’s pacing and sheer lunacy rivals and in some cases surpasses Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. The scene where Lou inadvertently sits in The Monster’s lap is a classic. Outtakes pf that scene show that Glenn Strange (The Monster) could not get through the scene without being cracked up by the great Lou Costello’s antics. This film is the last appearance Lugosi would make as Dracula and his last film for Universal.
There you have it! My top ten for Halloween 2010! The BEST thing about these films?
They are ALL available on the cheap on DVD! Run…don’t walk…get some of them!...better yet…buy them ALL. You won’t be sorry!
See you at the movies!
That’s 30!
Mitch
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