Oh man, this was such a throwback. I haven't read one of these in so long! Definitely need to get my hands on some more Creepy comics. Come to think of it, I see these at my local antique shops all the time!
I want to say they would be cheaper but it depends on the shop. Some that we have gone to charge outrageous prices. I just picked up a copy of Startling Stories and it was around $25. It was well worth it!
I wish I would come across these when I was a kid. However, my connection with Conan (both the paperbacks and the magazine). Thank the maker for family that see that light in your eye and help guide you.
You should just thank the Comics Code Authority that you didn't come across these because they would have distracted you from your studies and you'd be in an entirely different career now.
I read them hit or miss throughout childhood because I was dependent on adults to buy them and it was entirely luck-of-the-draw on whether I'd be at the store when an issue I hadn't already read hit the newsstand.
As an adult, I grabbed all of the collected editions on Comixology back when it still existed. They are still available on Kindle. If you're missing any copies you should look them up. They've collected multiple issues into single volumes so it's not super expensive to buy every book. Whether you should buy every issue or not is a matter of judgement, but I definitely think everyone should read at least the first two volumes because they were edited almost exclusively by Archie Goodwin and he's really the guy who made these books sing.
This was a fun read, John. I'd never heard of Creepy and was never into comics as a kid, but I 100% loved thumbing through magazines like Highlights and American Girl that that found ways to weave in both educational and entertainment stuff.
The rubber fly ad reminded me of begging my mom to let me buy Sea-Monkeys from a magazine ad which turned out to be the brine shrimp living and available for free at the boat docks in Salt Lake City where I lived. Ha!
You really should. You might have to ask one of the employees for where they are though. Most stores keep comics that are this old filed away in long boxes so it's not the type of thing you're going to see sitting on a shelf. But, they are definitely worth digging out. They had so many great artists and writers working on the series. I think you'll enjoy them.
Yeah. Creepshow was inspired by these and other horror comics that were put out at the same time. Stephen King and George Romero wanted to create a nostalgic callback to the comics and horror stories that they'd enjoyed when they were younger and that's how Creepshow came about.
Anyone who calls out Archie Goodwin knows what's up. He was the magic sauce behind Creepy and every other thing he edited. His work deserves an entire post dedicated exclusively to him.
Oh man, this was such a throwback. I haven't read one of these in so long! Definitely need to get my hands on some more Creepy comics. Come to think of it, I see these at my local antique shops all the time!
I hadn’t thought about trawling antique shops. That’s actually a great idea. I wonder if they would be cheaper or more expensive there.
I want to say they would be cheaper but it depends on the shop. Some that we have gone to charge outrageous prices. I just picked up a copy of Startling Stories and it was around $25. It was well worth it!
I wish I would come across these when I was a kid. However, my connection with Conan (both the paperbacks and the magazine). Thank the maker for family that see that light in your eye and help guide you.
You should just thank the Comics Code Authority that you didn't come across these because they would have distracted you from your studies and you'd be in an entirely different career now.
I hope you mean a career as a serial killer, cult leader, or mad scientist. Sometime I miss what could have been.
Mad scientist. Mad professor. Tomato. Tomahto.
I didn't get into Creepy until my late twenties when my husband introduced me. It felt like coming home!
I read them hit or miss throughout childhood because I was dependent on adults to buy them and it was entirely luck-of-the-draw on whether I'd be at the store when an issue I hadn't already read hit the newsstand.
As an adult, I grabbed all of the collected editions on Comixology back when it still existed. They are still available on Kindle. If you're missing any copies you should look them up. They've collected multiple issues into single volumes so it's not super expensive to buy every book. Whether you should buy every issue or not is a matter of judgement, but I definitely think everyone should read at least the first two volumes because they were edited almost exclusively by Archie Goodwin and he's really the guy who made these books sing.
My husband has a few if the volumes I think
This was a fun read, John. I'd never heard of Creepy and was never into comics as a kid, but I 100% loved thumbing through magazines like Highlights and American Girl that that found ways to weave in both educational and entertainment stuff.
The rubber fly ad reminded me of begging my mom to let me buy Sea-Monkeys from a magazine ad which turned out to be the brine shrimp living and available for free at the boat docks in Salt Lake City where I lived. Ha!
Yeah... a lot of those old ads were for products of dubious quality. Still a lot of fun to read though.
I did not know about Sketchy Scoops. I did a little Kolchak fan fiction here
https://randallhayes.substack.com/p/the-rake
and reprinted a fan theory article the week before
https://randallhayes.substack.com/p/the-haunting-of-carls-hat
I’m always up for some Kolchak fan fiction/theories. Thanks!
What a wonderful discovery! Not only are the comics scary, suspenseful, but also insightful!
These look so fun! Next time I go to my local comic store I'll have to keep an eye out on these and see if I can snag one.
You really should. You might have to ask one of the employees for where they are though. Most stores keep comics that are this old filed away in long boxes so it's not the type of thing you're going to see sitting on a shelf. But, they are definitely worth digging out. They had so many great artists and writers working on the series. I think you'll enjoy them.
Big Creepshow vibe
Yeah. Creepshow was inspired by these and other horror comics that were put out at the same time. Stephen King and George Romero wanted to create a nostalgic callback to the comics and horror stories that they'd enjoyed when they were younger and that's how Creepshow came about.
Ctrl-F "archie goodwin" found
Anyone who calls out Archie Goodwin knows what's up. He was the magic sauce behind Creepy and every other thing he edited. His work deserves an entire post dedicated exclusively to him.