Crime Does Not Pay Archives Volume 1

Crime Does Not Pay Archives #1

by Charles Biro (editor), Various, Philip R. Simon (Editor)

Uncut and uncensored, the infamous precode Crime Does Not Pay comics are finally collected into a series of archival collections! With brutal, realistic tales focusing on vile criminals, Crime Does Not Pay was one of the most popular comics of the 1940s. The series was a favorite target of Dr. Fredric Wertham and other censors and is partially responsible for the creation of the stifling Comics Code Authority. Now revered and mythic, this collection of the first four hardtofind Crime Does Not Pay comics features a fine roster of Golden Age creators and a new introduction by Matt Fraction (Iron Man, Casanova)!

Genres: Comics, Crime, Graphic Novels, Anthologies, Fiction, Westerns, Graphic Novels Comics

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2012

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

For most of its existence, comics have been called low brow entertainment, and it took the genius of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and their seminal Watchmen which started to shake that tag off. On its origins, look no further than these so called "Crime Does Not Pay" comics. Notice that the word "crime" is significantly larger than the rest of the title.

Crime Does Not Pay fit the term low brow. It was cheap, easy to read, and butchered the English language. It glorified the violence of crime, if not the criminal lifestyle of its characters, because gunfights made exciting comic book material. However, its own notoriety led to its own demise with the advent of the Comics Code Authority.

It's a great glimpse into the past, into the history of the comic book medium, and makes an entertaining read on its own merits.

[Alberto Martín de Hijas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Estas historias de "crimen y castigo" supuestamente basadas en hechos reales, fueron muy populares en Estados Unidos durante los años 40 y 50 (Hasta que el Comic Code acabó con ellas para nunca volver) Al margen de que la censura se ensañara con ellas, las recogidas en este tomo no tienen gran interés: Argumentos esquemáticos, dibujo mediocre y una narrativa estática son sus rasgos principales. Tienen valor histórico, pero poco más.

[Alex Sarll]

Matt Fraction's intro describes this notorious old series as "the lowest of low culture", and he's not wrong. This was one of the comics singled out for particular condemnation by Frederic Wertham, and thus responsible for the Comics Code shackling the nascent industry – and for all that Wertham was a prude and a fraud who deserves eternal condemnation, reading this was one of those awful times when I begin to feel a very faint but nagging sympathy with censors. The barely literate scripts and crude art are about how I imagine people with no respect for comics think all comics look – except they're not even being applied to childish spandex fantasies, but to true stories of vicious killers, which exult in the brutality right up until the ending, when the tone switches instantly to sanctimonious finger wagging about how CRIME DOES NOT PAY. The nastiness of that cover sums it up pretty well – see the way the forces of the law are going to shoot that malefactor, but definitely not before he burns her face, and he's still very much the centre of the composition? Exactly. Note also the inappropriate innuendo of THE MYSTERY OF INDIAN DICK. Which when you get to the story, is a particularly horrid one – an especially unpleasant example of the writers' insistence on doing the accent, and an account which is absolutely fine with some insidiously racist policing. Which you might think should be expected by that point, but aside from the whole comic reeking as deeply of hypocrisy as a government briefing, the one time it expresses open ambivalence about any of its subjects (as against the usual double consciousness) is when it deals with Pancho Villa, described as "the greatest outlaw hero in history" despite the fact he'd been at war with the US well within living memory. And this is a noisily patriotic comic, especially early on, when exhortations to buy war bonds are stamped on any inch of spare page, though that's less intrusive than when they make their way into the stories proper - and in general, the non-crime stories, with their knock-off vigilantes (War Eagle!) and boy inventors, are even worse than the gruesome stuff, demonstrating the same amateurish level of craft, but none of the lurid energy, such that you can see exactly why they were dropped in favour of more true crime. Still, this was clearly a comic throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck; after a few issues, Mr Crime himself pops up as leering narrator, prefiguring the hosts of the horror anthologies to come. All in all, it's a rare case of something I'd describe as a guilty pleasure, except that I'm not even sure I enjoyed it; there's an undeniable energy here, but it leaves such a nasty taste in the mouth that it feels like the artistic equivalent of tramp cider.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice EC tales that the censors didn't want you to see. Recommended

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collecting the first four issues of the infamous pre-code crime comic, this full color hardcover collection of lurid tales features work by some the era's finest artists including Charles Biro, Woody Hamilton, Harry Lucey, Carl Hubbell, Bob Montana, George Tuska, Dick Wood, Dick Briefer, Frank Giacoia, Bob Wood, and Dan Barry. Most importantly, the volume contains Biro's grotesque covers that even today would be considered disturbing. One such illustration features a man forcing a woman's head onto a lit stove, igniting her hair. For the most part, the unflinching true crime stories themselves read well and are magnificently illustrated. The book's main flaw lies not with the original Crime Does Not Pay comics but rather the Dark Horse presentation. Beyond the brief Matt Fraction foreword, the archive offers little in the way of background material. The back cover and Fraction allude to the series being "partially responsible for the creation of the stifling Comics Code Authority," but not the hows and whys. No backgrounds or biographies of any of the creators are included. Nor the origin of the title or concept. Also, the series started with issue #22. Why? What title preceded it? (For the completist out there, it bore the title Silver Streak Comics for the first 21 issues.) Establishing historical context elevates any collection of older works and in a $50 volume, these facts often justify the price.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a mixed bag, but worth a read for a few reasons. Golden age comics tend to have fairly primitive stories and art, and this one was not an exception. However, it was interesting because several of the stories were based on real people (John Dillinger, Billy the Kid, etc.) Also, this volume contained some of the most graphic violence I've ever seen in comics, even more so than the EC titles. I can see how this title could have lead to the eventual creation of the comics code, even though there was some politics involved in that as well. But as far as violence goes, this one really had some dark scenes. One that stood out to me the most was when a baby wouldn't stop crying and the villain shot it. That's insane in any case, but in a comic book from the 50s?? Also there's a few graphic shots of people being shot in the face, and one guy even pours kerosene on his own mother and sets her on fire. You don't see things like this even in modern Vertigo horror books, and with good reason.

In any case, this was most interesting for historical value more than anything else. If you are a fan of pre-code crime comics, this one is for you. Also, if you are familiar with the story of Fredric Wertham and his book The Seduction of the Innocent, this may interest you as he probably presented some of these as evidence in his witch hunt against comic books. Just be warned, it's pretty dark material.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are pre-comic code, but they reallly aren't that graphic. They are morality based, and contain crime stories, some based on real life cases or criminals and some not. The true life crimes are mostly gangster related and the other ones are really dated. The historical crimes are a bit, well off. For instance Belle Starr is sexed up and the fact that her second husband was Cherokee is erased because the creators make him and her both blonde.

[Onorio Catenacci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Worth remarking on only because of the insipid writing and art. Only worth reading for curiosity about pre-code comics.

[Carl Waluconis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title was a forerunner in the field of true crime comics, a genre that was right behind horror in the list of comics that self-appointed censors attempted to banish. The violent cover of the book will give you a picture of why. However, the publisher and editor, Lev Gleason and Charles Biro, claimed throughout them that the publication is always an antidote that fights crime. All the criminals in the stories suffer for their crimes. And some of them are truly nasty. The raw punch of the relatively short tales is what keeps the comics alive today. For students of comic art, this volume includes early work by Dick Briefer (the strange and hilarious Frankenstein), Norman Maurer, Frank Giacoia (Marvel Comics), even Bob Montana (Archie), and others. The art looks quickly drawn and not especially realistic, but the awkward cartooning seems appropriate for the often brutal stories and gives them a sense of immediacy. Golden Age Comics are a kind of "acquired pleasure". Having these four, hard-to-find comic books worth tens of thousands of dollars available in one volume is a pleasure.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow start to the mayhem as the title evolves from a more diverse anthology to a dedicated true crime title, as well as the introduction of Mr. Crime. Probably not the best overall introduction to the title (see Black Jacked and Pistol Whipped for that) but a fun read for edgy pre-code crime comics.

[Mark Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the top?

Certainly a can't-turn -away quality to the luridness of the work. While not usually historically accurate, the stories are a reminder that America's always been insane

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

True crime stories.

Good color artwork, a little crude by modern standards. These are stories of actual criminals like Lepke and legs diamond. Before the comic code some ugly stuff could be shown.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, I really enjoyed this,
great art,
great "crime stories",
very pro America.
Beautifully dated.
Nice nonglossy pages with ads.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crime Does Not Pay was not only the first crime comic book on the stands but also the highest-selling comic book of it's day with a circulation of over a million copies every month. These early issues are nowhere near the level of quality that the title would soon achieve. Indeed, these early issues have some fumbling around as they find their way, with #22 even featuring a superhero story. The War Eagle makes his first and only appearance here, for reasons seen below.

This series is an anthology of 'true crime' stories, we are treated to criminal acts of all kinds and from different points in time. All of them involve gunplay, and there is almost always the warning at the end of each story that CRIME DOES NOT PAY! I love the old slang and fashions in these Golden Age comics. These old comics are not politically correct by any stretch of the imagination, and I find them to be unintentionally funny because of it.

Prohibition was still fresh on the minds of the country, and stories about John Dillinger and his ilk resonated with the public. Mr. Crime, who goes on to be the host of the series, debuts in #24.

The writing is decent and the artwork is hit or miss. On the art side there are a few greats, seen here before they became greats. This particular volume is for those interested in how one of the defining comic books of the Golden Age got its start. Things will get much better in subsequent volumes.

[Keith Irwin · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a historical collection of comics which are important to the history of comics, this is well done. The transfers are clear and the art and lettering is well preserved. Even the original advertisements are included. On that side of things, five stars. As a thing to actually read, this is kind of terrible. It's just an attempt to entice the reader with depictions of crime including what they felt were lurid details. It's very tabloid and sensationalist throughout and it rarely bothers with any characterization of any depth. Because it's all based on true stories taken from history or the news, the plots often feel like encyclopedia entries rather than dramas. It's fair to note that this was published before In Cold Blood or other similar books showed how to dramatize non-fiction, but still, this is extremely dry much of the time.

It focusses on murders, mostly, and romanticizes them (all while reminding us that crime doesn't pay), so we don't even get to learn much about interesting swindles or other things like that. The art is lovely at times, but mostly in its depiction of pretty girls and then the pretty girls almost always wind up murdered, so even that doesn't feel like much of a high point. Overall, I did not enjoy reading this at all.

[Dominick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's about time someone did a comprehensive reprint of these (in)famous comics. Seeing them from the beginning, complete, from cover to cover (including original ads--and original pages on stamp collecting' who'd have thought thuggery and philately would go hand in hand?), is revealing. The personification of Crime, the book's mascot, does not appear until the third issue, and his appearance does seem to mark a slight tonal shift. the "Crime does Not Pay!" message continues to be hammered in, but there's at least an implicit (and sometimes not so implicit) recognition that the book's real appeal is in its opportunity to get a vicarious, voyeuristic experience of mayhem. The stories are workmanlike, for the most part, though some flair begins to appear in the later issues, but the violence, even relatively early on, can be quite something. The cover image (from issue 3) is about as extreme as anything gets, but that's still pretty extreme. Heck, just a book of Biro's covers would be worthwhile. If this isn't gold for comic book collections, it's pretty high-quality silver.

[Bart Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

1940s era comic book collection of four issues of "Crime Does Not Pay". While the majority of stories are entertaining, the inside art is quite primitive. The art reminds me of "Adventures Into the Unknown" in taht it is crude and non-vibrant.
On the other hand, the covers are well illustrated. I also liked the idea that not every story in "Crime Does Not Pay" is in comic book form, each issue has at least one prose written story.

Another turn-off, is the introduction by Matt Fraction. His style here seems as though he is trying hard to be "hip and modern." Parts of it even came across as arrogant and snarky.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proof that comics were fairly brutal before the "code". These are the kind of books that would get kids in serious trouble with their parents, at least prior to WWII, which is when these books were written. Great re-coloring job here. The stories are lurid and pulpy...and all are...RIPPED STRAIGHT FROM THE HEADLINES! (I.e., they are supposedly all real.)

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one. It's a little creaky and cornball due to age, but it's a hell of a trip. There's a gleeful enthusiasm that holds your interest in a way that the Superhero books from this period do not. I'm in for the series.

[Matt Shelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cool book that's very vintage that basically retells true crime stories in a comic format. I did enjoy it but it was a bit dated for me. I know it's vintage but I didnt feel as engaged as I was hoping. Artwork is cool and it does take you back to a different time in the US.

[Johan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The old-school graphics, ads and storytelling are charming in small doses.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: the first four issues of the Crime Does Not Pay comic which came out between 1942 and 1955.