Creepy Presenta: Richard Corben

Creepy Presents

by Richard Corben

El visionario del cómic de terror y pionero en el campo del color, Richard Corben, ha sido una voz de creatividad y cambio durante cuatro décadas. Por primera vez las legendarias historias cortas y las ilustraciones de portada de Corben aparecidas en Creepy y Eerie se recopilan en un tomo de lujo en tapa dura, y algunas de sus historias clásicas han sido escaneadas de nuevo desde las páginas originales para esta colección.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Anthologies, Art

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 10, 2012

About the author

American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in Heavy Metal magazine. He won the 2009 Spectrum Grand Master Award. In 2012 he was elected to the The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Serge Pierro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Richard Corben is a brilliant artist. Unfortunately, this is not a collection of his best work. Many of the pieces are from early in his career and the artwork is a bit rough. Having said that, there are some nice pieces included. For someone looking for a collection of definitive Corben artwork, you'll need to look elsewhere. However, this volume is a good source of early materia,l to compare against his later work.

[Eddie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing art.. Amazing stories.. Favorites are: Judas.. In Deep.. Within You Without You.. You're A Big Girl Now..

[Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun. Particularly enjoyed the adaptation of Poe's 'Shadow'.

[Jordi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gift for Richard Corben fans. It collects all the stories he drew for Creepy and Eerie magazines in the 70s and early 80s. Some of them are just average (specially the scripts), but it's really amazing to witness the evolution of Corben's art during these years.

Highlights are his first experiments with color (specially the eye-popping "Likanklutz"), and the Poe adaptations.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course the art was great. Some of the writing was less than great, but most of this was fun. 4 stars and best reads pile.

[Ernesto Juárez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buena antología, mejor los de Eerie que los de creepy, tenemos un gran artista solo una compilación promedio. Los relatos adaptando los de Poe son soberbios, simplemente recomendable.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Dark Horse for publishing this!
What a wonderful edition of Corben's early works for Creepy and EErie.
If you're a fan of Corben, this is a must-have... unless you're one of the lucky few to actually have the original issues of Creepy and Eerie... naw, that's not true, this book is worth having even if you DO have the originals.

[Bogdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

O colectie interesanta de povesti horror si de suspans plus ceva sci-fi-uri ratacite, desenate de Maestrul Richard Corben.

Benzile au fost publicate in trecut, in revistele americane Creepy si EErie.

Mai mult mi-a placut prima jumatate cu povestirile din Creepy decat cele din Eerie.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no one else quite like corben. His use of color is straight transcendent. Thank God for this collection.

[Alberto Boschini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunque por cuestiones de tiempo fue difícil, disfruté cada cuadro de esta maravillosa antología. 9 Meses se llevó lograrlo, pero valió la pena. Aquí encontramos historias de muchas ramas, principalmente enfocadas a una temática macabra; sin embargo, también encontramos relatos orientaos a una literatura Negra o Fantasía o Ciencia Ficción de la más ferrea escuela. Tenemos una variable del Frankenstein de Shelley, así como una historia salida de la mente de Hammett o Chandler dividida en tres partes. También, como hacía hincapié uno de estos días en mi cuenta de Facebook, leyendo este libro uno se dá cuenta de que la premisa de viajes en el tiempo, especialmente la utilizada en "Avatar" no es una idea tan original como parece. Ideas que se vienen planteando desde principios de los 70s, que ahora, se sienten igualmente clásicas y modernas al mismo tiempo.

No me queda otra cosa que hacer que el recomendarle altamente, especialmente a todos aquellos que aman como yo el género del terror, la Ciencia Ficción e incluso la Fantasía; y sobre todo, los comics y novelas gráficas en general. Maravilloso y nada aburrido. Siempre sorprendente. Insisto: fuertemente recomendado y muy ameno.

[Keith Kavanagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is easily my favourite collection of comics ever, with a single dud (unprovoked attack on hilton hotel, personally a more holiday inn kinda guy myself) among every single perfect page
not only did corben manage to inspire and cause me to mutter "oh mo dhiadh" under my breath like a farmer seeing two cattle riding for the first time with a seemingly different original technique, character design, completely far out colours within every story, but each tale is really cool too with with a usually either funny or upsetting ending
personal highlights for me were pinball wizard !, within without you and you're a big girl now but honestly they're all unbelievable
I unfortunately had to read this book online but if anyone could direct me to where I could buy an affordable physical copy in english I'd be amazingly gracious
this book also contains the nicest pair of drawn tits I've ever seen on page 194

[Romà Giménez Jori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realmente Corben no me parece tan bueno como para cuatro estrellas. A su dibujo le falta expresividad, todos los personajes me recuerdan al dibujo de La Cosa de Byrne - el personaje, no su magnifico trabajo en la serie -, y claro, cuando dibujas una "Cosa" tiene sentido, aquí no. Las historias, no obstante, con ese toque pulp y ese misterio a lo Twilight Zone son magníficas en muchos casos.

¿Por qué cuatro estrellas, pues? Por esas tardes en casa de mi tía Merche cultivando mi frikismo y devorando esas historias. Grandes recuerdos.

[Sotofunkdamental · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hasta el cuello", "En ti... sin ti" y algunas adaptaciones de relatos de Edgar Allan Poe ("El Cuervo", "El retrato ovalado", "Sombra") son lo más destacado de este recopilatorio. Otras historias complementan esta compilación, como "Licantorpe", "La tumba del terror", "Un odio palpable", "Niño", "Una mujer despechada", etc. Son relatos de corta duración aparecidos en las revistas Creepie y Eerie allá por los años 70's y 80's, y aunque algunas historias son entretenidas, bien es cierto que los guiones presentan altibajos.

[Will Harlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fun reading CREEPY PRESENTS RICHARD CORBEN. The stories were alright, but the real deal here is seeing how this guy made such a buzz with his illustrations. His black and white work looks rad, but his style really shines (pardon the pun) when he shows light in full color doing odd, dramatic things. I read THE CROOKED MAN Hellboy story last year and just made a note to remember Corben. Cool stuff.

[Matt Kight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume includes each and every of the 40 illustrated tales that Corben contributed to Creepy (26) and Eerie (14) between 1970 and 1982. What's not to love? These collections by Dark Horse not only honor and celebrate the featured artist but also give the reader a nice sampling of both of these great magazines across a 12 year period. I'm fortunate that my library had this hardcover because it's not affordably available otherwise.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corben is one of the undisputed masters of the comic art form. His use of color was, and still is, revolutionary. As far as storytelling goes, the Creepy and Eerie shorts could be hit or miss. They feel more "modern" and are less dense with text than the EC comics of the 50s; none of these stories are clunkers, and they're all entertaining, but Corben's artwork really elevates them above their pulp origins.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The storytelling is, of course, wildly uneven. But Corben is a legend for a reason. His style is always remarkable and these early offerings show why he remains a legend. I've seen some prior reproductions and Dark Horse's remastering of the original artwork is incredible. Along with the earlier Bernie Wrightson collection, this is an essential piece for a horror comics library.

[Mike Bodak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book needs a reprint badly. These are the stories that occasionally appeared in creepy and eerie by the master.

Instead of having to hunt down all the issues, the stories are all right here. Really beautiful stuff. Richard Corben Rest In Peace good sir.

[Joe Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best Richard Corben collection in print. One day, hopefully more of his old stuff will be collected in another hardcover book.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember seeing Richard Corben’s artwork as a kid and being fascinated by it. Great collection of artwork and stories from Eerie and Creepy. Highly recommended.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corben is one of the best. What a fun collection of stories!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

While some of the writing is so-so, Corben's art is always top-notch. A great read.

[Ralph Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Corben’s art.

[Jorge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a treat. Richard Corben was absolutely brilliant.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Con Richard Corben solo hay dos opciones, o quejarte de la estética/fisionomia de su arte, o dejar que te fusile las pupilas y deje imagenes marcadas en tu cerebro. Yo soy de los segundos, a mi me encantan sus mujeres de curvas imposibles , colores detallados ,oscuros o su lapiz detallado a niveles demoniacos. Acá encuentro unas obras de lujo, historias que hizo para Eerie y Creepy, historias cortas de terror ,fantasía y mucho, TERROR.Me encantarón las historias de navidad, la de la mujer rata, la mascota Lovecraftina,la saga de los viajes en el tiempo, el hombre que lucha contra los tiburones...no, estoy equivocado. TODO ME ENCANTO. Es una edición preciosa, con una portada que la señora de la caja de la Libreria Nacional me vio algo asustada , pero no importa, el libro es una maravilla del noveno arte.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reason for Reading: I used to love these horror story comic collections when I was a young teen and I believe I may have read some of this title's single issues but I am sketchy on which comics I did actually read, except of course "Tales from the Crypt", that I distinctly remember.

A fabulous collection of short horror stories from both Creepy and Eerie comic magazines. The stories were originally published through the years 1970-1982. They are both in black/white and in full colour, probably a fair representation of both are included. I must profess a preference for the black/white stories as the use of shadowing is much more terrifying, or at least creepy, to me than the bright redness of blood and gore when colour comes into play. Other reviewers talk about reading these original comics when they were 8,9,12 and while I see no problem with that as there are certain children who love to have the pants scared off them. My age recommendation is older because I am concerned about the hugely buxom women and eventually totally frontally naked women with a strategically placed object in the groin area. The violence is quite violent also and the stories pretty freaky. That said, they are a whole barrel of fun for the appropriate age group. I undoubtedly had a lot of fun with these eerie, creepy stories that compare to "Tales of the Crypt" or "Twilight Zone", if you've never read this kind of thing before. Richard Corben's art is delicious and he certainly deserves a collection of his own. It's a pleasure to read all these stories (some of which he did write) and find the same consistent quality artwork throughout. As to the quality of the stories, they vary. There are three well done retelling of Poe stories, near the end we have a couple of episodic stories which carry over for about three parts each and these were very good. There are stories about monsters, werewolves, madmen, serial killers, ghosts and plain old weirdos. I'll admit there were 2, I think, that I didn't "get", a couple that made me chuckle, and quite a few that made me think "sweet" at their unsettling endings. I don't particularly have a reason why but I did find myself enjoying the last half of the book containing the stories from the "Eerie" magazine better than the "Creepy" issues for some reason. A whole lot of fun and this volume is a good price, especially compared to the hefty price of the Creepy Presents Archive volumes. I'd love to collect these but price is definitely a factor for me and will drive me to the library, unless they come out with trades at half the price. But this special volume is priced to sell!

[Andy Zeigert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Corben drew one of Mignola’s creepiest Hellboy stories, THE CROOKED MAN. He’s also been churning out a number of remarkable one-shots and miniseries for Dark Horse over the past couple years, not the least of which is the recent one-shot, THE RAVEN AND THE RED DEATH, where Corben expertly adapts two Edgar Allan Poe stories, something he’s made a habit of throughout his career.

I’d picked up the massive, 320-page Corben hardcover earlier this year. It collects much of Corben’s contributions to the horror anthology series CREEPY and EERIE, published from 1964 to 1983 by Warren Publishing. Dark Horse, in collaboration with now-owner New Comic Company, has been collecting CREEPY and EERIE issues in an impressive archive series. In addition, the two companies began publishing new issues of CREEPY in 2009 and EERIE in 2012, which also feature contributions from Corben, both reprints and new. In addition to the issue archives, several collections have been released featuring specific artists, including Corben, Bernie Wrightson and Steve Ditko.

Corben’s style is perfect for short-form horror. His figure work is often oddly misshapen, though highly detailed. He’s got a knack for drawing monsters and gore, but it’s the expressions on his victims faces that often leave the truly lasting impression. At the same time, Corben can bring an oddball sense of humor to even the darkest story. Corben collaborated with many writers for his contributions, but also wrote a handful of stories.

The stories in this volume range from murder mysteries to shark attacks to ghoulish cemetery tales. Also included are some of Corben’s early and highly-regarded Poe adaptations, including his first try at THE RAVEN.

At $30 for a new hardcover, this book is probably best recommended for those who know and love Corben’s work. An Amazon Kindle edition is also available for $14.

(Originally published at ComicBookDaily.)

[Luis Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good collection of Corben's early contribution to Creepy and Eerie. I wished it collected the Vampirella stuff as well as I have never read any of his stories (or anyone else's for that matter). I think if there was a way to go back in time and collect the final art or print data to make this book look a lot closer to the original way it suppose to look like it would be perfect. Although great effort was done to make this book and I'm so happy it readily is available I can't help, but think how well it would look if we had the best possible reproduction material. I think some things get lost and perhaps some of it has to do with Corben's way of coloring comics. He was heavily involved in a process not many artists normally work from. This was pre-computer/photoshop and he was able to get some of those effects that are more readily available with some effort, but the odd drawings of Corben are not so easily imitable. Either way this volume is well done with what they have available and some of the work was rescanned when those pages were still around. Some stories are a bit dated in theme, but there are some gems if you look hard enough.

[fleegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes when I’m between books, or just need a break from novels, I’ll pick up a comic book to cleanse my palate. I saw Creepy Presents Richard Corben and thought I’d give it a shot.

I am so glad I picked this book to read. Dark Horse Comics has published a collection of Richard Corben’s works. They’re from the ’60s and ’70s, so while true they are dated, they are really great in that old Twilight Zone kind of way. Some of the stories are ones he wrote, and all of them (I think?) are his artwork.

The artwork was great. I enjoyed the Edgar Allan Poe stories the best, but the whole book was an entertaining read. The section of comic book covers was so much fun to look at.

If you don’t like horror in particular, then this isn’t for you. But if you do like horror, especially bite-sized Twilight Zone-ish stories with a bit of humor, give this book a go. You won’t be disappointed. Plus, it’s an amazing value. It’s 300 pages of horror goodness for less than $30. It would also be a really cool gift for the comic book/horror nerd in your life.