| Comment: |
Thank you for these uploads! For me, this series has always been one of the treasures of small company comics of the '50s, coming from that hottest period just before everything collapsed in the wake of Wertham and the U.S. Congressional hearings. The first issue is solid, DC-like Andru and Esposito. But with issue two things start to get really interesting with Don Heck's best work in comics, period. For a lot of people, that won't register as high praise. --"Who's Don Heck?"-- But checking out his stories for this series, you have to consider the guy at least a minor light of the history of comics. He had a knack for quirky character cartooning similar to Joe Maneely's. And he could carve dramatically lighted panels out of creamy white, spotting blacks with the instinctive "rightness" of a Kubert or Jack Davis. The guy wasn't a hack, as has sometimes been charged, but a conscious -- and successful -- stylist.
In terms of story, this title weds the trappings of the "Western" pretext with the horror preoccupation of the industry at the time. Typically, issue two -- though full of stories dealing with archetypes drawn from American history: cowboys, miners, dance hall girls and indians -- has a cover and stories with plot twists straight out of the EC horror.
Again, thanks a million for these. It's been 30+ years since I encountered these books. |
| Comment: |
Thank you for the comic book scans! |
