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Creepy #12 (Dark Horse Comics)

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    Ian Jane
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  • Creepy #12 (Dark Horse Comics)

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    Creepy #12
    Released by: Dark Horse Comics
    Released on: May 8, 2013.

    Dark Horse has not only been archiving the legacy of those glorious Warren Publishing Comics from decades past in lush hardcover collections but so too have they been carrying on that tradition of unleashing fresh E.C. inspired horror stories on an unsuspecting public by way of their revamped Creepy title.

    One of the more recent issues in the run is #12, which kicks you in the face with a great cover courtesy of one of Warren's original star artists, Richard Corben. Open it up and you'll find a very cool inside cover pin-up from Mike Mignola and a letters column in which good old Uncle Creepy still responds to fan mail, and then the cover story, Corben's Uncle Magnus. This morality tale follows a widow who sprawls on the grave of her deceased husband pleading with him to somehow show her where he hid the money she knows he had. At the same time, the widow's favorite nephew comes snooping around hoping to find some loot to call his own. This being a Corben horror story, of course, it's not going to end well for anyone. Nice artwork here, great use of shading in the black and white illustrations and a fun twist make this a worthy addition to the series.

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    Ron Marz writes Fishing, illustrated by Richard P. Clark. This is a nice second story in which two boys out in the sticks realize as they're fishing that they're being used for something that hadn't planned on. This one has a clever ending and a nice sort of sinister folksy vibe to it, while Clark's beautifully dark and heavily inked artwork provides it with plenty of atmosphere.

    From there we check out Local Talent from Matthew Allison (full disclosure alert - Matt's a friend, he did my wedding invitation art a few years back - instant collector's items, they are!), which is a clever mix of cult movie nerd obsessions and classic horror anthology twists. The story revolves around a horror movie being shot in The Philippines where the arrogant director annoys the actor playing his monster enough that he walks off set. Enter a local named Kino, looking every so mysterious in his black sunglasses. He tells him he can help him out with some of the titular local talent - the director agrees, unaware that there's a catch. You can see where the story is heading a little early on but the artwork kills. Allison's style is completely original and all his own but it fits in here perfectly. The right mix of realism and grossly exaggerated characters and a cool vibe that feels like a throwback to the cheap Roger Corman Filipino productions make this a stand out in the issue.

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    This is followed by a reprint of The Spirit of the Thing written by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by Steve Ditko, which was originally published in the ninth issue of Creepy from 1966. It's a good story and it fits alongside the newer entries nicely. This one tells us firsthand how a group of tenants try to solve the mystery of what is happening in the basement of their building. This story builds nicely and the first person perspective sets it apart a bit. On top of that we get some great monster art from Ditko that looks really nice in black and white and it's got a weird sort of supernatural bent to the visuals that remind us of the great work that Ditko did on Marvel's Doctor Strange way back when.

    The last of the main stories is written by John Arcudi and illustrated by Julian Totino Tedesco. Entitled Pack Leader, this is a rather sad story of a soldier lost and alone in the mountains during a harsh winter. The text is somber and the illustration style makes great use of whites to relay the sense of emptiness that the lead character is going through.
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    Also included in the issue are three little one pager strips by Peter Bagge - Role Models, Mother's Little Helper and Reflections Of My Life - spaced throughout the issue. These are amusing enough and fans of Bagge's style will appreciate seeing them here, but you could probably make the case that they clash a bit with the other stories presented here.

    All in all, a very strong issue with some great stories and fantastic artwork. Really, not a stinker in the bunch. Here's hoping Dark Horse can keep up this level of quality with future issues of Creepy as they're doing a great job of keeping the Warren legacy alive.
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