Warren Mags: Creepy, Eerie and Vamprella

[PoliteSuccubus]

When I was a kid (Ok, fine, ageing myself, so what?) these were the mags I sought out and collected. The art work was fanFUCKINGtastic, the storys riveting, and the side stuff funny. (To this day I remember reading letters to the editor and a guy wanted to know why his mag had two covers, the response? "It had the sniffles and we didn't want it to catch cold")

So, from their web site I bring you this snippet, and then, some art!

In 1964 publisher James Warren launched a new comic book which was unlike any other at that time. It was entirely in black & white, it was in a magazine size format, and it was done without the seal of the Comics Code Authority. Its name was CREEPY

His timing was perfect. In the 1950's, EC Comics (under editor William Gaines, who later went on to found MAD magazine) published a line of shock/horror titles such as Tales From The Crypt, Vault Of Horror, Shock SuspenStories and Haunt Of Fear, hosted by ghoulish personas such as the Crypt Keeper and the Old Witch. They were popular but widely controversial due to their graphic depictions of gore. Rising pressure forced conservative leaders to take notice of what their innocent children were reading. The resulting movement drove these horror comics out of business.

A few years passed. Then the early 1960's brought a revival of interest in horror. Almost all of the classic monster movies of the 1930's and 1940's were released to television. Usually featured on matinee bills, many shows were hosted by frightful characters modeled after vampires, ghouls and mad scientists, much as EC and Suspense Radio had done. They gained new and widespread popularity. In England, Hammer Films followed this success with its own new series of horror films. Even two of the big three American television networks got in on the act, giving viewers The Addams Family and The Munsters.

Enter Jim Warren. He had been publishing a number of popular horror movie magazines including Monster World and Famous Monsters of Filmland. Warren was no stranger to horror, monsters or the public's taste in entertainment. With the help of Russ Jones and Larry Ivie, Warren enlisted Al Williamson who in turn convinced many of his EC era friends: Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel, Reed Crandall and George Evans to contribute and CREEPY magazine was born.

The first announcement of an all-new black and white horror comic book named CREEPY appeared in the December 1964 issue of Famous Monsters, #79. For his very first appearance before the reading public, CREEPY announced that "the publisher of Famous Monsters - a guy named Jim Warren - is now my prisoner! As you read this he is chained to the walls of my dungeon, wondering what diabolical plans I have in store for you readers of Famous Monsters and Monster World! And now, my little fiends, I am coming after You! And who am I? Heh, heh... My name's CREEPY, of course!"

Although CREEPY started out as a quarterly, with the second issue it went bi-monthly due to its encouraging reception at the newsstands. Each issue featured 5 or 6 stories of suspense, all introduced by the slightly gleeful, definitely macabre figure of Uncle Creepy.

By the time the second issue of CREEPY was out, Warren already had two more titles planned. Released in 1965, the first would be a companion magazine to CREEPY, which; after much debate over such titles as Ghastly, Spooky and Macabre; became EERIE (AVON had published a standard-sized horror comic called Eerie in the 1950's; it didn't make much of an impression and was soon forgotten). The second was BLAZING COMBAT, a war title.

The first 20 or so issues of CREEPY featured some of the most striking illustration and cover art Warren was to achieve. Work by Frazetta, Williamson, Crandall, Evans, Angelo Torres, Gray Morrow, Joe Orlando, John Severin, Russ Jones and Archie Goodwin was surprisingly effective, and the artists seemed to thrive in the b/w medium.

After a period in which he was forced economically to run reprints from their earlier issues (a period which nevertheless saw the development of such fine artists and writers as Tom Sutton, Ernie Colon, Jerry Grandenetti and T. Casey Brennan); in 1969 Warren rejuvenated his entire line with the introduction of VAMPIRELLA. Bill DuBay took over the stylistic shaping of the magazines, achieving a new sense of design and graphics.

As time went on many artists left Warren's forum for other venues, many having attained a higher degree of desirability because of their Warren material. Nonetheless, Warren magazines continued to attract new and exciting talent; especially the Spanish artists from the agency of publisher Jose Toutain. Talent in the form of Esteban Maroto, Jose Bea and Jose Ortiz graced the pages. At the same time, new American talent was developing and appearing in Warren magazines. Richard Corben began contributing; Jeffrey Jones returned and Berni Wrightson; who had matured as artist of Swamp Thing for DC; illustrated a number of stories and frontspieces which rank among his best work.

Jim Warren not only had a background in art direction and design; a fact which was reflected in the high-quality, impactful look of his entire line of publications; he had a genuine love and respect for his creations and the talent that fiilled their pages.

By the late 1970's Warren was publishing not only CREEPY, EERIE and VAMPIRELLA; but also THE SPIRIT,(featuring the exploits of the continuing character created and drawn by Will Eisner); THE ROOK, The Goblin and 1984, which was a science-fiction/fantasy magazine in the Heavy Metal vein. The newsstands were getting crowded with competitors. By the time Warren ceased publication in 1983 CREEPY had enjoyed an impressive 19 year, 145 issue run.

By the time I was twenty I had collected most of these, including Vampirella number one.

http://usersites.horrorfind.com/home/horror/unclecreepy/images/vampi1sm.gif

Worth over 600 bucks now a days, but my brother broke open my lock box and read all my collections and left them on the bedroom floor, walked on them, let the dogs walk on them....

I have to take a few moments and calm down.

Anyway, they have some dorky little comic book out now...but it's no where near the talent and impact of these multi story mags.

Warren

 

[KingOrfeo]

Say, why did they discontinue those, anyway?

 

[PoliteSuccubus]

I dunno, a part of it I think was the bottom dropped out of horror, the artists got to famous to work on mags like these, and tastes just changed.

 

[KingOrfeo]

I dunno, a part of it I think was the bottom dropped out of horror, the artists got to famous to work on mags like these, and tastes just changed.

Kinda like the demise of National Lampoon -- not with a bang, but a whimper.

 

[curious2c]

I remember Vamprella... I had a thing for her, let me tell you. She was the hottest chick I'd ever seen in a comic (and I think, since too.)

 

[RobDownSouth]

Oh boy, I remember Creepy and Eerie! And Famous Monsters of Filmland too! I used to be quite a horror geek.

 

[Pretty_VaCUNT]

my dad has about 5 boxes of Warren comics! I love them, I have my haircut like Vampirella too

 

[PoliteSuccubus]

OH! I want to go raid your dad's house so bad right now!