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I have covered classic horror comics in magazine format here before but the arrival of The Creeps issue 1 in my mailbox was a cause for celebration. When I received it this past fall it was in October and though I didn't know what to expect, I was ready for anything in the horror vein. Still I had apprehension. What was this? A crafty rip off of the classic Creepy's and Eerie's? It had an impressive cover and a cool horror host ,that was a pastiche of the Crypt Keeper and Uncle Creepy, on the back cover but really this could have just been a bad cash in. I mean Warrant Publishing?.... really? Hell I even for a second thought they might be trying to fool unobservant fans who might think Warren was back in business. This book had a lot to answer for and a lot to live up to. For one if you are trying to emulate old horror comic magazines then you better have the stories to back it up and your art better sure as hell not have computer assistance.



My fears, while well founded, were put to rest the minute I flipped through issue 1. My eyes gazed upon pencil art and news print paper! The art while at times not refined was what made those old horror comics so damn appealing and The Creeps has managed to grab the essence of that. While some of the art echoes older artists sometimes, too close for comfort, you can forgive it for taking you back to magazines you used to love. The stories were the next hurdle. E.C.'s writing was unparalleled but Warrens was never the best but still managed to be entertaining and thoroughly horrific. The Creeps stories fall into the latter companies tales. My only complaint is that they are too short. Surely the majority of these stories could have benefited from being more that just four pages long. But they manage economically to still shock and keep ghoulish readers satisfied. Some highlights include the zombiriffic "Vengeance" and the unique "The Darkest Corner" where a pedophile gets more that he bargained for. I also love the addition of the inside cover pages of horror gags and horrific themed history lessons.



The Creeps,with a few minor gripes aside like story length and sparse publishing schedules, gets a great recommendation from this horror fanatic. Warrant Publishing so far, at least with issue one, has brought back that great feeling of swiping a horror mag off the newsstand and running home to read it in the dark, save for one reading lamp or candle depending on your level of macabre devotion. The Creeps is a fun read that keeps the Creepy, Eerie, and E.C. tradition alive and I highly recommend you order a subscription today. After all who doesn't like opening the mail and finding a horror comic staring back at you!