Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics Of The 1950s (FOUR COLOR FEAR TP) Paperback – June 8, 2010

I grew up in the just-post "Comics Code" era, and, in the area that I lived in at least, there was still plentiful used copies of older comic books to be had. Kids swapped them with each other, and there were a few stores that had boxes of them laying around so that we could buy - at discount prices - unsold/neglected back issues, some of which dated back twenty years at a stretch.Then, 2 things happened that had a profound impact on my (previously unaware) interest in pre-code horror comics.First, the original film "Tales from the Crypt" (1972) appeared at the local movie theatre and had us youngsters frothing at the skullcap over the crazed festivities held within. Shortly thereafter, I bought a news-zine called (I believe; I'm coasting on a distant memory so I may be completely wrong on the title) The Monster Times that ran a lengthy feature on the film, touching base on the E.C. Comics that the film was based on.I was beside myself in the intent to find these comics; but none had appeared for sale anywhere in our town at the above-mentioned venues, and why? I asked one of my pals (who set up crates of his family's old comics in his yard to sell during summer vacation) if he had access to any, but he said that though his older brother did have vintage horror comics, they "weren't for sale". For all I knew, corpses had risen from the grave, scarfed up all of their favorite comics after the code forbade them and then returned to their coffins to enjoy some fine literature. Who could blame them?All this build-up, and besides a few panels in the above-mentioned news-zine (and the Fredric Wertham anti-comic book Book courtesy of the local library), I still hadn't had the pleasure of reading a full pre-code horror story let alone an entire comic book. It was a dilemma sans solution, but like all obsessions, others appear to fill the void.It wasn't until either the late 70's or 80's that E.C. reprints began to appear, and though I bought a few of them, the glow was, for me at least, off of the jack-o-lantern, as I had entered a lengthy period of disinterest in comic book culture. Rock and Roll was destroying my mind at a faster pace than even the comic books did - the authorities were right, and I couldn't thank them enough for their efforts to shine the spotlight on what we whipper-snappers were supposed to avoid.Spring ahead to the present era, and voila, my interest in looking back to the roots of the culture that informed all things that currently absorb my brain cells (namely any low-brow/exploitation/pulp-oriented film and/or literature) have lead straight back to the pre-code comics that avoided my grasp all those years ago.So, I eyed this book on Amazon, read a few reviews, and plunked it into the shopping cart. It arrived like a meteorite filled with outer-space whatchamacallit capable of making puppets talk and corpses walk. It should be noted that no E.C. Comics were used in the recipe for "Four Color Fear", and all the more better for it (there are plenty of printed materials on them exclusively in this day and age, and for right now anyway, I'm studying the underdogs).Thanks to Greg Sadowski's excellent editorial skills at compiling and annotating this collection - this book is worth at least 3 times the selling price - I can revisit the unknown in the safety of my living space without going bankrupt."Four Color Fear" is presented as a textbook/study guide regarding the history of these comics, without taking away the sheer fun and lunatic enjoyment of genre. The stories are cherry-picked to represent an excellent cross-selection of creators/artists/writers/publishers so we won't have to spend thousands of dollars to read these (though this book should include a warning of the possibility at becoming a "gateway" drug to entice us to do just that; still subversive after all these years)!If a title like "Corpses…Coast to Coast!" intrigues you, wait until you read the comic - I forbid myself to uncoil any spoilers, but I will say that my mind was damaged beyond belief, the lone solace being that this is only the 3rd story and therapy was found in the fact that there were many, many more brain-grinding tales ahead.The notes by Mr. Sadowski are informative and will have you night-and-day-dreaming of the Iger Studio and all who passed through their doors. Clearly, this man excels at the job of the Editor for this book. I am still re-reading sections and re-learning bits of information that I glossed over on my first dive into these pages.The emphasis overall is on quality here, and I was delighted to find a sizable midsection of the book devoted to glossy-stock reprints of select comic book cover art. This is nearly worth the price of the book alone and if you love this genre and your eyes are sore and/or tired, this will especially bring relief. Just make sure that the "Witch's Wound" doesn't have other plans for those curious eyeballs that you so foolishly let wander across these forbidden pages…eeeh heee heee heee!

This a wonderful book that contains what horror comics outside of the EC universe were bringing to the table. Here is a small list of the stories that stood out for me.Corpses...Coast to Coast- A New World Order of zombies takes over the globe thanks in part to a grave diggers strike. How this is not a movie yet what with the current zombie craze going on is beyond me!The Corpse That Came to Dinner- This is the one featured on the cover in which the title character harasses a couple he knew in his mortal life. Comes with one of the more standout twist endings but I won't say more than that.Green Horror- Killer cactus goes on the rampage. You can't make this stuff up.What's Happening at...8:30PM- Definitely the most unique story of the bunch. A very odd looking green man finds the streets of his town empty because everyone is hiding in fear of what's going to happen at-that's right- 8:30PM. This is one of those stories where you won't know what's going on until the last panel.There were other stories I was tempted to add but that would ruin the fun of you discovering your own favorites in this great collection! The book also contains a brief history behind each story in the notes section.

Four Color Fear is 320 nicely reprinted pages, comprised of 39 horror stories from such 1950s horror comics as This Magazine is Haunted, Witches Tales, Web of Evil, Black Cat Mystery, Strange Terrors, and Chamber of Chills. The overwhelming impression I get after reading these dusty old relics is that EC might not have been the first, they might not have been the only one, but they certainly were the best. It's not even a close race. EC excelled at not just its art but also its stories. The other companies could ape EC's stable of artists (and do a decent job as in the case of Howard Nostrand's "homage" to Jack Davis, "Dust to Dust," which looks just like Davis) and rip off their ultra-violent storylines (Tales from the Crypt's sadistic butcher story "T'aint the Meat...It's the Humanity" becomes Mysterious Adventures' sadistic butcher story "Chef's Delight"). But if you're buying Four Color Fear for anything besides offbeat nonsense, you're obviously going to be disappointed. If, like me, you relish this stuff, you'll need this book.Inside you'll find: "Wall of Flesh" about a crazed scientist who creates, well, a wall of flesh that absorbs anyone who touches it; Reed Crandall's ludicrously entertaining "The Corpse That Came to Dinner" about a young couple who discover the undead corpse of their recently deceased friend eating out of their refrigerator; "The Flapping Head," with typically nice art by Al Williamson but atypical story about a flying vampire head seeking to rebuild its body; and what must be not just the goofiest comic in this book but possibly in all of pre-code, "Green Horror" about a lusty, jealous and murderous cactus!As a bonus to the stories, there are 32 full-page reproductions of classic covers (with comments on each) and editor Greg Sadowski provides exhaustive notes for each story as an afterword and drops a hint that we'll be seeing a separate volume devoted to Atlas. Based on the job done here, I'll be looking forward to that book.

Great collection of stories, a few duds but overall some great stories. High quality reprints as well.

Arrived on time! Cool book, great stories and art from an important time in comic book history.

El libro es perfecto! Pero NO viene en formato de tapa dura. Dudo que exista formato tapa dura en la versión inglesa.

Une quarantaine de récits d'horreur d'avant l'instauration du Comics Code.Livre soigné avec un bel échantillon représentatif des comics des années 50. Une précision toutefois, ni les récits d'EC, ni ceux de Marvel (alors nommé Atlas) n'y figurent pour des raisons de droits. Comme ces deux éditeurs étaient les meilleurs, les histoires retenues dans cet opus apparaîtront un peu comme du second choix même si certaines sont excellentes.Mais alors qu'EC jouait toujours sur un effet de chute et Marvel souvent, nous avons davantage droit ici à des monstres, fantômes, etc.Ce livre comblera les aficionados mais enthousiasmera moins les autres.Petit appareil critique à la fin.

Schöne Zusammenstellung vom Anfang der 50er Jahre, die einen guten Eindruck davon vermittelt, was zur damaligen Zeit - neben EC - noch so alles auf dem US-Horror-Comic-Markt los war.Die vierzig Stories rangieren von drollig (teils gewollt, teils ungewollt) bis echt fies und sind auf jeden Fall auf ihre nostalgische Art sehr unterhaltsam.Eine Sektion mit über 30 Titelbilder verschiedener Magazine ist auch enthalten. Alles ist im Anhang kompakt kommentiert - runde Sache.

Most of us consider that EC comics were representative of the creative heights of the entire 1950's 'taboo' comic scene, banished forever to the underground by conservative society. However, what "Four Colour Fear", "The Horror, The Horror" and the "Mammoth Book of Horror Stories" show , is just how many other weird titles were on sale from the 1930's to the late 50's, also later suppressed and rejected by the government and wider society as too subversive and,well.....just plain odd and strange.And these collections exemplify that freaky quality, with their lonely tales of Eastern European Ashkenazim immigrants,and their narratives of disenchanted ex marines down on their luck, aswell as the mystery tales of turbaned, Babylonian mind readers.Then there are the stories depicting sharp dressed urban hoodlums , jilted lovers, highly strung mad scientists in over sized 1950's suits, swamp dwelling weirdos in threadbare rockabilly gear, and the inner city street hustlers-cum-ghostly spirits, other worldly with their top hat, cloak and cane.Regarding packaging -- Fantagraphics have done a thorough job, with careful attention to colour tones, using quality, heavy paper, with a clean,very white tinged tone as a base. The cover itself is a story frame adapted from one of the stories, and is arguably, a bad choice, but that is a minor point : Fantagraphics more than compensate for that bad cover choice by reproducing inside the volume itself, on high quality glossy paper, pages and pages of the original cover art work from the 1950's.And it is a long book ! The stories just go on and on an on.....when you finish one.....there's always another to save for the next day.Looking forward then, to Volume Two from Fantagraphics ! And please -- somebody release a collection of Basil Wolverton's horror work ! Wolverton's work is surely an example of some of the freakiest, weirdest mid 20th century folk art out there, and is culturally representative of one of the finest underground artists of 1950's America, each story replete with highly intelligent, sensitive, odd, surreal story lines.