The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics by Stansbury.

[jesse_custer]

I don't know anything about crime comics but would like to get into them. Does anyone know anything about this book? Is it good, bad, comprehensive, etc.?

[Aaron King]

I got it a few weeks back. It's a good deal: 500 pages of comics for less than twenty bucks. However, the title is a bit misleading. Maybe it should be called The Mammoth Book of Crime Comics That We Could Get While Paying Little or No Royalties. There is certainly a lot of entertaining stuff in this book but none of it is The Best. There's no Rucka, no Brubaker, nothing too recent.

So, it's worth the price, but it's not exactly what I expected.

Edit: If you're looking to read some great crime comics, pick up any volume of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillip's Criminal. Each book stands alone as a complete story.

[jesse_custer]

Thanks for the reply. I bought it. Also, I don't know why I said Stansbury. Paul Gravett is the editor.

After this I'll check out Criminal. (I already dig Brubaker's Captain America.)

[The Confessor]

However, the title is a bit misleading. Maybe it should be called The Mammoth Book of Crime Comics That We Could Get While Paying Little or No Royalties. There is certainly a lot of entertaining stuff in this book but none of it is The Best.


I'm guessing it's much the same as The Mammoth Book Of Horror Comics, which I'm currently procrastinating about possibly buying. While that book does re-print horror comics from the 50's (if not earlier) through to the modern era, it doesn't contain any of those classic EC horror comics or any of the Marvel or DC horror titles from the 70s. Again, I'm sure this is because the rights to those comics were too expensive for the publishers to obtain.

Also, the Mammoth Book Of Horror Comics is printed in black & white rather than the original colour that the stories were printed in. I'm guessing the same might be true for the Mammoth Book Of Crime Comics as well.

[jesse_custer]

Yes, this one's in black and white as well. It's a swell price at $18, though. I like that it features a few European crime stories, too.

[MDG]

I'm guessing it's much the same as The Mammoth Book Of Horror Comics, which I'm currently procrastinating about possibly buying. While that book does re-print horror comics from the 50's (if not earlier) through to the modern era, it doesn't contain any of those classic EC horror comics or any of the Marvel or DC horror titles from the 70s.
I've got that and was pleasantly surprised that there are some 70s Charlton stories by Tom Sutton in it. It's a nice sampler, but much as I love horror, I'm not crazy about the newest (90s) stuff in it.

I got it in the same Amazon order as The Ten Cent Plague, so it was interesting reading a bunch of pre-code stories while reading about what was going on at the same time.

[Rob Allen]

If you like old crime comics, check Oddball Comics next week - Scott Shaw! will give an issue of Fawcett's Down with Crime the Oddball treatment.

Are you down with crime?

www.oddballcomics.com

[MichikoS]

I've got that and was pleasantly surprised that there are some 70s Charlton stories by Tom Sutton in it. It's a nice sampler, but much as I love horror, I'm not crazy about the newest (90s) stuff in it.
I have it, too, and what I think makes it worth the modest $17.95 ($12.21 on Amazon) price is the interstitial commentary by Peter Normanton, who edits the UK magazine FROM THE TOMB, which I like very much. Incidentally, there appear to be both UK and US versions of this title, with the Constable & Robinson UK version having a slightly higher page count. Don't know why, since I've only seen the US version, published by Running Press.

The most recent stories may be of interest simply because they will likely be unfamiliar to general comics readers, having been published in small press comics or in obscure one-shots. There's a very good Cal McDonald story, by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, and fumetti-style doctored photomontage from Pete Von Sholly. Yes, there are a few turds in the stew, but they're easy to overlook.

As a sampler of horror stories over several decades, the Mammoth Book lives up to its name, in spite of, or perhaps because of, its inclusion of horror marginalia as opposed to the classic EC tales and their ilk. The closest thing to a classic would be John Stanley's The Monster of Dread End, (the original and Von Sholley's photomontage version as lagniappe) or perhaps Marching Zombies, with art by Rudy Palais.

I do recommend it. The black and white reproduction is never less than adequate, often very good, and the paper quality is excellent. The stories are arranged chronologically, but random browsing is rewarded.

Michi

[benday-dot]

I have it, too, and what I think makes it worth the modest $17.95 ($12.21 on Amazon) price is the interstitial commentary by Peter Normanton, who edits the UK magazine FROM THE TOMB, which I like very much. Incidentally, there appear to be both UK and US versions of this title, with the Constable & Robinson UK version having a slightly higher page count. Don't know why, since I've only seen the US version, published by Running Press.

The most recent stories may be of interest simply because they will likely be unfamiliar to general comics readers, having been published in small press comics or in obscure one-shots. There's a very good Cal McDonald story, by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, and fumetti-style doctored photomontage from Pete Von Sholly. Yes, there are a few turds in the stew, but they're easy to overlook.

As a sampler of horror stories over several decades, the Mammoth Book lives up to its name, in spite of, or perhaps because of, its inclusion of horror marginalia as opposed to the classic EC tales and their ilk. The closest thing to a classic would be John Stanley's The Monster of Dread End, (the original and Von Sholley's photomontage version as lagniappe) or perhaps Marching Zombies, with art by Rudy Palais.

I do recommend it. The black and white reproduction is never less than adequate, often very good, and the paper quality is excellent. The stories are arranged chronologically, but random browsing is rewarded.

Michi

I agree with almost all you've said Michi. I can't speak on the Mammoth Crime volume, since I have never seen it, but the horror rendition, which you've ably reviewed, I think succeeds because of its focus on the obscurities, the modern the stuff included. I doubt I'd ever have been exposed to the material otherwise.

Maybe, where I would diverge slightly from your opinion concerns that Von Sholley piece. I'd chuck that work in with the turds of the stew. I loathe photo montages.

A story I'll single out for praise is the Jerry Grandenetti work. Simply fantastic.

[MDG]

Maybe, where I would diverge slightly from your opinion concerns that Von Sholley piece. I'd chuck that work in with the turds of the stew. I loathe photo montages.
Actually, I liked those--they hit the right tone. And I generally like Von Sholly's stuff, like his faux-Aurora model boxes (which I can't find on line right now).

A story I'll single out for praise is the Jerry Grandenetti work. Simply fantastic.
Yeah--he's definitely channelling Eisner in all of the Dr. Drew stories I've see, but using the style to tell the story rather than just swiping the surface trappings.

Reading some of those pre-code stories, sometimes I get to thinking that maybe the code wasn't that bad an idea. But actually, I'm realizing a lot of these stories are much closer to horror radio shows on at the time (rather than movies), where it wasn't unusual for characters to be "dumped" into a horrific situation without a lot of reason. I think the difference that people reacted negatively to at the time was that in radio, it was played for suspense rather than a graphic gross-out payoff like in the comics. (And on radio, the gross-out sound effect lasted for a second and then was gone).

[T GUy]

Thanks for the reply. I bought it. Also, I don't know why I said Stansbury. Ed Gravett is the editor.

That'd be Paul Gravett.

[dan bailey]

Speaking of which, I see that The Mammoth Book of Zombie Comics is due out next week -- http://www.amazon.com/Mammoth-Book-Zombie-Comics/dp/0762433981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224855558&sr=1-1

[Jamie]

I looked at the Horror one at the local big box bookstore, but I wasn't sure about it so I put it back. You lot are making me want to rethink that decision...

[jesse_custer]

That'd be Paul Gravett.

Yeah, I'm clearly not remembering correctly these days ...