WHAT is going on with Ajax/Farrell & Superior horror comics? 0

[jimbo_7071]

On 3/6/2019 at 1:24 PM, ThothAmon said:

Here are my low grade contributions. 

 

 

 

 

A few years ago, an eBay dealer had the Northford (8.5?) copy listed for around $800, BIN. It didn't sell. I think he ended up putting it in a CLink auction.

Edited March 14, 2019 by jimbo_7071

[goldust40]

Somehow I missed this thread.

I've long been a fan of Farrell's output,  and have all the horror books, and most of the war ones. I've got most of the Superiors, although a handful now appear to be drifting out of sight. The Farrells were for the most part of a higher standard, art wise. Some of the Superior covers are very crude indeed, especially Journey Into Fear. But that for me is part of their charm - they're almost kitsch, like penny dreadfuls.  And due to some of the artists presumably learning how to draw on the hoof (those were the hothouse conditions at the Iger Shop back in its heyday) some of the covers are very weird indeed.

[Robot Man]

Of the two publishers, I much prefer Farrell over Superior. Much better covers and coloring. Most Superior covers are pretty bad and the printing is terrible. Now as far as content goes, they are pretty much neck and neck. Never judge a book by it’s cover. 

[Point Five]

11 hours ago, Black Bat said:

I totally admire the work of the EC artists, Engles was recently pointed out to me,  also Wolverton etc, but I'm also a big fan of art by "insane" people, children, and folk artists.  So yeah I guess I appreciate untrained artists with something to say.  Maybe it's more of a style thing than a skill thing.  Matt Fox, LB Cole, Fletcher Hanks.  When you couple that style approach with the fantastic (not fantasy) and horror, then for me the "best" of the Farrell/Ajax/Superior type books have it all.  

 

3 hours ago, goldust40 said:

Some of the Superior covers are very crude indeed, especially Journey Into Fear. But that for me is part of their charm - they're almost kitsch, like penny dreadfuls.  And due to some of the artists presumably learning how to draw on the hoof (those were the hothouse conditions at the Iger Shop back in its heyday) some of the covers are very weird indeed.

I really agree with these thoughts. Some of the cover art is so bad, so slapdash and so zany that it kind of approaches outsider art territory, which (ironically) makes it interesting.

[Robot Man]

I dunno, if I were a kid hankering for a good horror book in July 1954 and only had one dime. I think this would have gotton my money over that Journey into Fear...

[Black Bat]

2 hours ago, Robot Man said:

I dunno, if I were a kid hankering for a good horror book in July 1954 and only had one dime. I think this would have gotton my money over that Journey into Fear...

Yes, sometimes it takes decades to develop the refined taste required to truly appreciate the AFS books!   

[fifties]

Superior could produce reasonably equivalent cover quality to American books, but the interior pages were still lacking in brilliance.  I had read somewhere that that was because they used paper printing plates, vs metal metal ones used here.  I dunno how accurate that is though.  Here are two EC's, one from each country.  Can you tell if there's much difference?

[Black Bat]

6 hours ago, fifties said:

Superior could produce reasonably equivalent cover quality to American books, but the interior pages were still lacking in brilliance.  I had read somewhere that that was because they used paper printing plates, vs metal metal ones used here.  I dunno how accurate that is though.  Here are two EC's, one from each country.  Can you tell if there's much difference?

Yes, the line work is thicker, noticeable on the men's clothes and the detail in the capitol dome (although maybe that's from a richer color strike).  But check out the white circle that's supposed to be the BG for the superior logo.  Many of my Superiors look as if the registration is off, which would produce thicker lines, and also color bleeding into unintended areas.  Check out the detail on the cover of Strange Mysteries 11, the area around the hand, phone and skull are so out of register that it almost looks like it was printed for 3D!

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by Black Bat

[MusterMark]

15 hours ago, Black Bat said:

Yes, the line work is thicker, noticeable on the men's clothes and the detail in the capitol dome (although maybe that's from a richer color strike).  But check out the white circle that's supposed to be the BG for the superior logo.  Many of my Superiors look as if the registration is off, which would produce thicker lines, and also color bleeding into unintended areas.  Check out the detail on the cover of Strange Mysteries 11, the area around the hand, phone and skull are so out of register that it almost looks like it was printed for 3D!

 

And THAT is part of the charm of it.

 

[Robot Man]

22 hours ago, fifties said:

Superior could produce reasonably equivalent cover quality to American books, but the interior pages were still lacking in brilliance.  I had read somewhere that that was because they used paper printing plates, vs metal metal ones used here.  I dunno how accurate that is though.  Here are two EC's, one from each country.  Can you tell if there's much difference?

Superior probably used rubber plates. Called Flexo printing today. Pretty cheap and low quality. Modern Flexo is a lot better.

[Black Bat]

6 minutes ago, MusterMark said:

And THAT is part of the charm of it.

 

yes, but I kinda wish my copy was't quite SO charming... ha ha.

[originalisbest]

1 minute ago, Black Bat said:

yes, but I kinda wish my copy was't quite SO charming... ha ha.

Several of mine have that same touch of charm!

[originalisbest]

Just looking at a few I have scanned, these examples came out pretty good when they were printed -- but I have blurrier examples of other books I still need to scan.

[Jayman]

18 hours ago, originalisbest said:

Just looking at a few I have scanned, these examples came out pretty good when they were printed -- but I have blurrier examples of other books I still need to scan.

The more you scan, the more I want! 

[Hap Hazard]

Here's a sample of issue 14 of Strange Mysteries with some original art for The Evil Stranger, Iger shop work.

[fifties]

[Black Bat]

1 hour ago, fifties said:

 

Where's your #3 & #4?  Those are fairly common no?

Edited March 16, 2019 by Black Bat

[BEAUMONTS]

 

 

[Robot Man]

3 hours ago, Black Bat said:

Where's your #3 & #4?  Those are fairly common no?

Jeeze, I guess 'ole Robot Man needs to bail him out again.

By the way none of these are "common" just try putting the run together now...

[fifties]

3 hours ago, Black Bat said:

Where's your #3 & #4?  Those are fairly common no?

Yeah, they were common some years back.  Had both, but each not having at least one good story, my yardstick for keeping a comic, I sold 'em.  Wasn't really into putting entire runs together back then.  I know where I can get a #3 for about a C-Note, just don't feel like putting out the scratch to make an almost complete run.