'Spookhouse: Volume 1' – Edited by Eric Powell and Tracy Marsh (Albatross Funnybooks)


This book had been sat on my Amazon wish list for a long old time and when New Year came round I thought I'd treat myself to a copy. Because I need an excuse to buy comic books... Any excuse will do :o)

It took me a little while to get round to 'Spookhouse' but it's Eric Powell, there was never any doubt that I'd pick it up. I love his work (bear that in mind as you keep reading) so am pretty much guaranteed to pick up anything with his name on it. Until now that is, if there's a Volume 2 for 'Spookhouse', I'm not sure that I'd pick it up. It's not really the book's fault though, let me explain...

'Spookhouse Volume 1' collects issues #1-5 of the anthology series which is essentially the comic book version of something like Creepshow or Tales of Halloween. Horror, and the supernatural, can be a far ranging genre and this volume of 'Spookhouse' does it's level best to dip a toe in as many aspects as it can. We're talking 'Heckraiser' (get it?), insect horror, scary Oriental ghosts, you name it really.

But it only half worked for me, the clue is in the cover... 'Scary Stories for Kids'... I haven't been one of those for a long time now so what scares them didn't scare me, not here. It wasn't a complete waste of time, more on that in a minute, but one thing that 'Spookhouse' wasn't was 'scary'. That's not the book's fault though; if it's aimed at a particular audience and I'm not a part of that audience... Well, I can't blame the book can I? It does leave me in a position though where I can't really say how well it does that part of it's job. Maybe I'll pass it on to my kids, see what they think... ;o)

Like I said though, 'Spookhouse' isn't a total loss, I may not have been scared at all but I had so much fun reading through the stories (maybe I will go for Volume 2 after all...) There's a real love of the genre on show here in how the contributors (storytelling duties mostly sit with Powell but the artwork is shared out a lot more) are happy to show off their inspiration but at the same time, put their own stamp on the classic tropes, as it were.

I'll be honest, as far as the art goes, I was there for those moments where Powell takes charge and things get weird and a little sinister. He's probably my favourite artist right now so yeah, I was keeping a eye open for those moments. There are loads of other artists doing their thing though and while I've got no idea how an anthology is edited (in terms of the art), the styles are matched up very well with the stories. 'The Frog Monster under the Sink' is a great example of this with Steve Mannion's detailed art drawing the eye away at just the right moments. Stephanie Gladden's work on 'The Yurei' is also a lot of fun with the titular spirit forceful enough to make an impact but just cartoonish enough for younger readers to get into the story.

I think it's fair to say that there's something here for everyone. As a 'Hellraiser' fan, I got a lot out of 'Heckraiser' but the real highlights for me were 'Bullies from beyond the Grave' and 'Mr Roach'. Like I said, I've got a real soft spot for Powell's art and he absolutely nails it with these two stories in particular.

So... 'Spookhouse Volume 1' wasn't scary in the slightest but if I'd read it thirty five years ago, maybe it would have been. Like I said earlier, that's on me rather than the book. There's still a lot of fun to be had reading it as an adult though and that ended up being more than enough for me. Maybe I will give Volume 2 a go after all, let's see what happens...

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