Graphic Classics Volume 23: Halloween Classics (GRAPHIC CLASSICS GN) Paperback – Illustrated, October 9, 2012

NICE!

Great Book !!!

Even at my advanced age I still love Halloween and consider it one of my favorite holidays of the year. I am a voracious reader but I have just discovered the Graphic Classics illustrated book series. I purchased this volume (HALLOWEEN CLASSICS VOLUME TWENTY-THREE EDITED BY TOM POMPLUN) recently and really enjoyed the horror stories in this volume.This 144 page graphic text is organized as follows: Halloween in a suburb, Halloween, The legend of Sleepy Hollow, a curious dream, Lot No. 249, cool air, the cabinet of Dr. Caligari and about the artists and writers. There are a lot of contemporary contributors in this volume including some legendary writers such as Mark Twain and Arthur Conan Doyle. I did not realize until reading this graphic classic that Mark Twain dabbled in horror stories.If you like Halloween and frightening stories done with fantastic graphics, you should check out this volume. I found the stories a good read and the graphics are first class. I intend to purchase more of these “Graphic Classics” in the future.Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Martial art Myths).

Reason for Reading: This is the latest volume in the series and I'm working on reading the complete series.A magnificent volume; a pleasure to read from start to finish. Slightly different than other volumes, this one is a pastiche to the old "Tales of the Crypt"-type comics with a host introducing each story; here we have Nerwin the Docent who is full of creepy and interesting facts about Halloween history and customs. Also the book starts of with the customary one page poem but then includes 5 long adaptations, rather less in quantity than usual volumes but much longer stories equalling the same size of book in the end. I liked this focus on fewer stories. Each one was a pure gem. Irving's "Sleepy Hollow" is not a story I enjoy reading in it's original text but I do enjoy the tale and the adaptation here is very well done; this is perhaps one of the best representations of Ichabod Crane I've come across. Twain's "A Curious Dream" is well-done and I have no complaints except that I'm not a big fan of the author's type of humour but this story does add a slight light-hearted touch to the rest of this spooky volume. Next up is the fabulous adaptation of Doyle's "Lot No. 249"; I just love Doyle's stories of the supernatural and had not read this one before. Great retelling and illustrations. Second to last starts my favourite two stories in the book. First is Lovecraft's "Cool Air", not having read much of the author I was unfamiliar with this tale and found it incredibly spine-tingling but most of all I was incredibly impressed with the atmospheric and stunning art of Craig Wilson. The book then ends with an absolutely original idea in the graphic medium, an adaptation of a silent movie, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". I've seen the movie as a teen so am familiar with the story and am very impressed with the adaptation; it holds true to the original and is an ideal way to present these classic (almost forgotten) movies to 21st century audiences. For the first few pages I was not sure if I thought Matt Howarth's illustrations were a bit cartoony for the story, but as I read and Cesare was introduced they grew on me and I thought he and Caligari were both well drawn. This is the crowning glory of this volume and has a fitting place as the final story. I send a public query out to Mr. Pomplun to consider adding some Silent Movie Classics titles to the Graphic Classics oeuvre; there are many possibilities.

After the incredibly cool Christmas Classics, Tom Pomplun follows up with a celebration of America's other favorite holiday, Halloween. But he has a different take on it this time; instead of the usual series of thematically connected stories, Halloween Classics is a riff on the brilliant EC Comics of yore, complete with horror host Nerwin the Docent. Nerwin leads you on a guided tour of Halloween traditions across the world, and introduces some of the greatest Halloween stories ever written by some of the greatest writers who ever put pen to paper.It doesn't get much better than that.I really loved Halloween Classics. The horror host theme works surprisingly well, and I would love to see something like this continue with other volumes in the series. Learning a little bit about Halloween, and getting an introduction to the stories, raised everything up a notch. This is a true "Educational/Entertainment Comic" in the most schizophrenic and classic EC Comics style. Like all of Pomplun's anthology collections, you get a mix of stories original to this volume and some re-prints from previous collections. Unless you have the full Graphics Classics library like I do, you probably won't even notice. You will be too busy diving into all of the magnificent stories.The stories in this collection are:Hallow'een in a Suburb - HP Lovecraft - This is exactly what I love about Graphic Classics. I have been reading Lovecraft most of my life, and didn't know he wrote a charming little poem about the incongruity of a peaceful suburb surrendering itself to horror one night of the year. This poem comes with a beautiful illustration from Jeffrey Johannes.Halloween - Mort Castle/Kevin Atkinson - Not an adaptation but an original piece introducing Nerwin the Docent who leads you on a 3-page tour of Halloween from the ancient days to the present. It's clearly not deep, but it is funny and gave me a good laugh.The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving - You know this story. Adapted by Ben Avery and illustrated by Shepherd Hendrix, at 29 pages this classic gets the length it needs. Avery and Hendrix do a great job, staying away from obvious Disney or Burton images and delivering a solid interpretation of a true American legend.A Curious Dream - Mark Twain - A repeat from Graphic Classics: Mark Twain, this is a charming story of the dead complaining how the cemeteries are too full and neglected. It has all of Twain's wit and draws a wry picture of people sitting on their porch and saying "there goes the neighborhood" when new families move in. Adapted by Antonella Caputo and illustrated by Nick Miller, this one has an almost Burtonesque feel to it, like Corpse Bride.Lot No. 249 - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Did you know the creator of Sherlock Holmes also invented the "revived mummy" genre? Actually I did; I have loved this story for years. But it is always worth another look and Tom Pomplun and artists Simon Gane got it just right. Gane is everything I want in a Doyle artist--just the right blend of cartoonish, pseudo-Victorian and just a drop or two of Mike Mignola. At 28 pages, this is also a nice, long story. Loved it.Cool Air - HP Lovecraft - This is also a repeat from Graphic Classics: H. P. Lovecraft (if memory serves). Cool Air is a brilliant short story, with one of my favorite opening lines of all time. Rod Lott and Craig Wilson managed to pack Lovecraft's tale into 13 tight pages. I love Wilson's art. That opening splash page sets the mood perfectly for horrors to come.The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer - I loved the idea of adapting the classic German Expressionist horror film to comics. This was an unexpected and enjoyable inclusion, adapted by Tom Pomplun. The only thing I wasn't really sold on here was the art by Matt Howarth. It's good, but it just doesn't have that creep factor, those looming shadows, that I want from Caligari. And maybe it is because I have seen the film so often, but I think Cesare the Somnambulist should be stark black and white. The blue jumpsuit and tanned skin just didn't do it for me.

The more time I spend with "Cool Air" the more I like this underappreciated Lovecraft tale. The building dread and musings on mortality make for a good ride.The art in Lot 249 is outstanding, and the suspense was well charted.I wish the other three stories worked as well in graphic novel form, which is what drags my rating down to a 3.