Voodoo Vengeance and Other Stories by Johnny CraigMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Voodoo Vengeance and Other Stories collects 25 tales written and drawn by Johnny Craig for EC Comics.
Johnny Craig was known as the slowest of EC's artists, rarely able to manage more than one story per month. However, he wrote most of his own stories and most of those were pretty good. Craig serves up voodoo dolls, vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and a smorgasbord of cheating wives and double-timing husbands. The trademark EC "bite you in the ass" ending is in full effect.
Like a lot of the other volumes in Fantagraphics' EC Library, the black and white artwork does a great job showcasing Johnny Craig's talent. While I think Johnny Craig was better at crime and suspense comics than horror, he shows a mastery of perspective and panel composition. The opening shot of Nightmare, looking up out of a grave as onlookers await the casket, is brilliant. There's a meticulous attention to detail that may explain some of Craig's slowness.
The blurb on the back says "Cleanest Horror Stories You Ever Saw!" and that is very apt. Most of the time, Craig leaves the gore for the reader's imagination. While this approach works, I could have used more blood and guts. I think there were only two or three rotten corpses in the whole thing!
Voodoo Vengeance and Other Stories is another fun entry in Fantagraphics EC Library. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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