'Taint the Meat... It's the Humanity!

'Taint the Meat...It's the Humanity! and Other Stories by Jack Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

'Taint the Meat... It's the Humanity! collects 24 EC Comics stories, all drawn by Jack Davis.

Al Feldstein, Otto Binder, and Carl Wessler conjured up a variety of tales in this volume, with subject matter ranging from wartime butcher shops, werewolves, freakshows, mad scientists, vampires, and lots of double dealing. Fortunately, Jack Davis was more than adequate for the tasks at hand.

The black and white artwork really showcases Jack Davis' art. The man sure could draw a rotting corpse! The stories are presented in publication order, making it easy to watch Jack Davis' art evolve as he became more confident, more practiced, in the EC style. By the third story in the book, The Trophy, he was already a horror master. While I've seen some of his art in Mad Magazine and its imitators, Davis was born to draw horror.

Speaking of horror, there are some really dark tales in this collection. I relayed a few to my wife while I was reading and she was taken aback. While I think the Comics Code was a mistake, I might feel a little squeamish having a youngster read some of them. Still, it was blood-slicked good fun.

It's amazing that the EC comics haven't been forgotten when they were around for such a short time. Then again, some of Jack Davis' art is burned into my brain. Four out of five stars.


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