Friday, August 16, 2024

Book Review: The Vault of Horror, Volume 1

Various authors, The Vault of Horror, Volume 1. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse, 2021.ISBN: 9781506721156.

Genre: comics and graphic novels
Subgenre: horror, vintage, suspense
Series: EC Archives
Format: large trade paperback
Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library 

This is another good entry in the EC Archives series from Dark Horse. This volume includes issues 12-17 of the horror comics series. Some of the artists featured include Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, Bill Gaines, and Harvey Kurtzman. 

In this volume, the strips are in full color, which makes the art look better. There is some variety in the horror stories. Many of the stories deal in some element of crime; this may reflect the magazine's previous title: War Against Crime. You also get tales of suspense, occult, and horror. Stories are good and entertaining. Many of the stories have some morality element or lesson, a common feature in these kind of comics. Stories are relatively short, so they are quick and easy reads. If you are looking for some light suspense and horror, this volume is a good choice. 

In addition, the volume includes features such as the Vault Keeper's Corner (letters to the editor) and the vintage advertisements. Those features add to the charm of the book, and they take us back in time a bit. 

Overall, this is another great addition to the series. I do recommend it for libraries collecting comics and graphic novels. This would be a teens and up reader. I really like this one, and I will look for others in the series. 

4 out of 5 stars.

 

Qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenge: 

 


 


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