Book Review: Eerie Archives, Volume 2

Archie Goodwin, et.al., Eerie Archives, Volume 2. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse, 2023. ISBN: 9781506736204. 

Genre: comics, horror

Subgenre: vintage, magazines

Format: large trade paperback

Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library  

I continue enjoying this series. This volume collects issues 6-10 of Eerie Magazine. Each issue features seven tales. In addition, the issues include a "Monster Gallery," highlighting a specific monster or creature, the letters to Cousin Eerie with readers commenting on stories, and great covers by Frank Frazetta The cover art is a great reason to pick up this volume. You can get it also for the fun stories of mystery, horror, and supernatural. Eerie had various artists on staff, so you get a great variety of art styles throughout the stories. Most of the scripts were done by Archie Goodwin, but there are a few stories written by others including an adaptation or two of a classic tale. Additionally, I love the inclusion of various vintage ads. One that caught my eye was the ad for Sax Rohmer's early Fu-Manchu novels.

If you enjoy horror and supernatural fiction and comics, you'll enjoy this volume. The stories often have a twist or sudden revelation at the end that adds to the horror. I enjoyed reading the tales two or three at a time, just relishing the horror, suspense, and art. This volume can be a great selection to read in the Halloween season, but you can enjoy it any time of the year. Once in a while you want some horror but nothing too heavy. This volume is perfect for that. The stories and art draw you in, and you want to keep reading. 

Some of my favorite stories in the volume include: 

• "The Curse of Kali." A British expedition in India messing with local curses despite the warnings. Naturally, they fail to heed or even acknowledge the warnings and signs until it is too late. 
• "Witches' Tide." This is about a town wanting to destroy a local witch, but there is a deadly twist. 
• "Oversight." This one is a bit reminiscent of the later film "They Live." 
• "Dark Rider." A small group of cowboys caught in a snowstorm realize something or someone sinister is following them. This is an example of what is often called a "weird Western." 
• "Fair Exchange." In this story, an old greedy rich man wants to live forever by transferring his mind to a younger body. He should've done better due diligence.
• "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge." This is an adaptation of the Ambrose Bierce tale. The first time I read the tale as a kid I did not quite get it. I wish I had this adaptation back then. The visual element would've helped a lot. I ended up liking the tale now. 

Overall, I highly recommend this volume. Libraries that collect comics and graphic novels need to add this. You get some good value with this collected set and some seriously fun reading. I would buy it for my personal collection.

5 out of 5 stars.