HORROR AND SCIENCE FICTION IN THE COMICS

For those who loved to be frightened by ghosts and ghouls or wowed by science fiction fantasy, there were, at one time, many successful comics to satisfy everyone's desires. Some of the most popular horror and science fiction comics of the 1940's and mid 1950's were produced by EC Comics, including Tales from the Crypt. Pressure to censor the comics later prompted EC Comics to move toward more of the off-color humor of Mad magazine.

EC Comics also produced such comics as The Vault of Horror and The Haunt of Fear in the horror genre and science fiction comics like Weird Science and Weird Fantasy. Part of the spine-tingling appeal of the horror comics were the "narrators" of the tales. The Crypt Keeper told the stories from Tales from the Crypt, the Vault Keeper narrated The Vault of Horror, and the Old Witch was the narrator for The Haunt of Fear.

Due to concerns by "experts" over the effects such comics, including the science fiction ones, might have on children, EC Comics was eventually forced to stop producing them. They were, at a time, not allowed to use the words "horror" "terror" or "weird" on the covers of their magazines and many distributors refused to carry their magazines.

In the latter 1950's, Marvel Comics published two comic books that were a combination of horror and science fiction and tamer than their predecessors. Tales to Astonish and Tales of Suspense contained stories depicting more of a suspense/science fiction slant and later were transformed into various superhero-themed comics.

Unfortunately for those who loved their horror and science fiction comics, after 1955 when the Comics Code Authority was created, the death of these comics came swiftly and perhaps the greatest era of horror and science fiction comics was over for good. Other comics such as Tower of Shadows and Chamber of Darkness came along in the late 1960's, produced by Marvel Comics, reprising the horror comic genre. However, they just didn't have quite the same appeal and stylings of those earlier comics.

From the 1970's on, after the Comic Code of Authority lifted some restrictions for horror and science fiction comics, there was a resurgence of these comics. However, the market for these types of comics is relatively small today. The days of great horror and science fiction comics as they were meant to be is now a part of history as the superhero comics have risen to great popularity over those frightening and fascinating comics of yesteryear.

The new craze! Interested in quad bikes?

copyright 2009 idsarisd.org