Dark Horse Comics celebrates the work of artist Alex Toth with the new book Creepy Presents: Alex Toth. The book features horror tales written by Archie Goodwin, Doug Moench and other classic scribes, all with full or assisted art by Toth.
After a brief two page introduction by Douglas Wolk, author of the book Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean, we get 150+ pages of prime Toth stories.
I tried reading the stories from the perspective of someone cracking open a Creepy magazine in the 1970s, who might have seen a few old Twilight Zone episodes and possibly may have seen Rod Serling’s latest show Night Gallery and still had the potential to be surprised by a horror story’s ending. Though most of the stories contained here have endings that you can see coming from 50 miles away, there’s no denying how great and stylish Alex Toth’s work is on bringing these tales to life. Like the greatest directors and artists, his art not only enhanced every story but advanced new innovations and concepts in storytelling.
It’s no surprise that Toth would eventually dominate in the animation field, creating Space Ghost and The Herculoids as well as contributing to Jonny Quest, Thundarr the Barbarian and other big animated shows of the ’70s and ’80s. He got his start here.
Some of the standout stories in this collection are:
- “The Stalkers”: One of Toth’s first stories and he’s firing on all thrusters here. It opens with a splash page done in Will Eisner-style lettering. The title looks as big as a mountain with the alien creatures of the story standing over them like giants, making the page incredibly creepy. The panels flow into each other throughout, twisting at odd angles, creating a feeling of claustrophobia as the protagonist feels like the aliens are near him, watching him at all times and even those close to him can’t be trusted. The paranoia’s enhanced by Toth’s innovative ways of showing fear and anxiety. In one panel, we see the main character’s hand as he looks at one of the aliens through the gaps in his fingers. It’s a viewpoint I’ve rarely seen in other work and I’m surprised other artists didn’t steal that. Overall, the story feels much like “invasion of the Body Snatchers” and builds up to a climax that’s jarring but predictable.
- “Phantom of Pleasure Island”: Toth has a more detailed style here with lots of shadows and a lead character who’s the spitting image of Humphrey Bogart. The entire story takes place at a theme park and Toth’s artwork is a contradiction in images, as a grim murder mystery rolls out in the midst of a joyous carnival of rides and arcade stands. It’s a lovely little piece that feels like watching a great 1940s Film Noir.
- “The Hacker is Back/The Hacker’s Last Stand”: A cannibal tale starring “The Hacker” that flows over two parts, Toth makes the story a visual feast and laying on the horror with some stunning visuals, including a panel showing arms dangling in a kitchen in front of a boiling pot, which could be men hanging out in the kitchen or severed appendages about to be cooked. Also, there’s a splash page showing The Hacker on a crazed killing spree in a dizzying montage of screaming faces and butcher blades. It sums up weeks of killings in one page and it’s both terrifying and amazing.
I hope Dark Horse releases similar volumes like this in the future, focusing on other innovative artists who worked during the Silver and Bronze Ages.
