Staff Picks (September): Howard Nostrand's Nightmares

Publisher: IDW Publishing

When you think of horror comics, the gory days of the EC Comics come to mind for many older fans, to some Creepy and Eerie magazines, while House of Mystery and The Witching Hour scared readers decades later. In all cases scary stories were illustrated by some of the biggest names in comic book history. Classic stories were illustrated by artist like Jack Davis, Graham Ingels, Steve Ditko, Bob Powell, and Howard Nostrand, an artist that made you want to read the Harvey comics horror titles.

My first real knowledge of Howard Nostrand was reading the graphic story magazine featuring an interview with him. At that point I began looking for comics with his work, much like how I got hooked on Alex Toth. Nostrand's style was a mix of the Jack Davis cartoon style but with a slickness and moody finish associated with Wood, Lee Elias, and Bob Powell. While some consider him the king of the swipes, Nostrand could take other artists' ideas and make them uniquely his own.

While there have been other publishers that have reprinted some of Nostrand’s work, this edition is reproduced from the original art, no small feat given the age of these stories. If you look at the quality of the IDW Artist Editions then you know what the quality of this book will be.

Howard Nostrand's Nightmares from IDW Publishing is a welcome addition to a library already filled with archives of EC Comics, ACG, Fiction House, and Harvey Horror collections.

~ Steve Leaf