Villordsutch reviews Haunted Horror #4…
Not being a huge horror comic fan, I was rather interested in seeing what Haunted Horror #4 was like and after reading the book, I came to the conclusion that this horror collection is like SodaStream.
Let me explain. When I was younger we never had a SodaStream in our home but a friend did. I was rather excited to go around to his home to try it. You start off feeling great as you’ve just made Coke! Then you make an American Cream soda and it tastes okay. You then try Dandelion and Burdock and you start to realise that all you have here is a collection of sweet syrups and you’re just forcing bubbles into it to make it palatable. Eventually you’re making Bubbly Milk and you know it’s time you should stop.
That analogy is perfect for this comic book. After the first story you’re smiling at how ludicrous and fantastic it was. It would have been a great read as a child, in the early 1950s, as this would possibly have scared the heck out of you. Then as it carries on you have the urge to flick past a few pages as the stories begin to no longer amuse or keep you interested.
The artwork for the time looks good, but the reproduction doesn’t. I’m reading this on my Nexus7 and I’ve seen IDW comics that appear perfect – however, this looks like a lot a bunch of PDF scans. I’m aware that these are old comics and IDW are bringing them back for new readers, but they could have spent an extra day or two to make it look better.
For your money though, you are getting a lot of comics in these covers. This would be a wet weekend holiday comic for me when I was a child (making dodgy SodaStream drinks). Old horror fans would possible love this for its look and as long as you ignore the poor reproduction you’ll be fine, but for those unfamiliar with the horror comic scene I wouldn’t let this be your introduction.
Villordsutch is married with kids and pets. He looks like a tubby Viking and enjoys science fiction. Follow him on Twitter.
Originally published April 26, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
