Horror Comics

Sorry, I tried to include links, but I couldn't get them to work. 

The Devil's Doorway collects the following: stories from House of Secrets #81-85, House of Mystery #180-185, The Phantom Stranger #5, The Witching Hour #3-7, and The Unexpected #113-117.

Where Dead Men Walk collects the following: House of Secrets #86-90, House of Mystery #186-190, The Witching Hour #8-12, and The Unexpected #118-123.

MSRP on the DC Finest line is $39.99, but they are often cheaper on Amazon (Devil's Doorway is currently $24.99).

I'm still debating as my TBR pile is stupid large at this point, but I'm incredibly tempted.

 I read THE DEVIL'S DOORWAY, not sure if I have the other one and haven't read it yet, or if it was a casualty of my job-loss, which has pretty much stopped all of my buying for the past 9 months. DOORWAY was a fun book, but you have to remember that DC Horror at the time was the gentlest, most toothless type of Horror, so don't expect any EC-type shenanigans.

 I've been doing my comic-buying at In-Stock Trades since 2012, and while the 50% discount is mainly a thing of the past, DOORWAY is currently 42% off, you get free shipping at $50.00, and you get an extra 2% loyalty bonus if you place another order within a week. They're reliable and trustworthy.

https://www.instocktrades.com/products/may257252/dc-finest-horror-the-devils-doorway-tp

Another fun collection that came out recently was FLINCH, which collected the entire 16-issue series from the early 2000s. Lots of great stories and art. BOOM!'s HELLO, DARKNESS is on it's fifth collection, and is an excellent book.

I literally just came across Flinch on Reddit an hour or so ago. I don't think I read it when it was coming out, but I know that cover anywhere.

Also another big fan of IST - I buy a ton from them when I'm in the mood. I know I should support my local stores but 40-44% off trades is a no brainer for me. 

Posted by: @dannyboy121070

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 I read THE DEVIL'S DOORWAY, not sure if I have the other one and haven't read it yet, or if it was a casualty of my job-loss, which has pretty much stopped all of my buying for the past 9 months. DOORWAY was a fun book, but you have to remember that DC Horror at the time was the gentlest, most toothless type of Horror, so don't expect any EC-type shenanigans.

That's what I've heard, but I've always been curious about DC's horror output. I was a fan of Weird War Tales back in the day. I don't know if those stories would hold up on a revisit, but I'd probably snatch up a DC Finest edition of them in a heartbeat to find out. 

Posted by: @dannyboy121070

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Another fun collection that came out recently was FLINCH, which collected the entire 16-issue series from the early 2000s. Lots of great stories and art. BOOM!'s HELLO, DARKNESS is on it's fifth collection, and is an excellent book.

-- attachment is not available --

I remember this one! I have the first 11 issues in floppies tucked away in a long box. This seems to be having a moment of re-evaluation lately. I remember when it first came out in 2000-2001, the response was rather mixed. I probably need to pull my copies out and give it another go. 

Posted by: @tacomadiver

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I literally just came across Flinch on Reddit an hour or so ago. I don't think I read it when it was coming out, but I know that cover anywhere.

Also another big fan of IST - I buy a ton from them when I'm in the mood. I know I should support my local stores but 40-44% off trades is a no brainer for me. 

I need to give IST a shot. I've browsed their site many a times, yet never placed an order. 

I'm with you in wanting to support local shops; retail is hard and anything I can do to support local businesses I try to do. However, I just wouldn't buy a lot of these books at MSRP. The DC Finest titles aren't too bad at $39.99, but various compendiums MSRP at $59.99 and hardcover omnibuses from from $100-150. These prices far outweigh my desire to read the contents. At a discount, I find the prices and my desire to read them more closely align. 

I do find it fascinating how much the collected editions market has boomed. There seems to be sizeable market that finds these editions preferable to buying the floppies, which is in stark contrast to during my heyday of comic collecting in the 90s.

My only compliant with IST is how slow their shipping process is. My last order took almost a month from order to shipping. But I've never needed any of those books TODAY so I was fine waiting.

I know it shows my age here, but when I was originally reading comics, trades were not a common experience. Very few comics ever got trades, compared to today where practically everything gets a trade.

An omnibus will cost $150 easily, but if I can buy it from IST for $88 and get free shipping . . .

Posted by: @tacomadiver

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My only compliant with IST is how slow their shipping process is. My last order took almost a month from order to shipping. But I've never needed any of those books TODAY so I was fine waiting.

I know it shows my age here, but when I was originally reading comics, trades were not a common experience. Very few comics ever got trades, compared to today where practically everything gets a trade.

An omnibus will cost $150 easily, but if I can buy it from IST for $88 and get free shipping . . .

Wow, that is a long time to wait for a non-preorder time. I think I'm in the same boat with not needing the books ASAP, but I'll keep it in mind if and when I decide to order through them. 

I'm always surprised to see just how many trades are coming out and how many different versions of the same stuff. I was recently eyeing a couple Legion of Superheroes deluxe HCs, The Great Darkness Saga and The Curse, only to find out that next year DC is releasing pretty close to the same contents of those two HCs combined into a new omnibus and a DC Finest TPB. I get there is a different customer for the hardcover omnibuses and the DC Finest TPBs, but two have two different HC versions of (almost) the same contents is surprising. Maybe the deluxe HCs are going OOP, but regardless, clearly there is a lot of interest to warrant new editions.

One thing I do like about the new approach is how comprehensive the new collections are. Back in the day, trades would be of a specific storyline and that was it. Now, the collections pull in all the weird one-offs and various mini-series that are related to the run. This, I think, is pretty cool.

Posted by: @tacomadiver

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My only compliant with IST is how slow their shipping process is. My last order took almost a month from order to shipping. But I've never needed any of those books TODAY so I was fine waiting.

I know it shows my age here, but when I was originally reading comics, trades were not a common experience. Very few comics ever got trades, compared to today where practically everything gets a trade.

An omnibus will cost $150 easily, but if I can buy it from IST for $88 and get free shipping . . .

 IST generally ships new books the same week lately; If I order anything that isn't brand new, it can sometimes be a wait. New books from Dark Horse can be an issue for some reason...If they sell out of their initial order, they have a hard time restocking. They recently implemented a new process for books that aren't immediately available, where they ship the available stuff within 2 weeks, try to get the older book for a month, and then cancel the remaining book or books if they can't get them. 

Posted by: @sock_monkey

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Posted by: @dannyboy121070

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Another fun collection that came out recently was FLINCH, which collected the entire 16-issue series from the early 2000s. Lots of great stories and art. BOOM!'s HELLO, DARKNESS is on it's fifth collection, and is an excellent book.

-- attachment is not available --

I remember this one! I have the first 11 issues in floppies tucked away in a long box. This seems to be having a moment of re-evaluation lately. I remember when it first came out in 2000-2001, the response was rather mixed. I probably need to pull my copies out and give it another go. 

 

 A lot of the creators that were "New" at that point have gone on to be legends today. I was surprised at how MANY really big names had stories in FLINCH.

Posted by: @sock_monkey

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Posted by: @tacomadiver

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My only compliant with IST is how slow their shipping process is. My last order took almost a month from order to shipping. But I've never needed any of those books TODAY so I was fine waiting.

I know it shows my age here, but when I was originally reading comics, trades were not a common experience. Very few comics ever got trades, compared to today where practically everything gets a trade.

An omnibus will cost $150 easily, but if I can buy it from IST for $88 and get free shipping . . .

Wow, that is a long time to wait for a non-preorder time. I think I'm in the same boat with not needing the books ASAP, but I'll keep it in mind if and when I decide to order through them. 

I'm always surprised to see just how many trades are coming out and how many different versions of the same stuff. I was recently eyeing a couple Legion of Superheroes deluxe HCs, The Great Darkness Saga and The Curse, only to find out that next year DC is releasing pretty close to the same contents of those two HCs combined into a new omnibus and a DC Finest TPB. I get there is a different customer for the hardcover omnibuses and the DC Finest TPBs, but two have two different HC versions of (almost) the same contents is surprising. Maybe the deluxe HCs are going OOP, but regardless, clearly there is a lot of interest to warrant new editions.

One thing I do like about the new approach is how comprehensive the new collections are. Back in the day, trades would be of a specific storyline and that was it. Now, the collections pull in all the weird one-offs and various mini-series that are related to the run. This, I think, is pretty cool.

 

 DC has really upped their collected edition game recently. In the case of the LOSH collection you mentioned, I believe the hardcover is going OOP, and they're replacing it with the DC FINEST and the omnibus, to please the Omnibus fans AND the "These books are too heavy to read, waaaah!" omnibus whiners. (I kid, but a book being too heavy is a strange complaint, at least to me, lol. Get one of those tome-holders that Wizards always have in the paintings, like I did!)

 Marvel has been great about COLLECTING everything, but they let everything drop OOP almost instantly, so I'm glad to see DC is starting a robust collected edition reprint program.

 A lot of the creators that were "New" at that point have gone on to be legends today. I was surprised at how MANY really big names had stories in FLINCH.

I saw this when I was looking up the cost for the issues I'm missing online. Joe Lansdale, Greg Rucka, Bill Willingham, Lucius Shepard, Brian Azzarello, Mike Carey, just to name a few. And that's just some of the writers. It's a pretty stacked anthology. 

Also, thanks for some of the clarification of IST's shipping policies. I'll keep it in mind when I decide to pull the trigger. 

Posted by: @dannyboy121070

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Posted by: @sock_monkey

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Posted by: @tacomadiver

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My only compliant with IST is how slow their shipping process is. My last order took almost a month from order to shipping. But I've never needed any of those books TODAY so I was fine waiting.

I know it shows my age here, but when I was originally reading comics, trades were not a common experience. Very few comics ever got trades, compared to today where practically everything gets a trade.

An omnibus will cost $150 easily, but if I can buy it from IST for $88 and get free shipping . . .

Wow, that is a long time to wait for a non-preorder time. I think I'm in the same boat with not needing the books ASAP, but I'll keep it in mind if and when I decide to order through them. 

I'm always surprised to see just how many trades are coming out and how many different versions of the same stuff. I was recently eyeing a couple Legion of Superheroes deluxe HCs, The Great Darkness Saga and The Curse, only to find out that next year DC is releasing pretty close to the same contents of those two HCs combined into a new omnibus and a DC Finest TPB. I get there is a different customer for the hardcover omnibuses and the DC Finest TPBs, but two have two different HC versions of (almost) the same contents is surprising. Maybe the deluxe HCs are going OOP, but regardless, clearly there is a lot of interest to warrant new editions.

One thing I do like about the new approach is how comprehensive the new collections are. Back in the day, trades would be of a specific storyline and that was it. Now, the collections pull in all the weird one-offs and various mini-series that are related to the run. This, I think, is pretty cool.

 

 DC has really upped their collected edition game recently. In the case of the LOSH collection you mentioned, I believe the hardcover is going OOP, and they're replacing it with the DC FINEST and the omnibus, to please the Omnibus fans AND the "These books are too heavy to read, waaaah!" omnibus whiners. (I kid, but a book being too heavy is a strange complaint, at least to me, lol. Get one of those tome-holders that Wizards always have in the paintings, like I did!)

 Marvel has been great about COLLECTING everything, but they let everything drop OOP almost instantly, so I'm glad to see DC is starting a robust collected edition reprint program.

 

Yeah, I figured the LOSH HC was going out of print. I'm currently debating whether I want to pick up the two hardcovers (Great Darkness and The Curse) or just wait for the DC Finest edition. I don't need hardcovers, so maybe the finest is the way to go. It's also not a "must have" right now, so I don't mind waiting seven months for the DC Finest. 

I actually need to start picking some of these DC Finest titles up. I keep eyeing them, but just haven't jumped on them yet. Right now, I'm looking at some of the Kirby stuff (The Demon and The Fourth World stuff), but also the offbeat horror, western, and war stuff looks like it would interesting--and most likely to go out of print. And of course they announce the first volume of Hitman in the series right after I pick them all up in floppies!

I don't get the big deal (no pun intended) over the size of the omnibus volumes, either. I get they aren't they easiest to read, but just eyeballing the book should tell you that. I've heard complaints of art getting lost in the gutters, and that I understand. 

I also find dipping into the Marvel collections frustrating. I know that it is impossible to keep all of their backstock in print at one time, but the perennial stuff should always be available. I mean, why are the Claremont X-Men or PAD Hulk volumes ever out of print? I've heard one theory why they allow it to go volumes to go OOP is to keep demand high so they don't have to sell a greater percentage at a discount. Don't know if it's true or not, but would make sense from a business point of view.

I also struggle with their Epic Collection line. The mandate to print series out of order kills me. I always hesitate to pick up books because I never know when the next volume chronologically in the series will be released. DC on the other hand seems to be approaching each title in chronological order...except for The Teen Titans. The started with "The Judas Contract" and seem to be going backwards.