Creepy and Eerie magazines delivered some first-rate supernatural and horror tales for the comics medium (along with some good sci fi and fantasy as well), though sadly their legacy as faded over the years.
What Is It?
These two comic book magazines were put out by Warren Publishing starting in the mid-1960s, and they very much carried on the tradition of EC Comics from the 1950s. Each magazine was an anthology with its own EC-like host introducing the stories: Uncle Creepy and Cousin Eerie. The tales tended to have supernatural or horror themes, but they also ventured into sci-fi and fantasy at times. Creepy was strictly an anthology book, while Eerie contained both standalone and serialized stories. Both attracted notable talent from the comics industry during their time and are now considered classics of the genre.
Created By: Jim Warren, Russ Jones, Archie Goodwin
Original Run:
Creepy: Late 1964 – February 1983, 145 Issues
Eerie: March 1966 – February 1983, 138 Issues
Legacy:
Creepy and Eerie magazines established a level of quality for mature illustrated stories that set the bar for decades to come, producing first-rate tales with excellent artwork that represent some of the best output among supernatural and horror comics.
A Closer Look:
In the late 1950s, James Warren got started in publishing when he partnered with Forrest J. Ackerman on Famous Monsters of Filmland (more on that one at this link). After finding success with that and several spin-off magazines, he launched Creepy in 1964, which was later followed by Eerie in 1966 (Vampirella would follow in 1969, but I’ll be covering that in a separate post). For the first two comics anthologies put out by Warren, the decision was made to go with magazine size, which exempted them from the Comics Code Authority that had covered the smaller four-color books since the 1950s. This allowed for more editorial freedom and enabled Creepy and Eerie to follow in the style first established by EC Comics in the early 1950s (which were run out of business once the Comics Code was put into place).
Creepy and Eerie were both anthologies, each with their own rather lurid host to introduce the stories. And the tales they introduced were certainly worth the price of the book, as they delivered some first-rate spooky stories from top creative talent in the industry. Artists like Neal Adams, Dan Adkins, Reed Crandall, Steve Ditko, Frank Frazetta, Alex Toth, Al Williamson, Wally Wood, and more contributed to the books at various times, while writers/editors such as Archie Goodwin, Doug Moench, Steve Skeates, Bruce Jones, and others penned the stories. The magazines went through changes over the years and the editorial staff began seeking out creators from other countries (particularly Spain and the Philippines) to keep costs down, but the quality remained fairly steady. And while Warren was known for not paying the best rates, the company did allow its talent a fair amount of creative freedom.
Some of the people who worked on Creepy and Eerie over the years produced excellent work because they could step away from the rigid requirements of the bigger comics publishers and take some chances. The earliest years from both books probably contain some of the best examples of this, but there were plenty of good stories produced for both volumes throughout their tenure. These magazines also ventured into adult themes, containing some brief nudity and more violence than four-color comics.
Creepy stuck mostly to standalone stories, while Eerie mixed in some serialized tales like “Dracula” from Tom Sutton and Bill DuBay, “Dax the Warrior” from Esteban Maroto, “Curse of the Werewolf” by Bill DuBay, Rich Buckler, and Al Milgrom, “Schreck” by Vicente Alcazar and Neal Adams (no relation to the Shrek films), and “The Rook” by Bill DuBay. The latter was one of the longest serialized entries from Eerie and would later spin off into its own book for fourteen issues. And in the late ’70s, Eerie experimented with creating a shared universe that included The Rook, Hunter, Exterminator One, and other characters.
Both Creepy and Eerie delivered plenty of spooky tales during their runs, along with some interesting sci-fi and fantasy adventures. They are well remembered by those of us who grew up reading them as they hit the stands, and much of their output now counts as comic book classics. Sadly, the magazines have mostly faded from memory and are not well known to modern audiences, but they are certainly worth seeking out.
Why Were They Cancelled?
Creepy and Eerie had notably long runs for Warren, though they did go through ups and downs during their tenure. There were periods when the stories were mostly, if not all, reprints, and the quality fluctuated over the years as well. The failing health of James Warren caused some turmoil behind the scenes in the early ’80s, eventually leading the company to declare bankruptcy. Harris Publications acquired Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella at that time and continued those briefly before ceasing publication. Warren would later re-acquire the rights but did not produce any more issues.
Revival:
Dark Horse bought the rights to both books in the 2000s and released several well-produced collections reprinting issues from the original runs (more on that below). In addition, they revived both Creepy and Eerie for a brief time, including new stories along with reprints, and some artists—such as Richard Corben—returned to contribute. The Creepy revival ran for fourteen issues starting in 2009, and the new Eerie had an eight-issue run starting in 2012. However, the reboots did not prove popular enough, and both books were canceled by 2016.
Should They Be Rebooted?
The anthology format has limitless potential, and both of these books could successfully be rebooted. The original format could absolutely work today, and if they go back to black-and-white strips, that could cut costs and make them more affordable in a market saturated by over-inflated prices. They could bring in new talent as well as known creators and perhaps experiment again with building a shared universe. Other magazines like Shudder and Vampiress Carmilla are very much in the style of the Warren books and have proven popular, so it certainly seems like a return of Creepy and Eerie could work.
Interesting Facts:
Uncle Creepy and Cousin Eerie were directly inspired by the EC Comics horror hosts such as The Crypt-Keeper (Tales from the Crypt), The Vault-Keeper (The Vault of Horror), and The Old Witch (The Haunt of Fear). They served as macabre narrators who introduced and commented on each story, often with dark humor and puns.
Warren Publishing gave artists unprecedented freedom, encouraging fully painted panels, moody ink work, and atmospheric layouts. This helped solidify the magazines’ status as artistic showcases—especially for talents like Frank Frazetta, Bernie Wrightson, and Steve Ditko.
Where Can You Read It?
As mentioned above, Dark Horse put out some nice archive collections which included most, if not all, of the original issues. The Creepy collection comprises 29 volumes while Eerie is covered across 27 books. The hard-cover editions are rather pricey, but the eBook versions are more affordable.
