Tales from the Crypt #4 Crypt-Keeping it Real

by Stefan Petrucha, Alex Simmons, Scott Lobdel, Joe R. Lansdale, John R. Lansdale, Aries Kaplan, Jim Salicrup
Papercutz, 2008
ISBN: 9781597071055
Available: New

It’s easy to look past some of the cheesiness in this volume of Tales From the Crypt because not only do the writers tap into some very pop culture places, but they really hit a fantastic stride of length here, capitalizing on the graphic format to add to the story instead of merely translating the tales from one medium into another. The first segment, “You Toomb”, is a collection of short tales with a roller-coaster, bottom-dropping feeling, is set up as if the reader is watching a series of Internet videos, all of which are classic Tales from the Crypt-style horror. “Roses Bedight” by Stefan Petrucha in this section is particularly good, almost the sort of tale you’d expect to find in Apex Digest.

With this volume the Crypt crew has found a good balance between fresh and modern and that classic Crypt feel. The monsters are cartoony rather than stomach-turning, making this book particularly good for a young adult section where readers want scary creatures and plots, but aren’t ready for hardcore gore and adult situations.

Review for MonsterLibrarian.com