This Atlas Era Marvel Masterwork has all of the features that we've come to expect of these 1950s horror/mystery collections.
First and foremost it superbly reproduces the 10 issues so one can truly appreciate the qualities of the artwork without going to the (not inconsiderable) time and expense of purchasing the original issues.
It also showcases some well known comics artists in periods before becoming famous or in genres they are not normally associated with or with unfamiliar inkers or whatever. For me personally, it is interesting to see John Forte doing something other than the Bizarro or Legion stories I read as a child. Forte was a gifted artist who never totally mastered the conventions of the dynamic superhero genre but here he is my favorite. Don Heck is totally in his element in these horror/mystery stories. We also get to see some early Steve Ditko Atlas work.
Then there are the artists that are totally forgotten because they left the field before the superhero explosion of the following Silver Age. There are a number in this volume, some of whom one suspects lacked the talent to find regular comics work.
Dr. Michael J. Vassallo contributes his usual comprehensive and exhaustive introduction.
Interestingly, by the third issue in this book, there are six stories rather than five achieved by dropping the page count of individual stories. Curiously, the quality of the stories isn't really affected. Indeed, there are some really good stories toward the end of the book. I suppose the net effect was to increase the chances that a scripter could actually bring a plot to an interesting and logical conclusion. Unfortunately, it was far more common to have competent build up followed by lame, clumsy resolution.
Highly recommended to those familiar with the conventions of the time and the limitations of the material. These books aren't as literate as EC's Tales from the Crypt but the art is to the same standard.
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