Web of Horror #3

Web of Horror was a short-lived, anthology horror-comic magazine that intentionally aped the style of Eerie and Creepy. Three issues were produced between the fall of 1969 and spring of 1970. There were more issues planned, but things didn't work out. (You can read Bernie Wrightson's firsthand account of exactly what happened elsewhere, so I won't go into it.)

The most remarkable thing about Web of Horror is that it showcases the work of artists such as Wrightson, Bruce Jones, and Mike Kaluta before they were famous. Wrightson went on to co-create Swamp Thing soon after WoH went kaput and quickly established himself as comicdom's premiere horror artist. The others went on to successful careers in illustration, as well.

I found out about the magazine in Berni Wrightson: A Look Back (yes, he has alternated between ending his first name with and without an "e"), the now out-of-print comprehensive look at the artist's career. Alter Ego also ran a detailed article about it in its 2008 Hallowe'en issue. As you can imagine, the issues are pretty rare, but I managed to get a F copy of the third issue (reportedly the best) for a decent price recently and was thrilled.

Issue 3 features six stories, and I must say that even though the art is impressive (particularly Wrightson's and Frank Brunner's), the writing leaves something to be desired. In fact, two of the tales, "Strangers" and "Point of View," have basically the same story (i.e., becoming stranded in an alien environment and changing into something other than human).

Wrightson's offering, "Feed It" (written by Mike Friedrich), is the best-looking, and it's no surprise that he went on to great things. (Incidentally, I finally got a chance to meet him and get his autograph at Dragon*Con this year. Nice guy, if a bit on the shy side.)

The best of the lot storywise is probably "Curse of the Yeti," though it has a similar ending to the aforementioned two (perhaps a theme for the issue?).

One can easily see how this magazine was on the right track, and given time I'm sure it could have become fantastic. It was definitely worth a read.