New ACG and Harvey printed horror collections...

[Yoc]

I just heard about these two very pricey collections being produced in Europe.
They look nice but 'ouch, that's an expensive meatball!'

http://www.acgcomics.com/fw-v1-info.html
http://www.harveyhorrors.com/

I suspect DCM and GAC were the source for some of these complete collections.
If anyone gets them I'd love to know what you think of them.

-Yoc

[jfglade]

 The chances that I'll ever see any of those books but I can't help but wonder what language they are printed in. Or are they subtitled?

[paw broon]

The Harvey Horrors books are in English.  A pal has a couple of them and they are quite nice packages, in colour but then, he's a horror comics nut. I enjoyed reading them and they are only 30 Sterling. I'm sure they can be found cheaper.
As for the ACG books, it looks like the same company - price, packaging etc.

[Yoc]

Thanks for the info PB.
So these reprints, would you say they are better or worse than a typical DC archive for printing, paper stock, colouring?  Are the using scans of originals like we share or some other technique?

[paw broon]

Chamber of Chills is up on Amazon U.K for around 25 Sterling.
As for the quality, I feel the repros are slightly muddy but nowhere near spoiling the fun.  Don't know where the source material came from, could be DCM/GAC.  How would you find out?  The package looks just like the Archives/ Masterworks style.  I wont buy them but only because they're not my main interest and I don't have the space and my spare cash is for other stuff. But then again, I can borrow them.

[tilliban]

I can help out.
Most German comic stores have them on stock.
So far just CHAMBER OF CHILLS Vol. 1 is out. Which I bought.
It's a must-have for an horror aficionado as myself (www.fifties-horror.de).
First collections of WITCHES TALES and TOMB OF TERROR are coming up in the next weeks.
It's nicely printed (in China) and reasonably priced (normal edition about 45 US-Dollars, contains seven single issues).
The paper is fine (not glossy like the Masterworks series), but I feel like the colors are a touch too dark and gloomy.
My theory is they got complete runs of all issues, had them scanned anew and just printed them without paying anyone any royalties.
Clever, innit?!

I am simply delirious that they are reprinting all of Harvey horror books.
I think they are on the wrong track to reprint complete runs of ACG books.

Here are some links:
http://www.harveyhorrors.com/index.html
http://www.acgcomics.com/

[Yoc]

Thanks very much for providing more details T.

[jfglade]

 I wonder if the publisher doesn't have some hopes of public and university libraries buying some of the collections. Leather bound books don't seem aimed at the general collector (or at least not the ones I still know) but would be an added attraction to institutions.

[hunterguy]

I would consider getting these is they were around $50 for each tiltle set - I love all the extras and the slipcase.  The prices are out of this world.  Oh well maybe someone else will put these sets together.

[Yoc]

I hear they did a nice job but yes, the price is high.

[bminor]

Yeh, the price is high. But they are most likely doing very short runs on these books.
The only  way to have them more affordable is to have much longer runs. If you do that you have to have pretty deep pockets, to pay up front for all that printing, then wait till you sell enough of them to cover the printing costs, etc. After all that is done THEN you may start making some money.
I myself have though of putting together some books on DCM here and having them printed, but yikes, it would be pretty darn expensive, especially since you can read them all here for free!!!

B.

I have been pondering reprinting everybodys favorite book here, the infamous Phantom Lady #17 as a comic book on nice thick white paper and a even thicker cover. I have been slowly working on the artwork in that issue. The inside printing is pretty bad, that is it has a lot of red splotching, it is like they ran the red really, really heavy. I have been thinking about retouching the artwork to make it look better, or would it be better to just leave it the way it is? Any thoughts?

[tilliban]

This could be a whole new market:
Reprinting public domain comic books from scans.

You'd need a pretty good printing connection and a distributor of course.

@bminor:
Before putting a lot of work retouching the Phantom17, try to find a better scan maybe. Or a better printed issue.
Hmm, the scan is very good actually, but some of these pages are badly blotched. Red spots, strange indeed.
Is this a printing error?

[Yoc]

Fox's inferior printing often ruined what little chance artwork had of looking good.  Toss in the poor paper and you get mud.  I doubt very much you ever see another person scan #17, it's just too expensive and we are amazingly lucky that we have any version of it at all!
I spent months fixing the registration on Phantom Lady #22 which is particularly poor printing among the PL run.  (Even with three different issues to scan from they All were horribly printed.)  We will be debuting my 'corrected version' when the Phantom Lady Archives v2 debuts.  The fixed version will also be available as an individual download on the site.  It was Not much fun trying to fix things!  If you do correct the scans be sure to let your reading audience know it's been retouched and that an original 'as-is' version is here on the site for purists.

-Yoc

[tilliban]

And I thought SUPERIOR had bad printing...
Sorry for being such a layman.
But never give up hope.
As the comic collecting pioneers roamed the country in search of trunks and closets full of golden age books, we may find someone who'll cram his books under a scanner.
Keeping his eyes open:
T.

[Yoc]

Hi T,
You check the going rates for a beat up copy of PL 17 but be sure to be sitting down when you do.
Momma Mia!