Of the myriad genres comic books ventured into during its golden age, none was as controversial as or came at a greater cost than horror; the public outrage it incited almost destroyed the entire industry. Yet before the watchdog groups and Congress could intercede, horror books were flying off the newsstands. During its peak period (1951-54) over fifty titles appeared each month. Apparently there was something perversely irresistible about these graphic excursions into our dark side, and Four Color Fear collects the finest of these into a single robust and affordable volume.

We caught up with editor, Greg Sadowski, to talk about FOUR COLOR FEAR.

The Big Bad Wolf: How was the collaboration process with John Benson on FOUR COLOR FEAR: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s.

Greg Sadowski : Pretty smooth for the most part, though things can get heated at times, which is to be expected when participants feel strongly about what they're trying to accomplish. But we're old friends, John and I, and we both understand that a certain amount of tension is inherent in the best creative work.

The Big Bad Wolf: How did you two select which titles made it into the collection, did you go off of your memory or did you have to go through a ton of titles?

Greg Sadowski : John's been wanting to do a horror collection for years, so when I told him about the project, he asked to be a part of it. Having no doubt it would be a better book with him onboard, I agreed at once. John also happens to have a terrific collection of horror comics, so it made the search for stories that much easier. Several of his choices were ones I had already picked, and he also pointed me to many classics I had never seen before, all of which are included.

The Big Bad Wolf: Are these all non-EC titles/stories?

Greg Sadowski : All non-EC. yes. That is the point of the book - to present the most distinctive stories from the other companies. EC certainly popularized the genre, but they were limited in several ways. For instance, EC horror editor Al Feldstein did the layouts for every EC horror story except Johnny Craig's, but in FOUR COLOR FEAR you get a chance to see the personal story breakdowns of future EC artists Reed Crandall, George Evans, Al Williamson, and Wallace Wood. You'll find theirs are much more visually expansive than Feldstein's, which tended to be rather compressed and text heavy. Also, the EC stories always had a fairly high level of professional sheen and polish, but many of the stories in this volume have a rough, almost underground sensibility, more unsavory and disturbing than most of the EC stuff.

The Big Bad Wolf: Can you give us a rundown on some of the writers/artists in this book?

Greg Sadowski : Well, writers are tough to nail down, since they were rarely, if ever, credited, but we do mention the staff writers we're aware of. The artists (besides those I already mentioned) include Jack Cole, Sid Check, Joe Kubert, Howard Nostrand, Bob Powell, and Basil Wolverton, i.e., some of the finest artists of the precode era. We're also showing 32 full-sized covers by artists such as Bernard Baily, L.B. Cole, William Eckgren, Matt Fox, Frank Frazetta, and Jack Kirby.

The Big Bad Wolf: Which story in this collection stands out as your personal favorite?

Greg Sadowski : Boy, it's tough to nail down one. When you skim off the best 43 out of hundreds of stories, the all possess a similar level of fascination. That said, "Corpses Coast to Coast" is certainly a standout. It's tells the tale of the "U.W.Z" (United World Zombies) and their Nazi-like quest for world domination. The bodies really pile up in that one.

The Big Bad Wolf: In your opinion, what do you think made horror comics so wildly popular in the 1950’s?

Greg Sadowski : I guess for the same reason why horror movies have always been popular: people enjoy and will pay for vicarious thrills.

The Big Bad Wolf: Would you be interested in doing another volume of Four Color Fear?

Greg Sadowski : If the first volume does well, I suspect John and I would be happy to do another.

The Big Bad Wolf: When is the release date and how much is the book?

Greg Sadowski : It was originally slated for a June release, but the restorations are pretty intense (I'm restoring over 250 pages of comics, plus the 32 covers), so now we're set for early August. The book will contain 304 pages and retail for $29.99.

The Big Bad Wolf: Where can our readers find out more about FOUR COLOR FEAR: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s?

Greg Sadowski : Amazon.com has an item description.

The Big Bad Wolf: In closing, what would you like to say about FOUR COLOR FEAR: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s?

Greg Sadowski : Just that it's a ton of work but I'm very pleased with the way FOUR COLOR FEAR is turning out. I'd buy it myself in a minute if I wasn't guaranteed a free one.

The Big Bad Wolf: Thank you for your time, Greg. Best of luck with FOUR COLOR FEAR: Forgotten Horror Comics!

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