Going underground
Going underground |
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Page 15 of 36  Deviant Slice (Print Mint, 1973). Art: Greg Irons. Script: Tom Veitch. Horror also brought out the best in certain writers. After all, any story based in such a genre framework demanded more than abstract psychedelia or dumb scatology, and the EC comics had always made plot a priority. Many of the new comix made explicit reference to this, and included figures similar to the Crypt Keeper to introduce stories. Jack Jackson in particular was responsible for some remarkably-told satirical horror strips, taking EC's black humour to even blacker levels, while partnerships were hatched which placed an emphasis on the writing, like that between Tom Veitch and Greg Irons (whose work for Skull and Deviant Slice was among the most memorable to come out of the entire underground). This emphasis on new kinds of storytelling, plus the extreme nature of what was drawn - every unfurling entrail lovingly depicted - meant that the horror genre as a whole was turned on its head. Nothing was suggested anymore, everything was shown. At the same time, writers' forays into existential terror was something new. Obviously, there were problems with this approach, especially regarding the role of women, but even so, it is fair to argue that the comix anticipated the trend for 'body horror' in the cinema by several years.  Deviant Slice  Panels from Skull (Rip Off, 1970) by the idiosyncratic Rory Hayes. |