tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post6916151168243756560..comments2024-03-06T11:11:48.095-08:00Comments on Too Much Horror Fiction: The Horror Paperback Covers of Zebra Books: What Happened?Will Erricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-55574937983458931922016-04-08T23:03:31.077-07:002016-04-08T23:03:31.077-07:00Nonetheless, they are still good fun, which is wha...Nonetheless, they are still good fun, which is what I think Zebra intended with the line. I mean, not everything can hold literary merit, but some of these paperbacks are still a blast to get through...even if they are really bad. CrabbyCribhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14999482273018351589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-13794519614302064942016-04-07T20:21:12.182-07:002016-04-07T20:21:12.182-07:00I disagree with the notion that the 80s Zebra book...I disagree with the notion that the 80s Zebra books were garbage inside and out. Sure, there were tons of horrible books published by Zebra with lame covers, but there were also some great books and authors given the unfortunate Zebra treatment. Matthew J Costello, Joseph Citro, Jack MacLane aka Bill Crider, Edward Lee, Daniel Ransom aka Ed Gorman and Rick Hautala all published great books MikeGibbonzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17752622832590478659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-43838744907288967932016-01-28T12:22:54.724-08:002016-01-28T12:22:54.724-08:00Thanks Crabby! Cool you're digging around in t...Thanks Crabby! Cool you're digging around in these old posts...Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-63472789066291713512016-01-24T18:17:06.186-08:002016-01-24T18:17:06.186-08:00This is an old post, but I still enjoyed it. I'...This is an old post, but I still enjoyed it. I'm a younger reader, so recently I've discovered Zebra's books almost inadvertently with a title Shadow Child by Joseph Citro. The cover is what made me buy it from a local bookstore; the book donned a depiction of a clown holding a strand balloon strings with a skeleton hand. Little did I know, Zebra book covers most often had nothing to CrabbyCribhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14999482273018351589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-49364214043420260882011-08-16T09:00:55.391-07:002011-08-16T09:00:55.391-07:00David, thanks - that is news I can use!David, thanks - that is news I can use!Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-65596995721705986692011-08-16T05:29:18.390-07:002011-08-16T05:29:18.390-07:00The elephant thing is Chaugnar Faugn, one of Long&...The elephant thing is Chaugnar Faugn, one of Long's contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos.David Lee Ingersollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06960750033882386122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-48157768861374770672011-08-01T23:29:24.960-07:002011-08-01T23:29:24.960-07:00I'm with you Will. I LOVE the covers of my chi...I'm with you Will. I LOVE the covers of my childhood -the 60's and 70's. The artworks were things of beauty! I would actually buy used books and read them based on the artwork alone-if it was calling to me . I'm a painter myself . And my style has been influenced by those very covers... And BTW- I don't think I've ever read one of those tacky child/skeleton covers. I highwaykneeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00458606266831050852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-59589417836039255572011-07-29T10:47:48.096-07:002011-07-29T10:47:48.096-07:00Great article as always, Will. I wish genre title ...Great article as always, Will. I wish genre title covers did go back to the sixties and seventies for inspiration.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-63008031299174143402011-07-25T06:26:53.259-07:002011-07-25T06:26:53.259-07:00I'm with Nathaniel. Those final two, Only Chil...I'm with Nathaniel. Those final two, <i>Only Child</i> and <i> Piper</i>, are effing awful.<br /><br />Great post, though.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15675220785164388203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-81153664866610504632011-07-23T10:30:17.556-07:002011-07-23T10:30:17.556-07:00It's clear from the above that the good covers...It's clear from the above that the good covers were tailored to the individual works or series, and the crap-tastic formula covers were pretty much uniform across the various volumes. So not only a serious drop in artisitc quality, but perhaps a serious drop in giving-a-damn behind the scenes about what the hell crap they were shoveling out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-36929033395936964762011-07-22T20:46:52.286-07:002011-07-22T20:46:52.286-07:00nice trip through memory lane!
Scottnice trip through memory lane!<br /><br />ScottAuthor Scott Nicholsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09778999586794284457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-9517139826723732232011-07-22T17:15:35.684-07:002011-07-22T17:15:35.684-07:00books for- and sometimes about babysitters!!!
cara...books for- and sometimes about babysitters!!!<br />caray!!! as we say in Spain and Portugal...<br /><br />In Spain we hadn't that kind of covers illustrations (the publishers here like modern design for any kind of books) and almost no modern horror, apart from King translated to spanish, so when I link your blog and posted some of these covers in a forum a spanish guy (in a kind of attack ofAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-62383259791618001982011-07-22T15:24:23.257-07:002011-07-22T15:24:23.257-07:00Toward the end Zebra improved a bit, with some rea...Toward the end Zebra improved a bit, with some really creepy pictures of glowing-eyed zombie kids rising out of moonlit ponds and such. But mostly they were awwwwwful! The contrast between those Wild Violets covers is striking. I've got the 1980 one, which is pretty good. The bowing skeleton, though... Jesus, what were they thinking? I need to re-read that book, anyway... I remember Zwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02364540771153476179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-35467619437824541122011-07-22T11:32:11.507-07:002011-07-22T11:32:11.507-07:00Anon, that's sort of what I was thinking. Well...Anon, that's sort of what I was thinking. Well-put.Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-46530629957542107102011-07-22T05:59:04.412-07:002011-07-22T05:59:04.412-07:00The big shift for the Zebra line was that the late...The big shift for the Zebra line was that the later books were marketed to young female readers, the same readers who would later buy millions of RL Stine Fear Street books. The seventies titles were definitely aimed more to a male comic book reader audience. The evil children & children in supernatural peril wave of books were essentially driven by teen and tween girls, books for-and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-72703971038920280982011-07-21T10:22:19.422-07:002011-07-21T10:22:19.422-07:00I'm with you on the fact that 70's covers ...I'm with you on the fact that 70's covers had much more drama as well as art. The art of Jeff Jones and Frazetta is still being admired but I don't see anyone posting the cover art of "Piper" or "Only Child" and saying it's anything but generic.<br />The cover to Lair of the White Worm is truly remarkable, If I ever read this book I want it to be the edition Luishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07631388281199815121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-62790741053494092212011-07-21T09:37:42.864-07:002011-07-21T09:37:42.864-07:00These covers were a part of my childhood and I'...These covers were a part of my childhood and I'm able to hate them about as much as I hate Bigfoot And Wildboy, or old Disney cartoons. I miss the foil! <br /> Of course, it was a wake-up call when Books of Blood came out, with Barker's own drawings on the cover. Then I had to admit there was better out there.<br /> The second-hand store in Halifax where I bought that stuff is still Mac Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18025256806783821913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-57199935033432022812011-07-20T19:11:43.170-07:002011-07-20T19:11:43.170-07:00Man, those final two are hideous. I also enjoyed h...Man, those final two are hideous. I also enjoyed how DRACULA was the biggest part of all the Stoker covers.Nathaniel Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12852939663324751332noreply@blogger.com