Lost Marvels No.1 Tower of Shadows features the work of some of comicdom’s finest and best-known talents. Names like Len Wein, Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Marv Wolfman, Wallace Wood, Marie Severine, and of course the legendary, Stan Lee. Their work can be found on the pages of DC, EC, Marvel, Harvey et al. They have contributed and revolutionized titles from Batman to X-Men and everything in between. Tower of Shadows brings them all together in one collection that presents “tales to blow your mind.”
Buy Lost Marvels No.1: Tower of Shadows hardcoverTower of Shadows began life in September of 1969 and lived for nine whole issues. Tower of Shadows told spooky stories through mostly original works before it began running reprints from Marvel’s back catalog. The original intent for Tower of Shadows was a magazine that returned to creepy, strange material like that put out by EC comics in the 1950s before such content was banned. Tower even employed ghoulish hosts like Digger, the graveyard caretaker, and Headstone P. Gravely, the mortician, to introduce its yarns. After issue number nine, it changed names completely and became Creatures on the Loose. Creatures would put the focus on sword-and-sorcery titles in the vein of Conan the Barbarian and Kull the Conqueror.
This volume includes the entire output of original horror stories used in the series. Some praiseworthy titles are “At the Stroke of Midnight,” “One Little Indian,” The Scream from Beyond,” and “The Scream of Things.” These twisted little tales truly harken back to the golden years of EC Comics. What Fantagraphics chose to leave out were the small handful of reprints that were sprinkled among the original tales. Also left out are some Lovecraft adaptations that had to be left behind for legal purposes. Hopefully, they can make their way to future editions of Lost Marvels.
Lost Marvels No. 1 Tower of Shadows is presented in its full-color glory which brings out the best in each issue’s cover art. The covers are great and create an atmosphere of anticipation inviting you into the terrors you’ll find within the tower’s pages. The sword-and-sorcery stuff that does make its way into this collection are okay and they do have a spooky vibe but it’s the tales of haunted houses, curses, and monsters that are most fitting to the magazine’s moniker.
Fantagraphics continues to do a masterful job with its introductions. Tower’s is provided by Dr. Michael Dean and is appropriately titled “A Tour of The Tower,” where Dr. Dean provides well-researched information on the stories and who worked on them. Dr. Dean also points out some interesting aspects and subtleties one may overlook if not reading carefully. The short bios at the end of the book provide more info on where we’ve seen those notable names over the years, leaving behind their unique fingerprints.
Lost Marvels No.1: Tower of Shadows is another great collection by Fantagraphics. From cover to cover, it’s filled with excitement. The killer content and added backstories are a must have for fans of the horror-comic genre. I’m sure future editions of Lost Marvels will be just as cool and fun to read through.
