The Creeps is like a time-travel device. The ideas and writing and art all look like they could've come out of a vintage Warren magazine like Creepy or Eerie. That's intentional, and in lesser hands would not be as effective. Many have tried to tap the vein that the Warren mags found in the 60's and 70's themselves trying to update the basic zeitgeist of the classic EC Comics. In this iteration they realized that black and white was the key to success. While Warren dabbled in color from time to time, and splendidly so, the latchkey to find the balance between horror and awful was the refined lines of black and white artwork.
Getting artists of some reputation and skill and letting them dance was important, but almost always within the parameters of the black and white world. It kept the gore at an acceptable distance and so did not allow the gross to undermine the truly impressive allure of the grotesque. Sex and violence alas will always sell, but in some packages it speaks out with exceeding craft allowing for the vicarious experience to be one of catharsis and not merely banal indulgence. I'm a late comer, but an enthusiastic one as I explained last Spring. Get The Creeps while you can, and the first annual The Creeps Spooktacular is a dandy place to dive in.
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