The Complete Illustrated History of Skywald Horror-Mood.

The Complete Illustrated History of Skywald Horror-Mood

Alan Hewetson

Headpress, Manchester, United Kingdom

www.headpress.com; [e-mail]

dist. in U.S. by Consortium, St. Paul, MN

800-283-3572

ISBN 1900486377 $24.95 256 pp.

Alan Hewetson was the head of the publisher Skywald putting out horror-fantasy comics for a few years in the early 1970s. He died before the publication of this review of his short-lived but influential publishing company. Skywald's influence is seen today especially in the content and special effects in popular horror films. It's also seen, though not so clearly or directly, in how moods of fear and dread are created in many mainstream movies. Never straying from Hewetson's keen interest in exploring illustration for the horror genre, the Skywald periodicals had a lasting appeal only to its dyed-in-the-wool fans. For them, the Skywald comics with sensationalistic, macabre, imaginative illustrations developed what became known as its distinctive "horror-mood." This review of the important publisher in the history of this genre contains articles on the horror-genre style of writing, its art, particular themes, interviews with Hewetson, and memoirs of him and Skywald. Alternating with these are 19 original illustrated stories effectively evoking Skywald's distinctive "horror-mood" and demonstrating its range of comic art. For fans of the horror genre and students of this vein of popular culture, the book "stands as a time capsule for an independent publishing house that had a true visionary [i. e., Alan Hewetson] at the reins."