3 out of 5

I realize Corben is classic.  Had I discovered the dude in undergound mags in the 80s, I’m sure I would’ve pinned his pages to my heart.  I do enjoy classic horror stuff – Eerie, Creepy, of course, and then the nine million books Bruce Jones worked on (which often included Corben) – but I have to admit, those only work because of their anthology format.  Neither Corben or Jones are great writers, in my opinion, and it’s rare that I’ve read a tale by either that really surprises or shocks me.  But undoubtedly they get the vibe, and in the short format, the denouncements come along quick enough that you’re into the next before you can think to roll your eyes.  But the problem with reading a lot of that stuff… is that you’ve read it all.  Sorry.  It’s horrible for me to suggest that “there’s nothing new” – there is, absolutely, but Corben (and Jones, sorry to keep tossing him in here) have a very set feel to their work, and so unless you did pin it to your heart back then, as a reader working backwards through time, I don’t need that much of it to appreciate it.  And when something new comes along – The Premature Burial, in this case – I can’t but help and wonder if this isn’t a reprint.  I mean, maybe it is.  I have no idea.  But it could’ve been published in any era.  This is just Corben doing his thing, with Mag the Hag giving us narrative outlines of Poe tales as Corb’s distinctive style gives us our imagey goodness – which I totally won’t argue is always a delight of shadows and grotesque proportions and details, and Beth Corben Reed’s coloring is surprisingly bright and cheery in contrast, making for a wonderful looking book.  So your mileage may vary…  But I did feel a bit miffed that this actually covers two Poe titles – Premature and Cask of Amontillado, and the non-cover-titled portion is like two thirds of the book and much better, ‘Burial’ condensed to a smidgeon of pages, rendering its transitions rather ineffective.