It may not have you humming Danny Elfman themes, but TALES FROM THE CRYPT NO. 2 – CAN YOU FEAR ME NOW? –  Papercutz’s second collection of its revival of the E.C. horror comic – remains a step up from its first one. However, this isn’t evident until the last half of the book.

“A Murderin’ Idol” leads things off, with a would-be pop superstar on a (very) thinly disguised AMERICAN IDOL-type televised singing competition making a deal with the devil involving human sacrifices in order to remain on the show and proceed to the finals. Renaming IDOL host Simon Cowell as “Slymon Bowell” is this by-the-numbers tale’s attempt at cleverness.

Luckily, it’s up from there, comparatively. “Crystal Clear” isn’t going to win any awards, but at least it’s got its dark heart in the right place with its story of a meth dealer, a dead pal, the deceased’s vengeful sister and a coffin. With primarily purple hues, James Romberger’s art is moody and purposely pallid.

“Slabbed!” is next – a self-reflective story dealing with ultra-rare comic books (as the original, controversial CRYPT issues of the 1950s are). Here, a boy has a particularly prized superhero comic stolen from him by his older, bullying stepbrother, who aims to pawn it to settle a debt. In typical CRYPT fashion, his greed gets the best (and worst) of him.

Finally, there’s “The Garden.” I still say the art of Mr. Exes is totally wrong for this genre of comics, but Fred Van Lente’s story of a man trapped in a slightly off palatial paradise is unpredictable. It presents a “what the hell is going on?” situation and pays off with a surprise ending that, while way over-the-top and outta-left-field, catches you off-guard.

The digest-sized volume concludes with several pages of previews of Papercutz’s upcoming CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED relaunch. –Rod Lott

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES:
• TALES FROM THE CRYPT: NO. 1 – GHOULS GONE WILD!