Exit Stage Left: Eerie #139

Eerie always seemed like the ugly stepsister to Creepy. Both Warren mags somehow chugged along until February of 1983, but for my money, Eerie #139 is the far superior finale. Why? Well, let's start with the cover. Kelly Freas painting an Gigereque Alien - does it get any better than that. Inside, instead of the expected collection of second-rate reprints that haunted so many Warren books throughout the 70s and early 80s, we've got a long (we're talking 40+ pages) adaptation of and AE Vogt story. This is a really nice change of pace from the short chapters of ongoing serials that were standard in the many b&w magazines of this period. There's a so-so 'Infinity Force' color insert at the back but it's nothing special. As Warren's bankruptcy didn't allow for much in the way of planning final issues - it appears to be blind luck that this one was the swansong. Compared to the last few years of poor quality books, Eerie went out with a bang and this one is worth picking up if you find it