I really appreciate that, Phil. Thank you!

I didn't realize Gulacy didn't stay on MoKF for as long as Moench did. Thanks for this.

So the Moench component: was he supplying new scripts while still with Marvel, or did Eerie just happen to have these stories sitting in a file cabinet unused for seven years?

The visual design would have been Reyes. The personality really wasn't very Conan, and I doubt any story told in these horror volumes counted towards DC continuity.

I'm going to hold with my theory that Moench wrote those stories in 1980. It helps to explain both why he didn't mention them in his interviews regarding his time at Warren and why Warren would have sat on a perfectly good three chapter serial for six years when they were rushing out The Spook and The Freaks with fewer chapters than that in reserve.

Now that I've reviewed every story Moench wrote as a freelance artist prior to starting at Marvel, here are my personal picks for

The Top Ten Moench Freelance Stories (1970-1977)*

(Please note: these are my own highly subjective opinions. Your mileage may well vary)

*Wait a second. Moench began working for Marvel in late 1973! Yup, but read here.



#10. "The Night of the Corpse-Bride" (from Nightmare #12, April 1973)

A simple tale whose cleverness lies more in moodiness, stark contrasts in characterization, and how information is slowly revealed, than in the story itself.





#9. "Your Epitaph is Only A Birthday Card" (from House of Mystery #244, August 1976)

Deep, unexpected, and a surprisingly different approach to storytelling for Moench.





#8. The Spook: "Knucklebones to Fever Twitch" (from Eerie #58, July 1974)

Powerful, intense, and an unrelenting and historically accurate depiction of slavery that was ahead of its time.





#7. "Sense of Violence" (from Creepy #57, November 1973)

A powerful criticism of violence in society quickly degenerates into one of Moench's more disturbing stories from this era.





#6. "Bright Eyes!" (from Eerie #43, November 1972)

Moench's first script penciled by Richard Corben produces a surprisingly sympathetic monster-protagonist that would go on to influence the works of both creators down the road.





#5. "The Way of All Flesh" (from Creepy #56, September 1973)

Grave robberies, an existential quest for the divine, and the most surprise-filled Moech story of this era.





#4. Satanna, Daughter of Satan!: "Genesis of Depravity!" (from Eerie #50, August 1973)

Brilliantly disturbing, original, and (somehow) authentic. If there really was a Satan, he would likely sound just like this.





#3. Schreck: "First Night of Terror!" (from Eerie #53, January 1974)

Emotionally rich, sexy, and original tale of the zombie apocalypse.





#2. "Pinball Wizard" (from Creepy #66, November 1974)

An old revenge trope turned on its side with stunning characterization and a twist that you'll either find ludicrous or ludicrously disturbing. Maybe both.





#1. "Bed of Roses" (from Creepy #51, March 1973)

The most vibrant character Moench wrote during this era, combined with brilliant narration, a twisted sense of karmic (and spacial) justice, and stunning complimentary art by Felix Mas.

Moench at Marvel (1973-1983)

In late 1973, Doug Moench received a phone call from Roy Thomas, inviting him to move to New York and join the Marvel Bullpen as both an assistant editor and a writer (1). He'd been recommended by Marv Wolfman, who had been exposed to Moench's work while serving as an editor at Warren (2). Moench had been obsessed with Marvel in his youth and had even published a Marvel fanzine (3), so that plus the allure of a stable job must have been compelling. Still, Moench requested a two-week trial run before making a firm commitment and permanently moving to New York (1).

As Moench did not have the money to pay for the move and the increased Manhattan rent up front, Roy Thomas suggested that he accept vouchers for a dozen 6-10 page horror stories that would be published in the new Marvel black and white magazines (1). All Moench had to do in order to receive payment was provide titles, and he would then write the actual stories once he'd moved to Manhattan (2). Moench recalls how he got those voucher stories done once he came to work full-time at Marvel:



We know that the bulk of those stories were printed in "black and white magazines like Dracula Lives and Monsters Unleashed" (2), and also that one of them, "An Ugly Mirror on Weirdworld," didn't get published until two years later due to its non-horror nature (1).

But writing at crazy hours of the night was nothing new to Moench, who'd spent the past three years writing his freelance stories while running the teletype machine at the Chicago Sun into the whee hours of the morning (3). Thus, it would appear, Moench maintained something close to this work schedule throughout his early days at Marvel, working in the bullpen by day, and writing at home at night, in order to produce an unprecedented amount of work for Marvel.

As Moench says,




For fans of Bronze Age Marvel, Moench's work during this era is iconic, eventually including Master of Kung Fu, Deathlok, Planet of the Apes, and Moon Knight, but, for fans of Moench in general, this is a fascinating series of changes for Moench: first time working on super-heroes, first time working in a bullpen, first time working on on-going characters who will last for the long-term, first time in control of his own titles, etc. So many firsts here, and that, combined with the stable well-paying job, make this fertile ground for Moench to grow into a full time comic book creator, borrowing from his past as a part time freelancer but also evolving into an entirely different and more compelling creative force in the process.




(1): Moench, Doug. "Washed Ashore on Weirdworld." Marvel Super Special #11 Spring 1979: 52-55. Print.
(2): "Doug Moench Talks WEREWOLF BY NIGHT." Comicmonsters.com. Horror Comic Book News, 19 Jan. 2009. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.
(3): Cooke, Jon. "Doug Moench's Memories." Comic Book Artist Collection. Vol. 3. Raleigh: Twomorrows, 2005. 22-36. Print.