Time To Tell Friday the 13th Stories The EC Comics Way
Like any successful film franchise, Friday the 13th and its icon Jason made their mark on graphic literature with the help of comic publishers Topps Comics, Avatar Press and WildStorm. What is agonizing with the movie system is that since the late 1980s, it takes so long for a new Friday movie to come out. Telling stories based on the Friday the 13th franchise in comic book format is, in my opinion, a sensible way to keep fans satisfied and relieved from the long wait for a new movie to come out.
Speaking of long waits, it’s been five years since the Friday the 13th remake was released. “Five years…five long years,” said Paul (John Furey) in Friday The 13th Part 2. I myself am a lifelong comic reader and when it comes to non-superhero comics, my favorite franchise is the EC Comics line of horror, sci-fi, crime and shock comics from the 1950s. I love the way EC told its many stories emphasizing the situation and the core concepts before concluding them with a shock or twist ending all within five to eight pages in length. Such a formula worked very well with their stories of Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror and the Haunt of Fear. For the idea of telling new comic stories based on Friday the 13th, I think the EC Comics anthology way is the way to go.
My idea? Firstly, the stories would be told through the eyes of many, many different characters who may (or may not) be killed by Jason. Secondly, the setting would be around Crystal Lake. To take a break away from the lake, towns located near the borders of the lakes would make nice alternatives for settings. Thirdly, whatever happens, a twist or shock ending will conclude the story (should be 5-8 pages long). The nice thing about the comic book format is that a lot of story concepts that would not fit in film format can be presented and possibly open up new ideas involving Jason. Don’t you think it’s time an armed private investigator would go to Camp Crystal Lake to investigate past killings by Jason? Or imagine there’s a new nature resort at Crystal Lake exploiting the tragic news of Camp Crystal Lake to attract campers and tourists away from the camp.
Another idea is to have a very curious helicopter pilot who flies over Camp Crystal Lake only to crash land (let’s say the helicopter’s engine or blades failed) in the middle of the forest completely vulnerable to Jason. The way I see it, an anthology of comics based on Friday the 13th can prove to be entertaining when done with care with the EC Comics approach.
