It was the dawn of a new decade, one in which the world would be forever changed. Thankfully, those still craving their comic book fix weren’t to be disappointed. The authorities may have made every effort to legislate against their very existence, but this phenomenon, which for more than two decades had been such an integral part of juvenile culture, rolled on undaunted, now imbued with a renewed sense of purpose. This was the decade that was to exceed the exhilaration of its predecessors: beginning with a monumental series of developments at Timely-Atlas, before the onset of an innovative period from the publishers of the increasingly popular Famous Monsters of Filmland. Jim Warren never disguised his admiration for Bill Gaines’ EC portfolio of titles, but this appreciation did not mean the simple replication of the horrors created by this former icon. He was all too aware of the backlash experienced by his forerunners during the latter months of 1954, which was ultimately to be their downfall. If he had chosen to return to the unbridled excess of this era, he would have opened a doorway to disaster; and he was all too aware EC’s penchant for gory horror had been done to death. It was time for something new, something more in keeping with the mood of the day. Whether Archie Goodwin was in complete accord with this vision will continue to be a matter of deliberation for many years to come; but as history has shown, it was the endeavour of this unassuming creator, that laid the
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