Customer Reviews

The EC Archives: Shock Suspenstories Volume 1 (v. 1)

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A big "thanks for nothing" to the reviewers who are actually giving away the shock endings to these great little gems in their reviews! So stop, already, Tim Janson and "friends," there are a lot of people under 60 who didn't read these comics in 1953, and we'd like to enjoy the fun of discovering the twisted E.C. endings for ourselves, if you don't mind!

For those of you like me who have already bought the prevoius black and white reprints by Russ Cochran before and are wondering whether these new and recolored reprints are worth your hard earned money, the answer is YES! As much as these comics have attained cult status it's great to finally have them under new hardcovers, printed on heavy-stock glossy paper and in COLOR.

Eventhough the coloring has been done on a computer, it maintains Marie Severin's original color schemes, which still gives it that retro-look (the male characters wearing cyan-blue and sometimes orange suits, phew). The printing never looked this good and though the notes by Cochran tries to give some historical context to the stories it isn't as good as the notes for the previous black and white reprints, but this is a minor quibble.

About the only negative thing I can think of from these reprints, is that it'll take me another fifteen years to get the whole collection once again (and depending on your age, some will never get to see the whole series once the reprinting is finished).

For those of you who are only into superheroes, forget it, this isn't for you, but if you are into well written and drawn stories this is way ahead of anything Marvel or DC could ever think about.

A really warm welcome to see and read once again the (in-)famous EC comics. Great job by everyone involved.

Just as I started thinking about the old E.C. titles and how I'd like to get my hands on some of the reprints that came out in the 1980's, I found out they were getting reprinted in hardcover trades! I was young when I first started reading the E.C. books, picking up the single-issue reprints of whatever was available at the supermarket or drug store. All of those copies were thrown away as a punishment nearly 20 years ago, along with all the other comics I had. I started reading comics again in 2001, and lately I've been dying to read these old stories from the 1950's that I connected with so heavily, forty years after they had originally been collected.

I've picked up this title and Weird Science, so far, and they both deliver even more than I thought they would. The original art was used in the re-printings. The lines and shading of the reprinted art is just as crisp as it may have been in the 1950's, perhaps crisper. The lettering is also amazingly clean and it's a blast to read Al Feldstein's thoughts on how each artist had his own distinctive style of bubbling/boxing in the letters that matched his artistic style.

And the colors, well I can't say that I ever laid eyes on the original printings, but I would imagine that the re-colorings are at on par. Even if they are not, they are certainly more defined than in the reprinted issues from the 1980's. Those issues are what I have to go on, and the reprinting in the hardcover surpasses them in quality--I managed to find a couple of back issues of the "Tales From the Crypt" and "Vault of Horror" reprints so I am able to compare them. Plus, everything is printed on high-quality, glossy paper. It's really a great job. And the writing is, of course, unchanged. It's amazing how Feldstein had so many stories in his head, churning out four stories per issue plus one or two one-page short stories. They hit just as hard as ever, with the "preachies" standing out like lightening blasts. To have read these fiery anti-bigotry stories in 1952 must have been a shock, indeed. All the letters pages and E.C. ads are also faithfully included.

Only downsides? It sells for $50 in the comic shops. Personally, I think it is worth the price considering just how well these stories are reprinted and the fact that it just gets harder and harder to find any trace of the older reprints, including the old hardcover reprints. The price just puts the younger readers out of range, though, kids will have to rely on their parents to fork over the cash if they want to be shocked and in suspense. The other downside is that it seems the volumes are going to be coming out just as slowly as every other comic book company puts out their trades, and that Weird Fantasy (the stories I am most interested in!) isn't scheduled until lord only knows when. They are putting out just one new volume every two months! Maybe if they sell fast and well, the release schedule will be quickened....hint, hint...BUY THEM!

To further answer the questions from die-hard fans about how faithful the re-colorings are, here is a quote from Russ Cochran, in charge of the project, from an interview by Jim Patterson for "Tales of Wonder" (Google it):

"RC: I remember when I saw the Nostalgia Press book Horror Comics Of The '50s. I was very disappointed in the color. It was garish and so strong in some cases that it tended to obliterate the artwork. The original ECs were printed on the cheapest grade of paper which absorbed the colors and kept them from being too garish. When these same color separations were printed on a better quality paper, the color was too strong. This has been a problem in virtually all the Archives projects from DC and Marvel and I wanted the EC Archives to solve that problem, and I believe it has. First of all, the earliest EC Comics from 1950 were not colored by Marie Severin. They were colored by employees of Chemical Color Engraving and this coloring left a lot to be desired. Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein were very unhappy with the coloring from Chemical. Toward the end of the first year John Severin mentioned that his sister, Marie Severin, could do a better job of coloring all the ECs. She was hired and subsequently colored all the EC product. Every page in the EC Archives has been re-colored using modern computer technology to include fades and blends, modeling on faces and clothing, and other modern techniques to achieve a more pleasing color page. But in doing this Marie's original color schemes and style were followed."

If you've never read an EC story, but have always been curious, this is the best place to start (unless you have unlimited amounts of money to invest in buying up the back issues).

This archive edition is of a title that was a sampler of EC's (in)famous stories -- stories that influenced the likes of Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, George Romero, George Lucas and John Carpenter. In this volume you've got crime, horror, social commentary (some of it very hard hitting), war and science fiction. The stories hold up even today and show how EC helped to shape modern horror.

EC holds a special place in the history of horror, comics, and censorship. This archive volume shows you why. EC was unafraid of tackling subjects like racism and blind patriotism (no pun intended -- you'll get it later) and mix it up with unapologetic horror where a murdering husband ends up eating his wife, or a sci-fi tale where people are skinned and worn like fur.

Affordable and beautiful, these books deserve a place in the library of any horror and comic fan. If you don't have this one already, get it today.

In the early 50s, William Gaines and Al Feldstein put out a line of comic books that were such high quality in both art and writing that nothing else could touch it. At a time when the popularity of costumed hero comic books was waning, EC set the new standard and spawned a slew of imitators. Unfortunately, EC drew the attention of Frederic Wertham who singled out EC more than any other comic company as the prime offender in a group of comic book creators that Wertham claimed were conspiring to corrupt the children of the 50s. This led to the creation of the Comics Code, which effectively handicapped EC and put an end to the deliciously gory and outrageous, even thought provoking comic books.

One of these EC titles was Shock SuspenStories. Volume 1 reprints the first 6 issues cover to cover in their entirety. Stories range anywhere from tales of scheming and murderous wives and husbands, to startling tales of racism and anti Semitism. The stunning cover art and interiors show off the work of ECs dream team of talent. Works of writers like Bradbury, and the art of people like Wally Wood, Jack Kamen, Joe Orlando, Jack Davis and Al Feldstein. Volume 1 also contains issue number 4, which contains material that Wertham cited as objectionable in his book "Seduction of the Innocent", his expose on the dangers of comics on children. There is also an entertaining foreword by Steven Spielberg.

Gemstone Publishing has set the standard with EC Archives. The color and art is wonderfully reproduced and very lush and attractive. These aren't just reprinted comic books. This is comic book history. All of the EC Archives are extremely entertaining. However...Shock SuspenStories were always my favorite of the bunch. They were more diverse in theme. Stories of War, Horror, Crime, Racism....this series had it all.

As someone who has been a comic book collector for 35 years, I have to say this is well worth the money and I must highly recommend it. It's fun, outrageous, over the top, innovative, beautiful and just plain entertaining. All of the EC archives would be a wonderful addition to any comic fans collection. But especially Shock SuspenStories.

The current age of the comic book and graphic novel has seen so much classic work with technical and artistic virtuosity that could only have been dreamed of in 1950. What they had back then, and is so beautifully reflected in this reprint, was a deep desire to tell a story unlike anything that had been seen or read before. I won't spoil any of the material for you, but I must say the level and depth of social ills dealt with in these stories is far more unflinching than even the current crop of verite and dark side of life style of writers and artists provide. The art in some cases, as seen in the work of Wally Wood, Jack Davis, Joe Orlando and Jack Kamen, is precise and stripped down in order to serve one cause- the furtherance of the story being presented. This book has beautiful production values, a great paper stock, some interesting historical tidbits, letters pages, pristine restoration and enhancement of the originals. The title says it all folks, these truly do shock and also manage to drum up a bit of suspense at the same time. A must buy, as are all the EC Archives books now out. I remember these comics in the hands of my older cousins and neighbors, I even inherited shopping bags full of old EC books from them as they all entered High School, went to College or left for the miltary. Moldy and a bit raggedy in some cases, they were nonetheless fascinating. But these more mature themed works could not escape the all seeing eye of my Mom, and in a heartbeat they went out in the garbage. A shame, because the books, as you will see with all edtions in this series, are anything but garbage.

This is my favorite series in the EC Archives collection. Each issue features different themed stories: a horror story, a shock story, a war story, and a science fiction story. This variety allows your mind to switch gears as you read along, keeping the experience fun and your curiosity active. The artwork, as expected, is very well done and the coloring excellent. Worthy of particular note are the "Preachies" - morality stories that provide social commentary on bigotry, misguided patriotism, and similar human foibles.

Squirrel yourself away someplace free of distraction when you sit down to enjoy these tales and let yourself be immersed in the marvelous EC world where dictatorial orphanage managers get their just desserts and greedy fur trappers or indifferent scientists learn what life is like for those they persecute. Some informative essays follow many of the issues. Here also are some of the best filler text stories of the archives series (included, as the editors explain, to satisfy the postal mailing requirements of the day).

Smart, funny, and always respectful of its audience, this volume of Shock SuspenStories is sure to please!

Never imagined i would get a chance to read the EC collections of Tales from the Crypt, Weird Science, Shock Suspenstories etc, that too in good quality bound volumes in glorious color on art pages.All are real collector items. A good investment to treasure and re-read on lonely rainy nights. Boooooooooooooo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whether inspired by the success of Marvel Comics Essential or DC's Showcase reprint editions, EC Comics have excelled with the first of their series of collected editions from their late 1950s archive. These volumes give the average comic collector (even with a full set of the 1990s reprint editions) and avid fan of B movies access to many hard to find and prohibitively expensive gems, reprinted larger than the original comic size in full glowing colour. Even the forewords presented by icons like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and John Carpenter (on Tales From The Crypt) show the significance of the stories that are contained within each volume, many of which giving inspiration to sci-Fi, mystery and horror tales in the intervening years.

I can heartily recommend these collected editions to lovers of nostalgia of every age.

the book is designed very nicely and fans of these books will probably appreciate that. I find most of these stories to be predictable but entertaining. get these soon the company only made one printing before they went bankrupt. they will sell out and probably go for a lot of money.