EC Comics (Entertaining Comics) were all published from the late 1940s until around 1956, when the Comics Code Authority whitewashed all comic books to remove all themes of horror and violence. Psychiatrist Fredric Wertham and Senator Estes Kefauver's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency attacked horror comics as causes of the rise in juvenile delinquency and crimes by minors. These comic books were accused of having no redeeming value to society and were effectively banned by the actions of these groups in creating the Comics Code. EC Comics were superior to other comics of the 1950s because of a higher quality of writing and artwork, and they were widely imitated by other comics publishers. The subject matter for EC Comics were horror, science fiction/fantasy, crime stories, war stories and stories with a social message that generally had a twist or "shock" ending. This volume reprints the first six complete issues (24 stories) of the comic book Tales From the Crypt, originally published in 1950, and features classic horror stories of vampires, werewolves, ghouls and monsters in the vein of hte early Dracula, Frankenstein and Wolf Man movies. This title was EC's best seller, and was the inspiration of several feature films and the HBO series of the same name.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Gemstone Publishing has been slowly releasing the EC Archives in hardcover format, whetting the appetites of fans with the appetizers Shock Suspenstories Vol. 1 and Weird Science Vol. 1, but now Gemstone has given us a delicious entrée with perhaps the most well-known and notorious EC title, Tales From the Crypt Vol. 1. This gorgeous book re-prints the first six issues of the title which began as The Crypt of Terror #17 (having changed its name from Crime patrol). It would finally adopt is more popular name with issue #20.
Tales from the Crypt may seem tame by today's standards where blood and gore oozes off the pages, but when these stories were originally published back in the early 1950's, they were well ahead of their time and were really the pre-cursor of magazines like Creepy & Eerie.
EC wasn't just ahead of its time with its horrific subject matter, it was ahead of its time with their artwork as well. The roll call of the artists whose work appears in the first volume is like a who's who of some of the all-time greats: Wally Wood, Marie Severin, Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig, Harvey Kurtzman, Graham Ingels, and Jack Kamen. While most comic art of the 50's was bland, mass produced house art, EC gave its artists unrivaled creative freedom. It's the reason why those issues are so highly sought after by collector's today.
The stories in Tales From the Crypt rarely deviated from the formula...they almost always ended with a shocking, ironic twist with a character getting their just desserts. Even when following this pattern, the gifted talent always kept things fresh and innovative. Inside these 212 pages you'll find stories featuring werewolves, mad scientists, zombies, animated limbs, ghosts, raving madmen (and women) and a host of other terrors.
One of my favorites is the Feldstein story "Ghost Ship" where the occupants of a downed airplane chance upon a long-drifting pirate ship. Another winner is Wally Wood's "Terror Ride." A couple decides to visit a rundown carnival and take a tunnel of love ride they will not soon forget!
The color had been complete re-mastered and looks wonderfully, although perhaps much bolder than it looked when originally printed on cheap newsprint. The book even reprints the original covers and letter columns, hosted by the Crypt-Keeper himself. There are a number of short articles written by publisher Russ Cochran about the early days of EC Comics, featuring the recollections of Al Feldstein, one of the few surviving, former EC artists. Cochran even addresses the issue of the color controversy by stating that the re-mastered color takes advantage of modern technology while the originals were limited in regard to color combinations.
The book lists for $50 but you can definitely find it online much cheaper making it well worth the price. This is the volume that everyone has been waiting for and Gemstone has not disappointed.
REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON
Tales from the Crypt may seem tame by today's standards where blood and gore oozes off the pages, but when these stories were originally published back in the early 1950's, they were well ahead of their time and were really the pre-cursor of magazines like Creepy & Eerie.
EC wasn't just ahead of its time with its horrific subject matter, it was ahead of its time with their artwork as well. The roll call of the artists whose work appears in the first volume is like a who's who of some of the all-time greats: Wally Wood, Marie Severin, Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig, Harvey Kurtzman, Graham Ingels, and Jack Kamen. While most comic art of the 50's was bland, mass produced house art, EC gave its artists unrivaled creative freedom. It's the reason why those issues are so highly sought after by collector's today.
The stories in Tales From the Crypt rarely deviated from the formula...they almost always ended with a shocking, ironic twist with a character getting their just desserts. Even when following this pattern, the gifted talent always kept things fresh and innovative. Inside these 212 pages you'll find stories featuring werewolves, mad scientists, zombies, animated limbs, ghosts, raving madmen (and women) and a host of other terrors.
One of my favorites is the Feldstein story "Ghost Ship" where the occupants of a downed airplane chance upon a long-drifting pirate ship. Another winner is Wally Wood's "Terror Ride." A couple decides to visit a rundown carnival and take a tunnel of love ride they will not soon forget!
The color had been complete re-mastered and looks wonderfully, although perhaps much bolder than it looked when originally printed on cheap newsprint. The book even reprints the original covers and letter columns, hosted by the Crypt-Keeper himself. There are a number of short articles written by publisher Russ Cochran about the early days of EC Comics, featuring the recollections of Al Feldstein, one of the few surviving, former EC artists. Cochran even addresses the issue of the color controversy by stating that the re-mastered color takes advantage of modern technology while the originals were limited in regard to color combinations.
The book lists for $50 but you can definitely find it online much cheaper making it well worth the price. This is the volume that everyone has been waiting for and Gemstone has not disappointed.
REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
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 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
The EC Archives: Tales From The Crypt Volume 1
This the best way to collect these classic tales of American Comic book history. Quality from cover to cover. The new colouring compliments the vintage art work, the hard cover and the heavy stock paper will far outlast the original newsprint editions. My only criticism is I would appreciate more extensive texts on the history of the publication and more detailed profiles on the artists. All Deluxe Comic Books should attain this high standard.
This the best way to collect these classic tales of American Comic book history. Quality from cover to cover. The new colouring compliments the vintage art work, the hard cover and the heavy stock paper will far outlast the original newsprint editions. My only criticism is I would appreciate more extensive texts on the history of the publication and more detailed profiles on the artists. All Deluxe Comic Books should attain this high standard.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Takes me back..."GASP!....CHOKE!!!!"
I remember being in the Jitney Jungle grocery store and seeing Tales from the Crypt (the reprints, but they were new to me) in the comic book rack. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kyle, just Kyle
Why is Volume 1 So Consistently Over Priced??
I'm a HUGE fan of the EC comics, but I can't afford to be shelling out as much as $300 for this book! Read more
Published 12 months ago by Rory A. Ryan
Real gooood
To my shame I`ve to say that I first saw the TV series Tales from the Crypt and collected it on DVD and then turned to the comics and it`s really great to see the original versions... Read more
Published on March 18, 2009 by Wolfgang Muellner
One of the most influential comics gets a lavish reprint.
Tales from the Crypt is arguably one of the most popular - and copied - comic books of all time. With their amazing artwork and ironic twists at the end of each story, they've... Read more
Published on March 3, 2009 by Neil Middleton
Derivative, formulaic, generally awful.
I really was looking forward to this volume, especially based on the praise it has garnered in the reviews from Amazon shoppers here. Read more
Published on December 21, 2008 by S. Davis
Uneven but eclectic and fascinating
First let me say that before I was
truly impressed by the quality of text
and art I wasn't overtly enthusiastic
about it. Read more
truly impressed by the quality of text
and art I wasn't overtly enthusiastic
about it. Read more
Published on November 12, 2008 by R. Benardes
Horror classic!
I used to read EC Horror Stories long ago, and always loved them. When I had the chance to buy the original Volumes, I ran and did it. Read more
Published on September 30, 2008 by Marcos Rogerio Cardoso
EC Comics Are the Greatest, but the Gemstone Reprints Are Garish...
In April of 1950, William Gaines and his staff of writers and artists at EC Comics started publishing a line of comic books that were entirely devoted to the themes of horror and... Read more
Published on August 31, 2008 by Michael R Gates
EC at it's best yet!
First read an EC comic when I was 10 years old and have been hooked ever since. I am now 67. When the large slip-cover b/w reprints were issued I bought most of them. Read more
Published on August 8, 2008 by Pep
A Lesson
This book is a lesson in comic book writing and drawing. In its days Tales from the Crypt set new standards for comic books arguments and style.
Published on July 20, 2008 by David Letichevsky
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