Tales of Terror!: The EC Companion [Paperback]

Grant Geissman (Author), Fred Von Bernewitz (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ec Companion | Publication Date: April 17, 2002

The definitive story of EC Comics, the most notorious and well-regarded mass-market publisher in comics history. The EC line (MAD, Tales from the Crypt, Weird Science, etc.) was a high point in terms of craft and presentation. From the humanistic, well-paced writing of editor Harvey Kurtzman to the artwork of lauded masters like Wally Wood and Bernie Krigstein, what truly sets EC apart in comics history is its wider influence on American pop culture. Horror, crime and sci-fi stories "in the EC tradition" are a staple of movies and television almost 50 years after their original heyday, and the original stories themselves were many readers' first exposure to these now-ubiquitous cultural trends. MAD magazine has been a rite of passage for three generations of American comedians, while Kurtzman's war comics Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat were not only amongst the very first comic books ever to successfully express human drama but were also perhaps the first popular entertainment in any medium to look at America's involvement in the Korean War and other conflicts with anything less than a strictly nationalistic and patriotic eye. Every EC title is included in this comprehensive volume that uncovers the amazing history behind the comics, up to the US Senate driving EC out of business for allegedly corrupting America's youth (EC publisher Bill Gaines' testimony to a U.S. Senate Subcommittee one of the most capricious political witch hunts this side of Joseph McCarthy is included). Legendary EC creators like Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig, Graham Ingels and others are all represented, including previously unpublished interviews with several. Best of all, every EC cover is reproduced in full color. Co-published with Gemstone Comics, the official licensor of the EC line, and fully authorized by the estate of EC's Bill Gaines. Hundreds of lavish full-color pages.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Nearly 50 years after they were crushed by moral guardians outraged by their Grand Guignol excesses, the genre comic books published by EC Comics still enthrall readers who grew up with them and generations of younger fans, too. EC's horror, science fiction, and war comics remain unsurpassed, and the early EC issues of Mad vitally influenced a generation of humorists and cartoonists. EC's output has been the subject of many lavish publications, including slipcased, oversize reprints of the runs of several titles and massive coffee-table tributes, but this book by two longtime fans is something else again. Its heart is a checklist, with detailed writer and artist credits, of every single EC comic book. This core is rounded out with interviews of comics creators, photos, private sketches, and other memorabilia, such as EC publisher William Gaines' testimony before the U.S. Senate subcommittee investigating horror comics. Most of the previous books about EC were designed for a relatively mainstream audience. This one aims at the hardcore fan-addicts--and should hit that target dead center. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

[B]eautifully designed...insightful...[Grade:] A. (Ken Tucker - Entertainment Weekly )

A wonderful book! An EC lover's dream come true. (John Landis, film director )

A marvelous scrapbook that provides a comprehensive checklist [and] a variety of interviews with and insiders' accounts....

(Adam Bresnick - Los Angeles Times Book Review )

[...] Most of the previous books about EC were designed for a relatively mainstream audience. This one aims at the hardcore fan-addicts--and should hit that target dead center. (Gordon Flagg - Booklist )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1120 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (April 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560974028
• ISBN-13: 978-1560974024
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,006,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the ultimate history of EC, August 15, 2003

By 

popular culture lover (Travelers Rest, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales of Terror! The EC Companion (Hardcover)

This is, simply put, the greatest work of comic book scholarship ever in print. The authors delve so deeply into EC facts, history and lore that you can depend upon the thoroughness of this work. Much more than a history, this tome is also a beautiful art book. Don't delay......buy it now!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BOOK FOR EC FANS, September 10, 2005

By 

The Comics Maven (Kansas City, KS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales of Terror!: The EC Companion (Paperback)

Without a doubt this is the book for anyone interested in EC Comics. Not only does it feature cover reproductions of almost every pre-trend, new trend, and post-trend comic but it also has handy annotations of who did what in that particular issue. In addition it sheds a good deal of light upon Maxwell Gaines, the originator of EC and the father of Bill, who has for me remained a shadowy figure in the early history of comics. All in all it's a great book that I'll probably be dipping into for years to come.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Superb bibliography, but not the ultimate EC art book, July 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Tales of Terror!: The EC Companion (Paperback)

While the bibliographical data is literally a life-long labor of love, I was disappointed by limited amount of images reproduced from the original artwork; the illustrations seem to be limited to photographs of the author's personal collection. The complete series of Graham Ingels' Old Witch paintings and sketches screams out for inclusion. I would have liked to see panel pages reproduced from the originals; full-color reproduction of line art reveals editorial changes, paste ups, blue pencil, and other subtleties undetectable in conventional reprints. A greater outreach to the art collector community could have yielded a definitive reference book/coffee table art book, but TALES OF TERROR fall short of this potential.