The EC Artists' Library Series by Wallace Wood, Al Feldstein, Harry Harrison, Jack Kamen, Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, Joe Orlando, Jack Davis, Harvey Kurtzman, Graham Ingels, Johnny Craig, John Severin, George Evans, Bernard Krigstein, Reed Crandall, Gary Groth

Wallace Wood applied his preternaturally lush brushwork to over two dozen stories in the thematically overlapping ("dreadful things happen to people, both innocent and guilty") horror, crime, and suspense genres. This work is the subject of one of the two premiere releases in Fantagraphics' highly-anticipated new EC reprint line... moreWallace Wood applied his preternaturally lush brushwork to over two dozen stories in the thematically overlapping ("dreadful things happen to people, both innocent and guilty") horror, crime, and suspense genres. This work is the subject of one of the two premiere releases in Fantagraphics' highly-anticipated new EC reprint line.Taking its title from one of Wood's all-time classics, the evil little paranoid thriller "Came the Dawn," this collection features page after page after page of Wood's sleek and meticulously crafted artwork put in the service of cunning twist-ending stories, most often from the typewriter of EC editor Al Feldstein.These tales range from supernatural shockers from the pages of Tales From the Crypt and The Haunt of Fear ("The Living Corpse," "Terror Ride," "Man From the Grave," "Horror in the Freak Tent") to often pointedly contemporary crime thrillers from Crime SuspenStories ("The Assault," "The Whipping," and "Confession," which was singled out for specific excoriation in the anti-comics screed Seduction of the Innocent, thus giving it a special cachet), but the breathtaking art and whiplash-inducing shock endings are constants throughout.Like every book in the Fantagraphics EC line, "Came the Dawn!" will feature extensive essays and notes on these classic stories by EC experts -- but the real "meat" of the matter (sometimes literally, in the grislier stories) will be supplied by these ofted lurid, sometimes downright over-the-top, but always compelling and superbly crafted, classic comic-book masterpieces. less

Barely old enough to drink when he joined the EC Comics stable, Al Williamson may have been the new kid on the block, but a lifetime of studying such classic adventure cartoonists as Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon) and Hal Foster (Prince Valiant) had made him a kid to reckon with — as he proved again and again in the stories he created for EC’s legendary “New Trend” comics, in particular Weird Science and Weird Fantasy... moreBarely old enough to drink when he joined the EC Comics stable, Al Williamson may have been the new kid on the block, but a lifetime of studying such classic adventure cartoonists as Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon) and Hal Foster (Prince Valiant) had made him a kid to reckon with — as he proved again and again in the stories he created for EC’s legendary “New Trend” comics, in particular Weird Science and Weird Fantasy. As a result of Williamson’s focus, it’s possible to compile all of Williamson’s “New Trend” EC work into one book — which Fantagraphics is finally doing here. Sci-fi aficionados should note that although most of the stories were written by Al Feldstein, 50 Girls 50 features three of EC’s legendary Ray Bradbury adaptations, including “I, Rocket” and “A Sound of Thunder” — and a unique curiosity, a strip adapted from a short story submitted by a teenage Harlan Ellison. Williamson ran with a gang of like-minded young Turks dubbed the “Fleagle Gang,” who would help one another out on assignments. Thus this book includes three stories upon which Williamson was joined by the legendary Frank Frazetta, and one story (“Food for Thought”) where Roy Krenkel provided his exquisite alien landscapes, to make it one of the most gorgeous EC stories ever printed. As a supplementary bonus, 50 Girls 50 includes three stories drawn by Fleagles sans Williamson: Frazetta’s Shock SuspenStories short “Squeeze Play”; Krenkel’s meticulous “Time to Leave”; and Angelo Torres’s “An Eye for an Eye,” an EC story that famously fell prey to censorship and was not released until the 1970s. As with other Fantagraphics EC titles, 50 Girls 50 will also include extensive story notes by EC experts. less

A boxed set of our first four books in our acclaimed EC Comics Library series, which collects the best comics of the 1950s from the greatest mass market comic book publisher in history. Featured are: Corpse On The Imjin! by Harvey Kurtzman, et al.; Came The Dawn by Wallace Wally Wood, Al Feldstein, et al.; 50 Girls 50 by Al Williamson, Al Feldstein, et al.; and 'Tain't The Meat... It's The Humanity! by Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, et al... moreA boxed set of our first four books in our acclaimed EC Comics Library series, which collects the best comics of the 1950s from the greatest mass market comic book publisher in history. Featured are: Corpse On The Imjin! by Harvey Kurtzman, et al.; Came The Dawn by Wallace Wally Wood, Al Feldstein, et al.; 50 Girls 50 by Al Williamson, Al Feldstein, et al.; and 'Tain't The Meat... It's The Humanity! by Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, et al. A great Father's Day gift or for the genre fiction fan in your life! less

Surrounded by the ornate, retro, proto-splatter horror graphics of Jack Davis and Graham Ingels and the slick, futuristic sci-fi stylings of Wally Wood and Al Williamson, EC Comics superstar Johnny Craig stood out in the 1950s with his elegant, crisp, contemporary graphic style. And nowhere did this style work more beautifully than in the dozens of superb crime and horror comics he wrote and drew for EC, mostly for the two comics he also edited, Crime SuspenStories and The Vault of Horror... moreSurrounded by the ornate, retro, proto-splatter horror graphics of Jack Davis and Graham Ingels and the slick, futuristic sci-fi stylings of Wally Wood and Al Williamson, EC Comics superstar Johnny Craig stood out in the 1950s with his elegant, crisp, contemporary graphic style. And nowhere did this style work more beautifully than in the dozens of superb crime and horror comics he wrote and drew for EC, mostly for the two comics he also edited, Crime SuspenStories and The Vault of Horror. (Craig was the only EC artist to habitually write his own material for the entire length of EC's run.) Featuring murderous husbands and wives, executioners, thieving surgeons, vengeful sword-swallowers, time bombs, private dicks, vampires, werewolves, and ghouls, the 23 stories in this book comprise a perfect encapsulation of the very best and darkest kind of noir and horror writing, stunningly executed (in more than one sense of the word) by one of the great cartoonists of his (or any) era. And all in seven or eight pages per story! Fall Guy For Murder And Other Stories is once again, as are the other EC Comic Library releases, supplemented with several fascinating essays and informative historical notes on the stories. less

Al Feldstein is best known as the main writer/editor of the EC comics line during the first half of the 1950s--and then the editor of Mad Magazine for the first three decades of its existence. But what many don't know or remember is that Feldstein was also an accomplished and distinctive cartoonist, whose comics (which he both wrote and drew, a relative rarity in those days) adorned the pages of many of those self same EC comics... moreAl Feldstein is best known as the main writer/editor of the EC comics line during the first half of the 1950s--and then the editor of Mad Magazine for the first three decades of its existence. But what many don't know or remember is that Feldstein was also an accomplished and distinctive cartoonist, whose comics (which he both wrote and drew, a relative rarity in those days) adorned the pages of many of those self same EC comics. His powerfully composed, meticulously inked pages, often featuring grotesque creatures or scenes of ghastly destruction (and some of the greatest stiffly handsome/beautiful specimens of 1950s humanity ever put to paper), were a vital part of the allure of these classic comics. Feldstein's contributions to the first year and a half of EC's two SF titles, Weird Science and Weird Fantasy--comprising 16 classic O. Henry-style shock-ending stories with such evocative, vintage title as "'Things' From Outer Space." "The Flying Saucer Invasion," "Spawn of Venus," "Destruction of the Earth," and "Am I Man or Machine?"--will be collected in their integrity in this volume, which will also boast a new interview with Feldstein about his years at EC, focusing in particular in his work on these science fiction titles that were the company's pride and joy (and were killed a few years later by the Comics Code). less

Even 60 years after their original release, in an era of explicit horror, EC Comics superstar Graham Ghastly Ingels s grisly pages retain the power to shock... moreEven 60 years after their original release, in an era of explicit horror, EC Comics superstar Graham Ghastly Ingels s grisly pages retain the power to shock. His loving depictions of the endless corruption of flesh and nature made him the go-to guy for stories involving swamps, maniacs, and dismemberment and all three combined to best effect in one of the standouts of this collection of his stories: Horror We? How s Bayou? considered the single most spectacularly drawn of all of EC s horror stories, with a climax that would give body-horror king David Cronenberg nightmares. Ingels specialized in depicting the unimaginable. If you ever wondered what the vengeful, decaying corpse of an elephant stomping a woman to death would look like, it s in here ( Squash...Anyone? ). Or living rats sewn into the bodies of a tyrannical king and queen ( A Grim Fairy Tale )... or the results of injecting a poison-pen letter writer with literal poison and reducing him to, in the words of Al Feldstein s script, a foul-smelling, oozing pool of putrescence ( Notes to You! ). One of the two Ray Bradbury adaptations in the book, There Was an Old Woman (about a deceased crone who simply refuses to stay dead) provides the closest thing to a note of sweetness that you ll find here perhaps with the exception of the genuinely romantic A Little Stranger! and its loving marriage between a dead vampire and a dead werewolf. Sucker Bait And Other Stories features 25 classic stories from Tales From the Crypt, Shock Suspen-Stories, Vault of Horror, and Ingels and his Old Witch character s special showcase Haunt of Fear plus the usual fascinating historical, critical, and biographical material. less

With his wholesome approach, Jack Kamen stood out amongst the grandguignol grunge, gritty realism, or futuristic dazzle of his fellow EC cartoonists but his brilliant editor/writer Al Feldstein found a way to exploit the surface innocence of his style with seemingly nice stories of romance gone horribly wrong, or future fantasies with an unexpectedly brutal twist. And nowhere did Kamen s clean-but-lush graphics work better than in the stories he created for EC s science-fiction comics... moreWith his wholesome approach, Jack Kamen stood out amongst the grandguignol grunge, gritty realism, or futuristic dazzle of his fellow EC cartoonists but his brilliant editor/writer Al Feldstein found a way to exploit the surface innocence of his style with seemingly nice stories of romance gone horribly wrong, or future fantasies with an unexpectedly brutal twist. And nowhere did Kamen s clean-but-lush graphics work better than in the stories he created for EC s science-fiction comics. The title story, Zero Hour (one of three in this book adapted from works by Ray Bradbury), set in a Spielbergian suburban idyll, is particularly well served by Kamen s surface innocence; A Lesson in Anatomy works similar magic, with its Mayberry-esque setting veering into alien-invasion terror. If there was any devil in Kamen, it came out in his loving depiction of the female face and form, and you could see why his hapless heroes were often fatally entranced with them as in Punishment Without Crime (Bradbury again), He Who Waits! (a scientist finds an extreme way of rejoining his eight-inch-tall inamorata), and Miscalculation! (the lucky recipient of a package from the future literally brews his own harem); even the supercomputer in Only Human! proves vulnerable to a beautiful woman s charms. Zero Hour And Other Stories contains 22 classic EC yarns plus the usual all-new biographical, historical, and critical essays that have made Fantagraphics EC Library series the ultimate version of these classics. less

Featuring: Johnny Craig s complete crime and horror stories from Crime SuspenStories and The Vault of Horror, twenty-five legendary horror stories from Ghastly Graham Ingels, Al Feldstein s solo science fiction from Weird Science and Weird Fantasy, and twentytwo EC science-fiction gems illustrated by Jack Kamen. Plus essays and notes by EC experts! A great gift for Father s Day or for the genre-fiction fan in your life."

Joe Orlando was a mainstay at EC, especially on science fiction, and this collects 23 of his best sf stories. All of them, most scripted by Al Feldstein, serve up classic O. Henry-style endings, such as "I, Robot," and "Fallen Idol." The title story is one of EC's most famous, with its blunt anti-racism message. When it was printed during the era of the Comics Code, publisher Bill Gaines and Feldstein had to fight to keep the story's final panel "reveal" (and thus its whole point) intact... moreJoe Orlando was a mainstay at EC, especially on science fiction, and this collects 23 of his best sf stories. All of them, most scripted by Al Feldstein, serve up classic O. Henry-style endings, such as "I, Robot," and "Fallen Idol." The title story is one of EC's most famous, with its blunt anti-racism message. When it was printed during the era of the Comics Code, publisher Bill Gaines and Feldstein had to fight to keep the story's final panel "reveal" (and thus its whole point) intact. It was a Pyrrhic victory, however, as "Judgment Day" became the last story in the last comic book EC published. This volume also features two of Orlando's outstanding adaptations of classic Ray Bradbury science fiction stories: "The Long Year" and "Outcast of the Stars." Also included are all of EC's "Adam Link" adaptations, a series which was later also adapted for The Outer Limits TV show and featured Leonard Nimoy. less

Wallace Wood fans love his sleek, preternaturally lush art, but they especially love the wonderment of his spectacular science fiction. This highly anticipated mouth-watering collection features over two dozen stories brimming with Wood’s meticulously detailed, genre-defining brushwork—all save the one Wood wrote himself on the typewriter of EC editor Al Feldstein... moreWallace Wood fans love his sleek, preternaturally lush art, but they especially love the wonderment of his spectacular science fiction. This highly anticipated mouth-watering collection features over two dozen stories brimming with Wood’s meticulously detailed, genre-defining brushwork—all save the one Wood wrote himself on the typewriter of EC editor Al Feldstein. And with titles like “Spawn of Mars,” “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “A Trip to a Star,” “The Invaders,” “The Secret of Saturn’s Ring,” and “The Two-Century Journey,” how can you go wrong? This is EC science fiction at its finest. Like every book in the Fantagraphics EC line, Spawn of Mars and Other Stories features essays and notes by EC experts on these superbly crafted, classic comic book masterpieces.The 1950s were also a launching pad for some of the greatest comic book artists in history, many of whom worked for EC — including Wallace Wood, whose hypnotically detailed, lushly expressive brushwork brought to life menacing thugs, ominous cityscapes, and small-town America, as well as Everymen grappling with profound moral issues — not to mention some of the most heart-stoppingly beautiful women ever to sashay across a comic book page.Like every book in the Fantagraphics EC line, Spawn of Mars features extensive essays and notes on these classic stories by EC experts — but the real “meat” of the matter (sometimes literally, in the grislier stories) is supplied by these ofted lurid, sometimes downright over-the-top, but always compelling and superbly crafted, classic comic-book masterpieces. less

A boxed set of four great books in our acclaimed EC Artists’ Library, which collects the best comics of the 1950s from the greatest mass market comic book publisher in history. Featured are: Judgment Day And Other Stories illustrated by Joe Orlando, Aces High illustrated by George Evans, Bomb Run And Other Stories illustrated by John Severin and Will Elder, and Spawn of Mars And Other Stories illustrated by Wallace Wood.

Even in an era of explicit horror films, “Ghastly” Graham Ingels still delivers a shock to readers with his grisly depictions of the stomach-churning fates of the evil men (and women) in these stories—leavened only by a sly wink to the reader and a generous dose of dreadful puns... moreEven in an era of explicit horror films, “Ghastly” Graham Ingels still delivers a shock to readers with his grisly depictions of the stomach-churning fates of the evil men (and women) in these stories—leavened only by a sly wink to the reader and a generous dose of dreadful puns. Ingels’s brushwork oozes ominously across every panel, perfectly setting the mood for the shudder-inducing fates of such corrupt characters as the sadistic asylum director, the political candidate who murders his opponent, the ventriloquist with the homicidal “dummy,” the millionaire who persecutes an aged junkman, and the medieval duke who runs over a young boy with his carriage then taxes the peasants to pay for cleaning up his victim’s blood. Like every book in the Fantagraphics EC line, Grave Business And Other Stories superbly showcases these classic comic book masterpieces and enhances the reader’s experience with commentary and historical and biographical detail from EC experts. less

Jack Kamen's precise, clean style was perfect subversion for EC Comics tales of seemingly normal men and women who cooly act on the rage, jealousy, and greed just below their glamorous façades. Kamen’s crime capers include “Forty Whacks” (Whatever became of that ax Lizzie Borden used?), “Contract for Death” (A suicidal man agrees to accept $5,000 for his fresh corpse, then changes his mind... moreJack Kamen's precise, clean style was perfect subversion for EC Comics tales of seemingly normal men and women who cooly act on the rage, jealousy, and greed just below their glamorous façades. Kamen’s crime capers include “Forty Whacks” (Whatever became of that ax Lizzie Borden used?), “Contract for Death” (A suicidal man agrees to accept $5,000 for his fresh corpse, then changes his mind. But the contract fails to specify that the body has to be his…), “The Neat Job!” (Her “neat freak” husband drove her crazy, so when she chopped him up into little pieces…), “Just Desserts!” (A madman bent on revenge hosts a dinner for his victims … and the final course is a killer!) — plus 20 more gripping tales of tension as only EC could do them! Like every book in the Fantagraphics EC Artists’ Library, Forty Whacks And Other Stories also features essays and notes by EC experts on these superbly crafted, classic masterpieces. less

Reed Crandall's mastery of fine line detail and expertly nuanced pen-and-ink texture is a perfect fit for EC Comics... moreReed Crandall's mastery of fine line detail and expertly nuanced pen-and-ink texture is a perfect fit for EC Comics. This collection of 21 Crandall favorites, delineated in his classically illustrative style, includes “The Silent Towns,” a Ray Bradbury story about the last man and woman on Mars; “Carrion Death,” a stark horror story about a man struggling through the desert with a corpse handcuffed to his wrist as the vultures circle closer; “Sweetie-Pie,” the grisly story of a ghoul who sets up a roadside hazard to procure, um, fresh meat; “The Kidnapper,” about a man who decides to kidnap a baby to replace the baby that had been stolen from him and his wife; “Space Suitors,” a science fiction love triangle that leads to jealously, betrayal, and murder, and “The High Cost of Dying,” the title story, in which a man must make an awful choice between burying his wife and feeding his children … less

When Jack Davis took up his pen for EC Comics, he made his innocent victims more eye-poppingly terrified, his ax-murderers more gleefully gruesome, and his vampires and werewolves more bloodthirsty and feral than any other artist... moreWhen Jack Davis took up his pen for EC Comics, he made his innocent victims more eye-poppingly terrified, his ax-murderers more gleefully gruesome, and his vampires and werewolves more bloodthirsty and feral than any other artist. These horror and suspense tales — from the pages of Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, Crime SuspenStories, and Shock SuspenStories — offer everything a horror fan could ask for: re-animated bodies and body parts, a ghoul who stores bodies like a squirrel stores nuts, a vampire who moonlights at (where else?) a blood bank, greedy business partners, corrupt politicians, jealous lovers, revenge from beyond the grave, and a healthy complement of vampires, werewolves, and assorted grotesqueries. All leavened with the cackling, pun-laced humor of scripter Al Feldstein and illuminated as only the virtuoso brushwork of Jack Davis can present them. less

This special collection features more than 30 EC classics from the pages of Tales From the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, Shock SuspenStories, Impact, and Crime SuspenStories. Of special note is all of Orlando’s Panic stories, including parodies of Mother Goose, TV commercials, and soap operas.

In addition to "Master Race,” this volume includes “The Flying Machine” (based on a story by Ray Bradbury)... moreIn addition to "Master Race,” this volume includes “The Flying Machine” (based on a story by Ray Bradbury). Other stories include: “Slave Ship,” an unpublished science fiction tale that was only discovered in the decades following EC’s demise, “The Monster From The Fourth Dimension,” a horror/science fiction shocker that has never been reprinted since its original appearance in 1954, and other Krigstein crime, horror, war, and science fiction stories covering the full gamut of EC titles, including Tales From the Crypt, Crime SuspenStories, Shock SuspenStories, Aces High, and Incredible Science Fiction. less

Stories in this volume include "The Martian Monster," in which a 9-year-old boy befriends a Martian in the woods and asks him to kill his stepmother — but the "Martian" convinces him that it’s really his father who he should target... moreStories in this volume include "The Martian Monster," in which a 9-year-old boy befriends a Martian in the woods and asks him to kill his stepmother — but the "Martian" convinces him that it’s really his father who he should target. There’s sharp social commentary in "…And Then There Were Two!" (highly intelligent robots unveil a plan for world peace, but political opportunists launch an anti-robot campaign to discredit them) and "Prediction of Disaster!" (an astronomer concludes that our sun is about to go nova and tries to warn the world). less

These stories, which "Ghastly" Graham Ingels drew while he was at the pinnacle of his powers, include tales such as "Accidents and Old Lace." Three sweet, little old ladies weave tapestries depicting the gruesome deaths of real people, but when an art dealer commits murder to get a tapestry of his own, he discovers just how closely art imitates … death... moreThese stories, which "Ghastly" Graham Ingels drew while he was at the pinnacle of his powers, include tales such as "Accidents and Old Lace." Three sweet, little old ladies weave tapestries depicting the gruesome deaths of real people, but when an art dealer commits murder to get a tapestry of his own, he discovers just how closely art imitates … death. In "Marriage Vow," a woman returns from the grave to fulfill her wifely duty to her murderous husband, until death does them … together; and in "The Sliceman Cometh," an executioner during the French Revolution can’t escape the severed head of an innocent man. less