EC was the comic book that influenced several generations of
creative artists. Even today, there are traces of EC that turn up in popular
culture. In THE EC ARCHIVES: TALES FROM THE CRYPT VOL. 1, Gemstone Publishing
has brought together the first six issues of that famed EC comic, "Tales from
the Crypt." Although seeming tame by many of today's standards, EC was
ahead of its time, and "Tales from the Crypt" is a perfect example of
this. The stories almost always live up to the classic horror format: someone
does something that is immoral or unethical or evil, at first they seem to get
away with their crime, but in the end retribution is served. The innocent are
usually safe, except sometimes at the hand of evil-doer.
This collection brings together the "The Crypt of
Terror #17 – 19" (the series was originally "Crime Patrol" and
issues #1-#16 of "Crime
Patrol" are collected in a different volume) before changing the name to
"Tales From the Crypt" in issue #20.
The collection features many of those great artists that
have had just as huge impact upon culture as the writers: Marie Severin, Johnny
Craig, Harvey Kurtzman, Graham Ingels, Jack Kamen, Al Feldstein, and the master
illustrator Wally Wood.
The color has been re-mastered and looks gorgeous. All of
the original covers, letters, and columns have also been reprinted, so a person
really gets an idea of what the original comics in their full glory were like.
There's a series of articles scattered throughout written by original publisher
Russ Cochran and the forward to this book is written by John Carpenter.
The stories in volume are:
The Crypt of Terror #17
"Death Must Come!" – a man has been cheating death
and staying young by replacing his organs from the corpses of recently deceased young men.
"The Man Who Was Death" – a public executioner
takes the law into his own hands.
"The Corpse Nobody Knew" – a private detective and
his wife rent a hotel room and discovered an unidentified body inside.
"Curse of the Full Moon!" – after traveling in
Europe a man is convinced he has been turned into a werewolf.
The Crypt of Terror #18
"The Maestro's Hand" - driven into madness by the breakup of his fiancée,
a surgeon removes the hand of his ex-fiancee's new lover.
"The Living Corpse" – a man who works in a morgue
begins having visions of death. He becomes convinced they are connected to a
performance artist who feigns death during his show.
"Madness at Manderville" – a woman believes she is
going insane after hearing and seeing strange things after her son's death. Her
husband comforts her, but she believes he might be involved.
"Mute Witness to Murder" - a woman becomes mute
after witnessing the local doctor kill his wife. He has her sent to an asylum,
but decides he has to murder her in case her voice ever returns.
The Crypt of Terror #19
"Ghost Ship" – a couple is stranded in the Bermuda
triangle on a raft after their plane crashes. They believe they are saved when
they come across a large wooden boat. However, they begin to realize things are
strange when they discover a skeleton tied to the wheel.
"The Hungry Grave" – Ida and Jim are having an
affair and plan to murder Ida's husband so they can marry and live together.
The task becomes more difficult than they imagined.
"Cave Man" – after having his exhibition snubbed
in favor of one that features a Neanderthal encased in ice, a curator tries to have
his revenge by thawing the cave man.
"Zombie" – Daniel King is staying in Haiti with a
friend on his plantation. He is warned not to spy on the natives during a
voodoo ritual they will be performing. But curiosity gets the better of him.
Tales from the Crypt #20
"The Thing from the Sea!" – the reader becomes a
first-witness part of this story that takes place on the seas with a supposedly
cursed cabin.
"A Fatal Caper!" – four college students play
around with a book of magic and discover that playing with evil isn't a game.
"Rx…Death" – a woman's brother is a workaholic and
she becomes concerned about his health. He's given a tonic by the doctor and
begins to transform into a hideous monster. This is an instance of a story where
the innocent aren't always spared.
"Impending Doom!" – a young man goes into a trance
and draws a picture of the face of a terrified man. He later meets the man and
finds the man carving his name on a tombstone.
Tales from the Crypt #21
Tales from the Crypt #21
"A Shocking Way to Die" – a prisoner on death row
is visited by a professor who claims he can bring him back to life after his
electrocution. Indeed, the professor does revive the man after he is electrocuted
in the electric chair, but things don't turn out for either the professor or
the prisoner.
"Terror Ride" – a honeymooning couple discover an
abandoned amusement park with only one ride still functioning.
"House of Horror" – a hazing ritual at a college
fraternity goes horribly wrong.
"Death Suited Him!" – a young man kills his rival
and is determined to marry his wife.
Tales from the Crypt #22
"The Thing from the Grave!" – A man kills his
rival and then plots to murder the dead man's girlfriend.
"Blood Type" V"!" – a young couple are
involved in a car crash and the woman needs a blood transfusion. A stranger volunteers to donate his blood for
the transfusion and shortly after dead bodies drained of blood begin appearing.
"Death's Turn" – the owners of a failing amusement
park are given the opportunity to build a brand new roller coaster. However,
when the project is almost complete, they become jealous of the man who created
the ride and cause his death.
"The Curse of Arnold Clan!" – A man is determined
to bring back a couple of cursed family items for a New Years' party even
though he is warned it will be his death.
Overall, THE EC ARCHIVES: TALES FROM THE CRYPT VOL. 1 is a great
collection and some mighty entertaining reading.
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