Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The EC Horror Library of the 1950's by Ron Barlow EC Horror Library of the 1950's HC (1971 Nostalgia Press) comic books. This item is not in stock. If you use the "Add to want list" tab to add this issue to your want list, we will email you when it becomes available. 1st printing. Collects material from Haunt of Fear (1950-1954 E.C. Comics) #17, 19, 25, and 27, Shock SuspenStories (1952-1954) #9, 13, and 16-17, Tales from the Crypt (1950-1955 E.C. Comics) #28, 31-32, 35, and 37, Vault of Horror (1950-1955 E.C. Comics) #32 and 34-36, Weird Science (1950-1953 E.C.) #16. Impact (1955 EC) #1, (1950-1953 E.C. Comics) #21. Art by George Evans, , , Wallace Wood, Bernard Krigstein, , , , , William Elder, , , and . Hardcover, 220 pages, full color. This item is not in stock. If you use the "Add to want list" tab to add this issue to your want list, we will email you when it becomes available. No Dust Jacket - 1st printing. Collects material from Haunt of Fear (1950-1954 E.C. Comics) #17, 19, 25, and 27, Shock SuspenStories (1952- 1954) #9, 13, and 16-17, Tales from the Crypt (1950-1955 E.C. Comics) #28, 31-32, 35, and 37, Vault of Horror (1950-1955 E.C. Comics) #32 and 34-36, Weird Science (1950-1953 E.C.) #16. Impact (1955 EC) #1, Weird Fantasy (1950-1953 E.C. Comics) #21. Art by George Evans, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Wallace Wood, Bernard Krigstein, Joe Orlando, Graham Ingels, Al Williamson, Johnny Craig, William Elder, Jack Kamen, Frank Frazetta, and Angelo Torres. Hardcover, 220 pages, full color. Customer Testimonials Our customers have some nice things to say about us: Customer Testimonials Mailing List Join our Mailing List for news and sales. We’ve been selling comics since 1961 (our first sale: Fantastic Four #1 at $0.25, see one of our first ads) and on the web since 1996. Copyright © 1996 - 2021 Lone Star Comics Inc. Character images copyright © their respective owners.

ⓘ The Vault of Horror (comics) The Vault of Horror was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Along with Tales from the Crypt and The Haunt of Fear, it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. The Vault of Horror hit newsstands with its April/May 1950 issue and ceased publication with its December/January 1955 issue, producing a total of 29 issues. 1. Origin. Horror comics emerged as a distinct comic book genre after World War II when young adult males lost interest in caped crimebusters and returning GIs wanted more potent themes in their reading. One-shot Eerie 1947 is generally considered the first true horror comic with its cover depicting a dagger-wielding, red-eyed ghoul threatening a rope-bound, scantily clad, voluptuous young woman beneath a full moon. In 1948, Adventures Into the Unknown became the first regularly published horror title, enjoying a nearly two decade lifespan. In 1950, and his editor discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with such stories in ECs crime comic War Against Crime and its companion title, Crime Patrol. With issue #12 the War Against Crime title was replaced with The Vault of Horror. The Vault-Keeper became the titles sardonic host and commentator, occasionally sharing duties with the Old Witch and the Crypt-Keeper. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, characteristic of comics publishing of the era, the numbering did not change with the title; the first issue of The Vault of Horror was thus labelled "No. 12". There is, however, evidence of an intention to reset the series numbering with the fourth issue #15, was done with The Haunt of Fear the numbering of which was reset, yet also "continued" by Two- Fisted Tales: a few copies survive of the first issue of Crime SuspenStories with a different indicia on the inside front cover. As the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide explains: "#15 formerly The Vault of Horror" printed and blackened out on inside front cover with "Vol.1, No.1" printed over it. Evidently, several of No.15 were printed before a decision was made not to drop the Vault of Horror and Haunt of Fear series. The print run was stopped on No.15 and continued on No.1. All of the No.15 issues were changed as described above. 2. Artists and writers. Like its horror companion titles, Tales from the Crypt and The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror had its own distinctive qualities and atmosphere - in this case, created by its main artist, Johnny Craig. Craig illustrated all the covers for the entire run and was responsible for the lead story of all but issues #13 and #33. He also wrote all his own stories save two in Vault, something rarely done at EC, and became editor with issue #35 February, 1954. Gaines and Feldstein wrote almost every other story until late 1953/early 1954 when outside writers Carl Wessler and Jack Oleck were brought in. Other contributing artists to The Vault of Horror were Feldstein, George Evans, Jack Kamen, , Graham Ingels, , Jack Davis, Sid Check, Al Williamson, Joe Orlando, Reed Crandall, Bernard Krigstein, and . 3. Influences and adaptations. As with the other EC comics edited by Feldstein, the stories in this comic were primarily based on Gaines reading a large number of horror stories and using them to develop "springboards" from which he and Feldstein could launch new stories. Specific story influences that have been identified include the following: "Island of Death" issue 13 – Richard Connells "The Most Dangerous Game" "The Monster in the Ice" issue 22 – Christian Nybys The Thing from Another World "Terror on the Moors" issue 17 – Clark Ashton Smiths "The Nameless Offspring" "Daddy Lost His Head" issue 19 – Robert Blochs "Sweets to the Sweet" "Star Light, Star Bright" issue 34 – Carl Theodor Dreyers Vampyr "Portrait in Wax" issue 12 – Michael Curtizs The Mystery of the Wax Museum "Fitting Punishment" issue 16 – H. P. Lovecrafts "In the Vault" "Voodoo Horror" issue 17 – Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray "Baby Its Cold Inside" issue 17 – H. P. Lovecrafts "Cool Air" "What the Dog Dragged In" issue 22 – Ray Bradburys "The Emissary" "We Aint Got No Body" issue 28 – Clark Ashton Smiths "The Return of the Sorcerer" "The Jellyfish" issue 19 – Ray Bradburys "Skeleton" "Grandmas Ghost" issue 20 – Stephen Grendons "Mr. George" After their unauthorized adaptation of one of Ray Bradburys stories in another magazine, Bradbury contacted EC about their plagiarism of his work. They reached an agreement for EC to do authorized versions of Bradburys short fiction. These official adaptations include: "Lets Play Poison" issue 29 "The Lake" issue 31. 4. The Vault-Keeper. Although ECs horror stable consisted of three separate magazines, there was little beyond their titles to distinguish them. Each magazine had its titular host, but the hosting duties for any one issue were typically shared with the hosts of the other two. Thus, a single issue of The Vault of Horror would contain two stories told by the Vault-Keeper, one by the Crypt-Keeper of Tales from the Crypt and one by the Old Witch of The Haunt of Fear. The professional rivalry between these three GhoulLunatics was often played for comic effect. The Vault-Keeper was the primary host of The Vault of Horror. He was introduced to the public in War against Crime #10, and he continued in that magazine through its change in title and format. He was a frightening presence in those early issues, an ancient inquisitor, hooded and robed, presiding over the empty dungeon of his bloody past. But he soon evolved into a more comedic horror host, delivering an irreverent and pun-filled commentary to lighten the horrific tone of the stories he introduced. Although The Vault-Keeper was originally designed by Feldstein, Craig is the artist most associated with the character, having drawn all his lead stories in The Vault of Horror with the exception of two. Craig also drew the Vault-Keeper in his guest appearances in the other comics, although another artist frequently drew the rest of the story. For the final four issues of The Vault of Horror, The Vault-Keeper was joined by Drusilla, a beautiful but silent co-host in the Vampira mode. 5. Demise. In 1954, Gaines and Feldstein intended to add a fourth book to their horror publications by reactivating an earlier title, The Crypt of Terror. They were stopped dead in their tracks, however. American horror and other violent comics had come under scrutiny by moralizing parents, schoolteachers, clergymen, psychologists, and others who viewed the material as dangerous to the well-being of children and a significant contributor to the juvenile delinquency crisis in America Matters came to a head in April and June 1954 with a highly publicized Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency. Hearings targeted violent comic books - which fared poorly in the proceedings. While the committee stopped short of blaming the comics industry for juvenile delinquency, they did suggest it tone down the product. Publishers were left reeling. The industry avoided outside censorship by creating the self-regulatory Comics Magazine Association of America CMAA and a CCA that placed severe restrictions on violent comic book genres. Publishers were forbidden from using the words "terror" and "horror" in titles, for example, and forbidden from depicting zombies, werewolves and other gruesome characters and outre horror fiction trappings. Gaines was fed up; he believed his titles were being specifically targeted and realized they were doomed to future failure. He cancelled The Vault of Horror and its companion titles in September 1954. The last issue of Vault was its 29th cover label #40, December/January 1955. Since an issue of The Crypt of Terror had already been produced, it was published as the 27th and final issue of Tales from the Crypt. 6. Reprints. The Vault of Horror has been reprinted on numerous occasions. Ballantine Books reprinted selected Vault stories in a series of paperback EC anthologies in 1964–66. Other Vault stories were reprinted in Horror Comics of the 1950s by Nostalgia Press 1971, edited by Bhob Stewart and Ron Barlow. Publisher released six issues of his EC Portfolio 1971–77. East Coast Comix reprinted issue #26 in the early 1970s. The magazine was fully collected in a series of five black-and-white hardbacks by Cochran as part of The Complete EC Library in the early 1980s. Cochran also reprinted the title in a standard comic book format out of sequence during the early 1990s in association with Gladstone Publishing. Cochran eventually reprinted the run in proper sequence during the later 1990s with Gemstone Publishing. This complete run was later rebound, with covers included, in a series of six softcover EC Annuals. In 2007, Cochran and Gemstone began to publish hardcover, re-colored volumes of The Vault of Horror as part of the EC Archives series. One volume of a projected five was published by Gemstone before their financial troubles left the project in limbo. A second volume was published by GC Press LLC, a boutique imprint established by Russ Cochran and , in January 2012. But the project may soon be revived under a new publisher, since Dark Horse Comics has announced plans to resume it with the release of The Vault of Horror Volume 3 in January 2014. 7. Media adaptations. The Vault of Horror stories were adapted to motion pictures in Freddie Francis Tales from the Crypt 1972 and Roy Ward Bakers The Vault of Horror 1973. Vault stories were also adapted for the Tales from the Crypt television series that aired on HBO 1989. The following stories were used in the television series: Horror in the Night Issue #12, Doctor of Horror #13, Report from the Grave #15, Fitting Punishment #16, Werewolf Concerto #16, Revenge Is the Nuts #20, The Reluctant Vampire #20, Dead Wait #23, Staired in Horror #23, 99 & 44/100% Pure Horror #23, Collection Completed #25, Seance #25, Half-Way Horrible #26, People Who Live in Brass Hearses #27, Til Death #28, Split Personality #30, Easel Kill Ya #31, Whirlpool #32, Strung Along #33, Let The Punishment Fit The Crime #33, A Slight Case of Murder #33, Smoke Wrings #34, And All Through the House #35, Beauty Rest #35, Surprise Party #37, Top Billing #39 and The Pit #40. The Vault-Keeper appeared as a character in the 1993 animated series Tales from the Cryptkeeper and was voiced by David Hemblen. In 2019, American audio production company Pocket Universe Productions, of which the AudioComics Company producers of the Locke & Key and The X-Files audio dramas for Audible Studios is a division, released the first season of "EC Comics Presents The Vault of Horror ", a full-cast audio drama adapting the first 24 stories from the first six issues of the original comics issues 12 - 17. Featuring a cast of more than 60 actors, including Philip Proctor, co-founder of the Firesign Theatre and Denise Poirier, best known for playing the character of Æon Flux in the MTV animated series, the role of the Vault-Keeper was voiced by actor, screenwriter, and comic book writer Kevin Grevioux, creator of the Underworld film series. The complete 8+ hour audio drama was released in audiobook format on October 25, 2019, and will be re-released as a podcast in 2020. Grounds…for Horror! While in L.A. last week, my good friend Mikhail and I made a stop at the comic shop Meltdown. It’s a great store. They have everything from comics to graphic novels to figurines to video games—and the folks who work there are both knowledgable and helpful. I’m a big fan. I could spend hours on end there, but we only had a little bit of time, and luckily I knew exactly what I wanted. And they had it: The Ec Archives: Tales from the Crypt, Volume 3. I’ve been wanting to get my hands on the EC Comics archives of Tales from the Crypt because I’m toying with the idea of doing a future ds106 course around these 1950s comics. I think it would be a blast, not to mention I love to look at them. More importantly though, I needed a gift for each of my kids before heading home from L.A., and I figured Miles was ready for some of the most awesome horror comics ever created. So, I picked up volume 3. When I started reading the first story of this volume to Tess and Miles, “Grounds…for Horror!” I was struck my how insane it was. Let me explain. The first story is about an abusive step-father who locks his disobedient son, Artie, in a dark closet in spite of his mother’s protest. The step-father is a butcher by trade, and their apartment adjoins with his shop. Can you see it coming yet? Artie’s mother overhears her son talking to someone named Hozir, whom she takes for an imaginary friend he created to help him deal with the abuse. Well, Hozir is not imaginary, he’s just invisible. And as the step-father ramps up his attacks on the child, Hozir promises retribution. And, he delivers on that promise in a fairly spectacular way: Scene from “Grounds…for Horror!” Miles and Tess were like WTF, daddy? And I was like, that is awesome! A comic book for kids that truly disturbs. Who said things were normal during the 50s? In fact, the 1990s re-working of Tales from the Crypt as an animated cartoon called Tales from the Cryptkeeper is just depressing in comparison. Not only does the art suck, but the stories are completely toothless. Look at this adapted version of “Grounds for Horror” and tell me I’m wrong. I just ordered the DVDs for the first two seasons of the late 80s, early 90s HBO series Tales from the Crypt. While I saw a few episodes at the time they came out, I don’t remember too much. But after reading up on it, seems they had a decent number of good actors and directors working on that series. My yardstick for all interpretations of this aesthetic is still George Romero’s Creepshow (1982), so we’ll see how that goes. If for no other reason, it will be useful given my kids are constantly asking me to tell them scary stories before they go to bed, and I’m running out of ideas. People similar to or like Bhob Stewart. American cartoonist and writer who has contributed to both mainstream and underground publications for several decades. During the 1970s, Steffan drew for such underground titles as Bizarre Sex and Grateful Dead Comix, both published by Kitchen Sink Press. Wikipedia. American cartoonist who was an important figure in the movement of the 1960s, remaining active in the decades that followed with a variety of books and comics, sometimes using the pseudonym Fowlton Means. Much of 's work deals with the animation industry and characters from the world of cartoons. Wikipedia. American editor-writer-illustrator and underground cartoonist. One of the editors of the magazine for two years. Wikipedia. The EC Horror Library Of The 1950's. Published by Nostalgia Press in 1971 this book is known by two titles, due to being titled differently on the spine and the cover: "The EC Horror Library Of The 1950's" (spine) and "Horror Comics Of The 1950's" (cover). It was the first high quality collection of EC Comics material (previous reprintings included the Ballantine paperback collections of 1964-66 and an assortment of black and white of varying quality). "The EC Horror Library Of The 1950's" was edited by Ron Barlow and Bhob Stewart with introductions by Stewart ("Dark Pagentry") and fellow EC Fandom founder Larry Stark. Though often credited as being a reprinting of Stark's "Elegy" from EC HOOHAH! #6 (1956), his introduction is in fact original to this collection and is called "An Appreciation". The collection includes 5 unique Ghoulunatic pieces by artist Joe Orlando. A second EC collection of Science Fiction material was planned but the death of publisher put an end to the series.