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106-525: The Vault of Horror is an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series that was published by EC Comics from 1950 to 1955 created by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein . The magazine began in March 1948 as War Against Crime . It continued under this title for 11 issues before becoming The Vault of Horror with issue #12 (April/May 1950). The comic ran for 29 issues until being discontinued after issue #40 (December/January 1955). Along with Tales from

212-489: A March 29, 1948, United States Supreme Court ruling that a 64-year-old New York State law outlawing publications with "pictures and stories of deeds of bloodshed, lust or crime" was unconstitutional. Regardless, the uproar increased upon the publication of two articles: "Horror in the Nursery" by Judith Crist , in the March 25, 1948, issue Collier's Weekly , based upon the symposium "Psychopathology of Comic Books" held

318-679: A backup feature to Irving's " Rip Van Winkle " in a package titled Rip Van Winkle and the Headless Horseman . The next issue, Classic Comics #13 (August 1943), adapted Robert Louis Stevenson 's horror novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as the full-length story Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , making it the earliest known dedicated horror comic book. Historian Ron Goulart , making no mention of those earlier literary adaptations, identifies Avon Publications ' Eerie #1, dated January 1947 and sold in late 1946, as "the first out-and-out horror comic book". Its cover featured

424-444: A clean, crisp, naturalistic approach to EC's legendary horror series— The Crypt of Terror , The Vault of Horror and The Haunt of Fear — plus Crime SuspenStories and Two-Fisted Tales . Wally Wood once said Craig drew "the cleanest horror stories you ever saw". His first EC horror work came with the cover art for The Crypt of Terror #17 (May 1950) and both the art and script for that issue's seven-page story "Curse of

530-523: A knife-wielding, skeletal ghoul, and Strange Story (July 1946), introduced writer-artist Bob Powell 's character the Man in Black, an early comic-book example of the type of omniscient-observer host used in such contemporary supernatural and suspense radio dramas as Inner Sanctum , Suspense , and The Whistler . As cultural historian David Hajdu notes, comic-book horror: ...had its roots in

636-408: A little payback. (The Vault-Keeper) A group of hikers take residence in a mountaintop cabin, but Jan Bodzla, their Romanian guide, believes that one of them is a ravenous werewolf and will do anything to kill the beast. (No host) Abner Tucker uses his position as town historian to rob the graves of the wealthy but is pestered by the filthy rats that scuttle about the tunnels. He sets up traps to slay

742-451: A lonely house in the country which is rumored to be haunted. In an attempt to get him back, three of his friends plan to scare him out of the house with smoke and mirrors. If only they knew that something was lurking inside. (The Vault-Keeper) An old hermit relates to two travelers the story of a group of scientists who accidentally created an amoeba that devoured anything in its path and grew with each feeding. The travelers should have heeded

848-502: A lonely island in the Pacific, Alec seeming to have disappeared. Steve then comes upon a castle where a strange count and his manservant live. The count enjoys a good game of sport, especially when it comes to hunting humans. (No host) A befuddled old husband realizes his beautiful wife is having an affair with a younger man and turns to a voodoo priest for assistance. He is given a doll in the likeness of his wife, which he uses to inflict

954-453: A mysterious woman in a vampire mask at a masquerade who shows him a fangtastic time. (The Vault-Keeper) Dr. Perdo arrives in a small town offering a miracle formula to help cure obesity in the form of capsules. The results are amazing as the customers start slimming down... and then waste away. When the town physician examines one of the corpses, he reveals just what was inside the pills. (The Old Witch) A seemingly sweet young man marries into

1060-403: A mysterious woman with pale complexion and long black hair, was added as a co-host beginning with The Vault of Horror #37. A greedy man murders his roommate and dumps the corpse in a vat of acid in order to profit from his artistic work. A strange old man and his creepy wax museum enter the man's life to exact some vengeance. (The Vault-Keeper) Walter Mallory is a rich heir who believes that he

1166-959: A number of horror titles, including Dracula Lives! , Monsters Unleashed , Vampire Tales , Tales of the Zombie , Haunt of Horror , and Masters of Terror . Additionally, Skywald Publications offered the black-and-white horror-comics magazines Nightmare , Psycho , and Scream . DC during this time continued to publish its existing supernatural fiction and added new horror series such as Ghosts , The Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love (later titled Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion ), Secrets of Haunted House , Secrets of Sinister House , Swamp Thing , Weird Mystery Tales , Weird War Tales , and Tales of Ghost Castle . Charlton continued in this vein as well, with Ghostly Haunts , Haunted , Midnight Tales , Haunted Love , and Scary Tales . Underground cartoonists , many of them strongly influenced by 1950s EC Comics like Tales from

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1272-429: A number of popular horror titles, including Hellblazer and Swamp Thing . One of Vertigo's early successes was Neil Gaiman 's Sandman , which reworked a number of DC's old horror characters and added fantasy to the mix. A number of other horror titles carried on at Vertigo, like Deadman , House of Mystery and Haunted Tank , or were given a horror spin or an update like Kid Eternity and Jonah Hex . In

1378-435: A picture of a large and pervasive industry, shrouded in secrecy and masterminded by a few, that operated upon the innocent and defenseless minds of the young. He further suggested the industry strong-armed vendors into accepting their publications and forced artists and writers into producing the content against their will. Wertham alleged comics stimulated deviant sexual behavior. He noted female breasts in comics protruded in

1484-412: A provocative way and special attention was lavished upon the female genital region. A cover by Matt Baker from Phantom Lady was reprinted in the book with the caption, "Sexual stimulation by combining 'headlights' with the sadist's dream of tying up a woman". Boys interviewed by Wertham said they used comic book images for masturbation purposes, and one young comics reader confessed he wanted to be

1590-458: A range of mini-series released by IDW Publishing . At Dark Horse , Mike Mignola has been working on Hellboy , and has created a large fictional universe with spin-off titles like BPRD and Lobster Johnson . Johnny Craig John Thomas Alexis Craig (April 25, 1926 – September 13, 2001), was an American comic book artist notable for his work with the EC Comics line of

1696-452: A red-eyed, pointy-eared fiend threatening a rope-bound , beautiful young woman in a scanty red evening gown, set amid a moonlit ruin. The anthology offered six primarily occult stories involving the likes of a ghost and a zombie. While all but one writer are unknown — Edward Bellin, who teamed with young artist Joe Kubert on the nine-page "The Man-Eating Lizards" — the artists include George Roussos and Fred Kida . After this first issue,

1802-568: A result of the Congressional hearings, DC Comics shifted its ongoing horror titles, House of Mystery (1951–1987) and House of Secrets (1956–1966), toward the suspense and mystery genres, often with a science fiction bent. In fact, from 1964 to 1968, House of Mystery became a mostly superhero title, featuring J'onn J'onzz, the Manhunter from Mars and, later, Dial H for Hero . Similarly, during this period Marvel Comics produced

1908-419: A rich Southern family to reap all the benefits. He ultimately tears up the family but only to be visited by a very angry, vengeful ancestor. (The Vault-Keeper) Two doctored brothers find their relationship torn when one sends the other to jail for "tampering" with a patient's insulin, but while in jail the brother decides to create a revengeful plan. (The Crypt-Keeper) An abusive father gets his just deserts at

2014-557: A rich man into murdering the Great Zobo who has the talent of "shallow breathing." When Rita decides to leave Sam six feet under, a series of circumstances allow him to get revenge. (The Vault-Keeper) Hubert Antone is the manager of a hotel in Hungary whose customers are being murdered by what appears to be a savage animal. The arrival of a strange pianist adds to the mystery, and things start getting hairy. (The Vault-Keeper) Stanley

2120-427: A room with a corpse (Pirro in actuality). When Pirro decides to scare Roger, the real horror begins. (The Vault-Keeper) Pete Luger is a hardened criminal who serves in the prison's rockyard, lugging bricks back and forth. He soon hits upon the idea to stow himself away in a coffin and be driven out of prison in the hearse. Once he seals himself up in the casket, the heat is on. (The Old Witch) Jim Ryan gets stranded on

2226-510: A series of paperback anthologies from 1964 to 1966. Other stories were reprinted in Horror Comics of the 1950s by Nostalgia Press (1971), edited by Bhob Stewart and Ron Barlow. Publisher Russ Cochran released six issues in 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

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2332-444: A seven-page, abridged adaptation of Horace Walpole 's seminal gothic novel The Castle of Otranto , by an unknown writer and artist Al Ulmer . Following the postwar crime comics vogue spearheaded by publisher Lev Gleason 's Crime Does Not Pay , which by 1948 was selling over a million copies a month, came romance comics , which by 1949 outsold all other genres, and horror comics. The same month in which Adventures into

2438-517: A sex maniac. Wertham contended comics promoted homosexuality by pointing to the Batman–Robin relationship and calling it a homosexual wish dream of two men living together. He observed that Robin was often pictured standing with his legs spread and the genital region evident. Most alarmingly, Wertham contended that comic books fostered deceitfulness in children, who might read funny animal comics in front of their parents but then turn to horror comics

2544-494: A strange priest in a weird ritual. Returning to the United States, George remains young as the bust takes on the evil of his deeds. (The Crypt-Keeper) Sick of her boring farm life and stingy, elderly husband, Aldous, Shirley knocks him over the head with a frying pan and hurls the body into a yawning sink hole. But she should have known that all is well that ends well. (The Vault-Keeper) The brilliant Dr. Johnstone gets in

2650-435: A terrible car accident and must have his right hand removed. Devastated, he murders a wino, cuts off his hand and buries him in the garden. Johnstone then attempts to revive the hand in his laboratory. (The Vault-Keeper) Ken purchases a ghoulish zombie mask from a dusty costume shop but was warned by the eerie proprietor that his masks reflect the character of the people who wear them. After spying on his cheating wife, he meets

2756-451: A train. The problem is that Ralph keeps popping up everywhere she looks, even in a lonely cabin that contains a single open coffin. (No host) Bert and Florence have just done away with the latter's husband and dump his body into the sea next to the lighthouse he used to own hoping to find a hidden stash of money near the place. Too bad that the ever-rotting corpse keeps washing up on the shore. (The Vault-Keeper) Charles, Sybil, and Edgar are

2862-402: A vampire. By the mid-1940s, some detective and crime comics had incorporated horror motifs such as spiders and eyeballs into their graphics, and occasionally featured stories adapted from the literary horror tales of Edgar Allan Poe or other writers, or stories from the pulps and radio programs. The single-issue Harvey Comics anthologies Front Page Comic Book (1945), bearing a cover with

2968-461: A week earlier by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham ; and Wertham's own features "The Comics ... Very Funny!" in the May 29, 1948, issue of The Saturday Review of Literature , and a March 19, 1948 symposium called "Psychopathology of Comic Books" which stated that comic books were "abnormally sexually aggressive" and led to crime. In response to public pressure and bad press, an industry trade group ,

3074-473: Is an orphan who goes to the home of his miserly Uncle Ezra and assists him in his undertaking business. Ezra is a fanatic penny pincher and decides to kill his nephew to fill an unwanted coffin. He is a bit too tall for it though. (The Vault-Keeper) Paul, Clyde, and Roger attend a carnival where they see Pirro, "The Wax Man", who can stay completely still. Paul and Clyde plot to pull a practical joke on Roger by betting him that he could not spend an entire night in

3180-570: Is run by a cruel, wicked man who delights in beating and torturing his patients, only to find that revenge can really be the nuts'! (The Old Witch) Harry and Olga, a married circus couple, find their life torn apart, when Olga is turned into a vampire and cannot control her quench for human blood, including Harry's own blood, but how can she be stopped? (The Vault-Keeper) Horror comic Precursors to horror comics include detective and crime comics that incorporated horror motifs into their graphics, and early superhero stories that sometimes included

3286-486: Is the anthology Adventures into the Unknown , premiering in 1948 from American Comics Group , initially under the imprint B&I Publishing. The horror tradition in sequential-art narrative traces back to at least the 12th-century Heian period Japanese scroll "Gaki Zoshi", or the scroll of hungry ghosts (紙本著色餓鬼草紙) and the 16th-century Mixtec codices . In the early 20th-century, pulp magazines developed

The Vault of Horror (comics) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3392-412: Is the culprit of several gruesome murders about his estate—murders that only happen on the night of a full moon. (No host) Tom Hawkins owns a roadside motel and relates to his friend the story of his strange dream in which a man and his ghoulish wife rent a room and a night of murder ensues. But, is it just a dream? Gloria is convinced her husband, Ralph, is trying to kill her, so she runs off and boards

3498-597: 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, a boutique imprint established by Cochran and Grant Geissman , in January 2012. Dark Horse Comics resumed publication of the series in 2014. The complete five-volume series was later republished as over-sized trade paperbacks from 2021 to 2024. Like its horror companion titles, Tales from

3604-699: The Association of Comics Magazine Publishers (ACMP) was formed with the intent of prodding the industry to police itself. The Association proved ineffective as few publishers joined and those who did exercised little restraint over the content of their titles. In 1954, Dr. Fredric Wertham published Seduction of the Innocent , a tome that claimed horror, crime and other comics were a direct cause of juvenile delinquency . Wertham asserted, largely based on undocumented anecdotes, that reading violent comic books encouraged violent behavior in children. Wertham painted

3710-831: The Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA) and its Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed. The Code had many stipulations that made it difficult for horror comics to continue publication, since any that didn't adhere to the Code's guidelines would likely not find distribution. The Code forbade the explicit presentation of "unique details and methods of crime...Scenes of excessive violence...brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gun play, physical agony, gory and gruesome crime...all scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism , masochism...Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, or torture". As

3816-633: The Merchant Marines and the U.S. Army . Returning to comics after his discharge, he began drawing for EC Comics , beginning with the penciling and inking the cover of Moon Girl and the Prince #1 ( cover-dated Fall 1947). He did additional work on the following issue of that science fiction / superhero series, now titled simply Moon Girl , and went on to draw stories for the EC Western comics Saddle Justice and Gunfighter and

3922-570: The Mutual Broadcasting Network 's radio show of that name and including amid its crime and science-fiction stories a reprint of the Edgar Allan Poe adaptation " The Tell Tale Heart ", reprinted from Charlton Comics ' Yellowjacket Comics #6. Street and Smith also published two issues of "Ghost Breakers" in late 1948. (ibid GCDB) The floodgates began to open the following year with the first horror comic from

4028-409: The crime comic Crime Patrol ; he later expanded into romance comics with EC's Modern Love Craig additionally did a small amount of early work for Magazine Enterprises , American Comics Group and, tentatively identified through the pen name "Jay", possibly for Eastern Color 's New Heroic Comics . When he teamed with Al Feldstein , they used the pseudonym F. C. Aljohn. Craig later brought

4134-480: The horror genre" by historian Don Markstein , and "[t]he first real horror series" by horror-comics historian Lawrence Watt-Evans, the feature ran through Prize Comics #52 (April 1945) before becoming a humor series and then being revived in horrific form in the series Frankenstein #18-33 (March 1952 - November 1954). Gilberton Publications ' 60-page Classic Comics #12 (June 1943) adapted Washington Irving 's short story " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow " as

4240-575: The 1950s' most prolific horror-comics publisher, Atlas Comics , the decade's forerunner of Marvel Comics . While horror had been an element in 1940s superhero stories from the original predecessor company, Timely Comics , through the war years, "when zombies, vampires, werewolves, and even pythonmen were to be found working for the Nazis and the Japanese", the publisher entered the horror arena full-tilt with Amazing Mysteries #32 (May 1949), continuing

4346-771: The 1950s. He sometimes used the pseudonyms Jay Taycee and F. C. Aljohn . Born in Pleasantville , New York , Craig studied at the Art Students League of New York . While attending classes, he began working in 1940 as an assistant of Harry Lampert , co-creator of All-American Comics ' Golden Age superhero the Flash . The following year, after Lampert was drafted to serve to World War II , All-American editor Sheldon Mayer kept Craig on as an art department assistant, giving him progressively more responsible art duties. Between 1943 and 1945, Craig served in

The Vault of Horror (comics) - Misplaced Pages Continue

4452-566: The 1972 motion picture Tales from the Crypt and television's Tales from the Crypt , which aired on HBO from 1989 to 1996. In 1950, EC Comics publisher Bill Gaines and his editor, Al Feldstein , began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles, War Against Crime and Crime Patrol . With issue #12 (April/May 1950), War Against Crime was replaced with The Vault of Horror . Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, characteristic of comics publishing in

4558-569: The Bold to draw — a Batman / Hawkman team-up. Craig handed the job in weeks late, whereupon his art was deemed too subdued, even for the relatively staid DC super-hero comics of the time. Before publication (in issue #70), the pages were heavily retouched and revised as to expunge any trace of Johnny Craig's style. Evanier wrote that Goodwin, by now writing for Marvel, said that, "Every so often, we'd try having him pencil an Iron Man or something, but it never worked out. He couldn't draw superheroes

4664-415: The Crypt and The Haunt of Fear , it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. Publication ceased, however, after horror and crime comics came under scrutiny for an alleged link to juvenile delinquency and the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code . The Vault of Horror has since been reprinted in single issues and collected volumes. Some of its stories were adapted for

4770-468: The Crypt , also tried their hands at horror. Titles like Skull ( Rip Off Press / Last Gasp , 1970–1972), Bogeyman ( Company & Sons / San Francisco Comic Book Company , 1969), Fantagor ( Richard Corben , 1970), Insect Fear ( Print Mint , 1970), Up From The Deep (Rip Off Press, 1971), Death Rattle ( Kitchen Sink Press , 1972), Gory Stories (Shroud, 1972), Deviant Slice (Print Mint, 1972) and Two-Fisted Zombies (Last Gasp, 1973) appeared in

4876-406: The Crypt . In 1947, publisher William Gaines had inherited what was then Educational Comics upon the death of his father, Maxwell Gaines . Three years later, Gaines and editor Al Feldstein introduced horror in two of the company's crime comics to test the waters. Finding them successful, the publisher quickly turned them and a Western series into EC's triumvirate of horror. Additionally,

4982-924: 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/March 1954). Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein wrote almost every other story until late 1953 to early 1954 when outside writers Carl Wessler and Jack Oleck were hired. Other contributing artists to The Vault of Horror were Feldstein, George Evans , Jack Kamen , Wally Wood , Graham Ingels , Harvey Kurtzman , Jack Davis , Sid Check, Al Williamson , Joe Orlando , Reed Crandall , Bernard Krigstein , Harry Harrison , and Howard Larsen. As with

5088-554: The Crypt ) and one by the Old Witch (of The Haunt of Fear ). The professional rivalry among these three GhouLunatics was often played for comedic effect in the letter column . The Vault-Keeper was introduced in War Against Crime #10, and he continued with the magazine after its rebranding. The character began as a frightening presence in the early issues, shown as an ancient inquisitor, hooded and robed, presiding over

5194-536: The Full Moon". In being a writer as well as an artist, Craig differed from the majority of EC artists. He was responsible for the stories hosted by the Vault-Keeper , and he also drew that horror host in the framing sequences of stories by other EC illustrators. He eventually concentrated on The Vault of Horror and Crime SuspenStories , doing the lead story in each of these bimonthly titles. Craig became

5300-747: The Tomb Harvey Comics ' Tomb of Terror, Witches Tales, and Chamber of Chills Magazine , Avon Comics ', Witchcraft , Ajax-Farrell Publications ' Fantastic Fears , Fawcett Publications ' Worlds of Fear and This Magazine Is Haunted , Charlton Comics ' The Thing , and a slew from Atlas Comics , including Adventures into Weird Worlds , Adventures into Terror , Menace , Journey into Mystery , and Strange Tales . Indeed, from 1949 through comics cover-dated March 1955, Atlas released 399 issues of 18 horror titles, ACG released 123 issues of five horror titles, and Ace Comics, 98 issues of five titles — each more than EC's output. In

5406-438: The Unknown premiered, the comic-book company EC , which would become the most prominent horror-comics publisher of the 1950s, published its first horror story, "Zombie Terror", by the then relatively unknown writer and artist Johnny Craig , in the superhero comic Moon Girl #5. Almost simultaneously, Trans-World Publications issued its one-and-only comic, the one-shot Mysterious Traveler Comics #1 (November 1948), based on

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5512-420: The air conditioner busts, a foul odor emanates from Kingley's room. (The Old Witch) Tom believes his brother, Andrew, was inflicted with the curse of the werewolf on a hunting trip, and the recent string of murders seem to confirm his suspicions. He sets a trap for his brother and plans to end his mayhem once and for all. (The Vault-Keeper) George Barker visits Haiti to have a voodoo bust of his likeness made by

5618-487: The black-and-white horror magazine business, mixing new material with reprints from pre- Comics Code horror comics, most notably in its flagship title Weird (1966–1981), as well as the magazines Tales of Voodoo (1968–1974), Horror Tales (1969–1979), Tales from the Tomb (1969–1975), and Terror Tales (1969–1979). Stanley Publications also published a line of black-and-white horror magazines from 1966 to 1971, including

5724-482: The blood of innocent townsfolk. (The Crypt-Keeper) Peggy, a young girl, finds herself in the care of her wicked aunt and uncle when her Grandma dies from heart failure, a death that could have been stopped by the aunt and uncle who are after her money. But, when the will is read, they find that Peggy has inherited all her Grandma's money, so they decide to do away with the little girl, but not if Grandma has anything to say about it! (The Vault-Keeper) An old insane asylum

5830-466: The classic tradition such as Frankenstein , Dracula , and other high-caliber literary works written by Edgar Allan Poe , Saki , Conan Doyle , and other respected authors whose works are read in schools around the world. Following this, Marvel returned to publishing true horror by first introducing a scientifically created, vampire-like character, Morbius, the Living Vampire , followed by

5936-475: The company folded in 1967. The publishers Gilberton , Dell Comics , and Gold Key Comics did not become signatories to the Comics Code, relying on their reputations as publishers of wholesome comic books. Classics Illustrated had adapted such horror novels as Frankenstein and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in comic book form, and quickly issued reprints with new, less gruesome covers. Dell began publishing

6042-426: The cover of a horror comic"—a remark that became an oft-quoted example of comic books' alleged depravity. Ironically, Craig was one of the more wholesome EC artists, frequently choosing to show the reactions of characters rather than the horrific event itself. One critic wrote of his work: Craig was a meticulous craftsman and not a fast worker, but his stories are regarded as some of the best ever in comics. His art

6148-500: The early 1970s. By the mid-1970s, the horror comics boomlet slowed and various titles were cancelled. Only a few of the DC titles persevered by the end of the decade, the long-running Gold Key mystery comic series ceased during the early 1980s, and some predominantly-reprint Charlton series managed to survive to the mid-1980s. DC's traditional titles sputtered out during the early 1980s, and its transformed anthology "Elvira's House of Mystery"

6254-482: 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 . He eventually reprinted the run in proper sequence during the late 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

6360-649: The early scripting, writing a story a day with twist endings and poetic justice taken to absurd extremes. EC's success immediately spawned a host of imitators, such as Ziff-Davis ' and P.L. Publishing's Weird Adventures , St. John Publications ' Weird Horrors , Key Publications ' Weird Chills , Weird Mysteries and Weird Tales of the Future , Comic Media 's Weird Terror , Ziff-Davis' Weird Thrillers , and Star Publications ' Ghostly Weird Stories . Others included Quality Comics ' Web of Evil , Ace Comics ' Web of Mystery , Premier Magazines ' Horror from

6466-570: The editor of The Vault of Horror early in 1954, giving up his work for Crime SuspenStories at that time. Later that year, he created the Vault Keeper's attractive assistant, Drusilla. After the EC horror books came to an end, Craig edited EC's Extra! in 1955, writing and drawing two stories in each bimonthly issue. Craig's story "... And All Through the House" in Vault of Horror #35 (March 1954)

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6572-526: The empty dungeon of his bloody past. 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. Occasionally, the Vault-Keeper would appear as a character as well. "Horror Beneath the Streets" ( The Haunt of Fear #17) tells how he and his fellow GhouLunatics got their EC publishing contracts. Drusilla,

6678-415: The entire comic book industry displayed murder, torture and sexual titillation for the reader's consideration. The most widely discussed art was that from "Foul Play", a horror story from EC about a dishonest baseball player whose head and intestines are used by his teammates in a game. Seduction of the Innocent sparked a firestorm of controversy and created alarm in parents, teachers and others interested in

6784-436: The era, the numbering did not change with the title. The Vault of Horror continued to run for a total of 29 issues before ceasing publication with issue #40 (December/January 1955). Along with its sister titles, The Haunt of Fear and Tales from the Crypt , The Vault of Horror was popular, but in the late 1940s and early 1950s comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers, and others who believed

6890-760: The form that horror comics would take in the coming decades. Printed in color on high-quality paper stock despite a higher cover price, the series Twisted Tales and Alien Worlds were short-lived and hard-pressed to keep to a regular production schedule, but offered some of the most explicitly brutal and sexual stories yet to be widely distributed in a mainstream ("non-underground") format. Both series eventually moved to Eclipse Comics , which also produced similar titles such as The Twisted Tales of Bruce Jones and Alien Encounters (which they inherited from Fantaco). Later horror titles from DC's Vertigo line had more in common with these Pacific/Eclipse efforts, and more success, than DC's sporadic efforts to revive or maintain

6996-418: The hands of his young daughter after she befriends a peculiar neighbor. (The Vault-Keeper) An unfaithful wife decides to get involved with another man when her husband becomes terminally ill. She meets him every couple of years deep in the marsh, even when he has been dead for years. (The Old Witch) A renowned lion trainer finds herself disfigured after she is attacked by a panther. She locks herself away from

7102-518: The horror subgenre " weird menace ", which featured sadistic villains and graphic scenes of torture and brutality. The first such title, Popular Publications' Dime Mystery , began as a straight crime fiction magazine but evolved by 1933 under the influence of Grand Guignol theater. Other publishers eventually joined in, though Popular dominated the field with Dime Mystery , Horror Stories , and Terror Tales . While most weird-menace stories were resolved with rational explanations, some involved

7208-536: The horror comic Black Cat Mystery with issue #30 (August 1951). Horror comics briefly flourished from this point until the industry's self-imposed censorship board, the Comics Code Authority, was instituted in late 1954. The most influential and enduring horror-comics anthologies of this period, beginning 1950, were the 91 issues of EC Comics ' three series: The Haunt of Fear , The Vault of Horror and The Crypt of Terror , renamed Tales from

7314-437: The horror genre, claiming he was the first to publish such comics. He insisted that delinquency was the result of the real environment and not fictional reading materials. His defiant demeanor left the committee (which felt the industry was indefensible), astonished. He had prepared a statement that read in part, "It would be just as difficult to explain the harmless thrill of a horror story to Dr. Wertham as it would be to explain

7420-457: The horror tradition in the mid-1960s, bypassing the Comics Code Authority restrictions by publishing magazine-sized black-and-white horror comics. Under the direction of line editor Archie Goodwin , Warren debuted the horror anthologies Creepy (1964–1983) and Eerie (1966–1983), followed by Vampirella , an anthology with a lead feature starring a sexy young female vampire. The low-rent Warren imitator Eerie Publications also jumped into

7526-500: The introduction of Dracula in Tomb of Dracula . This opened the floodgates for more horror titles, such as the anthology Supernatural Thrillers , Werewolf by Night , and two series in which Satan or a Satan-like lord of Hell figured, Ghost Rider and the feature " Son of Satan ." In addition, following Warren Publishing 's longtime lead, Marvel's parent company in 1971 began a black-and-white magazine imprint , which published

7632-438: The last heirs to the crumbling remains of Harkley Heath, which is reported to be cursed. When Charles and Edgar plot to get Sybil out of the way they find out the true power of the curse. (No host) Poor Doctor Lemonet must find a way to bring in more students to his anatomy classes, but there is a shortage in cadavers. So the good physician turns to grave robbing and a little foul play. (No host) Steve and Alec's jet crashes into

7738-422: The late 1940s, comic books – particularly crime comics – had become the target of mounting public criticism for their content and their potentially harmful effects on children, with "accusations from several fronts [that] charged comic books with contributing to the rising rates of juvenile delinquency ." Many city and county ordinances had banned some publications, though these were effectively overturned with

7844-468: The licensed TV series comic book Twilight Zone in 1961 and publishing a Dracula title in 1962 (though only the first issue was horror related; the subsequent issues were part of the super-hero genre revival), followed in 1963 by the new series "Ghost Stories." Gold Key, in addition to releasing Boris Karloff Thriller , based on the TV series Thriller (and retitled Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery after

7950-449: The likes of ghouls and vampires. Individual horror stories appeared as early as 1940. The first dedicated horror comic books appear to be Gilberton Publications ' Classic Comics #13 (August 1943), with its full-length adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson 's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , and Avon Publications ' anthology Eerie #1 (January 1947), the first horror comic with original content. The first horror-comics series

8056-503: The magazines contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency . In April and June 1954, highly publicized congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code , EC Comics publisher Bill Gaines cancelled The Vault of Horror and its two companion horror titles. The Vault of Horror has been reprinted on numerous occasions. Ballantine Books reprinted selected stories in

8162-852: The mid-1990s Harris Publications also revived Vampirella , and Marvel, after mostly taking the 1980s off, published its " Midnight Sons " line of horror comics that included such series as a revived Ghost Rider , Nightstalkers , Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins and Midnight Sons Unlimited . In addition to its long-running titles carried over from the 1990s, Vertigo published more conventional horror, like vampires in Bite Club (beginning in 2004), and Vamps . In addition, from 1999 to 2001 they published their own horror anthology , Flinch . At Image Comics , Robert Kirkman has created The Walking Dead . Steve Niles predominantly writes horror comics, and his 30 Days of Night has spawned

8268-620: The moment their parents left the room. Wertham warned of suspicious stores and their clandestine back rooms where second hand comics of the worst sort were peddled to children. The language used evoked images of children prowling about gambling dens and whorehouses, and anxious parents felt helpless in the face of such a powerful force as the comics industry. Excerpts from the book were published in Ladies' Home Journal and Reader's Digest , lending respectability and credibility to Wertham's arguments. A 14-page portfolio of panels and covers from across

8374-456: The moors and decides to spend the night in a crumbling mansion nearby. The old man and his servant who live there seem to be oblivious to the bloodcurdling screams and frantic scratchings that ring out in the house. (The Vault-Keeper) Barton Gordon applies for the job of superintendent at an apartment building and meets the ghoulish-looking and strangely mannered landlord, Marcus Kingsley, who insists that his room be refrigerated at all times. When

8480-711: The numbering of the defunct superhero series Sub-Mariner Comics , followed by the superhero anthology Marvel Mystery Comics becoming the horror series Marvel Tales with #93 (August 1949) and the final two issues of Captain America Comics becoming the mostly horror-fiction Captain America's Weird Tales #74-75 (October 1949 & February 1950) — the latter of which did not contain Captain America at all. Harvey Comics followed suit with its costumed-crimefighter comic Black Cat by reformatting it as

8586-643: The other EC comics edited by Feldstein, the stories in this comic were primarily based on Gaines using existing horror stories and films to develop "springboards" from which he and Feldstein could launch new stories. Specific story influences that have been identified include the following: After their unauthorized adaptation of one of Ray Bradbury's stories in another magazine, Bradbury contacted EC about their plagiarism of his work. They reached an agreement for EC to do authorized versions of Bradbury's short fiction. These official adaptations include: Although EC's horror stable consisted of three separate magazines, there

8692-425: The pernicious influence of comic books upon children. His passionate testimony at the hearings impressed the gathering. Kefauver suggested crime comics indoctrinated children in a way similar to Nazi propaganda. Wertham noted Hitler was a beginner compared to the comics industry. Publisher William Gaines appeared before the committee and vigorously defended his product and the industry. He took full responsibility for

8798-439: The pseudonym Jay Taycee, a phonetic pronunciation of his four initials. Of his attempts to work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics , however, comics historian Mark Evanier wrote, By any name, the work was excellent, but Craig's efforts to work for the "big two" — DC and Marvel — were not as successful. In 1967, he applied at DC. Recalling the excellence of his EC stories, editor George Kashdan gave him an issue of The Brave and

8904-785: The pulps, where narratives of young women assaulted by 'weird menaces' ... had filled magazines such as Terror Tales and Horror Stories for years. Variations on gothic fright had also appeared in several comics— Suspense Comics (which began in 1943), Yellowjacket (which included eight horror stories, billed as "Tales of Terror", in its run of ten issues, beginning in 1944), and Eerie (which had one issue published in 1947). Issue #7 (December 1940) of publisher Prize Comics ' flagship title, Prize Comics , introduced writer-artist Dick Briefer 's eight-page feature " New Adventures of Frankenstein ", an updated version of novelist Mary Shelley 's much-adapted Frankenstein monster . Called "America's first ongoing comic book series to fall squarely within

9010-410: The revival of Kitchen Sink's Death Rattle , followed a year later by the debut of FantaCo's horror anthology Gore Shriek , edited by Stephen R. Bissette , who also contributed stories to each issue. Bissette also edited the acclaimed anthology Taboo , which ran from 1988 to 1995. In 1982, Pacific Comics produced two series that, while admittedly inspired by the EC Comics of the 1950s, foresaw

9116-451: The rodents, but those furry fiends will chew through anything. (No host) A you-are-the-main-character story in which your car has stalled on a lonely road one dark and stormy night. You decide to seek shelter in a nearby cottage where a vampire husband and his ghoul wife are just dying to let you stay the night. (The Vault-Keeper) Henry is a struggling comic book writer whose rowdy friends throw parties every day in his apartment, so he rents

9222-497: The severed head of a blond woman. Mr. Gaines replied: 'Yes, I do—for the cover of a horror comic.' Though the committee's final report did not blame comics for crime, it recommended that the comics industry tone down its content voluntarily. By 1953, nearly a quarter of all comic books published were horror titles. In the hearings' immediate aftermath, several publishers revamped their schedules and drastically censored or cancelled many long-running comic series. In September 1954,

9328-536: The show went off the air), bought the Twilight Zone license from Dell in 1962. In 1965 Gold Key put out three licensed horror-themed comics, two based on the TV horror-comedies The Addams Family and The Munsters , and the other titled Ripley's Believe it or Not! , which had three different subtitles: "True Ghost Stories," "True War Stories" (#1 and #5), and "True Demons & Monsters" (#7, #10, #19, #22, #25, #26, and #29). Warren Publishing continued

9434-477: The sublimity of love to a frigid old maid." Crime Suspenstories , issue 22, April/May 1954, was entered into evidence. The exchange between Gaines and Kefauver led to a front-page story in The New York Times : He was asked by Senator Estes Kefauver, Democrat of Tennessee, if he considered in "good taste" the cover of his Shock SuspenStories , which depicted an axe-wielding man holding aloft

9540-604: The superhero comic Moon Girl , which had become the romance comic A Moon...a Girl...Romance , became the primarily science fiction anthology Weird Fantasy . For the next four years, sardonic horror hosts the Old Witch , the Vault Keeper and The Crypt Keeper introduced stories drawn by such top artists and soon-to-be-famous newcomers as Johnny Craig , Reed Crandall , Jack Davis , Graham Ingels (who signed his work "Ghastly"), Jack Kamen , Bernard Krigstein , Harvey Kurtzman , and Wally Wood . Feldstein did most of

9646-681: The supernatural. After the fledgling medium of comic books became established by the late 1930s, horror-fiction elements began appearing in superhero stories, with vampires, misshapen creatures, mad scientists and other tropes that bore the influence of the Universal horror films of the 1930s and other sources. In 1935, National Periodicals published the first story of Doctor Occult by Jerry Siegel (script) and Joe Shuster (Art) in New Fun Comics # 6, where he confronts Vampire Master. In Detective Comics # 31–32, Batman fights

9752-543: The tale. Reprinted from The Haunt of Fear #15 (1) (May/Jun 1950) where it appeared as "The Thing in the Swamp!" (The Old Witch) As part of his initiation into the Vault-Keeper's Club, Warren must go into the local cemetery and retrieve a watch from a recently deceased member. When he discovers a molding skeleton in its place, Warren unearths a mystery of murder and revenge. (The Vault-Keeper) Two carnival workers, Sam "The Great Zobo" and his girlfriend, Rita, plot to blackmail

9858-458: The title and the character as he saw fit. Moore reconfigured Swamp Thing's origin to make him a true monster as opposed to a human transformed into a monster. Moore's (and artists Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben 's) Swamp Thing was a critical and commercial success, and in 1988 spun off the ongoing series Hellblazer , starring occult detective John Constantine . In 1993, DC introduced its mature-readers Vertigo line, which folded in

9964-644: The title to its horror roots with issue #175 (July/August 1968); a similar transformation was made to House of Secrets and The Unexpected (formerly " Tales of the Unexpected "), with the company debuting a new title, The Witching Hour . In 1971, the Comics Code Authority relaxed some of its longstanding rules regarding horror comics, which opened the door to more possibilities in the genre: Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with, walking dead or torture shall not be used. Vampires, ghouls and werewolves shall be permitted to be used when handled in

10070-572: The title went dormant, but reappeared in 1951 as Eerie , beginning with a new #1 and running 17 issues (1951 - September 1954). Goulart identifies the long-running Adventures into the Unknown (Fall 1948 - August 1967), from American Comics Group , initially under the imprint B&I Publishing, as "the first continuing-series horror comic". The first two issues, which included art by Fred Guardineer and others, featured horror stories of ghosts, werewolves, haunted houses, killer puppets and other supernatural beings and locales. The premiere included

10176-469: The titles Strange Tales (1951–1968) and Journey into Mystery (1952–1966). Each company gradually changed from suspense stories toward fantasy, science fiction and monster stories, and then to related superhero characters during the years after the code came into effect. Charlton Comics' suspense titles, such as Unusual Tales, persisted to the mid-1960s. ACG titles Adventures into the Unknown and Unknown Worlds thrived during this Silver Age period until

10282-552: The titles Shock and Chilling Tales of Horror . A number of supernatural mystery / suspense titles were introduced in the latter half of the 1960s, including Charlton Comics ' Ghostly Tales , The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves , and Ghost Manor ; and Marvel Comics ' Chamber of Darkness / Monsters on the Prowl and Tower of Shadows/Creatures on the Loose . At DC Comics , new House of Mystery editor Joe Orlando returned

10388-582: The traditional horror comic title (e.g. Elvira's House of Mystery ). Wasteland (DC Comics) was a pre-vertigo, non-Code horror series from DC in the late 1980s. In 1982, DC Comics revived the Swamp Thing series, attempting to capitalize on the summer 1982 release of the Wes Craven film of the same name . In 1984, Briton Alan Moore took over the writing chores on the title, and when Karen Berger became editor, she gave Moore free rein to revamp

10494-769: The wake of the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency hearings, Craig worked briefly for Atlas Comics , the 1950s predecessor of Marvel Comics , then spent several successful years at an advertising agency in Pennsylvania , though he lamented that his responsibilities there prevented him from drawing much. He returned to comics in the 1960s with art for ACG 's Unknown Worlds and other titles. His resurfacing prompted Warren Publishing editor Archie Goodwin to have Craig draw for Warren's magazines from 1966 to 1968, during which time Craig (who still worked in advertising) used

10600-513: The way they wanted, and he couldn't hit the deadlines of a monthly book". After penciling and inking Iron Man #2 and a supernatural story in Tower of Shadows #1, heavily retouched by John Romita Sr. , Craig became primarily an inker . He did however complete Iron Man #2–4, 14, 24 and 25, the latter inked by Sam Grainger. By the early 1980s, Craig stopped drawing for comics and was semi-retired until his death in 2001. He did do many paintings of

10706-478: The welfare of children; the concerned were galvanized into campaigning for censorship. Public criticism brought matters to a head. In 1954, anti-crime crusader Estes Kefauver led the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency . Dr. Wertham insisted upon appearing before the committee. He first presented a long list of his credentials, and then, in his clipped German accent, spoke with authority on

10812-401: The world until she meets Steve, her sweet talking limo driver, and soon marries him. But, she soon finds that he is only in it for the money and decides to take revenge on his beauty, too, using witchcraft. (The Vault-Keeper) A lazy vampire decides to work for a blood bank since he doesn ot like killing to quench his thirst, but when the bank goes into debt, he decides to help fill it up... with

10918-510: Was adapted for the Joan Collins segment of the 1972 omnibus film Tales from the Crypt . Craig's many covers included that of the infamous Crime SuspenStories #22, shown during the 1950s Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency. U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver asked EC publisher Bill Gaines whether he thought the cover, depicting an ax-wielding man holding a woman's severed head, was in good taste. Gaines responded, "Yes, sir, I do, for

11024-486: Was little beyond their titles to distinguish them from one another. Each magazine had its own host, known as a GhouLunatic. The Vault-Keeper was the primary host of The Vault of Horror . Hosting duties for any one magazine were typically shared with the hosts of the other two. For example, 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

11130-470: Was relatively low-key and restrained, effectively staged and featured impeccable draftsmanship. The scripts he wrote tended to be literate and cerebral, and generally relied on solid construction and implacable internal logic, rather than on contrived snap endings. His horror work made more use of psychology and mood than of the supernatural, and his crime comics owed more to James M. Cain and Cornell Woolrich than to gangster movies . After EC's collapse in

11236-601: Was the final code-approved traditional anthology title to be produced, lasting only a dozen issues around 1987. As these and Warren publications disappeared, new titles from the 1980s onward would all be in new formats (i.e. glossy paper, not code-approved) or sporadically produced by small independent companies. Beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s, independent publishers produced a number of successful horror comics franchises. FantaCo Enterprises and Millennium Publications boasted lineups almost exclusively devoted to horror, vampire, and zombie comics. For instance, 1985 saw

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