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EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1
THE MOST NOTORIOUS NAME IN TERROR IS BACK—WITH A VENGEANCE!
From the publisher that drove Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, and many more into the depraved hearts of an unsuspecting world, the immortal EC COMICS returns with its first ALL-NEW series in nearly 70 years!
In our seminal first collection of Epitaphs From the Abyss, witness shocking tales of torment and tension in the immortal EC tradition—as wrenched from the grave by the vile intentions of acclaimed writers Brian Azzarello ( Damned, 100 Bullets), Jason Aaron (Scalped, God of Thunder, TMNT), Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, Night People), J. Holtham (Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale), and Stephanie Phillips (Harley Quinn, Grim), and realized into bloody reality by "all-slaughter" artists Jorge Fornes (Rorschach, Danger Street), Phil Hester (Family Tree), Peter Krause (Irredeemable), Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead), Klaus Janson (The Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil) and many more!
What the Comics Code Authority couldn't kill has only made it stronger . . . EC COMICS LIVES AGAIN IN EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS!
Collecting Epitaphs from the Abyss #1–4.
From the publisher that drove Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, and many more into the depraved hearts of an unsuspecting world, the immortal EC COMICS returns with its first ALL-NEW series in nearly 70 years!
In our seminal first collection of Epitaphs From the Abyss, witness shocking tales of torment and tension in the immortal EC tradition—as wrenched from the grave by the vile intentions of acclaimed writers Brian Azzarello ( Damned, 100 Bullets), Jason Aaron (Scalped, God of Thunder, TMNT), Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, Night People), J. Holtham (Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale), and Stephanie Phillips (Harley Quinn, Grim), and realized into bloody reality by "all-slaughter" artists Jorge Fornes (Rorschach, Danger Street), Phil Hester (Family Tree), Peter Krause (Irredeemable), Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead), Klaus Janson (The Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil) and many more!
What the Comics Code Authority couldn't kill has only made it stronger . . . EC COMICS LIVES AGAIN IN EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS!
Collecting Epitaphs from the Abyss #1–4.
136 pages, Paperback
Published May 6, 2025
3 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Brian Azzarello
1,296 books1,106 followersBrian Azzarello (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. He and Argentine artist Eduardo Risso, with whom Azzarello first worked on Jonny Double, won the 2001 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for 100 Bullets #15–18: "Hang Up on the Hang Low".
Azzarello has written for Batman ("Broken City", art by Risso; "Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire", art by Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, & Mick Gray) and Superman ("For Tomorrow", art by Jim Lee).
In 2005, Azzarello began a new creator-owned series, the western Loveless, with artist Marcelo Frusin.
As of 2007, Azzarello is married to fellow comic-book writer and illustrator Jill Thompson.
information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Az...
Azzarello has written for Batman ("Broken City", art by Risso; "Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire", art by Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, & Mick Gray) and Superman ("For Tomorrow", art by Jim Lee).
In 2005, Azzarello began a new creator-owned series, the western Loveless, with artist Marcelo Frusin.
As of 2007, Azzarello is married to fellow comic-book writer and illustrator Jill Thompson.
information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Az...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
January 18, 2025
A nostalgia trip gone awry. It tries hard to channel the spirit of classic horror anthologies but fails. It's familiar in style (I love the retro vibe) but lacks the bite. The art is striking, and some stories are creative(shoutout to "Gray Green Memories"), but the collection as a whole is uneven, with most stories disappointing.
Now, these stories are all horror bites - extremely short and I know it makes doing the horror right difficult. Still, to me, they lacked the darkly ironic justice or clever twists known for example from Tales From The Crypt. Instead, we get endings that feel either rushed, unsatisfying, or grim for the sake of being grim.
Now, these stories are all horror bites - extremely short and I know it makes doing the horror right difficult. Still, to me, they lacked the darkly ironic justice or clever twists known for example from Tales From The Crypt. Instead, we get endings that feel either rushed, unsatisfying, or grim for the sake of being grim.
January 28, 2025
ARC for review. To be published May 6, 2025.
1 star.
This volume consists of Issues 1-4. These are….not good, as far as the stories go. I’m not a big comic book person but I thought I would expand my horizons and try these out, and I definitely don’t know enough about comics to judge the art, so it may be wonderful. The stories, though, aren’t scary, nor are they entertaining. A big miss for me.
1 star.
This volume consists of Issues 1-4. These are….not good, as far as the stories go. I’m not a big comic book person but I thought I would expand my horizons and try these out, and I definitely don’t know enough about comics to judge the art, so it may be wonderful. The stories, though, aren’t scary, nor are they entertaining. A big miss for me.
June 6, 2025
obviously a great idea...various writers rekindling EC classic comics with new stories.
but not enough of those stories hit home..
though I did enjoy the story A HAND IN IT...about a very enthusiastic morgue technician Patricia.
but not enough of those stories hit home..
though I did enjoy the story A HAND IN IT...about a very enthusiastic morgue technician Patricia.
July 3, 2025
Great little “Pepsi” version of Tale From the Crypt. Short, fun, macabre. Noice!!
February 1, 2025
Actual Rating 3.5/5
Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for the E-ARC!
Like most anthologies, this is a mixed bag. There were some stories I liked better than others. The brevity of each segment is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, if you aren't vibing with it, the ending comes quickly. On the other, there were several I wanted to be filled out just a bit more. Overall, EC's return is a great start and I hope they put out more!
Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for the E-ARC!
Like most anthologies, this is a mixed bag. There were some stories I liked better than others. The brevity of each segment is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, if you aren't vibing with it, the ending comes quickly. On the other, there were several I wanted to be filled out just a bit more. Overall, EC's return is a great start and I hope they put out more!
July 12, 2025
This isn't the first EC revival, and it feels much like the others. This is good stuff, but the original EC comics were lightning in a bottle, and I don't think they will ever truly be recaptured. That being said, this is a great horror anthology, and probably as close to the original as we're going to get.
April 16, 2025
I have mixed feelings about this comic book.
The art styles were interesting and went along with the horror theme pretty well. I didn't have any issues with that. However, I think the storytelling that came with it wasn't quite in sync with the overall intended message.
I get where the author was going with many of these stories, particularly in how they leaned heavily on nuanced scenarios that required both emotional and intellectual depth to pick up on.
Perhaps the author's message was too deep for a comic book format.
I can appreciate the focus on some social issues and the attempt at addressing political issues and other such things, but, it simply could have been brought together in a format that both hit the horror genre and that satisfied the reader's desired experience of being entertained by visual horror.
The cross between the two didn't happen here for me. I was too aware of the negatives to fully appreciate the positives. 'Tis a fine line in the horror genre.
Overall, 3 stars.
The art styles were interesting and went along with the horror theme pretty well. I didn't have any issues with that. However, I think the storytelling that came with it wasn't quite in sync with the overall intended message.
I get where the author was going with many of these stories, particularly in how they leaned heavily on nuanced scenarios that required both emotional and intellectual depth to pick up on.
Perhaps the author's message was too deep for a comic book format.
I can appreciate the focus on some social issues and the attempt at addressing political issues and other such things, but, it simply could have been brought together in a format that both hit the horror genre and that satisfied the reader's desired experience of being entertained by visual horror.
The cross between the two didn't happen here for me. I was too aware of the negatives to fully appreciate the positives. 'Tis a fine line in the horror genre.
Overall, 3 stars.
January 7, 2025
A potentially promising revival that nevertheless lacks the piquancy and verve of its pulp horror predecessors.
I’m a firm believer in critiquing things, particularly things I enjoy. I don’t think criticism is a dirty word and I think half of the fun of engaging with a piece of media is picking it apart. It’s how I get my kicks and it helps me understand the book, movie, show, etc. better.
This was one of those offerings that did itself no favors by explicitly comparing itself to its inspirational source material. The style is there and you can certainly see the similarity to Tales from the Crypt and other horror comics, but it ultimately falls flat where others succeed. Some stories were engaging, but overall this collection left me with a distinctly unsatisfied feeling. Think decaf coffee at 6am or a thin soup for Thanksgiving dinner.
Having mulled it over I think there are a few obvious reasons for this underwhelm, this complete and utter lack of whelm in what should be a shocking, overwhelming horror comic.
One is the title itself. If your comic is called “Epitaphs from the Abyss” (not the snappiest title it has to be said) and your ghoulish narrator is called The Grave Digger, there had better be some gosh darned epitaphs on some graves! There should be *at least one* for each collection, ideally more. The Grave Digger (whose conceptually design is solid, a more grotesque Uncle Sam) should be absolutely fiending to carve pitch black inscriptions on every available surface. We should have to physically restrain this man from chiseling ironic one liners on funereal stone. I need Crypt Keeper level puns etched into granite at the end of every grizzly tale! The absence of anything approaching this truly baffles me. I mean, why make it your title and the function of your all important narrator character if you’re not going to do anything with it? There is ONE epitaph on ONE grave “She died as she lived, alone”, and that’s all we get. I don’t even think it’s tied to a specific story and it's not even particularly ironic or dark.
Another issue I have is the morality, or lack thereof, from this collection.
I know, complaining about morality in a horror comic, but look, hear me out.
Part of what made the original EC publications work was that they possessed a messed up but consistent moral throughline. Horrible, over the top, gruesome things happened, sure, but most often to people who deserved it. Most of the shocking deaths had an ironic, vengeance heavy, Old Testament Justice bent to them. And this was everywhere, the Tales from the Crypt show and the Twilight Zone, work partially because we want to see what horrible thing will happen to the nasty character of the week. Now I’m not saying every story has to have that or that bad things can’t happen to good characters in horror, not by any means. But it does help with stories in this format and seeing the absence of it really doesn’t work for me.
For instance, in the story The Perfect Pearl, a couple’s dreamy love story takes a nightmarish turn when the wife, Polly, discovers that every time she displeases her increasingly demanding husband Hank, her signature pearl necklace shrinks, choking her. That’s a wonderful concept and a great image, I absolutely loved this set up. Eat your heart out June Cleaver. But the ending completely lost me. The wife discovers that being the ideal 50’s housewife causes the necklace to grow and give her more breathing room. So she does just that and keeps it up for sometime, causing her necklace to grow and grow until one night she hangs herself with it.
If that ending sounds like a bummer it's because it is. This smart, determined woman doesn’t get her revenge, she doesn’t get freedom, her only escape is suicide and nothing happens to the husband who caused it all. In another, older, horror comic, Polly would find a way to flip the tables, to get the necklace on her evil husband and Hank would get some sweet, bloody, horror comeuppance. Or maybe Hank’s own devious plan would backfire, causing his death in some gruesome, unforeseen way. Pretty much any ending would have worked better for this story than the one we got.
Now, to be perfectly fair to Epitaphs from The Abyss, examples of this dark morality do occur in its pages. In Sounds and Haptics, a driver, distracted by texting, gets his hands cut off by a crazed nurse, the only survivor of the other car he hit. And in Family Values, a man bets on whether or not a family turns on each other and ends up a victim of the same twisted game on the last page. It’s just that in general this isn’t pulled off as well as in earlier comics and in other cases is completely absent where it could have added value to the story.
I realize this all sounds like a lot. I didn’t hate this collection, the art was stunning and I genuinely enjoyed some stories, Blood Type and A Crossroads Repetition, especially. My high level of criticism comes from the sense that this collection didn’t deliver on its implicit promise. At every turn it compares itself to its much better forebears. It mimics the style adeptly but lacks, and in some cases betrays, the spirit and substance of the original. Riverdale’s “Tales in a Jugular Vein” did a better homage to the golden age of horror comics. Their narrator “The Key Keeper” is a creepy old janitor with a ring of keys that open the doors of different tales. The stories themselves are tongue in cheek at times, darkly ironic, and actually engage with and critique themes from the original comics they’re referencing.
I’m a firm believer in critiquing things, particularly things I enjoy. I don’t think criticism is a dirty word and I think half of the fun of engaging with a piece of media is picking it apart. It’s how I get my kicks and it helps me understand the book, movie, show, etc. better.
This was one of those offerings that did itself no favors by explicitly comparing itself to its inspirational source material. The style is there and you can certainly see the similarity to Tales from the Crypt and other horror comics, but it ultimately falls flat where others succeed. Some stories were engaging, but overall this collection left me with a distinctly unsatisfied feeling. Think decaf coffee at 6am or a thin soup for Thanksgiving dinner.
Having mulled it over I think there are a few obvious reasons for this underwhelm, this complete and utter lack of whelm in what should be a shocking, overwhelming horror comic.
One is the title itself. If your comic is called “Epitaphs from the Abyss” (not the snappiest title it has to be said) and your ghoulish narrator is called The Grave Digger, there had better be some gosh darned epitaphs on some graves! There should be *at least one* for each collection, ideally more. The Grave Digger (whose conceptually design is solid, a more grotesque Uncle Sam) should be absolutely fiending to carve pitch black inscriptions on every available surface. We should have to physically restrain this man from chiseling ironic one liners on funereal stone. I need Crypt Keeper level puns etched into granite at the end of every grizzly tale! The absence of anything approaching this truly baffles me. I mean, why make it your title and the function of your all important narrator character if you’re not going to do anything with it? There is ONE epitaph on ONE grave “She died as she lived, alone”, and that’s all we get. I don’t even think it’s tied to a specific story and it's not even particularly ironic or dark.
Another issue I have is the morality, or lack thereof, from this collection.
I know, complaining about morality in a horror comic, but look, hear me out.
Part of what made the original EC publications work was that they possessed a messed up but consistent moral throughline. Horrible, over the top, gruesome things happened, sure, but most often to people who deserved it. Most of the shocking deaths had an ironic, vengeance heavy, Old Testament Justice bent to them. And this was everywhere, the Tales from the Crypt show and the Twilight Zone, work partially because we want to see what horrible thing will happen to the nasty character of the week. Now I’m not saying every story has to have that or that bad things can’t happen to good characters in horror, not by any means. But it does help with stories in this format and seeing the absence of it really doesn’t work for me.
For instance, in the story The Perfect Pearl, a couple’s dreamy love story takes a nightmarish turn when the wife, Polly, discovers that every time she displeases her increasingly demanding husband Hank, her signature pearl necklace shrinks, choking her. That’s a wonderful concept and a great image, I absolutely loved this set up. Eat your heart out June Cleaver. But the ending completely lost me. The wife discovers that being the ideal 50’s housewife causes the necklace to grow and give her more breathing room. So she does just that and keeps it up for sometime, causing her necklace to grow and grow until one night she hangs herself with it.
If that ending sounds like a bummer it's because it is. This smart, determined woman doesn’t get her revenge, she doesn’t get freedom, her only escape is suicide and nothing happens to the husband who caused it all. In another, older, horror comic, Polly would find a way to flip the tables, to get the necklace on her evil husband and Hank would get some sweet, bloody, horror comeuppance. Or maybe Hank’s own devious plan would backfire, causing his death in some gruesome, unforeseen way. Pretty much any ending would have worked better for this story than the one we got.
Now, to be perfectly fair to Epitaphs from The Abyss, examples of this dark morality do occur in its pages. In Sounds and Haptics, a driver, distracted by texting, gets his hands cut off by a crazed nurse, the only survivor of the other car he hit. And in Family Values, a man bets on whether or not a family turns on each other and ends up a victim of the same twisted game on the last page. It’s just that in general this isn’t pulled off as well as in earlier comics and in other cases is completely absent where it could have added value to the story.
I realize this all sounds like a lot. I didn’t hate this collection, the art was stunning and I genuinely enjoyed some stories, Blood Type and A Crossroads Repetition, especially. My high level of criticism comes from the sense that this collection didn’t deliver on its implicit promise. At every turn it compares itself to its much better forebears. It mimics the style adeptly but lacks, and in some cases betrays, the spirit and substance of the original. Riverdale’s “Tales in a Jugular Vein” did a better homage to the golden age of horror comics. Their narrator “The Key Keeper” is a creepy old janitor with a ring of keys that open the doors of different tales. The stories themselves are tongue in cheek at times, darkly ironic, and actually engage with and critique themes from the original comics they’re referencing.
April 1, 2025
Epitaphs from the Abyss Volume 1 offers a visually striking experience, with each story featuring a different art style that, while varied, still feels cohesive. This keeps the anthology fresh, and the one-shot tales are inventive and provide a nice mix of ideas. However, the political themes can come across as heavy-handed, detracting from the overall storytelling. The short story format makes it tough to develop strong characters, and as a result, none of them leave a lasting impression. The horror elements also fall flat, lacking the tension and scares expected from the genre. Overall, while the anthology shows promise, it struggles to fully engage emotionally or chill the reader.
May 25, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.
Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1 is a solid horror anthology that delivers a mix of psychological, paranormal, and body horror. The stories are diverse, each offering a unique take on fear and terror. The classic horror comic format with a modern twist adds to the experience.
The artwork is stunning, elevating the eerie atmosphere of each tale. It brings back a strong sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of Goosebumps and classic horror comics. Some standout stories include the first one about the writer, Killer Spec, The Perfect Pearl, and Gray Green Memories. Gray Green Memories was especially interesting, giving insight into a zombie’s perspective, something rarely explored in horror. It offered a fresh take on zombies, exploring their thoughts and how they see the world.
While most of the stories were enjoyable, a few were disappointing. However, as a huge fan of horror anthologies, this was still a decent read overall.
Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1 is a solid horror anthology that delivers a mix of psychological, paranormal, and body horror. The stories are diverse, each offering a unique take on fear and terror. The classic horror comic format with a modern twist adds to the experience.
The artwork is stunning, elevating the eerie atmosphere of each tale. It brings back a strong sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of Goosebumps and classic horror comics. Some standout stories include the first one about the writer, Killer Spec, The Perfect Pearl, and Gray Green Memories. Gray Green Memories was especially interesting, giving insight into a zombie’s perspective, something rarely explored in horror. It offered a fresh take on zombies, exploring their thoughts and how they see the world.
While most of the stories were enjoyable, a few were disappointing. However, as a huge fan of horror anthologies, this was still a decent read overall.
August 12, 2025
Better than a Four-Star read, but actually closer to 4.5 Stars.
The back story: EC (Educational Comics, and later re-named as Entertaining Comics) published comics for nearly ten years, until censorship pressures inn 1956 forced them into discontinuing all its' titles and transforming humor comic Mad into black-and-white Mad Magazine. In its' heyday EC was known not just for mature and often graphic stories of horror, war, science-fiction, fantasy, crime and other genres (Tales From The Crypt the most popular) but also because the stories were often socially conscious and contained underlying messages regarding racism, anti-war sentiment, nuclear danger, and environmentalism.
The mission of the new EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS and its' associated titles is to follow the same path. I’m happy to report that they have succeeded in bringing back those fond memories as well as maintaining the same flavor as the originals. Critical acclaim and word-of-mouth has made this one of the best comeback stories of this decade. The audience for horror comics anthologies is out there, and this and so many other new titles(from various publishers) can attest to that. I consider EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS to be the flagship, the standard, the template - - from which all others can be compared and aspire to.
I read these in the original single monthly issues. Each one features as many as four new stories all introduced by a creepy new horror host, The Grave-Digger, who in Tales From The Crypto tradition sets the tone and adds several puns and lots of alliteration: “Greeting, stranger . . . If you have found yourself here, it can only mean one thing - - you share my fiendish fascination with the forbidden and a predilection for the perverse.”
Rather than re-cap every story (and they are all worthwhile), I’m going to summarize my favorite story from each issue.
ISSUE #1: My favorite story of is "Senator, Senator" by Chris Condon and Peter Krause. Yeah, they even included some underlying commentary on current events in true EC fashion: "Living in America can be a horror all its own. A fierce, independent journalist like Marguerite de Palma knows this more than most . . . . . . Recently, she's been witness to a truly unique Twenty-First Century phenomenon - - the strange decay of integrity."
When Laura Smoltz, a pro-choice Republican conservative senator, abandons her core beliefs and votes for stricter laws curbing women's rights Marguerite decides to investigate and find out how and why it happened. Her editor reluctantly agrees to fund her exploration, exclaiming "good luck cracking the code on what makes politicians such miserable human beings." Does she crack it? If you're apt to get sucked into conspiracy theories, please don't read this story. The final panel has a message, and it's a gut punch.
ISSUE #2: “Sound & Haptics” by Jason Aaron and Jorge Fornes takes aim at those who text while driving and put everyone else on the highway at risk. Justice is served, and bluntly.
ISSUE #3: “A Hand In It” by Jay Stephens and Leomacs is so morbidly appalling and amusing at the same time that it gets my vote as favorite this issue. It also is the closest approximation to the look of a classic EC story with the art style of Leomacs, with different sized panels, to the amount of story told through text boxes (and their shading) - - all the way down to the font selection.
Patricia Millicent has communication problems with her abusive husband, but no issues with communicating with her subjects at her work as a city morgue technician. Because the city’s resources are swamped there is an overflow problem with unclaimed cadavers, which are placed in a mobile storage unit under her care. She speaks to the bodies, shares secrets, dances for them, and has kept one particular cadaver under wraps for six years: it’s the body of Craig Harrison Davis, the “sundown choker” / “handsome horror” / “mommy murderer”.
Patricia takes obsessive true crime fan/serial killer groupie to the next level. She comes up with a grisly plan to dispatch her nasty husband and pin the blame elsewhere. Moral: always recycle properly.
ISSUE #4:
Jay Stephen and David Lapham team up to tell “Dead From Exposure”, my favorite this issue. Ever get tired of the constant barrage of reality television shows exploring the paranormal, haunted sites, monster occurrences, the unknown, etc? Instead of concluding with scant evidence, ever wish the various explorers would make a real find, maybe even get attacked by the monster? Your wish may be granted, as the team behind “Exposure” investigates the bog-ape.
Horror comics fans, rejoice. EC Comics is back in a big way.
The back story: EC (Educational Comics, and later re-named as Entertaining Comics) published comics for nearly ten years, until censorship pressures inn 1956 forced them into discontinuing all its' titles and transforming humor comic Mad into black-and-white Mad Magazine. In its' heyday EC was known not just for mature and often graphic stories of horror, war, science-fiction, fantasy, crime and other genres (Tales From The Crypt the most popular) but also because the stories were often socially conscious and contained underlying messages regarding racism, anti-war sentiment, nuclear danger, and environmentalism.
The mission of the new EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS and its' associated titles is to follow the same path. I’m happy to report that they have succeeded in bringing back those fond memories as well as maintaining the same flavor as the originals. Critical acclaim and word-of-mouth has made this one of the best comeback stories of this decade. The audience for horror comics anthologies is out there, and this and so many other new titles(from various publishers) can attest to that. I consider EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS to be the flagship, the standard, the template - - from which all others can be compared and aspire to.
I read these in the original single monthly issues. Each one features as many as four new stories all introduced by a creepy new horror host, The Grave-Digger, who in Tales From The Crypto tradition sets the tone and adds several puns and lots of alliteration: “Greeting, stranger . . . If you have found yourself here, it can only mean one thing - - you share my fiendish fascination with the forbidden and a predilection for the perverse.”
Rather than re-cap every story (and they are all worthwhile), I’m going to summarize my favorite story from each issue.
ISSUE #1: My favorite story of is "Senator, Senator" by Chris Condon and Peter Krause. Yeah, they even included some underlying commentary on current events in true EC fashion: "Living in America can be a horror all its own. A fierce, independent journalist like Marguerite de Palma knows this more than most . . . . . . Recently, she's been witness to a truly unique Twenty-First Century phenomenon - - the strange decay of integrity."
When Laura Smoltz, a pro-choice Republican conservative senator, abandons her core beliefs and votes for stricter laws curbing women's rights Marguerite decides to investigate and find out how and why it happened. Her editor reluctantly agrees to fund her exploration, exclaiming "good luck cracking the code on what makes politicians such miserable human beings." Does she crack it? If you're apt to get sucked into conspiracy theories, please don't read this story. The final panel has a message, and it's a gut punch.
ISSUE #2: “Sound & Haptics” by Jason Aaron and Jorge Fornes takes aim at those who text while driving and put everyone else on the highway at risk. Justice is served, and bluntly.
ISSUE #3: “A Hand In It” by Jay Stephens and Leomacs is so morbidly appalling and amusing at the same time that it gets my vote as favorite this issue. It also is the closest approximation to the look of a classic EC story with the art style of Leomacs, with different sized panels, to the amount of story told through text boxes (and their shading) - - all the way down to the font selection.
Patricia Millicent has communication problems with her abusive husband, but no issues with communicating with her subjects at her work as a city morgue technician. Because the city’s resources are swamped there is an overflow problem with unclaimed cadavers, which are placed in a mobile storage unit under her care. She speaks to the bodies, shares secrets, dances for them, and has kept one particular cadaver under wraps for six years: it’s the body of Craig Harrison Davis, the “sundown choker” / “handsome horror” / “mommy murderer”.
Patricia takes obsessive true crime fan/serial killer groupie to the next level. She comes up with a grisly plan to dispatch her nasty husband and pin the blame elsewhere. Moral: always recycle properly.
ISSUE #4:
Jay Stephen and David Lapham team up to tell “Dead From Exposure”, my favorite this issue. Ever get tired of the constant barrage of reality television shows exploring the paranormal, haunted sites, monster occurrences, the unknown, etc? Instead of concluding with scant evidence, ever wish the various explorers would make a real find, maybe even get attacked by the monster? Your wish may be granted, as the team behind “Exposure” investigates the bog-ape.
Horror comics fans, rejoice. EC Comics is back in a big way.
January 20, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the advanced copy.
I so badly wanted this to be a five star read - EC Comics are legendary and I even have some of their old horror comics that used to be my dad's, so I'm thrilled they're back to doing what I want them to be great at. Unfortunately the first few issues was not full of bangers as I'd hoped but a rather mixed collection of some I really enjoyed (Gray Green Memories was sad), some good (Under the Influence amused me), and one or two mehs (Bloodtype - kind of boring?). I think that's a solid three stars.
I fully plan on continuing to recommend EC to horror readers, though, and I will continue picking up future issues should they release them. I miss the days of a comic host and while The Grave-digger isn't as much fun as The Cryptkeeper, I still enjoyed his presence and introductions lol And the artwork was all A+, I especially loved the fun call-back covers to the classic days. It really made me want to crack out some of my old comics.
God, I just really really miss Tales from The Crypt!! And to be fair, Epitaphs from the Abyss scratched that itch. It just didn't scratch long enough or hard enough for me to be satisfied. I want more!
I so badly wanted this to be a five star read - EC Comics are legendary and I even have some of their old horror comics that used to be my dad's, so I'm thrilled they're back to doing what I want them to be great at. Unfortunately the first few issues was not full of bangers as I'd hoped but a rather mixed collection of some I really enjoyed (Gray Green Memories was sad), some good (Under the Influence amused me), and one or two mehs (Bloodtype - kind of boring?). I think that's a solid three stars.
I fully plan on continuing to recommend EC to horror readers, though, and I will continue picking up future issues should they release them. I miss the days of a comic host and while The Grave-digger isn't as much fun as The Cryptkeeper, I still enjoyed his presence and introductions lol And the artwork was all A+, I especially loved the fun call-back covers to the classic days. It really made me want to crack out some of my old comics.
God, I just really really miss Tales from The Crypt!! And to be fair, Epitaphs from the Abyss scratched that itch. It just didn't scratch long enough or hard enough for me to be satisfied. I want more!
January 4, 2025
Epitaphs from the Abyss is the revival we have all been waiting for!!
Not only is the collection topical and very tongue-in-cheek, but it pays the best homage to all the tales that came before. It’s excellent writing and gore-tastic storytelling and I think horror fans are going to jump for joy when this collected volume comes out!
There are some terrifying sequences within these pages. Stories that kept me reading deep into the night and a couple stories that made me laugh out loud. There is a little something for every type of reader and I cannot wait to see how ONI continues with this series!!
PS - this edition comes with some of the most amazing variant covers in the gallery, don’t forget to look at those!
Not only is the collection topical and very tongue-in-cheek, but it pays the best homage to all the tales that came before. It’s excellent writing and gore-tastic storytelling and I think horror fans are going to jump for joy when this collected volume comes out!
There are some terrifying sequences within these pages. Stories that kept me reading deep into the night and a couple stories that made me laugh out loud. There is a little something for every type of reader and I cannot wait to see how ONI continues with this series!!
PS - this edition comes with some of the most amazing variant covers in the gallery, don’t forget to look at those!
February 11, 2025
As a big fan of horror anthologies, EC Comics, and Tales from the Crypt, I was super excited to read EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1.
First off, the artwork is fantastic—I really loved the classic horror comic style. Some of the stories were really engaging and fun, but others didn’t quite land for me. It felt like a mixed bag, with some tales feeling rushed while others dragged on a bit. I wanted this to be a five-star read, but it just didn’t fully get there.
That said, I still enjoyed it overall and will check out more in the future. If you’re a horror fan or love Tales from the Crypt, it’s definitely worth a read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the advanced copy.
January 23, 2025
Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
This reminded me of the comic anthology version of the Reddit subreddit “one sentence horror”. Incredibly cheesy and not even remotely scary. There’s some really high calibre art here but the incredibly short stories come across as rushed and juvenile.
This reminded me of the comic anthology version of the Reddit subreddit “one sentence horror”. Incredibly cheesy and not even remotely scary. There’s some really high calibre art here but the incredibly short stories come across as rushed and juvenile.
June 17, 2025
Most fans of any horror medium are familiar with the title “Tales from the Crypt.” However, few alive today actually read the “Tales from the Crypt” comic book (or its sister publications, “The Vault of Horror” and “The Haunt of Fear”) when they were first published by EC Comics. Those comics disappeared from the market in 1955 because of political pressure, which led to the adoption of the Comics Code Authority. They remained alive with new generations of fans via reprints and movie and TV adaptations. Now, Oni Press has gained the rights to EC Comics and revived the brand, starting with a new comic entitled “Epitaphs from the Abyss,” whose first four issues are now available in book form. The new comic essentially has the look and feel of the old EC horror titles, but the stories are not all written in the same style. Some fans of the original may not like the changes, but most of the stories seemed entertaining to me.
I should first note that the title of the new publication is not “The NEW Tales from the Crypt” or something similar. Readers should not expect the exact type of stories associated with “Tales.” Most of those were gruesome morality tales (too gruesome for the Comics Code Authority in 1955) that could be summed up as: “Bad things happen to bad people.” In the space of 6-10 comic book pages, readers would meet an unlikeable person who, by the end of the story, gets their comeuppance, often in a rather grisly fashion. Many “Tales” stories that have appeared on TV or in the movies have followed this format, as have countless horror stories from renowned authors.
Several of the more enjoyable stories in “Epitaphs from the Abyss” follow this formula. However, the nature of horror has changed. Characters often meet gruesome fates for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, while those responsible escape consequences for their actions. Several “Epitaphs” characters suffer the same fate, with readers sometimes rooting for the putative villains. As soon as I recognized this stylistic shift from the old “Tales from the Crypt” formula, I adjusted my expectations and evaluated each story on its own merits. “Epitaphs from the Abyss” is a distinctly 21st-century publication, with stories that revolve around current technology and political and social trends.
“EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1” comprises the first four monthly issues of the new publication. The book has 13 stories (four in the first issue and three in each subsequent issue), comprising about 120 pages of primary content. These stories represent the efforts of 10 separate authors and 11 artists, none of whom I was familiar with. (The book does not contain any biographical information about the individual authors or artists.) As in any anthology, the quality of the stories varies.
The book gets off to a strong start with “Killer Spec” by J. Holtham. A struggling screenwriter suffers from writer’s block, only to learn that his non-literary roommate has written a sensational script. Many readers may guess the ending, but the artwork by Jorge Fornes really sells the story. “Family Values” by Stephanie Phillips could be the storyline for an episode of the “Criminal Minds” TV series. Armed masked thugs (seen only as black shadows with glowing red eyes) capture a suburban family and give the father an impossible choice. Either he shoots one family member or, in a few minutes, the riflemen will kill everyone. The story captures the father’s agonizing dilemma as the clock ticks down in brightly glowing digital numbers superimposed on various panels. A great last-page twist really makes this story work.
Modern technology drives the plot of Jason Aaron’s “Sounds & Haptics,” specifically the tendency to text while driving. The story’s main character was doing precisely that when he was involved in a deadly auto accident. He survives but is laid up in the hospital. I won’t reveal more except to say that his cell phone figures prominently in the rest of the story. While these stories generally follow the old “Tales from the Crypt” template, “Dead from Exposure” by Jay Stephens builds off the modern-day podcast phenomenon. A podcaster who makes his living exposing supernatural hoaxes learns about the local legend of the bog-ape. While the lettering in most stories is merely functional, the author here successfully conveys the ape’s weirdness in a few sentences in three panels. Once again, the author managed to surprise me with an ending that will satisfy those who appreciate both the stories and the artwork of horror comics.
I’ll give a special shout out to “A Hand in It,” also by Jay Stephens, which would probably be the easiest story in the collection to turn into a standalone written story. It concerns Patricia Millicent, a morgue attendant who cares for unclaimed bodies. She knows them all by name, but her favorite is the notorious Sundown Killer, who has resided in her morgue for six years. Patricia hatches a scheme to kill her boyfriend, remove Sundown’s body from the morgue, and leave forensic evidence showing he’s the killer. It’s no spoiler to say that things don’t go as she planned. What really clinched this story for me was the artwork by Leomacs. Patricia’s fiery red hair here contrasted brilliantly with the dark morgue tones.
A couple of stories introduce political content from a liberal perspective, and these are among the weakest in the collection. (I’m liberal myself, but I didn’t appreciate injecting politics into these types of stories.) “Us vs. Us” by Brian Azzarello starts out with a couple running from a burning house and being pursued by the former occupants, some grotesque creatures toting axes and chainsaws. The story had some promise, but when the couple revealed why they burned down the house, it brought things to a complete standstill. “Pattern Recognition” by Matt Kindt is the worst story in the collection. It concerns two warring street factions in a lawless urban environment. The artwork is poorly done, making it difficult to distinguish the members, except that one group has a charismatic leader named Johnny. The best thing I can say about this story is that it’s short. “Blood Type” by Corinna Bechko doesn’t have any political subtext, but it’s still disappointing. A vampire gets stuck on a lifeboat with a dwindling number of potential victims. Bland story, blander ending.
Those who have read “Tales from the Crypt” comics (originals or reprints) know that some joys contained therein were the introductions from the “hosts,” the Crypt-keeper and others. “Epitaphs” has its own set of hosts, primarily the Grave-digger. He’s a cackling version of Ebenezer Scrooge carrying a large, pointed spade. He also delivers appropriate dialogue like: “If you have found yourself here, it can only mean one thing—you share my fiendish fascination with the forbidden and a predilection with the perverse.” Unfortunately, these issues don’t fully utilize his character. He or one of his co-hosts appears on every issue’s introductory page, with a one-line description of each story. However, while the Crypt-keeper in the original “Tales from the Crypt” ended most stories with a gruesomely groan worthy pun, only three stories in this collection have in-panel separate introductions, and none have the punny endings EC Comics readers expect.
“EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1” includes bonus content besides the four issues it contains. The publisher included multiple alternate covers of the four issues and an artist’s description of the Grave-Digger and his two co-hosts, the Tormentor and the Grim Inquisitor. Some of the artwork on the covers and in the stories seems bland, but most of it is lovingly detailed to complement the stories. Mostly, the artists avoid showing the most graphic violence on the book’s pages. Instead, they rely on printed sound effects and copious blood splashes that are even more effective.
I appreciate what Oni Press and its publisher, Hunter Gorinson, have done in reviving the EC Comics brand. “Epitaphs from the Abyss” is still a work in progress, but the comic has great promise. The writers do an excellent job of giving their stories a contemporary feel through the effective incorporation of technology and social media themes. I dislike using these stories to make political points (even those I agree with), and a couple of the stories fell flat. Overall, however, “Epitaphs from the Abyss” reminded me of a scary yet delightful midnight walk through the graveyard.
NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.
I should first note that the title of the new publication is not “The NEW Tales from the Crypt” or something similar. Readers should not expect the exact type of stories associated with “Tales.” Most of those were gruesome morality tales (too gruesome for the Comics Code Authority in 1955) that could be summed up as: “Bad things happen to bad people.” In the space of 6-10 comic book pages, readers would meet an unlikeable person who, by the end of the story, gets their comeuppance, often in a rather grisly fashion. Many “Tales” stories that have appeared on TV or in the movies have followed this format, as have countless horror stories from renowned authors.
Several of the more enjoyable stories in “Epitaphs from the Abyss” follow this formula. However, the nature of horror has changed. Characters often meet gruesome fates for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, while those responsible escape consequences for their actions. Several “Epitaphs” characters suffer the same fate, with readers sometimes rooting for the putative villains. As soon as I recognized this stylistic shift from the old “Tales from the Crypt” formula, I adjusted my expectations and evaluated each story on its own merits. “Epitaphs from the Abyss” is a distinctly 21st-century publication, with stories that revolve around current technology and political and social trends.
“EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1” comprises the first four monthly issues of the new publication. The book has 13 stories (four in the first issue and three in each subsequent issue), comprising about 120 pages of primary content. These stories represent the efforts of 10 separate authors and 11 artists, none of whom I was familiar with. (The book does not contain any biographical information about the individual authors or artists.) As in any anthology, the quality of the stories varies.
The book gets off to a strong start with “Killer Spec” by J. Holtham. A struggling screenwriter suffers from writer’s block, only to learn that his non-literary roommate has written a sensational script. Many readers may guess the ending, but the artwork by Jorge Fornes really sells the story. “Family Values” by Stephanie Phillips could be the storyline for an episode of the “Criminal Minds” TV series. Armed masked thugs (seen only as black shadows with glowing red eyes) capture a suburban family and give the father an impossible choice. Either he shoots one family member or, in a few minutes, the riflemen will kill everyone. The story captures the father’s agonizing dilemma as the clock ticks down in brightly glowing digital numbers superimposed on various panels. A great last-page twist really makes this story work.
Modern technology drives the plot of Jason Aaron’s “Sounds & Haptics,” specifically the tendency to text while driving. The story’s main character was doing precisely that when he was involved in a deadly auto accident. He survives but is laid up in the hospital. I won’t reveal more except to say that his cell phone figures prominently in the rest of the story. While these stories generally follow the old “Tales from the Crypt” template, “Dead from Exposure” by Jay Stephens builds off the modern-day podcast phenomenon. A podcaster who makes his living exposing supernatural hoaxes learns about the local legend of the bog-ape. While the lettering in most stories is merely functional, the author here successfully conveys the ape’s weirdness in a few sentences in three panels. Once again, the author managed to surprise me with an ending that will satisfy those who appreciate both the stories and the artwork of horror comics.
I’ll give a special shout out to “A Hand in It,” also by Jay Stephens, which would probably be the easiest story in the collection to turn into a standalone written story. It concerns Patricia Millicent, a morgue attendant who cares for unclaimed bodies. She knows them all by name, but her favorite is the notorious Sundown Killer, who has resided in her morgue for six years. Patricia hatches a scheme to kill her boyfriend, remove Sundown’s body from the morgue, and leave forensic evidence showing he’s the killer. It’s no spoiler to say that things don’t go as she planned. What really clinched this story for me was the artwork by Leomacs. Patricia’s fiery red hair here contrasted brilliantly with the dark morgue tones.
A couple of stories introduce political content from a liberal perspective, and these are among the weakest in the collection. (I’m liberal myself, but I didn’t appreciate injecting politics into these types of stories.) “Us vs. Us” by Brian Azzarello starts out with a couple running from a burning house and being pursued by the former occupants, some grotesque creatures toting axes and chainsaws. The story had some promise, but when the couple revealed why they burned down the house, it brought things to a complete standstill. “Pattern Recognition” by Matt Kindt is the worst story in the collection. It concerns two warring street factions in a lawless urban environment. The artwork is poorly done, making it difficult to distinguish the members, except that one group has a charismatic leader named Johnny. The best thing I can say about this story is that it’s short. “Blood Type” by Corinna Bechko doesn’t have any political subtext, but it’s still disappointing. A vampire gets stuck on a lifeboat with a dwindling number of potential victims. Bland story, blander ending.
Those who have read “Tales from the Crypt” comics (originals or reprints) know that some joys contained therein were the introductions from the “hosts,” the Crypt-keeper and others. “Epitaphs” has its own set of hosts, primarily the Grave-digger. He’s a cackling version of Ebenezer Scrooge carrying a large, pointed spade. He also delivers appropriate dialogue like: “If you have found yourself here, it can only mean one thing—you share my fiendish fascination with the forbidden and a predilection with the perverse.” Unfortunately, these issues don’t fully utilize his character. He or one of his co-hosts appears on every issue’s introductory page, with a one-line description of each story. However, while the Crypt-keeper in the original “Tales from the Crypt” ended most stories with a gruesomely groan worthy pun, only three stories in this collection have in-panel separate introductions, and none have the punny endings EC Comics readers expect.
“EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1” includes bonus content besides the four issues it contains. The publisher included multiple alternate covers of the four issues and an artist’s description of the Grave-Digger and his two co-hosts, the Tormentor and the Grim Inquisitor. Some of the artwork on the covers and in the stories seems bland, but most of it is lovingly detailed to complement the stories. Mostly, the artists avoid showing the most graphic violence on the book’s pages. Instead, they rely on printed sound effects and copious blood splashes that are even more effective.
I appreciate what Oni Press and its publisher, Hunter Gorinson, have done in reviving the EC Comics brand. “Epitaphs from the Abyss” is still a work in progress, but the comic has great promise. The writers do an excellent job of giving their stories a contemporary feel through the effective incorporation of technology and social media themes. I dislike using these stories to make political points (even those I agree with), and a couple of the stories fell flat. Overall, however, “Epitaphs from the Abyss” reminded me of a scary yet delightful midnight walk through the graveyard.
NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.
April 14, 2025
Comic: EC Epitaphs From the Abyss Vol. 1 (collecting Epitaphs From the Abyss #1-4)
Creative Team: Oni press has a production team of dozens, and the collection features over forty contributing authors and artists…
Publisher: Oni Press
Publication Date: May, 2025
Capone’s Rating: 5 of 5 ⭐s
You may have read my review of Fuck This Place from last month in which I mentioned I’ve been reading Epitaphs From the Abyss. Epitaphs was the main impetus for me picking up a bunch of other horror comics. I got lucky: Oni Press granted me a review copy of the new collection of four comics done in the style of the EC Comic series from over seventy years ago. Why this seventy-year radio silence? It’s interesting.
Here’s our backstory: Gritty comics (not comics about the popular mascot Gritty, but comics with an edge to them) were seen as a part of pro-communist, anti-American activities and contributing to a general moral rot destroying American values in the early 1950s. Sounds whacky, right? Here’s a bit more in the way of Cold War history as regards artists generally and, eventually, comic creators in particular:
In 1947, the Second Red Scare began for creatives with a public incident in which a group commonly dubbed the “Hollywood Ten”—a group of ten directors and screenwriters—refused to testify about their political beliefs. They’d been called to testify in front of HUAC (the House Un-American Activities Committee, tasked with investigating threats of subversion of the United States). These people went to prison and then were unofficially blacklisted (basically, no one would hire them) for the next decade (one of the Hollywood Ten, Dalton Trumbo, was hired in 1960 to direct Spartacus, and HUAC lost a lot of power after taking on the Army in `54 but held maintained through the decade). During those years of moral panic, many Americans were subpoenaed to testify, and folks tried everything from refusing to answer questions to trying to defend themselves to using their Fifth Amendment rights to avoid saying anything that might be taken as compromising. It went badly for everyone involved. (Fun fact: Bobby Kennedy was a McCarthy staffer).
Just as the film industry began self-policing, the comic publishing industry hurried to prove itself loyal. And so, American publishing companies threw a grenade into their own works, submitting to bullies and canning comic series like Epitaphs and Tales from the Crypt when the biggest publishing association formed the Comics Code Authority (CCA) to self-censor its members. Famously, even the words “horror” and “crime” were banned from appearing in titles. Black protagonists were often shit-canned, as were plot lines that made the “bad guys” too sympathetic. As with other codes (in TV, film, and radio), crime could never be seen as paying off, and depictions of sex were strictly prohibited. So EC comics went all in on its one promising series, MAD magazine, and shuttered everything else circa 1956.
And here we are, . Oni Press has been around for some 25+ years now and is picking up defunct lines like Epitaphs and Cruel Universe (press release here)—and hints at others to come!—to print all new stories in the style of the old, somewhat infamous (for some reason) horror and oddity comics.
So how is the new EC Epitaphs? First, a disclaimer. If you read my review of Fuck This Place, you know I’m so close to 100% brand-new to comics on the whole that we might as well just say that it’s a totally new medium for me (see very bottom for my comic-reading resume). But I’m not new to storytelling or to horror, as you know. So I’m doing my best here, and maybe I’ll OPEN YOUR EYES (nod to Clay McCleod Chapman’s recent, excellent novel) and get you checking out a new medium alongside me.
The short version here—the throughline—is that these comics are awesome. The stories are short, salty, and pack a punch. There are morality tales (along the lines of “be careful what you wish for”—not the anti-communist morality tales McCarthy would have loved). There are twisty turns (“Family Values” is my favorite in the bunch, a comic blueprint for a killer Black Mirror episode if there ever were one). And there’s a lot of blood and guts. Icky!
I breezed through this collection, and I’ll say this: Were I reading these comics one at a time, I’d go nuts waiting for each issue. I’m glad to be stumbling into Epitaphs after a complete volume has been assembled. The storytelling in this collection is strong, and the art supports the stories. I can’t wait for Volume 2.
In the meantime, thanks to EC Comics Epitaphs From the Abyss, I now have a distinct hunger for horror comics. Drop your recs in the comments or send me a note on BlueSky!
My comic-reading resume, in toto: I read Spawn for its first 50 or so issues and a ton of Calvin & Hobbes and a few Batman collections when I was a kid… and then Doonesbury when I was in college… but compared to most comic book readers out there, I’m a greenhorn.
Creative Team: Oni press has a production team of dozens, and the collection features over forty contributing authors and artists…
Publisher: Oni Press
Publication Date: May, 2025
Capone’s Rating: 5 of 5 ⭐s
You may have read my review of Fuck This Place from last month in which I mentioned I’ve been reading Epitaphs From the Abyss. Epitaphs was the main impetus for me picking up a bunch of other horror comics. I got lucky: Oni Press granted me a review copy of the new collection of four comics done in the style of the EC Comic series from over seventy years ago. Why this seventy-year radio silence? It’s interesting.
Here’s our backstory: Gritty comics (not comics about the popular mascot Gritty, but comics with an edge to them) were seen as a part of pro-communist, anti-American activities and contributing to a general moral rot destroying American values in the early 1950s. Sounds whacky, right? Here’s a bit more in the way of Cold War history as regards artists generally and, eventually, comic creators in particular:
In 1947, the Second Red Scare began for creatives with a public incident in which a group commonly dubbed the “Hollywood Ten”—a group of ten directors and screenwriters—refused to testify about their political beliefs. They’d been called to testify in front of HUAC (the House Un-American Activities Committee, tasked with investigating threats of subversion of the United States). These people went to prison and then were unofficially blacklisted (basically, no one would hire them) for the next decade (one of the Hollywood Ten, Dalton Trumbo, was hired in 1960 to direct Spartacus, and HUAC lost a lot of power after taking on the Army in `54 but held maintained through the decade). During those years of moral panic, many Americans were subpoenaed to testify, and folks tried everything from refusing to answer questions to trying to defend themselves to using their Fifth Amendment rights to avoid saying anything that might be taken as compromising. It went badly for everyone involved. (Fun fact: Bobby Kennedy was a McCarthy staffer).
Just as the film industry began self-policing, the comic publishing industry hurried to prove itself loyal. And so, American publishing companies threw a grenade into their own works, submitting to bullies and canning comic series like Epitaphs and Tales from the Crypt when the biggest publishing association formed the Comics Code Authority (CCA) to self-censor its members. Famously, even the words “horror” and “crime” were banned from appearing in titles. Black protagonists were often shit-canned, as were plot lines that made the “bad guys” too sympathetic. As with other codes (in TV, film, and radio), crime could never be seen as paying off, and depictions of sex were strictly prohibited. So EC comics went all in on its one promising series, MAD magazine, and shuttered everything else circa 1956.
And here we are, . Oni Press has been around for some 25+ years now and is picking up defunct lines like Epitaphs and Cruel Universe (press release here)—and hints at others to come!—to print all new stories in the style of the old, somewhat infamous (for some reason) horror and oddity comics.
So how is the new EC Epitaphs? First, a disclaimer. If you read my review of Fuck This Place, you know I’m so close to 100% brand-new to comics on the whole that we might as well just say that it’s a totally new medium for me (see very bottom for my comic-reading resume). But I’m not new to storytelling or to horror, as you know. So I’m doing my best here, and maybe I’ll OPEN YOUR EYES (nod to Clay McCleod Chapman’s recent, excellent novel) and get you checking out a new medium alongside me.
The short version here—the throughline—is that these comics are awesome. The stories are short, salty, and pack a punch. There are morality tales (along the lines of “be careful what you wish for”—not the anti-communist morality tales McCarthy would have loved). There are twisty turns (“Family Values” is my favorite in the bunch, a comic blueprint for a killer Black Mirror episode if there ever were one). And there’s a lot of blood and guts. Icky!
I breezed through this collection, and I’ll say this: Were I reading these comics one at a time, I’d go nuts waiting for each issue. I’m glad to be stumbling into Epitaphs after a complete volume has been assembled. The storytelling in this collection is strong, and the art supports the stories. I can’t wait for Volume 2.
In the meantime, thanks to EC Comics Epitaphs From the Abyss, I now have a distinct hunger for horror comics. Drop your recs in the comments or send me a note on BlueSky!
My comic-reading resume, in toto: I read Spawn for its first 50 or so issues and a ton of Calvin & Hobbes and a few Batman collections when I was a kid… and then Doonesbury when I was in college… but compared to most comic book readers out there, I’m a greenhorn.
April 27, 2025
Huge props to Oni Press, EC Comics, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of EC’s revival Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1. I was so excited to find this on NetGalley. As someone who grew up watching anthology horror and weird stories like Tales from the Crypt and Tales from the Darkside, and searching out older comics that featured some of these kinds of anthology stories, I was so happy to see this reboot. I’m not someone who always looks forward to revisiting things that have already been done, but for me, the EC Comics artwork and stories are truly timeless and represent some of the best work that was done in comics and anthology horror in the 20th century. Also considering the influences on films and television shows that EC has had, it’s great to see how other creative artists and writers and looking to resurrect the spirit of EC’s terrifying stories for more mayhem and carnage.
Right away, this anthology has a lot to like about this collection. The stories are short but all seem to have that unique twist to them. Even more interesting, the stories take on current topics, whether it is political ideologies (“Senator, Senator”), the nature of creativity (“Killer Spec”), influencers and online culture (“Dead from Exposure” and “Under the Influence”) and how technology affects us and our relationships with others (“Sounds and Haptics” and “Family Values”). There are also some stories that deal with misogyny (“The Perfect Pearl”) and issues related to the pandemic (“Gray Green Memories” and “Us vs. US”). This was an interesting collection of stories, and I loved how the topics were updated and relevant to issues today. There was even a story that had a connection with Robert Johnson’s Crossroads story, although I didn’t think that this story was as well developed as it could be. Nevertheless, I loved how the story attempted to use a famous American myth, particularly selling your soul for something in return, and put a spin on it.
Most of the stories featured the kind of irony that is in many of the Tales from the Crypt stories, where someone often commits an evil act, only to experience some kind of retribution in the end. Although this is a familiar arc for some of these brief tales, I still found the endings somewhat surprising. I won’t divulge the endings, but I think my favorite was “Dead from Exposure”. I just loved the way it used the Bigfoot myth and had a unique twist on the story using the “Bog Ape” monster from a small town. “Under the Influence” was also a great tale that looks at influencers and the darker side of wellness and lifestyle culture online. It also has a great twist at the end. The writing is generally strong, but I loved the illustrations since they are what really drive the stories. I was lucky to read this copy on an iPad, so I was able to see the images in a larger format with good resolution and color. I would definitely recommend having a larger display to read this, if you have a digital copy, but I would imagine that having a hard copy would also be great. Although it’s probably not for everyone, I loved these tales and the accompanying images. They are creepy, fun, and compelling. I will revisit these comics and look for more of the EC releases in the future. I’m very excited that there is a new generation of EC stories and that these writers and artists are updating the dark irony for issues and people in modern society. Highly recommended, especially if you are a fan of anthology horror like Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, Creepshow, or Tales from the Darkside.
Right away, this anthology has a lot to like about this collection. The stories are short but all seem to have that unique twist to them. Even more interesting, the stories take on current topics, whether it is political ideologies (“Senator, Senator”), the nature of creativity (“Killer Spec”), influencers and online culture (“Dead from Exposure” and “Under the Influence”) and how technology affects us and our relationships with others (“Sounds and Haptics” and “Family Values”). There are also some stories that deal with misogyny (“The Perfect Pearl”) and issues related to the pandemic (“Gray Green Memories” and “Us vs. US”). This was an interesting collection of stories, and I loved how the topics were updated and relevant to issues today. There was even a story that had a connection with Robert Johnson’s Crossroads story, although I didn’t think that this story was as well developed as it could be. Nevertheless, I loved how the story attempted to use a famous American myth, particularly selling your soul for something in return, and put a spin on it.
Most of the stories featured the kind of irony that is in many of the Tales from the Crypt stories, where someone often commits an evil act, only to experience some kind of retribution in the end. Although this is a familiar arc for some of these brief tales, I still found the endings somewhat surprising. I won’t divulge the endings, but I think my favorite was “Dead from Exposure”. I just loved the way it used the Bigfoot myth and had a unique twist on the story using the “Bog Ape” monster from a small town. “Under the Influence” was also a great tale that looks at influencers and the darker side of wellness and lifestyle culture online. It also has a great twist at the end. The writing is generally strong, but I loved the illustrations since they are what really drive the stories. I was lucky to read this copy on an iPad, so I was able to see the images in a larger format with good resolution and color. I would definitely recommend having a larger display to read this, if you have a digital copy, but I would imagine that having a hard copy would also be great. Although it’s probably not for everyone, I loved these tales and the accompanying images. They are creepy, fun, and compelling. I will revisit these comics and look for more of the EC releases in the future. I’m very excited that there is a new generation of EC stories and that these writers and artists are updating the dark irony for issues and people in modern society. Highly recommended, especially if you are a fan of anthology horror like Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, Creepshow, or Tales from the Darkside.
February 11, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advance copy of this resurrection of a book of classic comic and cosmic horror, reborn to haunt the shelves of comic stores once more. A collection of nightmares composed from the decomposed brains and arms of many of the most popular comic creators living, at least for now.
The first real book of horror to make an impact on me was the short story collection Night Shift by Stephen King. Page for page one of the best collections of horror, of anything I have ever read and still even today I get shivers thinking of the stories that reside inside the tome of eldritch horror. That book made me a horror fan, but also branded me in a way also. I enjoy short horror stories, the most. The short, sharp shock. I'll read the big novels, Swan Song by Robert McCammon is long but as with most of his novels great horror. But the short stories I love. My father was the same way. He grew up on EC comics and as is common, had them thrown out by my grandmother, when told they would poison his mind. Knowing my Father it was probably too late, but I grew up on these tales, these gross little stories my Dad could kind of remember. So it was with nostalgia and a quickening of the heart that I greeted the return of EC comics to my life. EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1 features a horde of creators writers, artists, mad dreamers joining together to return something back from the dead, in tales full of gruesome people, medical horrors, and murder most foul.
EC comics was in its day the bête noire of parents trying to get their children to go to bed at night, educators and politicians who feared that readers were becoming delinquents, and other publishers as their stories were getting to much attention. The stories featured murders, monsters, maidens in trouble, and mad men in massacre mode. Their antics nearly brought down and industry, and in fact changed the face of comics, and its development for almost fifty years. And now it is back, to ruin sleep, to make readers turn to crime, and change comics again. Writers include Brian Azzarello, Jason Aaron, Matt Kindt, and artists Charlie Adlard, Klaus Janson and Phil Hester, along with many others. The stories feel like classic stories, short, pointed and bloody, dealing with modern politics, medical shenanigans, strange noises, creatures who should not be and other tales of macabre.
As with any anthology, especially one spread over so many issues and creators, some stories leave a stain, and some are forgotten with a flip of the page. The stories are generally good, feeling like something from the past, from the writing, the pacing, and the color palette in the story. A few stories stand out, but all have the feeling that something is wrong, and that something will never be right again. The art is very good, though sometimes I wish they had let the artists cook, the palette of color seems to take away from what is going. on. One can see the homages. One story seems like a Ernie Colón story, with the use of light and shadows on the page.
A very fun collection, and I hope the start of something spooky and eternally lasting. A fun reminder of what once was, and a reminder that while culture and times might change, people love a good old scary story to get the heart going.
The first real book of horror to make an impact on me was the short story collection Night Shift by Stephen King. Page for page one of the best collections of horror, of anything I have ever read and still even today I get shivers thinking of the stories that reside inside the tome of eldritch horror. That book made me a horror fan, but also branded me in a way also. I enjoy short horror stories, the most. The short, sharp shock. I'll read the big novels, Swan Song by Robert McCammon is long but as with most of his novels great horror. But the short stories I love. My father was the same way. He grew up on EC comics and as is common, had them thrown out by my grandmother, when told they would poison his mind. Knowing my Father it was probably too late, but I grew up on these tales, these gross little stories my Dad could kind of remember. So it was with nostalgia and a quickening of the heart that I greeted the return of EC comics to my life. EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1 features a horde of creators writers, artists, mad dreamers joining together to return something back from the dead, in tales full of gruesome people, medical horrors, and murder most foul.
EC comics was in its day the bête noire of parents trying to get their children to go to bed at night, educators and politicians who feared that readers were becoming delinquents, and other publishers as their stories were getting to much attention. The stories featured murders, monsters, maidens in trouble, and mad men in massacre mode. Their antics nearly brought down and industry, and in fact changed the face of comics, and its development for almost fifty years. And now it is back, to ruin sleep, to make readers turn to crime, and change comics again. Writers include Brian Azzarello, Jason Aaron, Matt Kindt, and artists Charlie Adlard, Klaus Janson and Phil Hester, along with many others. The stories feel like classic stories, short, pointed and bloody, dealing with modern politics, medical shenanigans, strange noises, creatures who should not be and other tales of macabre.
As with any anthology, especially one spread over so many issues and creators, some stories leave a stain, and some are forgotten with a flip of the page. The stories are generally good, feeling like something from the past, from the writing, the pacing, and the color palette in the story. A few stories stand out, but all have the feeling that something is wrong, and that something will never be right again. The art is very good, though sometimes I wish they had let the artists cook, the palette of color seems to take away from what is going. on. One can see the homages. One story seems like a Ernie Colón story, with the use of light and shadows on the page.
A very fun collection, and I hope the start of something spooky and eternally lasting. A fun reminder of what once was, and a reminder that while culture and times might change, people love a good old scary story to get the heart going.
October 4, 2025
EC Comics, originally a publisher of horror comics (Tales From the Crypt, Vault of Horror), was killed off 70 years ago by the adoption of the Comics Code Authority, but returns triumphantly to the modern scene of comics, where that style is much more common and beloved. Great little short tale collection!
Highlights:
1) Killer Spec - Author kills another to steal is work.... corpse gets revenge
2) Senator, Senator - When someone has opinions outside their party lines, maybe they just need an adjustment...
3) Family Values - A man is forced to make a tough decision: kill himself or a family member, or all will die.
4) Us vs Us - A paranoid anti-vaxxer finds out what vaccines can really do.
5) Pattern Recognition - A man experiences an awakening after a fight and wants to show others (This one was the weakest in the collection for me.)
6) Gray Green Memories - What are zombies thinking when they are just staring ahead? (Easily the best in the collection here!)
7) Sounds and Haptics - A young man learns the true price for distracted driving after causing a crash that almost killed everyone involved.
8) A Hand In It - A crazy mortitian falls in love with the corpse of a serial killer and decides to take out her husband and blame it on them.
9) Blood Type - A vampire figures out a unique way to survive.
10 ) A Crossroads Repetition - The story of Robert Johnson is recreated with a man who has lost his wife.
11) Dead From Exposure - The Legend of a Bog Ape causes some content creators to meet their doom.
12) The Perfect Pearl - For this housewife, good days mean more pearls, bad days mean less pearls.... but do they make her happy?
13) Under the Unfluence - A new energy suppliment gone wrong...
Very much like the story collections they once published, this horror anthology belongs back in the spotlight! Strong recommend. Looking forward to good future Volumes.
Highlights:
1) Killer Spec - Author kills another to steal is work.... corpse gets revenge
2) Senator, Senator - When someone has opinions outside their party lines, maybe they just need an adjustment...
3) Family Values - A man is forced to make a tough decision: kill himself or a family member, or all will die.
4) Us vs Us - A paranoid anti-vaxxer finds out what vaccines can really do.
5) Pattern Recognition - A man experiences an awakening after a fight and wants to show others (This one was the weakest in the collection for me.)
6) Gray Green Memories - What are zombies thinking when they are just staring ahead? (Easily the best in the collection here!)
7) Sounds and Haptics - A young man learns the true price for distracted driving after causing a crash that almost killed everyone involved.
8) A Hand In It - A crazy mortitian falls in love with the corpse of a serial killer and decides to take out her husband and blame it on them.
9) Blood Type - A vampire figures out a unique way to survive.
10 ) A Crossroads Repetition - The story of Robert Johnson is recreated with a man who has lost his wife.
11) Dead From Exposure - The Legend of a Bog Ape causes some content creators to meet their doom.
12) The Perfect Pearl - For this housewife, good days mean more pearls, bad days mean less pearls.... but do they make her happy?
13) Under the Unfluence - A new energy suppliment gone wrong...
Very much like the story collections they once published, this horror anthology belongs back in the spotlight! Strong recommend. Looking forward to good future Volumes.
March 24, 2025
THE MOST NOTORIOUS NAME IN TERROR IS BACK—WITH A VENGEANCE!
From the publisher that drove Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, and many more into the depraved hearts of an unsuspecting world, the immortal EC COMICS returns with its first ALL-NEW series in nearly 70 years!
EC comics is back like a zombie from the grave! If you're an old Boomer or Gen x'er like me you probably have sweet memories of getting the latest issue of "Tales from The Crypt" from the comic store and racing up to your room to scare yourself silly with the amazing stories inside.
I have missed that experience and the comic for all of these years and none of the imposters that have popped up over the years have even come close to the magic of the original.
But here it is! Reborn and dripping blood!
All the stories within are worth reading, some a little better than others but all worthy. I love how the new stories are not just rehashing of the stories of old but new tales that are relevant to today's issues, concerns, and interest.
This baby doesn't come with any trigger warnings cus if you remember the original then you know what to expect. Blood, gore, violence, irreverent humor, and just about any other trigger you can think of that will make you skin crawl, your eyes pop, your breath quicken, and probably grin like a psychopath.
I guess you get that I enjoyed every bloody page and stayed up late into the night to finish because I just could not turn away.
Give me more!
Highly recommended . Published May 6,2025
Thanks to @netgalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
From the publisher that drove Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, and many more into the depraved hearts of an unsuspecting world, the immortal EC COMICS returns with its first ALL-NEW series in nearly 70 years!
EC comics is back like a zombie from the grave! If you're an old Boomer or Gen x'er like me you probably have sweet memories of getting the latest issue of "Tales from The Crypt" from the comic store and racing up to your room to scare yourself silly with the amazing stories inside.
I have missed that experience and the comic for all of these years and none of the imposters that have popped up over the years have even come close to the magic of the original.
But here it is! Reborn and dripping blood!
All the stories within are worth reading, some a little better than others but all worthy. I love how the new stories are not just rehashing of the stories of old but new tales that are relevant to today's issues, concerns, and interest.
This baby doesn't come with any trigger warnings cus if you remember the original then you know what to expect. Blood, gore, violence, irreverent humor, and just about any other trigger you can think of that will make you skin crawl, your eyes pop, your breath quicken, and probably grin like a psychopath.
I guess you get that I enjoyed every bloody page and stayed up late into the night to finish because I just could not turn away.
Give me more!
Highly recommended . Published May 6,2025
Thanks to @netgalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Read
January 11, 2025With horror anthologies undergoing a revival in the US comics market, it makes perfect sense that someone would try exhuming the big name that got them shut down last time around. And the publisher's letter sounds like it has the right idea; this isn't about slavishly imitating the original EC books, but imagining how they might look today had they not been poleaxed by a postwar fit of performative morality. Except it turns out that applies more to the topics – influencers, gaslighting, smartphone addiction – than the craft. There are some fairly big name writers here (Brian Azzarello, Jason Aaron), but I had to go back to the credits page to have any idea which stories were theirs; even more remarkably, I'd managed not really to register when I was looking at art by Charlie Adlard, Klaus Janson, Tyler Crook, all of whom had been rendered near-indistinguishable by the retro colouring. Compare and contrast this flattening with how distinct the different contributions feel in ostensibly similar books at other publishers, such as Hello Darkness, Creepshow, or even the various DSTLRY one-shots. There could maybe be something here if the straitjacket were loosened a little, but for now it's come off hokey, at most ghoulish, rather than effectively horrific or even very much fun.
(Netgalley ARC)
(Netgalley ARC)
January 9, 2025
It's interesting that people are DNFing this book. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for dnfing books that don't bring you joy but this is a comic book and every story is different. Sure, there were some I didn't like but there were some I did. Had I dnf'd it, I wouldn't have known there were better stories.
Anyways, that being said, this is an interesting collaboration of stories. Most of them I felt were too short. A few didn't make sense. My favorite was the second to last story with the pearls. I could see that being a fun full short story. The art work was amazing. If anything else, all the panels were beautifully illustrated! Even though some of the stories I may have skimmed through, I did not skim on the art. It was gorgeous!
All in all, I see how this style might not be someones cup of tea, but it's close to mine.
Thank you Netgalley for this early edition in exchange for an honest review.
Anyways, that being said, this is an interesting collaboration of stories. Most of them I felt were too short. A few didn't make sense. My favorite was the second to last story with the pearls. I could see that being a fun full short story. The art work was amazing. If anything else, all the panels were beautifully illustrated! Even though some of the stories I may have skimmed through, I did not skim on the art. It was gorgeous!
All in all, I see how this style might not be someones cup of tea, but it's close to mine.
Thank you Netgalley for this early edition in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2025
(Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this comic to read for an honest review.)
I'm an EC comics fan from way back, reading reprints of the 50s comics as recent as just yesterday. Lately I haven't been impressed by their attempts to revamp "Tales from the Crypt." They always seem like lazily done extensions of something you'd see in Mad Magazine, which was also an EC comics spin off, but isn't what I wanted. So color me surprised that I genuinely enjoyed this new endeavor from EC. This really felt more like a modernization of "Tales from the Crypt," "The Vault of Horror," and "The Haunt of Fear." Definitely the stories aren't all going to be gold, but most of them are thoroughly enjoyable. "Epitaphs" even features a new horror host in the form of The Grave Digger. In terms of horror anthology comics, you've certainly got a lot of choices, and this is a genuinely good addition to the horror reader's library.
I'm an EC comics fan from way back, reading reprints of the 50s comics as recent as just yesterday. Lately I haven't been impressed by their attempts to revamp "Tales from the Crypt." They always seem like lazily done extensions of something you'd see in Mad Magazine, which was also an EC comics spin off, but isn't what I wanted. So color me surprised that I genuinely enjoyed this new endeavor from EC. This really felt more like a modernization of "Tales from the Crypt," "The Vault of Horror," and "The Haunt of Fear." Definitely the stories aren't all going to be gold, but most of them are thoroughly enjoyable. "Epitaphs" even features a new horror host in the form of The Grave Digger. In terms of horror anthology comics, you've certainly got a lot of choices, and this is a genuinely good addition to the horror reader's library.
February 14, 2025
As someone who’s too young to have grown up with the original Tales from the Crypt comics, I’m really glad that these kinds of stories are still being made. There’s just something timeless about EC-style horror that is short, punchy, and dripping with that old-school macabre charm. Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1 keeps that tradition alive, delivering a solid collection of bite-sized terror that scratches the itch for classic horror storytelling.
I love how straightforward these stories are. No fluff, just eerie setups, grim twists, and that signature EC Comics irony. The artwork nails that vintage feel while still looking sharp enough for a modern audience. It’s the kind of collection that makes you want to read it under dim light on a stormy night, preferably with some creepy music playing in the background.
If you’re a fan of old-school horror anthologies or just enjoy a good, twisted tale, this one’s definitely worth checking out.
I love how straightforward these stories are. No fluff, just eerie setups, grim twists, and that signature EC Comics irony. The artwork nails that vintage feel while still looking sharp enough for a modern audience. It’s the kind of collection that makes you want to read it under dim light on a stormy night, preferably with some creepy music playing in the background.
If you’re a fan of old-school horror anthologies or just enjoy a good, twisted tale, this one’s definitely worth checking out.
April 13, 2025
EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol 1
Various Authors
EC horror comics are back. In fact several different anthology genre books are being produced under the EC title. This of course being horror. This volume collects the first four issues with thirteen short stories by twenty two writers and artists currently working in the industry today. The art’s outstanding each story has its own unique style and flavor. The stories for the most part are entertaining.
I found several to be very much a message over a story. I’ve read enough old EC horror comics to know they had a formula. Scary story, morale comeuppance at the end. I saw this as a needed formula back when comics were getting blamed for all the ills of society but now that the comic code is over I find the formula stale and archaic. Depending on how you come out on the issue it could be a blast or a drag.
I was provided a copy of the book from the publisher for the purpose of a review.
Various Authors
EC horror comics are back. In fact several different anthology genre books are being produced under the EC title. This of course being horror. This volume collects the first four issues with thirteen short stories by twenty two writers and artists currently working in the industry today. The art’s outstanding each story has its own unique style and flavor. The stories for the most part are entertaining.
I found several to be very much a message over a story. I’ve read enough old EC horror comics to know they had a formula. Scary story, morale comeuppance at the end. I saw this as a needed formula back when comics were getting blamed for all the ills of society but now that the comic code is over I find the formula stale and archaic. Depending on how you come out on the issue it could be a blast or a drag.
I was provided a copy of the book from the publisher for the purpose of a review.
August 6, 2025
Voy a ser sincero: esto ni se acerca a la grandeza de los cómics de la EC. De hecho, es casi insultante compararlas. Pero tiene potencial. ¿Qué necesita para mejorar? Guiones decentes.
El arte está bien. Si caemos en la tentación de compararlo con el de Johnny Craig, Wally Wood, Graham Ingels, Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, etc... pues claro, es una mierda, pero ¿qué no lo es? En fin, dibujo decente, cuanto menos. Pero los escritores son de segunda o tercera fila. Es cierto, hay un par de historias buenas, de las que no se avergonzarían Feldstein o Gaines, pero la mayoría no valen un pimiento. Incluso he creído detectar un plagio clarísimo de un relato de la EC. Sin embargo, el homenaje es sentido, y, mientras se mantengan las buenas intenciones, el resto tiene solución. Yo, gran fan de la editorial destruida por el doctor Wertham y un montón de editores sinvergüenzas que querían acabar con ella, le daré otra oportunidad a esta serie. A ver qué tal.
El arte está bien. Si caemos en la tentación de compararlo con el de Johnny Craig, Wally Wood, Graham Ingels, Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, etc... pues claro, es una mierda, pero ¿qué no lo es? En fin, dibujo decente, cuanto menos. Pero los escritores son de segunda o tercera fila. Es cierto, hay un par de historias buenas, de las que no se avergonzarían Feldstein o Gaines, pero la mayoría no valen un pimiento. Incluso he creído detectar un plagio clarísimo de un relato de la EC. Sin embargo, el homenaje es sentido, y, mientras se mantengan las buenas intenciones, el resto tiene solución. Yo, gran fan de la editorial destruida por el doctor Wertham y un montón de editores sinvergüenzas que querían acabar con ella, le daré otra oportunidad a esta serie. A ver qué tal.
October 23, 2025
It's good for what it is, a reboot of classic EC horror comics, like Tales from the Crypt. what you have to keep in mind is that, nostalgia aside, a lot of those stories were kind of dreck with the occasional gem.
Most repeated the same formula of "somebody does something wrong and gets chopped up in a kind of ironic way" over and over. Baseball player causes the death of a rival, so the rivals teammates chop up the evildoer and play baseball with his head. wife spends too much money on boxes of chocolate, so her husband chops her up and arranges the organs in a big sampler box.( Yeah, the 'something wrong' part was often kind of subjective.)
so, starting from the point of honoring that tradition, I think this does a good job. there's plenty macabre moral tales with some that aim a little higher. most miss, because the short formate doesn't allow for the kind of world building needed, but are still entertaining.
Most repeated the same formula of "somebody does something wrong and gets chopped up in a kind of ironic way" over and over. Baseball player causes the death of a rival, so the rivals teammates chop up the evildoer and play baseball with his head. wife spends too much money on boxes of chocolate, so her husband chops her up and arranges the organs in a big sampler box.( Yeah, the 'something wrong' part was often kind of subjective.)
so, starting from the point of honoring that tradition, I think this does a good job. there's plenty macabre moral tales with some that aim a little higher. most miss, because the short formate doesn't allow for the kind of world building needed, but are still entertaining.
January 13, 2025
EC IS BACK, BABY!
Well, okay, EC has been back for a little while, but I was so excited I just wanted to write that.
Netgalley provided me with this book in exchange for an honest review. So here it goes.
Sure, it was mostly a mixed bag. Some stories, such as Killer Spec, Family Values, and Gray Green Memories stand out more than others. However, at the end of the day, every story here was fun. It seemed like the entire creative team of each story was having a great time making this.
The artwork is stunning, filled with so much detail and expressive characters that practically leap off the page. And of course, this has some of the best cover art I've ever seen. Lee Bermejo has been one of my favorite artists for years, and his art alone is worth the price of this book.
Read it. Enjoy it. Have fun with it. It's campy, pulpy, and silly. I loved every second of it!
Well, okay, EC has been back for a little while, but I was so excited I just wanted to write that.
Netgalley provided me with this book in exchange for an honest review. So here it goes.
Sure, it was mostly a mixed bag. Some stories, such as Killer Spec, Family Values, and Gray Green Memories stand out more than others. However, at the end of the day, every story here was fun. It seemed like the entire creative team of each story was having a great time making this.
The artwork is stunning, filled with so much detail and expressive characters that practically leap off the page. And of course, this has some of the best cover art I've ever seen. Lee Bermejo has been one of my favorite artists for years, and his art alone is worth the price of this book.
Read it. Enjoy it. Have fun with it. It's campy, pulpy, and silly. I loved every second of it!
January 18, 2025
ARC
I’d like to thank Oni Press and NetGalley for the chance to give “EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1” a read for an honest review.
Y’all, I had such a good time with these!
This is my first encounter with any publication from EC, but I know it will be far from my last. Every single story within this compilation was well-thought out with some fantastic imagery. As per usual, some stories were stronger than others, but that is the nature of anthologies. There are very timely entries, as well as ones that will withstand the tests of time, which makes for a very dynamic read.
I absolutely loved reading this on my computer, and I know that it will look even better once I get my hands on a physical copy upon release. I cannot wait to see what comes next from this series, since I truly had such a good time reading this.
I’d like to thank Oni Press and NetGalley for the chance to give “EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1” a read for an honest review.
Y’all, I had such a good time with these!
This is my first encounter with any publication from EC, but I know it will be far from my last. Every single story within this compilation was well-thought out with some fantastic imagery. As per usual, some stories were stronger than others, but that is the nature of anthologies. There are very timely entries, as well as ones that will withstand the tests of time, which makes for a very dynamic read.
I absolutely loved reading this on my computer, and I know that it will look even better once I get my hands on a physical copy upon release. I cannot wait to see what comes next from this series, since I truly had such a good time reading this.
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