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The Vault Of Horror
Includes eight stories (in colour) from the original Vault of Horror comic from the 1950s.
Story contents:
Till Death... (Johnny Craig), from #28, 1952
Hook, Line and Stinker! (Graham Ingels), from #26, 1952
Strictly from Hunger! (George Evans), from #27, 1952
People Who Live in Brass Hearses... (Jack Davis), from #27, 1952
Two of a Kind (Johnny Craig), from #26, 1952
A Grim Fairy Tale! (Graham Ingels), from #27, 1952
For How the Bell Tolls! (George Evans), from #28, 1952
The Chips are Down! (Jack Davis), from #28, 1952
Story contents:
Till Death... (Johnny Craig), from #28, 1952
Hook, Line and Stinker! (Graham Ingels), from #26, 1952
Strictly from Hunger! (George Evans), from #27, 1952
People Who Live in Brass Hearses... (Jack Davis), from #27, 1952
Two of a Kind (Johnny Craig), from #26, 1952
A Grim Fairy Tale! (Graham Ingels), from #27, 1952
For How the Bell Tolls! (George Evans), from #28, 1952
The Chips are Down! (Jack Davis), from #28, 1952
56 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
9 people want to read
About the author
Al Feldstein
356Ìýbooks45ÌýfollowersAlbert Bernard Feldstein was an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satirical magazine Mad. After retiring from Mad, Feldstein concentrated on American paintings of Western wildlife.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 21, 2019
As I had just finished up reading my box set of (following on from a reread of the complete TALES FROM THE CRYPT box), I figured I would do quick reads of my set of these EC Classics collections (Russ Cochran's next attempt to get the EC material back in front of the public, this time in color - which turns out to be problematic on brighter paper and with highly detailed artwork like Wood's or the feathery touch of Al Williamson, although it works a treat with Jack Kamen's style). VAULT OF HORROR was an interesting choice because, after finishing the enormous CRYPT box, I kind of bemoaned the fact that I didn't have a VAULT or HAUNT OF FEAR box (and I'll gladly trade my CRYPT box for anyone with the Russ Cochran b&w boxes of the latter two). Of course, one could argue that there isn't much difference between the three titles, what with the hosts all appearing in each other's mags anyway (and unlike, say, DC's WITCHING HOUR, no attempt was made to have each host focus on a particular TYPE of story either). Wikipedia tells me that Johnny Craig was the title's main artist (much like Jack Davis for CRYPT), doing all the covers and having the lead slot (and writing!) for all but two stories. As Craig has a distinctly different style than the caricatured, meatiness of Davis (or Graham Ingels' more cobwebbed, Gothic approach on HAUNT OF FEAR) - being more crisp and clear lined - I guess you can argue a difference right there - although, as I said, since all 3 characters appeared in each comic, the only effect of showcasing an artist is really a cumulative one (and so not as important when looking at a sampler like this).
So, what you get are 8 horror comic book stories in the classic EC style, all from 1952. This distinctive EC style was discussed at length in my endless review of the CRYPT box (for the daring, readable here) so I'll just give the reduction - ironic twists, conté cruels, revenge from beyond the grave, sick humor. I had some fun reading this, because of some little details, but let's get the dross out of the way first: "Hook, Line and Stinker!" has a man (who's been promising to marry a woman for 15 years) get his comeuppance when she discovers that he has a woman on the side. As he's constantly having his "prize fish" (he disappears on weekly "fishing trip" assignations, just buying the trophies later) mounted and hung at the long-suffering woman's home, what do you expect the last panel is? (kudos to Ingels for another great "gaping in horror" face, however). Meanwhile "People Who Live in Brass Hearses..." (art by Jack Davis) has EC working over (yet again!) a familiar plot trope to (long-winded-ly) explain just why an old recluse, who visits town in a hearse/carriage, never steps down from it and is rarely seen by the townspeople. Only the enforced "buried alive" detail, and the usual bit of Davis grottiness, is worth noting.
"The Chips Are Down!" (again, Davis) is another EC revenant story (two partners in a sawmill drive a third to suicide in order to increase their personal profit), notable for the humorous splash panel, the Crypt Keeper's enthusiastic frame comments, the detail that it takes "several month" for the murdered victim to rise and take revenge (one presumes, just so that the corpse looks suitably decayed enough to be creepy) and the...uh...rather "unique" method in which the murderers are dispatched (take that title seriously!). Fun! Also included here are two "Grim Fairy Tales" (which popped up in all the horror titles on occasion), stripped down excuses for sick humor punchlines - the first ("A Grim Fairy Tale!") involving a riff on "The Pied Piper Of Hamlin" (love the panel of "my baby!") and rat revenge visited on greedy royalty, and the second ("For How the Bell Tolls!") a tale of obsession and an assistant bell-ringer who gets his lifelong wish! (Graham Ingels & George Evans art, respectively).
"Strictly From Hunger!" (more George Evans) is a grotesque monster tale involving a man eaten alive by cancer (one can see the seeds of it in Steven King's later "Gray Matter"). "Two of a Kind" is one of those jokey, inconsequential little "situational" stories that EC occasionally did (no real horror) in which a man and woman fall in love and are then trapped together in a cabin buried by an avalanche - but she's a vampire and he's a ghoul and both make the ultimate sacrifice for love! (nice Craig artwork). Finally, the book starts with it's best tale, "Till Death..." (wonderfully clean Johnny Craig artwork here) in which a Haitian sugar plantation owner loses his beautiful young wife to illness, only to have the thoughtful natives return her to life as a zombie (single-minded in her dedication and servitude) - which unfortunately doesn't stop her from decaying. This story (which has echoes of 's "Jane Brown's Body") is notable not only for the straight-ahead, clean artwork and the sheer grotesqueness of its conception, but for the wry, humorous approach it takes (perhaps most perfectly, in the penultimate panel, as our main character is told by the Vault Keeper "...you'll be with Donna for all time now...forever! Look out! Here she comes!" That made me chuckle.
A nice sampler of EC horror.
So, what you get are 8 horror comic book stories in the classic EC style, all from 1952. This distinctive EC style was discussed at length in my endless review of the CRYPT box (for the daring, readable here) so I'll just give the reduction - ironic twists, conté cruels, revenge from beyond the grave, sick humor. I had some fun reading this, because of some little details, but let's get the dross out of the way first: "Hook, Line and Stinker!" has a man (who's been promising to marry a woman for 15 years) get his comeuppance when she discovers that he has a woman on the side. As he's constantly having his "prize fish" (he disappears on weekly "fishing trip" assignations, just buying the trophies later) mounted and hung at the long-suffering woman's home, what do you expect the last panel is? (kudos to Ingels for another great "gaping in horror" face, however). Meanwhile "People Who Live in Brass Hearses..." (art by Jack Davis) has EC working over (yet again!) a familiar plot trope to (long-winded-ly) explain just why an old recluse, who visits town in a hearse/carriage, never steps down from it and is rarely seen by the townspeople. Only the enforced "buried alive" detail, and the usual bit of Davis grottiness, is worth noting.
"The Chips Are Down!" (again, Davis) is another EC revenant story (two partners in a sawmill drive a third to suicide in order to increase their personal profit), notable for the humorous splash panel, the Crypt Keeper's enthusiastic frame comments, the detail that it takes "several month" for the murdered victim to rise and take revenge (one presumes, just so that the corpse looks suitably decayed enough to be creepy) and the...uh...rather "unique" method in which the murderers are dispatched (take that title seriously!). Fun! Also included here are two "Grim Fairy Tales" (which popped up in all the horror titles on occasion), stripped down excuses for sick humor punchlines - the first ("A Grim Fairy Tale!") involving a riff on "The Pied Piper Of Hamlin" (love the panel of "my baby!") and rat revenge visited on greedy royalty, and the second ("For How the Bell Tolls!") a tale of obsession and an assistant bell-ringer who gets his lifelong wish! (Graham Ingels & George Evans art, respectively).
"Strictly From Hunger!" (more George Evans) is a grotesque monster tale involving a man eaten alive by cancer (one can see the seeds of it in Steven King's later "Gray Matter"). "Two of a Kind" is one of those jokey, inconsequential little "situational" stories that EC occasionally did (no real horror) in which a man and woman fall in love and are then trapped together in a cabin buried by an avalanche - but she's a vampire and he's a ghoul and both make the ultimate sacrifice for love! (nice Craig artwork). Finally, the book starts with it's best tale, "Till Death..." (wonderfully clean Johnny Craig artwork here) in which a Haitian sugar plantation owner loses his beautiful young wife to illness, only to have the thoughtful natives return her to life as a zombie (single-minded in her dedication and servitude) - which unfortunately doesn't stop her from decaying. This story (which has echoes of 's "Jane Brown's Body") is notable not only for the straight-ahead, clean artwork and the sheer grotesqueness of its conception, but for the wry, humorous approach it takes (perhaps most perfectly, in the penultimate panel, as our main character is told by the Vault Keeper "...you'll be with Donna for all time now...forever! Look out! Here she comes!" That made me chuckle.
A nice sampler of EC horror.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2024
I remember growing up and my cousin having copies of the horror comics published by EC Comics. Titles like The Vault of Horror, Weird Science and Tales from The Crypt. They all followed a similar format, short horror stories narrated by a "host' character, a witch, the Vault Keeper, the Hag and characters like this. All the tales had a twist in them and even though they were written mostly in the 50's they still had that shock value.
This version I found in a local flea market. It is a collection of 8 tales from two issues of Vault of Horror from 1952. colorized and published in 1986. The tales range from voodoo magic, too a vampire and a ghoul love story and a Siamese twin tale.
Great to see these again and good to hear that Oni Press are resurrecting the EC Comics brand.
This version I found in a local flea market. It is a collection of 8 tales from two issues of Vault of Horror from 1952. colorized and published in 1986. The tales range from voodoo magic, too a vampire and a ghoul love story and a Siamese twin tale.
Great to see these again and good to hear that Oni Press are resurrecting the EC Comics brand.
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