Tales from the Crypt (comic)

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Tales from the Crypt

Jack Davis cover for Tales from the Crypt 40 (February-March 1954)
Publisher EC Comics
Schedule bimonthly
Publication date April-May 1950 - February-March 1955
Number of issues 30
Main character(s) Crypt Keeper, Old Witch, Vault Keeper
Creative team
Creator(s) Al Feldstein

Tales from the Crypt was a series that was part of Bill Gaines' EC Comics line during the early 1950s. The bimonthly horror comic, edited by Al Feldstein, began with an issue cover-dated April – May 1950. Over a five-year span, it ran for 30 issues, ending with the February – March 1955 issue.

After early front covers by Feldstein, Johnny Craig and Wally Wood, the remaining covers (1952-55) were by Jack Davis. The contributing interior artists were Craig, Feldstein, Wood, Davis, George Evans, Jack Kamen, Graham Ingels, Harvey Kurtzman, Al Williamson, Joe Orlando, Reed Crandall, Bernard Krigstein, Will Elder, Fred Peters and Howard Larsen.

Tales from the Crypt originated with a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol #15 (December 1949 – January 1950). Feldstein created his host character, the Crypt-Keeper, with that story. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, so with #17 the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title change. It continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues.

The title was finalized as Tales from the Crypt with issue #20 (October – November, 1950). Jack Davis took over the art for the Crypt-Keeper stories with issue #24 (June – July, 1951), and he continued as the title's lead artist for the rest of the run. For issue #33, Feldstein devised the Crypt-Keeper's origin story, "Lower Berth!", illustrated by Davis.

In 1954, Gaines and Feldstein intended to reactivate the earlier title, The Crypt of Terror, by adding a fourth book to their three existing horror titles (Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror and The Haunt of Fear). However at this time comics were under fire as causing juvenile dilenquency. In September of that year Gaines made the decision to cease publication of all his horror and crime comics. Since an issue of The Crypt of Terror had already been produced, it was published as the final issue of Tales from the Crypt , issue 46 (February – March, 1955).

The original title, Crime Patrol.
The original title, Crime Patrol.

The 1972 movie features five stories from various EC comics. In 1989, the series was adapted into the TV series Tales from the Crypt, which included comic book covers designed to look like the original 1950s covers. These new covers featured artwork by Mike Vosburg, with at least one drawn by Shawn McManus.

In Fritz Lang's film While the City Sleeps (1956), a copy of Tales from the Crypt 32 is read by John Drew Barrymore, and his daughter, Drew Barrymore, reads a large reprint of Tales from the Crypt in "The Screaming Woman" episode of Ray Bradbury Theater. In the "Stone Dead" episode of NBC's Raines, Jeff Goldblum looks over a copy of Tales from the Crypt 31.

Contents

[edit] Outstanding stories

The three-issue title, The Crypt of Terror
The three-issue title, The Crypt of Terror
  • Adaptations from Ray Bradbury stories included "There Was An Old Woman" (#34) and "The Handler" (#36).
  • "Lower Berth" (#33) explained the origin of the Crypt Keeper
  • "Reflection of Death" (#23) and "Blind Alleys" (#46) were adapted for the Tales From the Crypt movie.
  • Issue 38 was one of two covers from EC's horror comics censored prior to publication. While The Vault of Horror #32 cover was restored in Russ Cochran's EC Library reprints, the Tales from the Crypt cover remained censored.
  • "Kamen's Kalamity" (#31) starred many members of the EC staff, including Gaines, Feldstein and the story's artist, Jack Kamen. Graham Ingels, Jack Davis and Johnny Craig also made cameo appearances in this story in single panels where they drew themselves.
  • The following were used in HBO's Tales From The Crypt television series: "The Man Who Was Death" (issue 17), "Mute Witness to Murder" (18), "Fatal Caper" (20), "The Thing From The Grave" (22), "Last Respects" (23), "Judy, You're Not Yourself Today" (25), "Loved to Death" (25), "Well Cooked Hams" (27), "The Ventriloquist's Dummy" (28), "Korman's Kalamity" (retitling of "Kamen's Calamity" in issue 31), "Cutting Cards" (32), "Lower Berth" (33), "None But The Lonely Heart" (33), "Oil's Well That Ends Well" (34), "Curiosity Killed" (36), "Only Skin Deep" (38), "Mournin' Mess" (38), "Undertaking Palor" (39), "Food For Thought" (40), "Operation Friendship" (41), "Cold War" (43), "Forever Ambergris" (44), "The Switch" (45) and "Blind Alleys" (46).

[edit] Issue guide

# Date Cover Artist Story Story Artist Story Host
17 April/May 1950 Johnny Craig Death Must Come! Al Feldstein Crypt Keeper
The Man Who Was Death Unknown None
The Corpse Nobody Knew George Roussos None
Curse of the Full Moon! Johnny Craig None
18 June/July 1950 Johnny Craig The Maestros Hand! Al Feldstein Crypt Keeper
The Living Corpse Wally Wood None
Madness at Manderville Harvey Kurtzman None
Mute Witness to Murder! Johnny Craig None
19 Aug/Sept 1950 Johnny Craig Ghost Ship! Al Feldstein Crypt Keeper
The Hungry Grave Graham Ingels None
Cave Man Johnny Craig None
Zombie! Johnny Craig None
20 Oct/Nov 1950 Johnny Craig The Thing from the Sea! Al Feldstein Crypt Keeper
A Fatal Caper! Jack Kamen None
Rx... Death! Graham Ingels None
Impending Doom! Johnny Craig None
21 Dec/Jan 1951 Al Feldstein A Shocking Way to Die! Al Feldstein Crypt Keeper
Terror Ride! Wally Wood None
House of Horror Harvey Kurtzman None
Death Suited Him! Graham Ingels Old Witch
22 Feb/March 1951 Al Feldstein The Thing from the Grave! Al Feldstein Crypt Keeper
Blood Type "V"! Graham Ingels None
Death's Turn! Jack Kamen Old Witch
The Curse of the Arnold Clan! Johnny Craig Vault Keeper
23 April/May 1951 Al Feldstein Reflection of Death! Al Feldstein Crypt Keeper
Last Respects! Graham Ingels Old Witch
Seance! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Voodoo Death! Johnny Craig Vault Keeper
24 June/July 1951 Al Feldstein Bats in My Belfry! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
The Living Death! Graham Ingels Old Witch
Midnight Snack! Johnny Craig Vault Keeper
Scared to Death! Wally Wood Crypt Keeper
25 Aug/Sept 1951 Al Feldstein The Trophy! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Judy, You're Not Yourself Today! Wally Wood Vault Keeper
Loved to Death! Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
The Works... In Wax! Graham Ingels Old Witch
26 Oct/Nov 1951 Wally Wood Drawn and Quartered! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
The Borrowed Body! Howard Larsen Vault Keeper
Indian Burial Mound George Roussos Crypt Keeper
Political Pull! Graham Ingels Old Witch
27 Dec/Jan 1952 Wally Wood Well-Cooked Hams! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Madam Bluebeard Joe Orlando Vault Keeper
Return! Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
Horror! Head... It Off! Graham Ingels Old Witch
28 Feb/March 1952 Al Feldstein Bargain in Death! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Ants in Her Trance! Joe Orlando Vault Keeper
A-Corny Story Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
The Ventriloquist's Dummy! Graham Ingels Old Witch
29 April/May 1952 Jack Davis Grounds... For Horror! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
A Rottin' Trick! Joe Orlando Vault Keeper
Board to Death! Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
A Sucker For a Spider! Graham Ingels Old Witch
30 June/July 1952 Jack Davis Gas-tly Prospects! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
A Hollywood Ending! Joe Orlando Vault Keeper
Auntie, It's Coal Inside! Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
Mournin', Ambrose... Graham Ingels Old Witch
31 Aug/Sept 1952 Jack Davis Survival... or Death! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
The Thing in the 'Glades! Al Williamson Vault Keeper
Kamen's Kalamity! Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
Buried Treasure! Graham Ingels Old Witch
32 Oct/Nov 1952 Jack Davis Tain't the Meat... It's the Humanity! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Roped In! George Evans Vault Keeper
Cutting Cards! Fred Peters Crypt Keeper
Squash... Anyone? Graham Ingels Old Witch
33 Dec/Jan 1953 Jack Davis Lower Berth! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
This Trick'll Kill You! Jack Kamen & George Evans Vault Keeper
The Funeral Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
None But the Lonely Heart! Graham Ingels Old Witch
34 Feb/March 1953 Jack Davis Mirror, Mirror on the Wall! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Oil's Well That Ends Well! George Evans Vault Keeper
Attacks of Horror! Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
There Was An Old Woman! Graham Ingels Old Witch
35 April/May 1953 Jack Davis By the Fright of the Silvery Moon! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Midnight Mess! Joe Orlando Vault Keeper
Busted Marriage! Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
This Wraps It Up! Graham Ingels Old Witch
36 June/July 1953 Jack Davis Fare Tonight, Followed By Increasing Clottyness... Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Curiosity Killed... George Evans Vault Keeper
How Green Was My Alley Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
The Handler Graham Ingels Old Witch
37 Aug/Sept 1953 Jack Davis Dead Right! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Pleasant Screams! Joe Orlando Vault Keeper
Strop! You're Killing Me! Bill Elder Crypt Keeper
The Rover Boys Graham Ingels Old Witch
38 Oct/Nov 1953 Jack Davis Tight Grip! Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
...Only Skin Deep! Reed Crandall Vault Keeper
Last Laugh! Bill Elder Crypt Keeper
Mournin' Mess Graham Ingels Old Witch
39 Dec/Jan 1954 Jack Davis Undertaking Palor Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
The Craving Grave Joe Orlando Vault Keeper
The Sleeping Beauty! Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
Shadow of Death Graham Ingels Old Witch
40 Feb/March 1954 Jack Davis Food For Thought Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Pearly to Dead George Evans Vault Keeper
Prairie Schooner Bernie Krigstein Crypt Keeper
Half-Baked! Graham Ingels Old Witch
41 April/May 1954 Jack Davis Operation Friendship Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Come Back, Little Linda! George Evans Vault Keeper
Current Attraction Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
Mess Call Graham Ingels Old Witch
42 June/July 1954 Jack Davis Concerto for Violin and Werewolf Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
By the Dawn's Early Light Jack Kamen Vault Keeper
The Bath Bernie Krigstein Crypt Keeper
Hoodwinked! Graham Ingels Old Witch
43 Aug/Sept 1954 Jack Davis Four-Way Split Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Cold War Jack Kamen Vault Keeper
Clots My Line George Evans Crypt Keeper
Accidents and Old Lace Graham Ingels Old Witch
44 Oct/Nov 1954 Jack Davis Forever Ambergris Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Burial At Sea Reed Crandall Vault Keeper
The Proposal Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
The Sliceman Cometh Graham Ingels Old Witch
45 Dec/Jan 1955 Jack Davis Telescope Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
The Substitute Jack Kamen Crypt Keeper
Murder Dream Bernie Krigstein Crypt Keeper
The Switch Graham Ingels Old Witch
46 Feb/March 1955 Jack Davis Upon Reflection Jack Davis Crypt Keeper
Blind Alleys George Evans Crypt Keeper
Success Story Joe Orlando Crypt Keeper
Tatter Up! Graham Ingels Old Witch

[edit] Reprints

Tales from the Crypt has been partially reprinted on numerous occasions. Russ Cochran (in association with Gladstone Publishing and solo) reprinted a handful of the single issues in 1990/91. Between September 1992 and December 1999, Cochran and Gemstone Publishing reprinted the full 30 individual issues.

The series was fully collected in a series of five black-and-white hardbacks by Cochran in 1979[1] (also available together as a slipcased set). Accessed March 12, 2008</ref>. In 2007, Cochran and Gemstone Publishing began reprinting the series in its entireity, in full-color volumes (of six issues each) in the EC Archives hardcover series. Volume 1 saw print in February 2007, with Volume 2 following in June. Volume 3 is tentatively scheduled for April, 2008.[2]

[edit] 2007 revival

In 2007, Papercutz, an independent comics publisher managed by former Marvel Comics editor Jim Salicrup, began running a new series of original Tales from the Crypt comics. The new version was announced at the year's New York Comic Con.

The first issue was published in June of 2007, with a cover drawn by Kyle Baker. All three of EC Comics' horror hosts (The GhouLunatics) appear in the issue, drawn by Rick Parker (artist of Marvel/MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head Comic Book).

[edit] References

  1. ^ MyComicShop.com Information. Accessed March 12, 2008
  2. ^ Gemstone's EC Crypt.com webpage. Accessed March 12, 2008

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[edit] External links