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The EC Archives
The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror Volume 4
Dark Horse Comics brings even more macabrely majestic stories from the Vault! This terrifying tome has been digitally recolored--using Marie Severin's original palette as a guide--and features stories drawn by all-star comic artists Johnny Craig, Graham Ingels, Joe Orlando, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, Graham Ingels, and George Evans!
216 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2015
19 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Al Feldstein
368 books48 followersAlbert 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 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 12, 2020
Great art and very tight and well done writing. what more can I ask for in a comic. Recommended
May 3, 2024
More fun little horror stories from the early 50s. Im sure they were up against some code so most of the violence is off panel but still its all creepy fun.
February 17, 2015
In my recent review of Tales from the Crypt 5 (EC Archives version), I lamented the state of the once-great beast. This volume, The Vault of Horror volume 4 (again, EC Archives edition) is proof that all of my complaints were justified. In roughly the same time frame [give or take, I think, six months] that Crypt was giving us lazy stinkers, the sister title was still delighting in itself with gory-as-sin punches like the ending of "Split Personality!" [where a two-timing man's corpse is split down the middle to be the "marital bliss" companion for twin sisters], humorous-horror vibes like the setup of "Practical Choke?"[with body parts as practical joke props], and the proto-drive-in delight with stories like "Who Doughnut!" [in which a trench-coat wearing octopus turns out to be a serial killer]. And that's just in the first issue!
In this volume alone you get several iconic EC stories:
the somber adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "The Lake",
the children-in-a-"fun-and-games-but-not"-funeral-procession story,"Let the Punishment Fit the Crime!",
the touching terror of "Shoe-Button Eyes!",
the story that established The Crypt Keeper's iconic house from the TV show, "While the Cat's Away...",
the killer puppet story, "Strung Along!",
and arguably the most famous EC story of all time, "...And All Through the House..." (about a killer dressed as Santa Claus terrorizing a woman who is stuck inside due to the murder of her husband).
Even the relative mediocre tales, like "Smoke Wrings", often have things you can love, such as the digs at Camel's advertisement in the new-era of 1950s over-the-top adverts. Just look at the cover of issues #30, where the reference to "Practical Joke!" has the advertisement: "Stomach Upset? Use Bi-Mo" [a pun on buy more and Pepto Bismol]. That's practically counter culture for the time period. What's more, while EC was all about "person does bad, bad does person", this one includes two stories that bucked this trend. "Star Light, Star Bright!" has a man buried alive simply because child-like inmates at an insane asylum are playacting a funeral [leading to one of the best covers in the EC canon], and "Where There's a Will!" has a kindly man tricked by conmen who get away with it without punishment, a complete reversal of nearly every other EC story out there!
This is a must-have for the EC curious, and is a good buy for even those who are just slightly into horror comics. Maybe skip the text-stories [which are monotonous at the best of times] and there are a couple of places where the re-coloring wrecked the text [the word "are" is gone in panel, and "ill" becomes I'll or vice versa, I forget which]. But the quality of the stories is outstanding. And the cover designs. Even the fact that explanation points seem to show up in the titles of every other story, heh. Get it, folks. Go buy this volume.
In this volume alone you get several iconic EC stories:
the somber adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "The Lake",
the children-in-a-"fun-and-games-but-not"-funeral-procession story,"Let the Punishment Fit the Crime!",
the touching terror of "Shoe-Button Eyes!",
the story that established The Crypt Keeper's iconic house from the TV show, "While the Cat's Away...",
the killer puppet story, "Strung Along!",
and arguably the most famous EC story of all time, "...And All Through the House..." (about a killer dressed as Santa Claus terrorizing a woman who is stuck inside due to the murder of her husband).
Even the relative mediocre tales, like "Smoke Wrings", often have things you can love, such as the digs at Camel's advertisement in the new-era of 1950s over-the-top adverts. Just look at the cover of issues #30, where the reference to "Practical Joke!" has the advertisement: "Stomach Upset? Use Bi-Mo" [a pun on buy more and Pepto Bismol]. That's practically counter culture for the time period. What's more, while EC was all about "person does bad, bad does person", this one includes two stories that bucked this trend. "Star Light, Star Bright!" has a man buried alive simply because child-like inmates at an insane asylum are playacting a funeral [leading to one of the best covers in the EC canon], and "Where There's a Will!" has a kindly man tricked by conmen who get away with it without punishment, a complete reversal of nearly every other EC story out there!
This is a must-have for the EC curious, and is a good buy for even those who are just slightly into horror comics. Maybe skip the text-stories [which are monotonous at the best of times] and there are a couple of places where the re-coloring wrecked the text [the word "are" is gone in panel, and "ill" becomes I'll or vice versa, I forget which]. But the quality of the stories is outstanding. And the cover designs. Even the fact that explanation points seem to show up in the titles of every other story, heh. Get it, folks. Go buy this volume.
February 24, 2015
Nice collection of an EC horror comic title from the 50s. This is the eighth of the horror reprints I've read and the stories (while new and all somewhat different) are all starting to run together. I don't generally figure out the twist at the end, but they no longer surprise me. Probably I've just getting jaded. Hopefully DarkHorse will reprint a science fiction title soon...
June 5, 2015
This one starts out strong and then gets hardcore. Seriously, all bet's are off, no prisoners taken, and it manages to be literate while being disgusting at the same time. Brilliant work, brilliant art, and the final story will fuck your head up.
Read
July 8, 2024This is what comic books were all about. Bringing back the classic comics of yesteryear is what Dark Horse has been doing on a consistent basis for years. Their reprinting of the greatest of the EC comics is certainly cause for celebration. There is little question they have done an amazing job of restoring them to the original form, while enhancing them with colors that really make each story pop right out of the page.
With the latest THE VAULT OF HORROR VOLUME 4, we get more of the same, another must-read book that prints in their entirety The Vault of Horror issues 30 to 35. These issues appeared for eager readers to purchase and enjoy from April 1953 through to March 1954. I can imagine the enthusiasm as children (and likely some adults) plunked down their dimes, and then raced home to enjoy the latest in horrific entertainment.
In the book you will find the usual talented artists such as Joe Orlando, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, and George Evans. The stories are first-rate, with the usual twist endings that EC was noted for. And as with many of the comics, a popular theme was the cheating spouse or the partner one did not really love, just being used to get the family fortune.
The first story Split Personality has two twin sisters who are sort of shut-ins, afraid to interact with anyone. A man hears of this and decides to do something to make them trust him, as he plans to get their fortune, as they are filthy rich. He hatches the ultimate scheme, which backfires in ways he never anticipated.
Let The Punishment Fit The Crime, is about some neighborhood kid walking a coffin down the street. It seems they were most inquisitive about what happens when someone does something against the law. The neighbors think it is cute how they likely are going to bury a dead pet, but are shocked to find it is much more than a pet.
There is even Christmas story, And All Through The House, where on Christmas Eve a woman dispatches her husband, and then hears of a man dressed as Santa on the loose killing women. Things go awry when her daughter thinks she is letting the real Santa into their house.
The standouts abound in this book, with other top notch horror tales such as Whirlpool, Strung Along, While The Cat’s Away, A Peach of a Plot, Out of His Head, and Smoke Wrings, topping the list. You cannot go wrong with this classic book, featuring over twenty stories that as much fun to read today as when they were first created over seventy years ago.
With the latest THE VAULT OF HORROR VOLUME 4, we get more of the same, another must-read book that prints in their entirety The Vault of Horror issues 30 to 35. These issues appeared for eager readers to purchase and enjoy from April 1953 through to March 1954. I can imagine the enthusiasm as children (and likely some adults) plunked down their dimes, and then raced home to enjoy the latest in horrific entertainment.
In the book you will find the usual talented artists such as Joe Orlando, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, and George Evans. The stories are first-rate, with the usual twist endings that EC was noted for. And as with many of the comics, a popular theme was the cheating spouse or the partner one did not really love, just being used to get the family fortune.
The first story Split Personality has two twin sisters who are sort of shut-ins, afraid to interact with anyone. A man hears of this and decides to do something to make them trust him, as he plans to get their fortune, as they are filthy rich. He hatches the ultimate scheme, which backfires in ways he never anticipated.
Let The Punishment Fit The Crime, is about some neighborhood kid walking a coffin down the street. It seems they were most inquisitive about what happens when someone does something against the law. The neighbors think it is cute how they likely are going to bury a dead pet, but are shocked to find it is much more than a pet.
There is even Christmas story, And All Through The House, where on Christmas Eve a woman dispatches her husband, and then hears of a man dressed as Santa on the loose killing women. Things go awry when her daughter thinks she is letting the real Santa into their house.
The standouts abound in this book, with other top notch horror tales such as Whirlpool, Strung Along, While The Cat’s Away, A Peach of a Plot, Out of His Head, and Smoke Wrings, topping the list. You cannot go wrong with this classic book, featuring over twenty stories that as much fun to read today as when they were first created over seventy years ago.
February 14, 2025
El correr de los números reafirma el excelente nivel artístico que caracterizó a los títulos EC de esta época, sumando un repunte de guiones que tienden ahora a lo macabro y espeluznante por sobre el trasfondo aleccionador. Magnífico volumen.
November 24, 2025
Very of its time, and tends to strictly adhere to a formula present in most EC books that you will quickly catch on to within a few stories, but they are entertainingly subversive and delightfully morbid. The Ray Bradbury adaptation and the story of the innocent blind boy are particular highlights.
January 11, 2018
Creepy. The sole Bradbury adaptation in this collection is the clear high water mark for this particular volume, and it's in the discussion as one of EC's very best tales.
February 4, 2025
The artwork is beautiful. I don’t enjoy these as much as the Tales from the Crypt ones but they’re still good. Plus my favorite Tales from the Crypt episode is in this book.
November 28, 2022
Very, very strong volume. Featuring the devastating 'Christmas Issue', with "Shoe Button Eyes", the "Little Match Girl" of EC stories. Drawn by Graham Ingels, it's one of the best stories Johnny Craig ever wrote, and on the short list of best EC stories. Ditto for "All Through The House" (also from the final X-mas issue) and "Star Lite, Star Brite", both drawn by Craig. Davis' "Out of His Head" is an all time classic as well, and you can tell Frank Miller thinks so, too. Fans of HBO's Tales From the Crypt TV show get to see the Cryptkeepers house from the opening sequence, in "While the Cat's Away" also drawn by Davis. "Practical Choke" is a delightful George Evans drawn bit of inspired lunacy that graces the front cover of this volume, with just enough red and green and winter clothing to get you into the ho-ho-horrifying spirit!
October 5, 2015
Another excellent volume with great classics like "And All Through the House" and "Beauty Rest".
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews