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The EC Archives
EC Archives: Weird Science Volume 4
The Weird Science archives take flight at Dark Horse! This volume collects the complete Weird Science issues #19-#22 and Weird Science-Fantasy #23-24 in glorious remastered color! Don't miss anyof the sci-fi classics from such visionary artists as Wally Wood, Al Feldstein, Harry Harrison, and Harvey Kurtzman! Includes a Foreword by Harlan Ellison!
216 pages, Hardcover
First published February 27, 2009
23 people are currently reading
91 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 18, 2020
If you want to see where some of the great art and writing in comics started then look no further than one of the EC archives. Beautiful art and writing by some of the greats and future greats of the industry. Recommended
August 17, 2015
Another fine collection of EC comic books from the early fifties. The most recent was cover dated just a bit before I was born.
This collection contains six stories with Wally Wood art, adaptations of five Ray Bradbury stories, four stories where Frank Frazetta shares art credit (with Al Williamson and others), and one adaptation of a Harlan Ellison story. Oddly the Harlan Ellison adaptation was published in 1954 and the story wasn't published until 1958 (according to isfdb); gotta wonder how that happened.
This collection contains six stories with Wally Wood art, adaptations of five Ray Bradbury stories, four stories where Frank Frazetta shares art credit (with Al Williamson and others), and one adaptation of a Harlan Ellison story. Oddly the Harlan Ellison adaptation was published in 1954 and the story wasn't published until 1958 (according to isfdb); gotta wonder how that happened.
October 18, 2015
I have no idea how anyone can rate this edition as it never made it to the press. This Gemstone book was never published due to debts. Dark Horse has published a new edition in 2015 with slightly different content.
July 31, 2025
Whether it Crime & Suspense, Tales from the Crypt, Weird Science or one of the many other titles there is an EC archive for fans of short stories for every genre. I would say that any fan of literature would find them to be worth your time as quick, colourful and enjoyable reads. This particular volume even points out many of their successful predictions of the future in the few short years of the run to date. With adaptations from Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison along with the the originals from the EC regulars this volume slaps hard. 70 years and counting since original publication and these stories feel like they could of been written today with only a few minor exceptions. I always have a great time with these affordable volumes and I hope you do too.
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February 11, 2025I may be sounding like a broken record with these reviews, but the Dark Horse series of EC Comics are definitely the best of the best. We all know how EC Comics was a mover and shaker in the comic world of the early 1950’s. They were controversial at times, but they also had some of the best writers and artists of that era. Many of them went on to even bigger and better things with other comics groups. But they truly left their mark on the comics industry, and in these reproductions of the best of EC, we see that first hand.
In this edition, Volume 4 to be precise, we see in great enhanced color, issues 19-22 of Weird Science, and then issues 23-24 of Weird Science Fantasy, which is what Weird Science evolved into when discontinued. Some of the artists and writers presented in these stories include: Joe Orlando, Wally Wood, Al Williamson, Jack Kamen, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison and many others. To see them once again in this great volume, makes them more important than ever, with futuristic and fantastic tales that still are as appealing today as when released back in 1953 and 1954.
It all begins with Precious Years, about a man who seems to be living forever, 550 years to be exact. While it is nice to be seemingly immortal and have longevity, it also has its pitfalls, doing the same thing over and over, one marriage after another. It turns to tedious rather than momentous. Then he meets another woman who wants to cease living like the man does. They want to end their boredom through death, but discover, some things do last forever whether they like it or not.
The Loathsome is really a most impressive work, showing how beauty and lack of beauty spawn ignorance and hatred. A child is born, but it is almost like a horror mask it wears, a sort of freak of nature. It is almost a mutant and it is repulsive to all who view it. It is kept in an orphanage. One day the little child they consider a monster, starts writing notes and taking them to a tree. The child is hunted down by the people who don’t understand the difference between love and ignorance, resulting in a horrific conclusion, but one with quite the moral.
Surprise Package features a man who has had marionettes of himself created, with one lady in particular first thinking she has the real thing. Then she realizes he is not who he seems to be, and he has done this for a reason. She wants one thing but he only wanted solitude, resulting in a surprising conclusion.
There are many more stories of note, making this another true classic that no old-time EC Comics fan should be without.
In this edition, Volume 4 to be precise, we see in great enhanced color, issues 19-22 of Weird Science, and then issues 23-24 of Weird Science Fantasy, which is what Weird Science evolved into when discontinued. Some of the artists and writers presented in these stories include: Joe Orlando, Wally Wood, Al Williamson, Jack Kamen, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison and many others. To see them once again in this great volume, makes them more important than ever, with futuristic and fantastic tales that still are as appealing today as when released back in 1953 and 1954.
It all begins with Precious Years, about a man who seems to be living forever, 550 years to be exact. While it is nice to be seemingly immortal and have longevity, it also has its pitfalls, doing the same thing over and over, one marriage after another. It turns to tedious rather than momentous. Then he meets another woman who wants to cease living like the man does. They want to end their boredom through death, but discover, some things do last forever whether they like it or not.
The Loathsome is really a most impressive work, showing how beauty and lack of beauty spawn ignorance and hatred. A child is born, but it is almost like a horror mask it wears, a sort of freak of nature. It is almost a mutant and it is repulsive to all who view it. It is kept in an orphanage. One day the little child they consider a monster, starts writing notes and taking them to a tree. The child is hunted down by the people who don’t understand the difference between love and ignorance, resulting in a horrific conclusion, but one with quite the moral.
Surprise Package features a man who has had marionettes of himself created, with one lady in particular first thinking she has the real thing. Then she realizes he is not who he seems to be, and he has done this for a reason. She wants one thing but he only wanted solitude, resulting in a surprising conclusion.
There are many more stories of note, making this another true classic that no old-time EC Comics fan should be without.
August 11, 2017
Weird Science was the best of all of the EC Comics series, and this volume contains the best of the best. It boasts a murderer's row of the greatest writers and artists of the era, as well as one of my favorite sci-fi stories of all time, Ray Bradbury's "The Rocket."
March 11, 2020
I know the EC crew loved their scifi mags best, but these are actually my least favorite of the EC line. Now, to be clear, they're still good (and the art! to DIE for!), but they lack the moral messaging and humanity (for good and ill) of the other genres EC tackled. Still worth a read though.
February 13, 2026
stories were genuinely boring asf (as frick), some interesting plot twists that saved it from an even lower rating. quit reading halfway through
edit: ay there where some good stories to tell my mom tho lmao but i’ll never forget the feeling of wanting to give up and throw the book away
edit: ay there where some good stories to tell my mom tho lmao but i’ll never forget the feeling of wanting to give up and throw the book away
September 30, 2025
a lot of kooky stories…
Some very sad & haunting, predictions of a future that promises more bleak circumstances than The utopia that is only hinted at… ( ? ) !
Some very sad & haunting, predictions of a future that promises more bleak circumstances than The utopia that is only hinted at… ( ? ) !
September 22, 2022
Stunningly beautiful. After a so-so volume 2 and 3, Weird Science is back to full glory.
While Weird Fantasy 4 has a martial theme with it's invasion and battle rocket stories, this one has (ironically) a more fantastical vibe with stories like "New Beginning" and "Two's Company" and "Fish Story", all by Al Williamson who is beautifully redefining what sci fi art should be in these issues. Probably the best volume of his work, "The One Who Waits" and "Upheaval" find Williamson adapting Bradbury (who has a story in every issue) and introducing the world to author Harlan Ellison.
Wallace Wood still stakes his claim with "My World", a non story that showcases a gallery of some of his most fantastic universes. I could get lost in the packed interiors of a story like "The Precious Years". Even if he's not getting the 'action' stories anymore, the last pages of "Loathsome" and "The Children" make it very clear Wood could still deliver an emotional knockout punch out of nowhere.
The rotting astronaut on the front cover (by Wood) is from an Orlando story, who also gives us some more thoughtful social commentary with "The Ugly One" and "The Teacher From Mars". Jack Kamen gets two talky Bradbury stories, Krigstein gets one plus one more that's not quite as flat out amazing as his stuff in WF4. All together a very consistently great volume, one of the best.
While Weird Fantasy 4 has a martial theme with it's invasion and battle rocket stories, this one has (ironically) a more fantastical vibe with stories like "New Beginning" and "Two's Company" and "Fish Story", all by Al Williamson who is beautifully redefining what sci fi art should be in these issues. Probably the best volume of his work, "The One Who Waits" and "Upheaval" find Williamson adapting Bradbury (who has a story in every issue) and introducing the world to author Harlan Ellison.
Wallace Wood still stakes his claim with "My World", a non story that showcases a gallery of some of his most fantastic universes. I could get lost in the packed interiors of a story like "The Precious Years". Even if he's not getting the 'action' stories anymore, the last pages of "Loathsome" and "The Children" make it very clear Wood could still deliver an emotional knockout punch out of nowhere.
The rotting astronaut on the front cover (by Wood) is from an Orlando story, who also gives us some more thoughtful social commentary with "The Ugly One" and "The Teacher From Mars". Jack Kamen gets two talky Bradbury stories, Krigstein gets one plus one more that's not quite as flat out amazing as his stuff in WF4. All together a very consistently great volume, one of the best.
September 19, 2015
Wally Wood, Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel, Ray Bradbury, Marie Severin, Al Feldstein, Joe Orlando, Jack Kamen and Harlen Ellison.
What more do I need to say? It's sublime. For my money WEIRD SCIENCE and WEIRD FANTASY and the other titles this book held was the peak of the EC Comics line. And some of the greatest comics of the 20th century. I don't know if this volume in partiular outshines the other volumes, every volume is excellent. You really must read them all, if you have even a passing interest in comic book history or science fiction roots. Required reading but of the most fun sort.
What more do I need to say? It's sublime. For my money WEIRD SCIENCE and WEIRD FANTASY and the other titles this book held was the peak of the EC Comics line. And some of the greatest comics of the 20th century. I don't know if this volume in partiular outshines the other volumes, every volume is excellent. You really must read them all, if you have even a passing interest in comic book history or science fiction roots. Required reading but of the most fun sort.
August 29, 2015
Well, that's the end of Weird Science. It really went downhill fast in this volume.
January 31, 2016
I love these EC comics collections.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews