EC Catacomb of Torment Vol. 1

by John Arcudi, Evan Dorkin, J. Holtham

Out of the ashes of EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS, the immortal EC Comics ushers THE TORMENTOR—a new horror host with an unhealthy interest in human anatomy—into a bloody new horror anthology! Hold onto your head (if it’s still attached) . . . because no one escapes the CATACOMB OF TORMENT!

For Her Royal Travesty of Pain's first request: Master storytellers John Arcudi (B.P.R.D), Marguerite Bennett (Batwoman), Matt Bors (The Toxic Avenger), Evan Dorkin (Beasts of Burden), J. Holtham (The Horizon Experiment), Patricia A. Jackson (Star Wars: Tales from the New Republic), and Matt Kindt (BRZRKR), join artists Valeria Burzo (EC's Epitaphs from the Abyss), Kano (EC's Cruel Universe), Lukas Ketner (Count Crowley), David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves), Dan McDaid (Shazam!), Patrick Piazzalunga (Monsters Are My Business), Fabiana Mascolo (Cyberpunk 2077), Sami Kivelä (Abbott), Shawn McManus (Fables), and Christopher Mitten (The Autumn Kingdom) to turn the red-hot irons on all-new, blisteringly brutal tales of mayhem and malice in the undying EC tradition!

The critics are already saying, “This is literal torture” and “Please make it stop!” Pick up this fright-packed and fearful first volume—and we might just consider letting them go!

Collects Catacomb of Torment #1–4.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics

Kindle Edition

Published June 16, 2026

About the author

John Arcudi has made a name for himself by scripting comics that manage to combine long-running subplots with impeccable characterization and action sequences, making for some of the most exciting and consistently good comics out today.

Reviews

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

While some stories are better than others, the wicked tales of horror in Catacomb of Torment, Volume 1, are all fun and clever contemporary morality tales. The morality of the tales may be a little warped, though. Standouts: Margarite Bennett's "Quintana Roo", in which ancient lands scarred by modern-day resorts get revenge on the rich assholes who vacation there; Evan Dorkin's "Red Blend", in which an arrogant vintner learns the hard way that it doesn't pay to be cruel to the hired help; Joanne Starer's "Intrusive Thoughts", in which a new mother's stress, she finds out, isn't caused by her newborn but by her no-good husband.



Great stuff, written and drawn by some the best writers and artists in the comic book industry.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

EC comics are some of my favorite of all time, and while these aren't as good as the original series (what is?) it's still a good read. The art is really good for the most part, but some of the stories are a little confusing. But overall, this is a strong horror anthology. So far Oni has done a good job with its EC revival.

[The Smoog · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little book which definitely hits the vibe of the old classic horror comics like Vault of Horror and Tales from the Crypt. There were a couple of stories here I wasn’t too fond of, but on the whole they were well-written and with solid artwork. Looking forward to picking up more of these!

[Alex Sarll]

So far I'd not been impressed with the hit rate on Oni's revival of the old EC horror brand, but for the occasional winners, I persevered. And here it feels like they might have found their groove, worked out how best to apply the model. As in, the same ghoulishness and, yes, lack of subtlety which made EC loved, loathed, then banned first time around, but transposed to modern settings, doing horrific twists on current social evils, whether entitled tourists, foodie bollocks, exploited immigrant labour, hostile architecture... Which, granted, are most of them not new issues, and it probably helps in running a revival of 1950s horror comics, if literally nothing else, that the world seems so determined on unravelling every last scrap of progress from the intervening decades. Something which loomed particularly large in Patricia A Jackson and Shawn Martinbrugh's These Are The Colors That Run, centred on the inexplicably high regard in which many still hold the flag of the defeated Confederate traitors, and which could have been set at pretty much any point since the victorious Union let them off far too lightly. Neither of those contributors was a name I knew but, unlike some of those earlier nu-EC attempts, this time there's no obvious gulf in quality between the presumably newer contributors and bigger names such as Evan Dorkin, Marguerite Bennett, John Arcudi and Christopher Mitten. A promising step for a hitherto stuttering imprint.

(Netgalley ARC)

[Brian Shevory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of the latest EC installment EC Catacomb of Torment Vol. 1. This volume cranks up the gore, torment, and cosmic irony to 11 by not only having excellent stories with a graphic and fun twist but also introducing a new narrator -The Tormentor- who introduces a few of these terrifying tales of torment. I loved this collection, and I really appreciated the timely and contemporary focus on issues and topics of today. The first two stories focus on privileged younger people, and present a hilarious twist on politically correct speech and cancel culture (“What’s the Deal with Voodoo?”), while “Quintana Roo” was a quick tale of some spoiled Americans experiencing the native foliage of Mexico, and if you’ve ever seen or read The Ruins, this story is somewhat similar but with some shockingly gory artwork. I also loved “Garden Variety” which tells the tale of a mycologist/chef who uses a special fertilizer to grow his fabulous fungi. It’s a wild trip of a story with some gory body horror. In fact, this was not the only story that featured a kind of blending of human remains as compost or ending up in the food supply. “Mary, Mary How Does Your Garden Grow?” and “Red Blend” both feature gory garden stories with perfect plotting. “Hostile Architecture” examines the issue of how design is used to prevent homelessness, and how violence and pain serve as reinforcers to prevent this kind of behavior when taken to this logical end point. It was an interesting premise to think about how so many policies today operate on a kind of pain, humiliation, and suffering rather than really addressing the root causes. A few of the stories also examine issues like post-partum depression, spousal abuse, and gaslighting, and provide some perspective of how women are impacted by these issues, and how they might get revenge. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how these stories took on misogyny and presented women characters who fight back (“Intrusive Thoughts”, “Mary, Mary, How Does Your Garden Grow?”, “The Dressmaker”). One other story, “Movie Night at the Marigold Inn,” was an interesting tale that left me haunted and still thinking about its implications. It’s not only a meditation on violence and evil, but also left me thinking about things like the kind of desensitization to violence that we may experience through continued screentime, and how our access to entertainment and screens can gradually lead us to accept the violence we see on these screens. I’m not even sure if that is the theme of the story, but it is an eerie story that has multiple layers.
I loved this collection, and it was great to see this EC collection getting back to the irony, dark humor and tormented twists that made other collections like Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror so great. Everything about this collection from the writing and stories to the artwork and visuals is excellent. I highly recommend this, especially if you are a fan of Tales from The Crypt, The Vault of Horror, Creepshow and the like.

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully Unhinged and Purely Evil!

EC Catacomb of Torment Vol. 1 is pure, gleeful nightmare fuel. An anthology of twisted tales that drag you straight into pits of tortuous, over-the-top suffering and somehow make it a wildly fun ride the entire time. Every story feels like it’s trying to outdo the last in how far it can push the horror, delivering these grim little morality plays packed with cruelty, irony, and some truly gnarly outcomes. But what I loved most is how fun it all feels despite how dark it gets, it’s theatrical, excessive, and fully committed to the bit. You can really feel this series growing into something bigger too, continuing to expand on that classic EC energy while updating it in ways that feel fresh, sharp, and just unhinged enough to keep me completely hooked.

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC

I'd like to thank Oni Press and NetGalley for the chance to give "EC Catacomb of Torment Vol. 1" an early read in return for an honest reveiw.

Every time I see a new EC comic roll out, I know that I'm in good hands. Consitently, they have fun and imaginative stories, with consistent artwork across the board, and "Catacomb of Torment" is no different. We get a bunch of truly entertaining stories, with the final one being my personal favorite of the bunch. The artwork really pops, and thanks to my new tablet, looked even better than I've ever seen it. I genuinely have such a good time getting to read theses, and it's a pleasure to get to say this one is just as good as the rest.

Be sure to give "EC Catacomb of Torment Vol. 1" a read when it is published June 16, 2016!

[Stephen Reyes-Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first issue in this collection is pretty bad. It's incredibly corny and just sort of reads like a right wing AI meme. The last story about the mushrooms was pretty good, though. The rest of the issues were much better, though. Especially the middle issue. The stories were actually pretty clever and had solid art. The new Crypt Keeper character is ok. I think I'll warm up to her eventually. There's a random different one that pops up at the beginning of issues sometimes, though. I would probably just commit to one. Since they did get better in the 2nd and 3rd issues, I would definitely be interested in reading more issues of the series. It was overall pretty fun.

[DollarBin ComicWin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloody, gory, and horrifyingly entertaining.
Oni Press and EC Comics are bringing even more terrifying tales to the table with Catacombs of Torment, Vol. 1.
‘Quintana Roo’ by Marguerite Bennett is paradise turned body-horror, ‘The Dressmaker’ by Jeremy Lambert is Silence of the Lambs meets Jennifer’s Body, and ‘These are the Colors that Run’ by Patricia A Johnson is the feel good story we needed. Beautiful artwork by all!

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. I was really excited when Oni got the license to make new comics based on the old EC anthologies. I think these stories may just be too short to make them really good though. They tend to run together and all seem the same after awhile.