EC Shellshock #1

by Julio Anta, John Arcudi, Benito Cereno

NEW WARS! NEW SOLDIERS! SAME OLD PRICE TO PAY . . . Kiss your rifle and swallow your fear, because EC Comics is rotating back into combat for the 21st century’s first dose of two-fisted fury with staggering new tales of war and fighting men in our next giant-sized special! Meet mankind’s greatest enemy of all—himself—as commanding writers Julio Anta (This Land Is Our A Blue Beetle Story), John Arcudi (B.P.R.D.), Benito Cereno (Invincible Atom Eve), and Michael W. Conrad (Double Walker) lead a joint campaign alongside artistic bombardiers Tom Fowler (EC’s Catacomb of Torment), David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Albert Monteys ( The Graphic Novel), and Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves) that will always bring enemy and ally, private and general, to the same reward in the a flag-draped casket and glory posthumously conferred. This 56-page testament to fortitude also features another all-time EC classic, painstakingly remastered and restored! You’ve warmed yourselves by the pyres of SHIVER SUSPENSTORIES . . . You’ve grabbed OUTLAW SHOWDOWN by both red-hot barrels . . . And you’ve felt the poison touch of TORTURED HEARTS. But nothing can prepare you for what awaits—or who you will become—when you finally reach the front line. Here, there can be no peace—only SHELLSHOCK!

Genres: Comics, Horror

Kindle Edition

Published August 5, 2026

Reviews

[Machiavelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed EC Shellshock #1. These stories were dark—sometimes brutally so—and each found a different way into the horrors of war. From modern combat and a moment of humanity during World War I to Cold War obsession, alien warfare and the classic EC story “Yellow,” the settings kept changing but the message remained the same: war chews up everyone it touches.

The EC-style irony and cruel twists were all over this, but it never felt dark merely for the sake of it. There was real fear, guilt, paranoia and even humanity running through these stories, with artwork that fit each one beautifully. Some hit harder than others, but I enjoyed the entire lineup, and ending with the restored classic was a perfect final gut punch. This was a terrific return to war comics for EC.

4.5⭐️

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded down.
I’ve always really enjoyed the EC war stories. Though this doesn’t reach some of the highs of the classic series and it doesn’t stick strictly to war tales, it’s still a good time. BLOWBACK was maybe my favorite, it got a good laugh out of me. WORLD OF THE WARS was fantastically illustrated. The opener SCORCHED EARTH was deeply sad and affecting, and CHRISTMAS had a strong if obvious closing. Classic throwback YELLOW was great as well. I like these one shots better than the other running series. Maybe there is a world in which that’s what these EC releases become. But, hey, no one asked me!

Read as a single issue with the Kurtz cover.