The EC Archives: Crime Suspenstories Volume 2

EC Archives: Crime SuspenStories #2

by Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig (Illustrator), Jack Davis (Illustrator)

Classic chronicles of criminals and capers! Collecting issues #7-#12 of Crime SuspenStories from the immortal artistic talents of Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig, Jack Kamen, Jack Davis, Graham Ingles, and George Roussos. Featuring a foreword by Matt Kindt (MIND MGMT, Suicide Squad: Walled In)!

Praise for previous volumes of the Dark Horse line of EC Comics reprints:

"Reading these comics now is a lot like watching the Twilight Zone- an uncomplicated, pure look at the roots of an enduring genre." -Paste Magazine

"These books really do deserve every accolade they've ever received." -Comics Round Table

Genres: Comics, Crime, Horror, Graphic Novels, Mystery

216 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 2017

About the author

Albert 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.

Reviews

[Little Timmy]

Another great collection of the classic EC stories. Great art and story. Recommended

[Michael]

Outstanding, as always. Craig, Kamen, Davis and Ingels are all amazing, and scripts by Craig and Feldstein always deliver.

[Cameron Rhoads]

I love these compilations of 1950s suspense stories. Superb artwork and story lines.

[Paul Sutter]

Thank goodness there are publishing houses like Dark Horse Books that care enough to make sure we never forget the glory days of comic publishing, especially where the EC line of comics was involved. Bringing them back in all their glory is the ultimate tribute to one of the most memorable companies out there. And no matter how many of these volumes and titles that I read and review, one simply cannot offer enough superlatives about them.
One of the latest, CRIME SUSPENSTORIES VOLUME 2, features complete reproductions of issues 7 to 12. They are among the best of the issues, and as always offers great stories done in the classic EC style. EC used some of the best artists and writers in these comics. Here you will find such artists as Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, Al Feldstein, Graham Ingels, and Johnny Craig. Taken as a whole, they present one classic horror tale after another, with enough twists and great moments to make even the most discerning comic fan, happy.
There are too many great stories to name each one of them, but there are some standouts in the group. The very first story Hatchet Killer, features a psycho killer on the loose, killing people, and a maid comes to help a lady while her husband is away. She begins to suspect the woman may be the killer, and gets more paranoid by the second, as she becomes more suspicious as well, with grim results. Rocks In His Head features a surgeon who steals an expensive diamond ring from a patient. Police come and start talking to hospital workers. He has the ring, and is about to be questioned and searched, so he decides to place it inside a patient and lets him die so he can recover it later from his grave. We all know about the best laid plans. The Escaped Maniac is another common sort of tale about an escaped killer, and a man driving on a rainy night picks up a hitchhiker. He hears reports of the man, and thinks the killer is in the car with him. But some things are not as they seem, with a shock ending.
That is the case with many of the stories, a swerve at the end that makes the story even more tension-filled and often fun. Other great tales in the book include: Medicine, Out Of The Frying Pan, Stiff Punishment, Missed By Two Heirs, and Lady Killer. You definitely will find this edition a must-buy, if you loved EC or love comics in general. Another Dark Horse classic!

[Ruz El]

Another solid collection of the often overlooked series. No cops and mobsters "Crime Does Not Pay!" style stories in here, these are basically noir influenced, Hitchcockian tales of people making terrible decisions. Lots of marriages gone bad too, oof! The art is from the same celebrated artists (Johnny Craig especially stands out) as the horror books (don't worry, you get an Engles "Old Witch" story in each reprinted issue, EC knew what buttered their bread.), and more people should check this series out as it's a ton of fun.

[slashyrogue]

some better than others

The first half was kinda boring but the stories picked up near the end. Not as good as the Crypt and Haunt of Fear books but still decent. Mostly wives and husbands murdering each other lol

[Mark]

E.C. puts its spin on crime stories with the twist endings readers came to expect from the publisher.
While most have the usual "Cime Doesn't Pay" scenario. There are a few surprises where the killer or swindler gets away with it.
As always, the art is the main star.

[Ralph Carlson]

Another fun read from EC.

[Gena]

Loved this collection.

[EC Reader]

Is it chilly in here, or is it just Crime Suspenstories vol 2? This opens with "Hatchet Killer", a perfectly paced slow build of psychological horror from Johnny Craig, who is suitably 'killing it' throughout here. "Out of the Frying Pan" is another benchmark of his, complex in plotting and tone, going from tense, to funny, to poignant. "The Execution" is the other Craig masterpiece, beautifully extending his gallery of rain/water metaphors to snowfall.
Ingels is also thankfully on crime detail, with "Horror Under the Big Top" serving one of the best 'carnie/circus' tales. His "A Tree Grows In Borneo" and "Paralyzed" also deliver the goods.
Jack Davis does some decent stuff, the best of which are the 'quickies' at the end, which break up the structure and make you feel like you're getting more. The other Jack, Kamen rounds out this collection with good stuff that's not quite as good or memorable as the stuff he was doing in Shock Suspenstories, but as always, looks impeccable.

[Sylvester]

This is one of the better volumes, particularly thanks to issue 11 and 12 breaking away from the normal format for something refreshing.