The EC Archives: Weird Science Volume 1

by William M. Gaines, Al Feldstein, Wallace Wood (Illustrations)

Find out what made EC among the most influential comic book lines ever in this complete and newly re-colored collection!

Featuring seminal stories by Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Harry Harrison, Wally Wood, Jack Kamen, and Graham Ingles from the first six issues of this pivotal comic book title!

Collects Weird Science issues #12–#15 and #5–6.

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Manga

216 pages, Paperback

Published February 8, 2022

Reviews

[Nikki "The Crazie Betty" V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of comic-book sci-fi stories from the pre-Comics Code Authority era of comics (though many actually appear to conform to a Comics Code precursor). The tales often have a grim or ironic twist, and many reflect anxieties about nuclear war. Many also hold up reasonably well by modern standards, though there are a few cringe-y moments here and there. (B+)

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of science fiction longer than I've been a fan of anything else, and so getting to read these stories that collect various science fiction tales together was a treat. One thing that stood out to me was the plagiarism going onhere, though. A couple of these stories actually correspond to print stories published earlier with no reference or acknowledgment of the original author. As I recall, Ray Bradbury had to litigate against EC at one point to get them to stop stealing his work, and they ended up paying him to put his name on the cover when the illustrated one of his stories. While these are all science fiction tales, they lean heavily of wry humor and satire or straight out horror for a lot of the narrative punch, and so aren't all that different from Tales from the Crypt or The Haunt of Fear. And of course many of the same stable of artists are at work, bringing Al Feldstein's inspired (or downright copied) narratives to life. One of the great values in these collections is seeing how anxieties and concerns of that era are brought to life for a childhood and adult audience (since both we just as likely to pick up and read these comics). Nuclear annihilation, science as a tool of the military, and the dangers of the unknown in the hands of a hubristic scientific community are all powerful and prescient perspectives that come out in these stories.

[Byron Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aliens, UFOs, time travel, rocket ships, human experiments...all kinds of weird science. The story's reminded me of the Twilight Zone. Classic 1950s EC Comic artwork and fun stories. A blast from the past.