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The EC Archives: Crime Suspenstories Volume 1
In the years before the Comics Code, no comic mined the noir vein with more shocking impact and creative skill than EC Comics’ Crime SuspenStories.
Featuring vivid tales of larceny, adultery, and homicide by comics legends Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig, Graham Ingels, Wally Wood, Jack Davis, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kamen, and more, Crime SuspenStories remains a lurid landmark in the history of comics, and the EC Archives presents these scandalous stories in all their brazen brilliance.
This value-priced volume collects Crime SuspenStories issues #1–#6, including the original stories, ads, text pieces, and letters.
Featuring vivid tales of larceny, adultery, and homicide by comics legends Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig, Graham Ingels, Wally Wood, Jack Davis, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kamen, and more, Crime SuspenStories remains a lurid landmark in the history of comics, and the EC Archives presents these scandalous stories in all their brazen brilliance.
This value-priced volume collects Crime SuspenStories issues #1–#6, including the original stories, ads, text pieces, and letters.
216 pages, Paperback
Published January 16, 2024
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21 people want to read
About the author
Al Feldstein
369 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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January 16, 2024Once again, as usual, Dark Horse shows why they are a leader in reprints of classic comic books. Time and time again, they have presented some of the best comics of the past several decades, taking us back to the classic days when the comics were first issued.
CRIME SUSPENSTORIES THE EC ARCHIVES VOLUME 1, offers in all their glory, the first six issues of the series, complete with covers and every scintillating page. As the story goes, EC had to tone their comics because of complaints from professionals, who tried to make parents believe these graphic comics would turn their children into juvenile delinquents and much worse.
CRIME SUSPENSTORIES offered a take on crime, with themes of cheating spouses, revenge, and murder most foul. It was the little twists to the stories that gave them their charm and intrigue, the reader unsure at times (though often figuring out) what would be the ultimate outcome.
The first story, Murder May Boomerang, looks at escapees from a prison and a father and son who rented a hunting lodge in the mountains, not far from the prison. The son goes into town and comes back, to find his father beaten severely, presumably by one of the inmates still on the loose. He says the man wore a hunting jacket. He takes his father in his car to see if he can find the perpetrator of the act. The father soon points to a man walking by the side of the road, wearing a hunting jacket. The son speeds up the car, and runs the man over, killing him. He thinks revenge has taken place. Then in town, the father points to other people in hunting clothes, saying they were the ones. His son realizes the attack left his father with brain damage, and for the years following, every time the father saw someone in hunting clothes, he pointed at the person, and said he was the one. Similar television shows have presented this theme, but in this volume, is a chilling version of reality.
There are many more stand-out stories. The Corpse in the Crematorium, offers the tale of a man with no identification, hit by a car. He appears to be dead, sent to the crematorium, but the owners must wait three days before he is incinerated. His wife tries to find out what happened to her husband, arriving at the last minute. The attendant lifts the sheet covering her husband, to show the wife, only to see the man is covered in sweat. The dead don’t sweat, he concludes, the man saved from the furnace.
There are so many other stories of note, too numerous to mention, but some that rise above the rest include: Faced With Horror, The Giggling Killer, Poison, and Blood Red Wine. Those familiar with the EC Archives most certainly should add this latest to their collection. Those who have not seen these reprinted masterpieces, need to start their collection as soon as possible.
CRIME SUSPENSTORIES THE EC ARCHIVES VOLUME 1, offers in all their glory, the first six issues of the series, complete with covers and every scintillating page. As the story goes, EC had to tone their comics because of complaints from professionals, who tried to make parents believe these graphic comics would turn their children into juvenile delinquents and much worse.
CRIME SUSPENSTORIES offered a take on crime, with themes of cheating spouses, revenge, and murder most foul. It was the little twists to the stories that gave them their charm and intrigue, the reader unsure at times (though often figuring out) what would be the ultimate outcome.
The first story, Murder May Boomerang, looks at escapees from a prison and a father and son who rented a hunting lodge in the mountains, not far from the prison. The son goes into town and comes back, to find his father beaten severely, presumably by one of the inmates still on the loose. He says the man wore a hunting jacket. He takes his father in his car to see if he can find the perpetrator of the act. The father soon points to a man walking by the side of the road, wearing a hunting jacket. The son speeds up the car, and runs the man over, killing him. He thinks revenge has taken place. Then in town, the father points to other people in hunting clothes, saying they were the ones. His son realizes the attack left his father with brain damage, and for the years following, every time the father saw someone in hunting clothes, he pointed at the person, and said he was the one. Similar television shows have presented this theme, but in this volume, is a chilling version of reality.
There are many more stand-out stories. The Corpse in the Crematorium, offers the tale of a man with no identification, hit by a car. He appears to be dead, sent to the crematorium, but the owners must wait three days before he is incinerated. His wife tries to find out what happened to her husband, arriving at the last minute. The attendant lifts the sheet covering her husband, to show the wife, only to see the man is covered in sweat. The dead don’t sweat, he concludes, the man saved from the furnace.
There are so many other stories of note, too numerous to mention, but some that rise above the rest include: Faced With Horror, The Giggling Killer, Poison, and Blood Red Wine. Those familiar with the EC Archives most certainly should add this latest to their collection. Those who have not seen these reprinted masterpieces, need to start their collection as soon as possible.
August 9, 2024
Collecting the first six issues of Crime SuspenStories, an EC Comics publication that began in 1950. The stories, while dated, are remarkably sophisticated and engaging. As an anthology styled publication, there are plenty of entries that don't quite hit the mark, but most pieces here are quite ambitious in their telling with crisp black & white artwork to supplement the narratives. "The Sewer" by Johnny Craig in the fifth issue remains a standout, but others like Wally Wood's "Faced With Horror!" and Jack Davis' "Mr. Biddy Killer" are great too.
Worth checking out, especially for fans of the earlier crime comics.
Worth checking out, especially for fans of the earlier crime comics.
September 13, 2024
AN EXCELLENT COLLECTION OF FANTASTIC STORIES WITH GREAT ENDINGS AND WONDERFUL ART. IT JUST SHOWS THAT BOTH MEN AND WOMEN CAN BE KILLERS.
February 5, 2025
Мене підсадила мальовка і плот-твісти (історії короткі, але відчуття розповіді страшних історій перед багаттям присутнє)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews