EC Archives are back on track!

Many people ask me if I like comics. I always hesitate before answering because while technically, I do, the only ones I really like are the EC comics from the 1950s. Tales From the Crypt is the most famous title, but there were also The Vault of Horror, The Haunt of Fear, Two-Fisted Tales, Crime SuspenStories, Weird Science, and my personal favorite, Shock SuspenStories.

The EC Archives, a reprint of these comics in gorgeous full-color hardcover editions, had been going along for awhile until the publishing company was hit hard by the recession. Publishing has been on hiatus for the last couple years, but is now scheduled to get back underway. Full details here!

These comics are a treat. The artwork is often astonishing, and the tales, though often gruesome, are quite moralistic, in a good way (the innocent may suffer but the sinners are always punished harshly). The comics weren't just about cheap thrills, though. Adaptations of Ray Bradbury stories made for some of the most memorable stories. And the stories often tackled social issues such as racism and anti-Communist hysteria. (These stories aren't especially progressive by today's standards - I think by now we all know we shouldn't burn down our neighbor's house because he's Jewish - but judging by the letters readers sent in, which are also reprinted in these editions, these stories needed to be told.)

Looking forward to the first installment of Haunt of Fear and the next installment of Vault of Horror this fall!