The EC Archives: Vault Of Horror Volume 1 (v. 1)

EC Comics (Entertaining Comics) were all published from the late 1940s until around 1956, when the Comics Code Authority whitewashed all comic books to remove all themes of horror and violence. Psychiatrist Fredric Wertham and Senator Estes Kefauver's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency attacked horror comics as causes of the rise in juvenile delinquency and crimes by minors. These comic books were accused of having no redeeming value to society and were effectively banned by the actions of these groups in creating the Comics Code. EC Comics were superior to other comics of the 1950s because of a higher quality of writing and artwork, and they were widely imitated by other comics publishers. The subject matter for EC Comics were horror, science fiction/fantasy, crime stories, war stories, and stories with a social message that generally had a twist or "shock" ending. This volume reprints the first six complete issues (24 stories) of the comic book The Vault of Horror, originally published in 1950 and 1951, and features classic horror stories of vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and monsters in the vein of the early Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolf Man movies.

I have a sinking feeling that this series of EC Archives may be coming to a close since the website of the publisher is no longer allowing orders to be placed. If so, that is too bad. I find this series of horror comics to be a real pleasure to read. Granted the stories at times are a bit predictable, but they are still fun. I find the coloring to be very well done: crisp lines, vibrant colors, and shading that serves to add to the supernatural mood. Having read the available Dark Horse volumes of Creepy and Eerie, which feature black and white stories, I was a bit worried the color might detract from the spookiness. It does not. I think it enhances it.

Heavy in text, each issue allows the reader to really take his time, if he chooses, and truly absorb the words and the images. The Vault Keeper Corner is a hoot to read; so earnest in his pleas for fan letters and the obligatory derogatory banter with his "rivals" the Crypt Keeper and the Old Witch. Also a nice touch are the essays by Roger Hill at the end of each issue which provide some behind-the-scenes insights of that issue.

If these volumes are going the way of the grave, don't miss your chance to add them to your collection. They are well-constructed and are a steal at the price offered by Amazon. Too young to know these stories when they were originally printed, I am glad I have the opportunity now to experience them.

I have ordered Five editions in this most recent attempt to reprint the 1950s EC comic books, and this isn't the first complete set of EC Reprints to be published. The first set printed in the mid 1980s by Russ Cochran was a complete set in black & white, not bad. (Only the reprints of MAD were in color since the color tied into the humor of the stories). Then came the "color" reprints of the 1990s, also by Russ Cochran. These featured a complete set of all the EC titles except MAD, poorly colored -at least when compared to the original colors. If you doubt this just take the time to compare the difference in the covers of the original comic books found on collector's blogs and the covers of the 90s reprints also found on fan websites. The disparity in the quality of coloring is significant, not just in the covers but throughout the entire comic books. Now this latest set being released in "new colors", supposedly an "improvement" on the original coloring. This is a matter of taste, and the new reprints have their own appeal, yes, but the coloring is at times murky and ruins the distinction between objects within a particular panel and the colors sometimes look a little "plastic". Yes there is room for improvement in the original ec comics coloring, but this is so great a departure from the appearance of the 1950s versions, I may consider waiting for a "more accurate" set of reprints in the future.

How I wanted to LOVE this....Wasnt born yet when these originally came out,have read and read for ages about the infamous EC comics and the subsequent rise of the Comics Code.Not only do I love comics,but all things horror related as well.When the earlier hardbound collections came out,I was around but missed out then too, as they were not in my price range (especially for black & white!!). So I started with this volume,older and with a few more dollars to spend,having read lots of glowing reviews about this lines (EC archives) quality. And the verdict? Well the claims of quality are absolutely true,this is BEAUTIFUL.Cloth binding,vibrant colors,glossy black dust jacket,etc. The stories,however, have left me a little "cold".Generally each only being around 6-9 pages, to say they are predictable would be a gross understatement.EC's reputation for "twist endings" is legendary,but you'll have no problem figuring out the "twist" by about page two.Yes I realize that the source material here is almost 60 years old.But the writing is just...Juvenile.And the artwork,at least in this volume,left a lot to be desired.The cover reproductions are amazing,but the actual art in the stories left me somewhat unimpressed.Seriously, I remain totally perplexed how this can maintain such a tremendous reputation for cutting-edge comic story telling.I can recognize this as a forerunner to the modern mature-themed comic,with the subject matter of death,revenge,monsters,etc..,but in my opinion this remains more of a historical cultural artifact than a source of graphic arts entertainment.You know how when you revisit one of the classic Universal monster films,for example,& you notice that some of the conventions of moviemaking from that time are dated,but that the movies themselves still make an impact and are still fun to watch?Yeah they are slower,and their is no state-of-the-art CGI effects,but they are still entertaining. These are not anything like that,this is just plain dated.The quality of much art can be judged by its timelessness.This unfortunately is most definitely rooted, forever, in the time in which it was originally released.Back into the vault....

A superb reproduction of a time when comics mattered.Pre-code horror comics were the peak of comic books, and horror ruled.

In April of 1950, William Gaines and his staff of writers and artists at EC Comics started publishing a line of comic books that were entirely devoted to the themes of horror and science fiction. Breaking with the convention of the superhero, the "funnies," the westerns, and the romance comic books of the day, their new format dispensed with the motif of a recurring character in a continuing storyline and, instead, offered five or six complete stories that were frequently inspired by classic genre literature like that of Bierce, Poe, Verne, and H.G. Wells. By the mid-1950s, all of EC's horror and science-fiction comics were quite popular, and the company's success with these "New Trend" titles soon inspired competitors to publish a plethora of inferior imitations.

Unfortunately for EC and its fans, the popularity of their horror titles also drew the attention of conservative parental groups, glory-seeking politicians, and an ambitious psychiatrist named Dr. Frederic Wertham. The publication in 1954 of Wertham's book SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT: THE INFLUENCE OF COMIC BOOKS ON TODAY'S YOUTH led to Congressional investigations into possible links between comic books and juvenile delinquency. Though the existence of such a link was never proved, fear of possible legislation prompted the comic-book industry to establish The Comics Code Authority (CCA), a program of standards and self-censorship, and comic books that did not comply with those standards could not get the seal of approval from the CCA. Since horror was one of the primary themes targeted by Wertham and Congress, it was therefore the primary genre frowned upon by the CCA, thereby making EC the CCA's primary target. Sadly, most comic-book distributors and dealers feared the CCA and the influence it had on parents, and subsequently they quickly agreed to carry only those comics that carried the CCA seal of approval. Since Gaines and his staff refused to compromise their artistic and literary integrity in order to comply with the draconian "guidelines" of the CCA, EC was all but finished. Only MAD magazine somehow escaped the iron fist of the CCA and kept EC from disappearing altogether.

To a large majority of the people who are today familiar with comic books and their history--from art historians and English teachers to avid and affluent comic-book collectors--the horror and science-fiction comic books that were published by EC Comics prior to the establishment of the CCA exhibit a quality in both the writing and the artwork that has yet to be surpassed. Original, pristine copies of most of those titles (which include the famous TALES FROM THE CRYPT and VAULT OF HORROR series) are highly sought-after collectors' items, and they command prices that are sometimes as high as those of masterpiece oils on the high-art market. Because of this, and also to preserve the art and writing of the great EC comics for posterity, Russ Cochran began publishing hardbound reprint volumes of EC's "New Trend" comics in the 1980s. To keep costs down and preserve the quality of the artists' original line drawings, Cochran's reprints were over-sized black-and-white reproductions. Yet, in spite of the lack of color, the reproductions were beautiful and very popular sellers, and now that they've gone out of print, they are sought-after collectors' items in their own right.

Sometime in recent years, Cochran struck a deal with Gemstone Publishing to yet again reprint the original EC greats in hardbound volumes, but this time the reprints were to be sized according to the original comics, and they would also be reproduced in full color. But now that these color volumes are being released, it appears there's been a proverbial monkey-wrench thrown into the works. The coloring process being used is similar to, if not exactly the same as, the computerized coloring process that is currently the rage in the comic-book industry. While this pseudo-airbrush technique might look great for modern comics and graphic novels that are designed with its use in mind, the technique just looks garish when applied to the fantastic artwork that was lovingly hand drawn by Gaines' bullpen of greats like Al Feldstein, George Evans, Graham Ingels, and Wally Wood.

Fans interested in collecting some great reprints of the original EC horror and SF are advised to avoid the aesthetic travesty currently being peddled by Gemstone Publishing and, instead, seek out some used copies of Russ Cochran's black-and-white reproductions. The black-and-whites might be a little pricey now that they are out of print, but they are far superior to the Gemstone reprints in terms of readability and aesthetic enjoyment. (Keep in mind that the artists who drew the original comics often executed the artwork in black-and-white anyway, and while they may have offered suggestions about the final color schemes, the coloring was actually done by another.)

NOTE: The 1-star rating of this review is for the Gemstone reprints only. The EC comics themselves are always 5-star items.