The Vault of Horror #20 (March 1953) features a pretty gruesome cover. It depicts a man beaten to death with a sledgehammer, which appears to be taken from the story titled “Easel Kill Ya!”. By early 1953, EC was definitely pushing the boundaries of what Gaines called “good taste”.
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Speaking of dismemberment, The Haunt of Fear #17 (December 1952) also features a story drawn by Jack Davis called “Garden Party!”. A wife is driven insane by her insensitive boob of a husband who tramples her prize petunias during a barbecue – naturally she dismembers him and roasts his bits on the barbecue. EC Comics […]
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The Haunt of Fear #14 (June 1952) continues EC’s march into gruesome territory. The story “Take Your Pick!” features a cold-hearted, penny-pinching husband who refuses compassion at every opportunity. After turning away beggars and destitute friends, sending a dog to sleep outside in the winter, driving on by someone who was hit by a car, […]
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EC Comics continue to push the standards of what they will show in a comic book, showing rotting flesh on a skull. In Tales from the Crypt #23 (January 1951), “Reflection of Death” is a well-written and creepy tale of two men driving on a dark, country road told in the second-person that turns into […]
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In January 1950, EC renamed its “War Against Crime” comic to “Vault of Horror” with issue #12. In it, we get even more gruesome tales of horror than in last month’s Crypt of Terror comic, including an evil character using acid to first disfigure someone and then attempt to dissolve their entire body! The Vault […]
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The stories in Timely (Marvel) Comics seem to veer off into the grotesque more than other comic book companies of the time. I found this particular Captain America panel of artwork by Syd Shores and Al Alvison pretty shocking and gratuitous from February 1944.
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Detective Comics brought not only lengthier stories, but also stories of a more graphic nature. April 1937 featured the continuation of “The Claws of the Red Dragon” by Tom Hickey. This series followed Bruce Nelson through a “Yellow Peril” story. Like other forms of period racism, reading these stories can make one uncomfortable. We are […]
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