EC ed

@KirbyJack Interesting discussion...I've thought about this a bit myself, and have discussed it with others. Long story short, I likewise think that it's the Vault-Keeper there on the cover (there is no horror host anywhere on the interior of HoF #15(1)). Here are a few of the key arguments: 1) The Old Witch has asymmetric eyes (i.e., one prominently bulging eye); the Vault-Keeper has symmetric eyes. The creature on the cover of HoF #15(1) has symmetric eyes. 2) The Old Witch ended up wearing a red robe; the Vault-Keeper ended up in the green robe. The creature on the cover of HoF #15(1) is in a green robe. 3) The cover of the third issue of HoF (i.e., HoF #17(3)) shows all three horror hosts - notice that the Vault-Keeper is wearing a yellow rope belt. The creature on the cover of HoF #15(1) is wearing a yellow rope belt. CASE CLOSED! By the time HoF #15(1) was issued, the Vault-Keeper was already established as an EC horror host. I think that the cover of HoF #15(1) is the Vault-Keeper (a known host) inviting readers into the new horror title...like "you love my Vault of Horror...come in here and let me show you some FEAR...he, he, he." Then, in the next issue (HoF #16(2)), HoF got its new host, the Old Witch.

Yep, no classrooms - I'll PM you later and we can commiserate

Skull and Crossbones ornaments to Skull and Crossbones flag

It had to do with trying to get around the postal service second class matter regulations regarding subscription mailings. EC pulled this trick several times, but they weren't alone...many publishers did it. The post office offered a second-class mailing permit that required publishers to pay an initial fee on every new title. Comic publishers found a loophole - if they renamed the comic but kept the same numbering (I suppose thereby arguing that it wasn't a "new title"), they avoided paying the initial fee. So, when Haunt of Fear started, EC continued the numbering from Gunfighter (which was discontinued). That is, the last issue of Gunfighter was #14...so EC picked up the numbering sequence with the first issue of Haunt of Fear, which then received the number 15. The second issue of HoF was numbered 16, and the third issue was numbered 17. So the non-zombie cover numbered 17 is actually the third issue of HoF. Apparently, after the third issue the post office caught on and closed down the loophole...so, EC then had to number the fourth issue #4 (and, I presume, pay the fee for the new title), and things were straightened out after that (i.e., the fifth issue is #5, the sixth issue is #6, etc.). So, the non-zombie cover #17 is actually the third issue (generally denoted as HoF #17(3)), and the zombie cover #17 is actually the seventeenth issue of HoF.

Correction #2 of 3: Frontline Combat #9 variant In my initial EC ed's EC Completist List, I only counted Frontline Combat #9 as one book - why would I have thought otherwise, right? Well, it turns out that an argument has been mounted that there is a "variant" of Frontline Combat #9. Specifically, this has to do with the coloration of the words "CIVIL WAR" on the front cover. One version has "CIVIL WAR" on the front cover in orange ink, and another version has "CIVIL WAR" on the front cover in yellow ink. I believe that the orange version is the "primary" version (because the Gaines File Copies seem to be the orange versions), which in my opinion makes the yellow version the "variant." When "we" were initially discussing this, I thought 'that isn't a proper variant...there's no indication anywhere that I've seen where Gaines declared any intention to create a variant here...that's just a random printing "defect"' (i.e., just like you will see some EC issues where some copies look more blue, and some copies look more purple...know what I mean?). But, long story short, the argument that these orange and yellow versions indeed constitute two officially distinct versions has gained credence. Case in point, they are now listed separately in the Grand Comics Database - although the GCD (incorrectly, in my view) calls the orange version the "variant," implying that the yellow version is the "primary." As I mention above, I think the orange version has primacy, because orange is what Gaines pulled for the file copies...not to mention the silverprint cover proof is also orange (although, on the silverprint cover proof the exclamation point after "CIVIL WAR" is also orange..not so on the printed orange versions). But...tomayto, tomahto . The upshot is that I have now conceded the point that Frontline Combat #9 has a variant - which adds one book to EC ed's EC Completist list. Here's what I'm talking about:

This thread is long overdue for an update. In my defense, relatively speaking I haven't been buying many ECs lately...for the most part, just an occasional upgrade, and obsessing over minutiae (as you will see below ) First and foremost, I have a few technical matters to correct in my "EC ed's EC Completist List" based on some things I have learned over the past year or two (not counting the "promo revelation" I discuss in my most recent post up there - I'll come back to the promo thing later) Correction #1 of 3: Picture Stories from the Bible Complete Old Testament (PSBCOT) If you go back and read my earlier posts where I was discussing PSBCOT, you will see that I had included printings #5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 in my EC completist list. In particular, I focused some of my discussion on printing #5, because that is where I thought the transition to "EC" began. I should mention that, in general, the way you distinguish the printings is from the back cover details. For example, here is the back cover of the first printing: Here is the back cover of the second printing: etc... Well, there are plenty of copies of the "Fifth Printing" out there, where the back cover looks like this: [I've never seen a "Sixth Printing" or "Seventh Printing" (and now I understand why...keep reading...)] Then, there's the eight printing: And the ninth and final printing (we know that the ninth printing doesn't list a printing...that's just the way it is): So, all this time I have been looking for copies that say "Sixth Printing" and "Seventh Printing" - what I have now learned is that such things do not exist! I have also learned that there are (apparently) three different versions of the book that say "Fifth Printing" on the back - these three versions can only be distinguished by the indicia notations on the inside front cover - one of them does not list a publisher, one of them lists Max Gaines as publisher, and one of them lists Educational Comics as the publisher. So, "we" (I'm not the only one out there obsessing over this - there's at least one other guy ) have deduced that, collectively, these three versions of the "Fifth Printing" are the fifth, sixth, and seventh printings! Apparently, Max forgot to update the back cover when the sixth and seventh printings went to press. We're pretty sure that the one that lists "Educational Comics" as the publisher is the 7th printing, and the other two are the fifth and sixth printings (not sure which is which - we're still working on that). Anyway, the upshot of all of this is that I no longer consider the fifth and sixth printings of PSBCOT to be EC publications! (which removes two books from EC ed's EC completist list)

This is awesome, Jeff. @cheetah

I'd like to find a nice VF'ish copy of Vault of Horror #31 - nothing particularly special about that issue, but for some reason nice copies have eluded me...

Representing the other reason for the season: And, might as well throw in the blank price variant:

Here's my most significant 2020 pickup (from an awesome boardie ). It's an EC-produced (although not EC-copyrighted) rarity that gets me one book closer to having a copy of everything EC produced pre-1957 (5 more rare promos to go). This is one of two promos that EC did for the Lutheran Church in the late 1940s (the other being the Church that was Built with Bread).

Classic Christmas Cover (bonus points for alliteration)

Classic Zombie Cover

He held on to some ECs, so he's OK in my book I have a couple of the non-stamped CR/OW variety:

@ 15% off

Just did my first deal with Alain, and I hope it's not my last...he's great! He bought a four-figure EC key from me, and even trusted me enough to send me a personal check - everything was smooth as silk - KUDOS!!