• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

What's the most definitive site for EC collectors (including reprints!?)
0

Started by CommandD,

20 posts in this topic

CommandD

CommandD

Posted
Posted

And please don't send me to comics.org!

 

I am trying to create a checklist of all known reprints (Gemstone, Gladstone, etc.) and can't seem to find a good list.

 

Overstreet is even wrong and they have the same publisher!

 

Comics.org is extremely incomplete and lists books I am pretty sure don't exist and doesn't list books I know exist!

 

Any ideas?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Scrooge

Scrooge

Posted
Posted

confused-smiley-013.gif

 

Although the last non-Mad EC publication came out in 1956, EC Comics have remained popular for half a century, due to reprints that have kept them in the public eye. Some of the many EC reprints include the following:

 

 

Ballantine Books

In 1964-66 Ballantine Books published five black-and-white paperbacks of EC stories: Tales of the Incredible showcased EC science fiction, while the paperbacks Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror reprinted EC horror tales. EC's Ray Bradbury adaptations were collected in The Autumn People (horror and crime) and Tomorrow Midnight (science fiction).

 

 

The EC Horror Library

The EC Horror Library, published by Nostalgia Press in 1971, featured color reprints of approximately 20 EC stories, various artist biographies and an essay by Larry Stark. Despite its title, the book also included Bernard Krigstein's famous "Master Race" story from Impact and other selections from non-horror EC titles. This book also featured the first publication of "An Eye For An Eye," originally slated for the final issue of Incredible Science Fiction but rejected by the Comics Code.

 

 

EC Portfolios

The EC Portfolios consisted of a half dozen oversized issues between 1971 and 1977. Published by Russ Cochran, these featured some of EC's most famous stories and covers across various genres.

 

 

East Coast Comix

East Coast Comix reprinted in comic form a number of EC's New Trend comics between 1973 and 1975. The first reprint was the final issue of Tales From the Crypt, with the title revised to state The Crypt of Terror. This issue was originally meant to be the first issue of a fourth horror comic which was changed to the final issue of Tales From the Crypt at the last minute when the horror comics were cancelled in 1954. A dozen issues ended up being reprinted.

 

 

The Complete EC Library

The Complete EC Library, a project of Russ Cochran's that started in 1978, reprinted every EC comic in hardbound volumes. Unlike the original comics these were done in black and white, except for Mad, which had both a black and white and a color version. These volumes included annotations and commentary by various comics historians, including John Benson, Max Allan Collins, Marty Jukovsky, Bill Mason, Bill Spicer and Bhob Stewart. The Complete EC Library eventually reprinted every New Trend and New Direction comic and many of the Pre-Trend comics. The most recent addition, the Picto-Fiction set (2006), included four issues that had never been previously published.

 

 

EC Classics

This group of magazine-sized reprints from Cochran appeared between 1985 and 1989. The first six issues featured various stories for each specific comic. Starting with issue 7, each reprint featured two specific issues. A total of 12 issues were released.

 

 

Additional reprints

Throughout the 1990s and into the next decade, almost EC's entire line of comics were reprinted in comic form. The first group of reprints came from Gladstone Publishing in 1990, which reprinted various issues of the three horror comics, the sci-fi comics and Crime SuspenStories in 64-page issues. A total of 18 issues were published. The second group of reprints, known as the "RCP (Russ Cochran Publisher) Reprints" appeared the next year and also reprinted various issues from the horror, sci-fi and crime comics. Starting in 1992, the comics were reprinted in chronological order in a 32-page form. This line eventually reprinted every New Trend and New Direction comic except for Mad, and many Pre-Trend comics as well.

 

In 2006, Cochran began a new project: a series of hardcover color reprint sets called EC Archives and published by Gemstone Publishing.

 

Unless you're looking for a complete correspondance chart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CommandD

CommandD

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I'm really just looking for a complete list of titles with publisher and issue numbers in the series.

 

This site's vague generalizations about "all titles" are not what I am looking for. For example, Russ Cochran did not reprint "every EC comic in hardbound volumes." He reprinted the horror titles, the science fiction titles, crime titles, etc. He did not reprint Reddy Killowat, the bible stories, etc., etc.

 

Under "additional reprints" the website states that that RCP published "many Pre-Trend comics as well."

 

Really, which ones? I'm simply looking for a website that has a complete list. If you know of one, please let me know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ECandWarrenFan-migration

ECandWarrenFan-migration

Posted
Posted (edited)

CommandD:

 

I've been an obsessive EC fan for over 15 years. Even my parents were too young for the originals (I was born in 1982), but I started following the reprints when I was a kid and own quite a large collection of EC stuff.

 

I don't know of any website, even wikipedia (I'm the one who wrote the wikipedia reprint history that was copies and pasted here), that has a complete checklist of the reprints. I can help you based on my own personal knowledge though.

 

To my knowledge, here are the EC reprints that exist (except for the new EC Archives that are just coming out, not familiar with their exact publishing history since I'm not collecting them, having already owned pretty much everything EC). To save time I'm not gonna state what each issue reprints (as many have mixed stories from various titles), but can provide that info if need be.

====

 

Ballantine Books

----------------

(Books that reprinted various stories)

Tales From the Crypt

Tales of the Incredible (sci-fi)

The Vault of Horror

The Autumn People (Bradbury reprints)

Tomorrow Midnight (Bradbury reprints)

 

Mad Reprint Books

-----------------

(Books reprinted Mad stories, published by both Ballantine and Signet)

The Mad Reader (two different printings)

Mad Strikes Back!

Inside Mad

Utterly Mad

The Brothers Mad

The Bedside Mad

Son of Mad

 

Horror Comics of the 1950's

-----------------

(Published in 1971, features reprints of approximately 20 stories, mostly horror but also some non-horror like Master Race and Squeeze Play)

One Volume Only

 

EC Library

---------------

(Hardbound black & white library, generally 5-6 issues per volume)

Tales from the Crypt (Volumes 1-5) (includes the three issues of the Crypt of Terror)

Vault of Horror (volumes 1-5)

Haunt of Fear (volumes 1-5)

Shock SuspenStories (volumes 1-3)

Crime SuspenStories (volumes 1-5)

Weird Science (volumes 1-4)

Weird Fantasy (volumes 1-4)

Weird Science-Fantasy (volume 1)/Incredible Science Fiction (volume 2)

Mad (volumes 1-4) (both black & white and color editions exist)

Panic (volumes 1-2)

Two-Fisted Tales (volumes 1-4)

Frontline Combat (volumes 1-3)

Valor (one volume only)

Piracy (one volume only)

M.D. (one volume only)

Impact (one volume only)

Extra! (one volume only)

Psychoanalysis (one volume only)

Aces High (one volume only)

War Against Crime (volumes 1-2)

Crime Patrol (volumes 1-2)

Saddle Justice (one volume only)

Gunfighter (volumes 1-2)

A Moon, A Girl... Romance/Saddle Romances (one volume only)

Modern Love (one volume only)

Shock Illustrated (one volume only)

Crime Illustrated (one volume only)

Terror Illustrated (one volume only)

Confessions Illustrated (one volume only)

 

EC Portfolios

-------------

(Russ Cochran reprints from original art, full size if I remember correctly)

Issues 1-6

 

East Coast Comix Reprints

-------------------------

(32 page reprints of single issues

Issue 1: Tales From the Crypt #46

Issue 2: Weird Science #15

Issue 3: Shock SuspenStories #12

Issue 4: Haunt of Fear #12

Issue 5: Weird Fantasy #13

Issue 6: Crime SuspenStories #25

Issue 7: Vault of Horror #26

Issue 8: Shock SuspenStories #6

Issue 9: Two-Fisted Tales #34

Issue 10: Haunt of Fear #23

Issue 11: Weird Science #12(1)

Issue 12: Shock SuspenStories #2

 

EC Classics

-----------

(magazine sized 64 page reprints, first 6 issues featured random stories from single title, last 6 issues featured reprints of 2 different issues in their entirety)

Issue 1: Tales From the Crypt

Issue 2: Weird Science

Issue 3: Two-Fisted Tales/Frontline Combat

Issue 4: Shock SuspenStories

Issue 5: Weird Fantasy

Issue 6: Vault of Horror

Issue 7: Weird Science-Fantasy

Issue 8: Crime SuspenStories

Issue 9: Haunt of Fear

Issue 10: Panic

Issue 11: Tales From the Crypt

Issue 12: Weird Science

 

Gladstone Reprints

------------------

(64 page comics featuring 2 issues each. Crypt had Crime as the backup book. Vault had Haunt for the first 4 issues, and Weird Science for the last 2. Haunt had Weird Science-Fantasy as the backup for its two issues)

Tales From the Crypt 1-6

Vault of Horror 1-6

Weird Science 1-4

Haunt of Fear 1-2

 

RCP Reprints

------------

(64 page comics in similar format to Gladstone, Crypt had Crime as the backup book, Vault had Weird Science, and Haunt had Weird Fantasy)

Tales From the crypt 1-7

Vault of Horror 1-5

Haunt of Fear 1-5

 

Gemstone Publishing

-------------------

(reprinted pretty much everything except for Mad in 32 page format)

Tales From the Crypt 1-30

Vault of Horror 1-29

Haunt of Fear 1-28

Weird Science 1-22

Weird Fantasy 1-22

Weird Science-Fantasy 1-7/Incredible Science-Fiction 10-13

Crime SuspenStories 1-27

Shock SuspenStories 1-18

Frontline Combat 1-15

Two-Fisted Tales 1-24

Panic 1-12

Piracy 1-7

Valor 1-5

M.D. 1-5

Extra! 1-5

Psychoanalysis 1-4

Aces High 1-5

War Against Crime 1-11

Crime Patrol 1-11

(each title also had annuals composing of 5-6 issues each)

 

Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad

-------------------------

(Published by DC in Magazine format, reprinted the first 23 issues)

Issues 1-8

Edited by ECandWarrenFan
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MedicAR

MedicAR

Posted
Posted

Sorry, no help here, only more questions.

 

At the end of the Gladstone/Russ Cochran run, was there a "new" story or two that were added? These were stories that, for one reason or another, never saw print at the time they were completed, but that Russ put into his reprints.

 

Is this a comics "urban legend" or is there some truth to it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ECandWarrenFan-migration

ECandWarrenFan-migration

Posted
Posted

When going through the original art back years and years ago, Cochran discovered four extra issues of the picto-fiction magazines that were never published, one for each title. They were printed last year with the Picto-Fiction EC Library volumes. That's probably what you're thinking of.

 

The only other "new" story I can think of is "An Eye For An Eye", which was the story cut out from Incredible Science Fiction 33 (which led to the infamous Judgement Day controversy that caused Gaines to quit comics), which was first published in the Horror Comics of the 1950's book, then later in the EC Library.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MedicAR

MedicAR

Posted
Posted

THANK YOU! I've been looking for this information for a long time. I ask dealers at shows and get answers like, "Yeah, there were lost stories, I don't know where they were finally printed, though." And when I ask fans, I usually get wide eyed stares and the occassional drooler.

 

It might be the "Eye for an Eye" story. I didn't think the legend applied to the Picto-Fiction books, but I may be wrong. I assume "Eye for an Eye" is in the Incredible Science-Fantasy/Sci Fi volume?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CommandD

CommandD

Posted
  • Author
Posted

WoW, thanks a lot ECandWarrenFan!

 

That's exactly what I've been trying toput together. You have surely saved me hours of work.

 

Now, I have to ask, do you have a (Warren) Heidi Saha?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ECandWarrenFan-migration

ECandWarrenFan-migration

Posted
Posted (edited)

You're welcome. Glad I could be of some help.

 

No, don't own the Saha book. Infact still working on my collection of the regular Warren mags (Creepy, Eerie, Vampi) before I work on the rarer stuff. I agree with the general thought out there that the idea behind the Saha book is quite bizarre and have no interest in obtaining it, even as a collector's item :P

Edited by ECandWarrenFan
Link to comment
Share on other sites
yrag9591

yrag9591

Posted
Posted

This 14-year-old thread seems to be the best source of information I can find about EC reprints.

I am particularly interested in the single-issue, 32-page reprints issues by Gemstone. (They are listed in the long post above by ECandWarrenFan.)

Adding up the issues listed by ECandWarrenFan, there seem to be 291 issues. But the EC Archives Wikipedia entry mentions 295 issues.

Is one of these sources wrong, or is there a good explanation for the discrepancy? What are the other four issues, if they exist?

Any information gratefully received!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Buzzetta

Buzzetta

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, yrag9591 said:

This 14-year-old thread seems to be the best source of information I can find about EC reprints.

I am particularly interested in the single-issue, 32-page reprints issues by Gemstone. (They are listed in the long post above by ECandWarrenFan.)

Adding up the issues listed by ECandWarrenFan, there seem to be 291 issues. But the EC Archives Wikipedia entry mentions 295 issues.

Is one of these sources wrong, or is there a good explanation for the discrepancy? What are the other four issues, if they exist?

Any information gratefully received!

 

Here is what Mycomicshop has catalogued whether it is in stock or not.

I did a search for Gemstone and then look at the EC titles... I got around 300 if not a little bit more.... 

https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?PubID=9331

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
yrag9591

yrag9591

Posted
Posted

Thanks guys. I think (think!) I have reconciled the 295/291 EC single-issue reprint discrepancy. The Wikipedia 295 seems to be right. If you take the CGC thread number (291), add Impact 1-5 (which CGC missed) and subtract Crime Patrol 11 (there are only 10 issues), you get the Wikipedia figure of 295!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
0
Go to topic listing