Haunt of Fear #16

(November-December 1952)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Nobody There! (Table of Contents: 2)

The Witch's Cauldron! / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Gaines (co-plot); Al Feldstein (co-plot, script)

Pencils

Graham Ingels (signed as Ghastly)

Inks

Graham Ingels (signed as Ghastly)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hee, hee! So you managed to scratch up another dime...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Old Witch (host); Louise (Eric's girl); Brenda Mondrum (Eric's wife); Eric Mondrum (villain, surgeon); Alan Thorky (villain, death)

Synopsis

A man blackmails a doctor into transplanting his head onto another man's body, at first to avoid deformity and eventually to achieve immortality. By the time of the fourth operation the doctor is old enough not to be concerned about the possibility of blackmail, and wracked by guilt of the three killings over the years, leaves the separated head to die on the surgical table.

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #3 (1985)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #6/1990 (uke 35 1990)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #4 (March 1992)
• in Haunt of Fear (Gemstone, 1994 series) #16 (August 1996)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #7 - Sucker Bait and Other Stories (February 2014) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Indexer Notes

Script revision by Craig Delich, formerly Albert B. Feldstein.

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

Much of the story told in flashback.

Loosely based on "The Man in Half Moon Street" by Ralph Murphy.

Cover story.

A Creep in the Deep! (Table of Contents: 3)

The Vault of Horror! / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Gaines (co-plot); Al Feldstein (co-plot, script)

Pencils

George Evans (signed)

Inks

George Evans (signed)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! Welcome to to the Vault of Horror, creeps!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); Philip; Margaret (Phil's bride, death); Ed (realtor)

Synopsis

A man's wife is attacked by a vampire while she is out in a rowboat in the middle of a lake and he is spear fishing. When he later returns to the lake, he hears of strange killings where the victims have been drained of blood and realizes that his wife must have been turned into one of the undead and now resides in the lake. He sharpens his spear and returns to the lake to stake her through the heart and bring her peace.

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #3 (1985)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #4/1991 (uke 22 1991)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #4 (March 1992)
• in Haunt of Fear (Gemstone, 1994 series) #16 (August 1996)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #30 - A Slight Case of Murder and Other Stories (April 2021) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Indexer Notes

Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.

E.C Fans! (Table of Contents: 4) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

Dukes in Disguise (Table of Contents: 5)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Jerry De Fuccio

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Duke Aldo Braggadocio and Duke Gino Severini were two powerful nobles of 15th century Tuscany.

Genre

horror-suspense

Synopsis

In the 15th century, two Italian nobles hate and are jealous of each other. Aldo is jealous of Gino's plumed exotic birds while Gino is jealous of Aldo's vineyards. To win the affections of a beautiful woman they both love, each attempts to sneak into the other's kingdom and steal a plumed bird's feather and a bottle of wine respectively. Both dukes get caught and are murdered by the others duke's guards.

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #3 (1985)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #4 (March 1992)

Indexer Notes

1/2 of story on each of two pages.

Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 7)

The Old Witch's Niche / letters page / 1 page (report information)

Script

Al Feldstein ?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

horror-suspense

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #3 (1985)

Indexer Notes

Text about Ray Bradbury stories plus letters from Stan Grossman, Jeanne Anderson, Fred Smith, George Riley, Gerard Robbins, John M. Grath and The Gyro Shop Gang.

...From Hunger! (Table of Contents: 8)

The Old Witch's Grim Fairy Tale! / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Gaines (co-plot); Al Feldstein (co-plot, script)

Pencils

Jack Kamen (signed)

Inks

Jack Kamen (signed)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hee, hee! Yep! Here's another one!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Old Witch (host)

Synopsis

The chef of an obese king finally gets fed up with him and converts him into sausages.

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #3 (1985)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #1 [1988] ([februar] 1988)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #4 (March 1992)
• in Skræk (Semic Interpresse, 1994 series) #4 (4. august 1994)
• in Haunt of Fear (Gemstone, 1994 series) #16 (August 1996)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #36 - Kamen's Kalamity and Other Stories (2024) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Indexer Notes

Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.

The Coffin! (Table of Contents: 9)

The Crypt of Terror / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Ray Bradbury (original story); Al Feldstein (adaptation)

Pencils

Jack Davis (signed)

Inks

Jack Davis (signed)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! Yep, it's your Crypt-Keeper again, fiends...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Crypt-Keeper (host)

Synopsis

A man builds an automatic coffin to lower the cost of funerals. The coffin plays music, reads a service, and unfortunately for his sponging kid brother who lies down in it, drains the corpse's blood, injects formaldehyde, and buries itself with shovel attachments on its side.

Reprints

• in The Autumn People (Ballantine Books, 1965 series) (October 1965)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #3 (1985)
• in Monsieur Sourire (Albin Michel, 1985 series) (1985) [N&B [B&W]]
• in Spécial USA (Albin Michel, 1985 series) #17 (novembre 1985)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #4 (March 1992)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #1/1993 (uke 6 1993)
• in Haunt of Fear (Gemstone, 1994 series) #16 (August 1996)
• in Home to Stay! The Complete EC Ray Bradbury Stories (Fantagraphics, 2022 series) (January 2023)

Indexer Notes

E.C.'s first authorized Ray Bradbury adaptation "Copyright, 1947, by Popular Publications Inc."

This short story was originally published as "A Wake for the Living" in the September 1947 issue of Dime Mystery Magazine.