Vault of Horror #13

(June-July 1950)

[SuspenStory Fans] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

The Crypt of Terror / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

The Dead Will Return! (Table of Contents: 2)

The Vault of Horror / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Al Feldstein

Pencils

Al Feldstein (signed as FELDSTEIN)

Inks

Al Feldstein (signed as FELDSTEIN)

Colors

?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

So... we meet again, dear reader!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault Keeper [cameos]

Synopsis

Florence and Bert had just finshed dumping her husband's body in the ocean and made their way back to the lighthouse on the beach. She knew that her husband had a large sum of money somewhere around the house or on the property, and while she was searching outside for it, Bert heard a scream. Rushing to the beach, he saw that the body of Flo's husband has just washed ashore, so he took it and dumped it off the highest cliff in the area.....only to wash ashore again a few days later. Bert decided to take the body this time far up the coast, dump it and return. But Flo was worried and asked him to go back up the coast to make sure the body didn't wash ashore there. While he was gone, Flo remained in the lighthouse....then she saw water seeping under the door, figured it was her dead husband and began climbing the stairs to the top to get away from him. Just as Bert drove up, he heard a horrific scream from the top and the light go out on the lighthouse. He entered the structure, and saw a trail of water leading up the stairs, followed it, and then we hear a scream again. The next day, as government inspectors came to the lighthouse to investigate why the light was out, they found both bodies, covered in seaweed...then they notice a rotted corpse lying on the beach!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #8/1990 (uke 48 1990)
• in The Vault of Horror (Gladstone, 1990 series) #3 (December 1990)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #2 (January 1993)
• in EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 2007 series) #1 ([October] 2007)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #28 - Terror Train and Other Stories (October 2020) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (July 2021)

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Tales of Terror: The EC Companion.

The Curse of Harkley Heath (Table of Contents: 3)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Harry Harrison

Inks

Wally Wood

Colors

?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

What is the terror surrounding this once splendid home?

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Sybil Harkley (death); Hagers (Clayton Harkley's lawyer); Charles Harkley (villain, death); Edgar Harkley (villain, death)

Synopsis

Clayton Harkley had died from a mortal wound inflicted by his brother and left a dying man's curse upon the money he will inherit. The last members of the Harkley clan gather in the house to celebrate their newfound wealth, until their late uncle's lawyer informs the three that his money goes to Miss Sybil, a cousin....not to the brother! The two males decide to kill Miss Sybil with the same morphine that Uncle Harkley had once used, and succeed in a roundabout way. But she returns from the dead to seek revenge.

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in The Vault of Horror (Gladstone, 1990 series) #3 (December 1990)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #2 (January 1993)
• in EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 2007 series) #1 ([October] 2007)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #2 - Came the Dawn and Other Stories (August 2012) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (July 2021)

Keywords

Harkley Heath; Harkley Heath (a mansion)

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.
Script credit from Tales of Terror: The EC Companion. Previous indexer had Harry Harrison.
Cover story.

The Diamond of Death! (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Bill Gaines

Pencils

? (2 panels art)

Inks

? (2 panels art)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The glitter of the huge diamond in Crandall's upturned palm...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Silas Morgan; Crandall

Synopsis

Crandall was holding a huge diamond in his hand when the door behind him swung open and Silas Morgan entered, his eyes focusing on the bright gem, and he warned Crandall to put it away before danger befell him, just as it had for every previous owner....owners who simply vanished off the face of the earth! As Morgan leaped at Crandall, Crandall dodged and grabbed the cane from Morgan and killed him with it. Crandall took Morgan's body down to the furnace room and threw the body in the furnace, then went into rare tropical plant room to look around. Suddenly, something rubbery grabbed Crandall's neck and he turned to see the "Man-Eater" plant pulling him toward its gaping mouth and enveloping him. As the screams stopped, a shiny object fell to the floor at the plant's feet: the diamond of death!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in The Vault of Horror (Gladstone, 1990 series) #3 (December 1990)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #2 (January 1993)
• in EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 2007 series) #1 ([October] 2007)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (July 2021)

Doctor of Horror (Table of Contents: 5)

The Vault of Horror / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Robert Louis Stevenson (original story); ? (adaptation)

Pencils

Graham Ingels

Inks

Graham Ingels

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

In the seventeenth century, when Alfred Lemonet was anatomy instructor...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Dr. Finch (retiring school Dean, new school Governor); Dr. Cranshaw (death); Professor (later Dean) Alfred LeMonet (villain, death)

Synopsis

At the Hampshire Surgeon School, Professor LeMonet is told that attendance in his classes must increase if he is to remain as a teacher there, so he digs up cadavers for use in his anatomy classes, and enrollment suddenly blossoms, to the Dean's delight. LeMonet decides to kill his competition to get the Dean's job, then sees an opportunity to become Governor as well. LeMonet hires men to go out and kill people along the waterfront area, and bring their cadavers to the school to impress the royal surgeon, but the men make a grievous error, for LeMonet's body is among the other corpses!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in The Vault of Horror (Gladstone, 1990 series) #3 (December 1990)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #2 (January 1993)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #4/1994 (uke 33 1994)
• in EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 2007 series) #1 ([October] 2007)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #23 - Doctor of Horror and Other Stories (December 2018) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics (Dark Horse, 2019 series) (2019)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (July 2021)

Keywords

Hampshire Surgeon School

Indexer Notes

Ingels's first horror story.

Story was inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Body Snatcher," which was itself inspired by the real-life Burke and Hare case of 1828.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for this issue’s cover, above).

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

The Vault-Keeper's Corner / letters page / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Al Feldstein (spot illo)

Inks

Al Feldstein (spot illo)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Characters

The Vault Keeper

Synopsis

Letters are printed from Jim Long, Barbara Nelson and Richard Morland. There is a gag letter from "A. Stiff" and the "Vault-Keeper's Book Selection" listing.

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 2007 series) #1 ([October] 2007)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (July 2021)

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

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

Island of Death (Table of Contents: 8)

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

Script

Harvey Kurtzman (adaptation); Richard Connell

Pencils

Harvey Kurtzman

Inks

Harvey Kurtzman

Colors

Harvey Kurtzman ? (see notes)

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

High in the empty sky...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Stephen Crane; Alec; Count Alvar Cabeza (villain, death)

Synopsis

Steve Crane, along with his partner Alec, are flying over a small island, when the plane develops engine trouble and crash-lands. Crane drags himself out of the water, spots a huge castle atop a mountain and manages to crawl up and knock on the door before he passes out. When he awakens several days later, he meets his benefactor, Count Cabeza, who provides a delicious meal before taking him into his trophy room. The Count shows him his animal trophy heads, but notes that he has yet to match wits with another type of animal: man! And Steve Crane is to be that man.

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in The Vault of Horror (Gladstone, 1990 series) #3 (December 1990)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #2 (January 1993)
• in EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 2007 series) #1 ([October] 2007)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #27 - Man and Superman and Other Stories (April 2020) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (July 2021), #1 (July 2021)

Keywords

terror

Indexer Notes

This story by Kurtzman is inspired by Richard Connell's short story, "The Most Dangerous Game."

Marie Severin’s statement that “[Harvey] Kurtzman colored his own art, especially on covers...” (1995) suggests that Kurtzman colored stories that he drew, albeit perhaps less consistently than he colored his cover art.
_________
References:

Cassell, Dewey, with Aaron Sultan. 2012. “The Artists of EC Comics” (reprinting Severin 1995). In Marie Severin: The Mirthful Mistress of Comics. 46–47. Raleigh: TwoMorrows Publishing.

Severin, Marie (John Province, transcriber [uncredited]). 1995. “Mostly About Color.” In CFA-APA 36, January.