Tales from the Crypt #43

(August-September 1954)

Are You a Red Dupe? (Table of Contents: 1)

text article / 1 page (report information)

Script

Lyle Stuart; Bill Gaines

Pencils

Jack Davis

Inks

Jack Davis

Letters

?

Genre

advocacy; satire-parody

Characters

Melvin Blizunken

Synopsis

This editorial illustrated page purports that the Communists are the ones trying to destroy the comic magazine industry, citing the Soviet "Daily Worker" newspaper and Dr. Frederick Wertham.

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover.

Tongue in cheek editorial parody in an attempt to link efforts to destroy comics to Communists.

Writer credits from Lyle Stuart himself, during an interview by Bill Spicer in Squa Tront (Fantagraphics, 2002 series) #12 (2007); and from Grant Geissman's book, Tales of Terror!: The EC Companion (Fantagraphics, 2000 series), who lists the writer as Bill Gaines; as well as Frank Jacobs' The MAD World of William M. Gaines (Carol Publishing Group, 1973 series) notes that Gaines worked with Stuart on the piece.

Four-Way Split (Table of Contents: 2)

The Crypt of Terror / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Otto Binder

Pencils

Jack Davis

Inks

Jack Davis

Colors

Marie Severin ?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! Hi, low-lifers!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Crypt-Keeper (host); Buck Gordon (pilot in WW2, death); Roy Dixon (villain, bombardier in WW2, death)

Synopsis

An air freight business partner who used to man a bombsite during the war kills his partner by dropping him out of the plane directly where four states meet, knowing he will go free as they squabble over the jurisdiction of the crime. The corpse comes back and gives him a taste of four different execution methods with the last one being final.

Reprints

• in Tales from the Crypt (Russ Cochran, 1979 series) #5 (1979)
• in Gysertimen (Interpresse, 1987 series) #2 (13. maj 1987)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #2/1990 (uke 10 1990)
which is reprinted
• in Iskalde Grøss pocket (Hjemmet / Egmont, 1998 series) #5 ([mars] 1998)
• in Tales from the Crypt (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #4 (February 1992)
• in Tales from the Crypt (Gemstone, 1994 series) #27 (March 1999)
• in Biblioteca Grandes del Cómic: Clásicos del Terror de EC (Planeta DeAgostini, 2003 series) #5 (septiembre 2003)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #4 - Tain't the Meat...It's the Humanity and Other Stories (March 2013) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Keywords

Buckroy Airlines

Indexer Notes

Writer revision from Al Feldstein to Otto Binder by Craig Delich 2013-4-17, per EC Artists' Library, Volume 4 "'Tain't the Meat...It's the Humanity" (2013).

Colorist and letterer credits by Craig Delich, letterer credit verified by Al Feldstein.

Cold War (Table of Contents: 3)

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

Script

Carl Wessler

Pencils

Jack Kamen (signed as Kamen)

Inks

Jack Kamen (signed as Kamen)

Colors

Marie Severin ?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! And a horrible 'hi' to all you horror-happy hidiots!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); Norman King (Maria's lover, death); Maria Holt [Maria Harmon] (Paul's wife); Mr. Harmon (Maria's father); Mrs. Harmon (Maria's mother); Paul Holt (villain, Maria's husband, a zombie)

Synopsis

Norman King meets and begins wooing a beautiful married girl named Maria. But that doesn't phase Norman one bit, so when he decides to kill her husband and marry her anyway, the husband tells Norman a strange but true story about Maria and why he shouldn't be involved with her.

Reprints

• in Tales from the Crypt (Russ Cochran, 1979 series) #5 (1979)
• in Tales from the Crypt (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #4 (February 1992)
• in Tales from the Crypt (Gemstone, 1994 series) #27 (March 1999)
• in Biblioteca Grandes del Cómic: Clásicos del Terror de EC (Planeta DeAgostini, 2003 series) #5 (septiembre 2003)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #36 - Kamen's Kalamity and Other Stories (2024) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Indexer Notes

Colorist and letterer credits by Craig Delich, letterer credit verified by Al Feldstein.

Inside Story (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

? (spot illustration)

Inks

? (spot illustration)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

They couldn't be far behind, Fitch realized.

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

two unnamed policemen; Fitch (villain, death)

Synopsis

Fitch, a purse thief, is on the run from several policemen after muffing a job, and chances upon some kids playing around and taking turns shutting up people in an old icebox. He figures this is the way to avoid capture, so he makes a deal with one of the kids to pay him $5 for hiding him briefly in the icebox. He tears the bill in half and gives the kid one half and promises him the rest when he reopens the door for him. Unfortunately for Fitch, the police scare the kids off, and..........!

Reprints

• in Tales from the Crypt (Russ Cochran, 1979 series) #5 (1979)
• in Tales from the Crypt (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #4 (February 1992)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 5)

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

Script

Al Feldstein ?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Indexer Notes

A rundown of song lyrics of the day with horror lyrics substituted.

Clots My Line (Table of Contents: 6)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Otto Binder

Pencils

George Evans (signed)

Inks

George Evans (signed)

Colors

Marie Severin ?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Here's a tale of bloody T.V. programming!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Crypt-Keeper (host); Pierce Draynor (guest, death); Anton Chatfield (villain, master of ceremonies, a vampire); Ralph Peters (villain, night watchman, a vampire); Celia Pronick (villain, movie cashier, a vampire); Paul Dunkel (villain, maintenance man, a vampire)

Synopsis

A television show about guessing the guest's occupation brings on a manufacturer of red ink. As the panel asks more questions of the guest, they begin to grow annoyed with the host, as the answers seem to dance around the idea that the guest may be a vampire. The host assures the panel that the man has a legitimate occupation, but they feel the host has double-crossed them. The host is delighted he has stumped the panel and reveals to the guest what he's won, a coffin, which surprises the guest. The panel descend upon him and drain his blood, relieved that he's not one of them.

Reprints

• in Tales from the Crypt (Russ Cochran, 1979 series) #5 (1979)
• in Gysertimen (Interpresse, 1987 series) #1 (13. april 1987)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #6/1991 (uke 35 1991)
• in Tales from the Crypt (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #4 (February 1992)
• in Tales from the Crypt (Gemstone, 1994 series) #27 (March 1999)
• in Biblioteca Grandes del Cómic: Clásicos del Terror de EC (Planeta DeAgostini, 2003 series) #5 (septiembre 2003)
• 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.]

Keywords

Guess the Guest TV show

Indexer Notes

Colorist and letterer credits by Craig Delich, letterer credit verified by Al Feldstein.
Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.

Accidents and Old Lace (Table of Contents: 7)

The Witch's Cauldron! / comic story / 7 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! And now, it's delerium dessert time in C.K.'s morbid muck-mag...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Old Witch (host); Mrs. Janet Carter (rooming house matron); Grace Salsbury (villain, roomer); Emma Lou Salsbury (villain, roomer); Charlotte Salsbury (villain, roomer); Eric Holbien (villain, art dealer, death)

Synopsis

An art dealer murders a man in order to inspire three old sisters who create beautiful tapestries upon witnessing violent deaths of people. When he finds them not working, as they claim to be uninspired, he becomes frustrated with them and admits that he murdered the man before he sent his car smashing into the wall. Angry with him for tricking them, they say murder isn't fair; it has to be an accident, like when they pushed father under the train, and the next man into the path of a car, they dismember the art dealer and weave his body parts into a tapestry.

Reprints

• in EC Lives! (Ron Barlow, 1972 series) (1972)
• in Tales from the Crypt (Russ Cochran, 1979 series) #5 (1979)
• in Tales from the Crypt (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #4 (February 1992)
• in Tales from the Crypt (Gemstone, 1994 series) #27 (March 1999)
• in Biblioteca Grandes del Cómic: Clásicos del Terror de EC (Planeta DeAgostini, 2003 series) #5 (septiembre 2003)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #29 - Accidents and Old Lace and Other Stories (January 2021) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Keywords

Millville

Indexer Notes

Colorist and letterer credits by Craig Delich, letterer credit verified by Al Feldstein.
Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.