(December 1950-January 1951)

EC, 1950 Series
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Volume
1
Price
0.10 USD
Pages
36
Indicia Frequency
?
On-sale Date
1950-09-19
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
L. L. Publishing Co. Inc.
Brand
EC An Entertaining Comic
Editing
Al Feldstein (credited as Albert B. Feldstein) (associate editor); Bill Gaines (credited as William M. Gaines) (managing editor)

Issue Notes

The on-sale date is the publication date reported in U. S. Copyright Office filings.
Parts of this issue are reprinted:

[Escape!] (Table of Contents)

The Vault-Keeper; The Old Witch / cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
Johnny Craig (signed as Johnny Craig [circle])
Inks
Johnny Craig (signed as Johnny Craig [circle])
Colors
? (see notes)
Genre
horror-suspense
Characters
The Vault-Keeper [inset]; The Old Witch [inset]
Reprints

Indexer Notes

The cover title is taken from the 4th story in this issue, on which the cover is based.

Colors were previously recorded as the work of Marie Severin, but it is unlikely that Severin had begun coloring at EC when this issue was colored (Cassell 2012, 33–34 and 171). The source previously cited by GCD may have been intended to refer to new colors done for Russ Cochran’s 1982 slipcased reprint of the series.
_________
Reference:

Cassell, Dewey, with Aaron Sultan. 2012. Marie Severin: The Mirthful Mistress of Comics. Raleigh: TwoMorrows Publishing.

Cover Thumbnail for Vault of Horror (EC, 1950 series) #16
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Cover gallery

Werewolf Concerto! (Table of Contents: 1)

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

Script
Johnny Craig (signed as Johnny Craig [circle])
Pencils
Johnny Craig (signed as Johnny Craig [circle])
Inks
Johnny Craig (signed as Johnny Craig [circle])
Colors
? (see notes)
Letters
Jim Wroten
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Genre
horror-suspense
Characters
The Vault-Keeper (host); Hubert Antone (villain, a werewolf, hotel manager, death); Madamoiselle Michelin (villain, a vampire, concert pianist)
Synopsis
Guests at a Hungarian hotel are murdered. Guests decide to leave and the owner is upset. In order to get business, he provides famous pianist Mademoiselle Micheline free accommodations. One night, after her arrival guest is horribly murdered, by a werewolf some say. Later that evening, the owner greets Miss Micheline, who heads up to her room. The owner then turns into a werewolf and follows her, but he can find no trace of her. He opens the lid of her piano and finds dirt. As he ponders this, Mademoiselle Michelin, revealed as a vampire, springs out of the darkness and attacks him!
Reprints
Keywords
monsters; vampires; Venetian Gardens Hotel; werewolves

Indexer Notes

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

Fitting Punishment! (Table of Contents: 2)

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

Script
H. P. Lovecraft (story); Al Feldstein (adaptation)
Pencils
Graham Ingels
Inks
Graham Ingels
Colors
?
Letters
Jim Wroten
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Here is a chilling tale concerning a miserly old undertaker and the horror of his...
Genre
horror-suspense
Characters
The Vault-Keeper [cameo]; Stanley (Flint's nephew, death); Ezra Flint (villain, undertaker)
Synopsis
On the death of his mother, young Stanley is placed in the care of his uncle, Ezra the town undertaker. Soon, Stanley discovers that his uncle takes jewelry and other valuables from the corpses before burial. Discovered, Ezra kills Stanley and puts him in an available coffin. However, Stanley is too long for it and Ezra shorten him. After the interment, Ezra hears a knock at the door and discovers only Stanley's bandaged foot on the step. Later, another knock leads to Stanley's other foot. A third and final knock brings Ezra face to face with Stanley -- on crutches!
Reprints

Indexer Notes

This story is loosely based on H. P. Lovecraft's 1925 short story, "In the Vault."

Business (Table of Contents: 3)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script
Bill Gaines
Pencils
? (spot illo)
Inks
? (spot illo)
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Genre
crime
Synopsis
A man stakes out the city subway platform for a week, hoping to see the man he is supposed to kill. One night he spots him, and the two have a furious struggle. Both go over the platform onto the tracks below, where the victim collapses on the third rail and is electrocuted. Unfortunately for his murderer, the victim's hand grasped the killer's ankle, and the volts paralyzed him as he watches a subway train bearing down on him!
Reprints

Indexer Notes

This text story is found on the inside halves of each page. To the outside are house ads, one featuring a promo for Weird Fantasy #16 [with a cover by Al Feldstein], the other featuring ads, with covers, for Picture Stories From the Bible: the Complete Old and New Testaments, as well as Old Testament #1-2 and New Testament #1.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4)

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

Script
?
Pencils
Johnny Craig (spot illo)
Inks
Johnny Craig (spot illo)
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Characters
The Vault-Keeper (cameo)
Synopsis
The VK discusses last issue's stories in popularity, as voted on by the readers, then informs the readers that the Old Witch will become a permanent feature in the Vault of Horror.
Reprints

The Grave Wager (Table of Contents: 5)

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

Script
Al Feldstein
Pencils
Jack Kamen (signed)
Inks
Jack Kamen (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
Jim Wroten
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Here is a ghastly yarn designed to terrorize you!
Genre
horror-suspense
Characters
The Vault-Keeper (cameo); Pirro, the Wax Man
Synopsis
Paul and Clyde bet $50 that Roger won't spend the night with a corpse. The two secretly for Pirro, the Wax Man, from a local freak show to play the part of a corpse to better scare Roger. The "body" is delivered to Roger's apartment, and Roger kicks back thinking everything will go smoothly. Suddenly the sheet over the corpse moves and the body gets up and walks toward Roger. The next morning, Paul and Clyde make their way to Roger's apartment to have a laugh. They enter the room to find Roger a raving maniac and the REAL corpse of Pirro -- beaten to a pulp!
Reprints

Escape! (Table of Contents: 6)

The Witch's Cauldron / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
Al Feldstein
Pencils
Al Feldstein (signed as FELDSTEIN)
Inks
Al Feldstein (signed as FELDSTEIN)
Colors
?
Letters
Jim Wroten
Genre
horror-suspense
Characters
The Old Witch (cameo); Pete Luger
Synopsis
Convict Pete Lugar he devises a scheme to somehow switches places with a corpse being taken out of the prison, in order to make good an escape. Following the next execution at the prison, Lugar switches places with the corpse, expecting a confederate to free him from the executed man's grave. However, inmates come into the morgue, nail the coffin shut, and take it to the prison's new crematorium!
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Cover story.

Editing
Issue at my.comics.org
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. [Escape!]
    The Vault-Keeper; The Old Witch
  2. 1. Werewolf Concerto!
    The Vault of Horror
  3. 2. Fitting Punishment!
    The Vault of Horror
  4. 3. Business
  5. 4. [no title indexed]
    The Vault-Keeper's Corner
  6. 5. The Grave Wager
    The Vault of Horror
  7. 6. Escape!
    The Witch's Cauldron
This issue was modified by, among others
  • David B
  • Craig Delich
  • Katy Hayhurst
  • Jerry Hillegas (R.I.P.)
  • Michael Hoskin
  • R. S. Martin
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Jason Sacks
  • Jim Van Dore
  • Michael Vance
  • Mike White
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