Vault of Horror #18

(April-May 1951)

[Look For This Seal...] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Association of Comics Magazines Publishers / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Sink-Hole! (Table of Contents: 2)

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

Well, well, well...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); Aldous Barstow; Rick Hudson (health inspector); Shirley Barstow (villain, wife of Aldous, death)

Synopsis

A lonely woman, who had joined a lonely hearts club, accepts a marriage proposal by mail, but when she meets him, he is actually much older than she had realized. After she meets the new area health inspector, Rick Hudson, and falls for him, she murders her husband and dumps him into the well on their property so she can carry on a romance with Hudson. Then she discovers that Hudson is married and leaving town. Disappointed beyond hope, she goes over to the well to draw some water to quench her mounting thirst and gets a REAL surprise!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #5 (May 1992)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #7 (April 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #17 - Voodoo Vengeance and Other Stories (December 2016) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #2 (May 2022)

Indexer Notes

Cover story.
Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin, but it is unlikely that Severin had begun coloring at EC when this issue was colored (Cassell 2012, 33–34 and 171).
_________
Reference:

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

Lend Me a Hand! (Table of Contents: 3)

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

Script

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

Pencils

Jack Davis (signed as JACK DAVIS)

Inks

Jack Davis (signed as JACK DAVIS)

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

H-m-m-ph!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Crypt-Keeper (cameo); Dr. Brown (Dr. Johnstone's assistant); Dr. Brown's nurse (cameo); a drunk (death); Dr. Harold Johnstone (villain, death)

Synopsis

Eminent physician Dr. Johnson is the victim of a car accident and loses his hand, which means his career is finished. After reading an article in a medical journal about keeping tissue alive by a chemical and mechanical apparatus, the doctor decides to kill a drunk to get a hand to replace the one he lost, with some very unfortunate results!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #3/1992 (uke 16 1992)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #5 (May 1992)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #7 (April 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #16 - The Living Mummy and Other Stories (August 2016) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #2 (May 2022)

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Tales of Terror: The EC Companion.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for “Sink-Hole!,” above).

Trap (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Gaines

Pencils

? (spot illo)

Inks

? (spot illo)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Inspector Mattern

Synopsis

Inspector Mattern and Sergeant Finch were working homicide detail concerning four murders that had occurred under a full moon in the last four months. They laid a trap for the killer. As Mittern sat waiting to spring the trap, he looked up at the full moon and a strange tingling began coursing through his body....and he blacked out. When he awoke, he noticed a heavy weight on his chest, which he discovered to be Sgt. Finch. Then he noticed his hairy hands were covered in blood and realized that the trap he had set had worked and had caught the killer werewolf, and it turned out to be himself!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #5 (May 1992)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #2 (May 2022)

Keywords

monsters

Indexer Notes

This text story was printed on the inner halves of the two pages, and to each side were EC house ads. One was for Weird Fantasy #1 [with a cover by Al Feldstein], and the other ad [with covers] promoted the Picture Stories From the Bible series: the Complete Old and New Testaments, the Old Testament #1-2 and the New Testament #1.

[untitled] (Table of Contents: 5)

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

Pencils

Johnny Craig (spot illo)

Inks

Johnny Craig (spot illo)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (cameo)

Synopsis

In this issue's column, the VK first gives the reader voting results for the best tales from last issue, then discusses the requests for back issues of the VOH. He concludes the column by once again promoting the picture of himself [for 10 cents] and subscriptions to his mag.

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #2 (May 2022)

The Mask of Horror (Table of Contents: 6)

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

Script

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

Pencils

Jack Kamen

Inks

Jack Kamen

Colors

?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I call this chilling tale...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (cameo); Ken Anders; Ander's fiancee; unnamed costume shop owner; unnamed woman vampire (villain, vampire, death)

Synopsis

Ken Anders stops off at an eerie costume shop to get a costume for a party, and the weird owner outfits him with a mask and costume that is supposed to represent his true self: that of a rotting corpse. His fiancée refuses to go to the party with him, so he leaves devastated. He puts the mask on and heads to the party, and meets a woman dressed as a vampire and falls for her. They head into the garden to unmask and he discovers she really is a vampire, who then attacks him. Anders drowns her in a lily pond....but then notes his reflection in the pond with terrifying results!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #1/1992 (uke 3 1992)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #5 (May 1992)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #7 (April 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #20 - Daddy Lost His Head and Other Stories (November 2017) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #2 (May 2022)

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Tales of Terror: The EC Companion.
Based on the story "The Cloak" by Robert Bloch.

Dying to Lose Weight! (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

Inks

Graham Ingels

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hee, hee! Yes, it's me again!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Old Witch (cameo); Mrs. Van Klege (wealthy woman, death); Pierre (dress fitter); Tom Adkins (hen-pecked husband, death); Leena Adkins (Tom's wife); Sally Bates (death); Sally's mother; Charlie Street (death); Dr. Perdo (villain, death)

Synopsis

In a small town populated by many fat people, a weird Dr. Perdo comes to town, offering to help those people through the use of a tiny weight-loss capsule. Four accept his offer and the capsule works on them to perfection. But then, the four people suddenly die horrible deaths, as if they had starved to death. Six months later, Perdo, in disguise, returns to the town, but is discovered and runs into the cemetery to hide in the mausoleum of one of his victims, where he comes face-to-face with the thing that had killed his victims: a giant tapeworm!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #5 (May 1992)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #7/1992 (uke 44 1992)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #7 (April 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #23 - Doctor of Horror and Other Stories (December 2018) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #2 (May 2022)

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Tales of Terror: The EC Companion.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for “Sink-Hole!,” above).