Vault of Horror #20

(August-September 1951)

[E.C. Fans!] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Weird Fantasy / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

About Face! (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

?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! Well, gather 'round, kiddies...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); Lydia Armstrong (animal trainer); King (lion); Steve (villain, Lydia's chauffeur)

Synopsis

Lydia was a circus lion tamer and considered the best, until one evening she was attacked and severely injured by a black panther. After her recovery, she took to wearing a veil and literally retired from the world. She began to pore over books on witchcraft, hoping to find a solution when her chauffeur, Steve, began to act as if he was in love with her. When he took her money and ran off with another woman, Lydia swore revenge and cast a spell restoring her face but, in Florida, Steve's face had become rotting flesh!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #1/1991 (uke 2 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #9 (October 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)

The Reluctant Vampire! (Table of Contents: 3)

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

Script

Al Feldstein

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

Greetings, ghouls! Yes, it's me... the Crypt-Keeper... again!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Crypt-Keeper (host); Mr. Cross (blood bank director); Mr. Drink (villain, a vampire, death)

Synopsis

Mr. Drink, a vampire, has a job as night watchman at the local Blood Donor Center, and he has used this job to secure his daily supply of blood, then doctors the books to make everything appear legitimate. But one evening, the record book is missing, forcing him to kill someone to replace the blood he has supped on. When Drink discovers that the blood center is to be closed unless the facility takes in twice the amount of blood it does now, Drink decides to kill more victims to restock the shelves. The center's director reports this to the Police, bringing the case to an unusual end.

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #2/1991 (uke 9 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #9 (October 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 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) #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.

Deception (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Gaines

Pencils

? (spot illo)

Inks

? (spot illo)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

crime; horror-suspense

Characters

Melton

Synopsis

As Melton flew along in his plane, he thought sure he was going to beat a murder rap for killing Paul Robson by staging the killing to have been perpetrated by a right-handed man. In his mind, even if the Police eventually discovered that Melton used his right hand to commit the crime, he'd be out of the country by then and out of their jurisdiction. He chuckled at the thought of his deception! Suddenly, the plane's engine sputtered and died on him, so Melton donned his parachute and jumped out of the plane....but he couldn't reach the rip-cord ring! Two days later, his body was found in a crater made by his body....his parachute still unopened and the rip-cord ring in its place on the left shoulder strap....waiting to be pulled by the right hand!

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)

Indexer Notes

This text story was printed on the inner halves of the two pages, with EC house ads to either side. One promoted Weird Fantasy #8 [with an Al Feldstein cover] and the other promoted the Picture Stories From the Bible line: the Complete Old & New Testaments, the Old Testament #1-2, and the New Testament #1.

[no title indexed] (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 (head view)

Synopsis

The VK begins the column again pushing the photos of the three GhouLunatics for 25 cents, as well as subscriptions to his mag, followed by last issue's story popularity poll. Letters from Al Munchen, Alan Joseph and Gilbert Jarvis are printed as well.

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)

Grandma's Ghost!! (Table of Contents: 6)

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

Script

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

Pencils

Jack Kamen (signed)

Inks

Jack Kamen (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Here's a chilling tale about little Peggy and her...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); Peggy

Synopsis

Little Peggy is awoken from her sleep by her Grandmother, who is having a heat attack. She asks for her pills, but they are not to be found on the nightstand, and by the time Peggy finds them in another room, her Grandmother has passed away. After the funeral, Peggy's Aunt Helen and Uncle Lawrence were celebrating with each other, thinking they have inherited all of the old woman's money. But at the reading of the will, they learn the money goes to Peggy....at the age of 22....so they plot to kill her. Meanwhile, Peggy is seeking out the friendship of the gardner, who pays more attention to her that her aunt and uncle. That evening, Peggy tells her "new folks" that Grandma came to see her and told her that the gardner was a fine man to associate with....but her aunt and uncle say NO! The next day, all three go on a picnic and Uncle Lawrence sees an opportunity to push Peggy off a cliff. Unfortunately, he goes over the cliff instead when Peggy "sees" her Grandma and moves out of the way. Later that day, Aunt Helen is already counting the fortune as hers, and grabs Peggy by the arm to the basement, opens the furnace door to push her in when Peggy sees her Grandma again.....as does Helen....and Helen falls back into the flames! Peggy then becomes the responsibility of the gardner.

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 (Gemstone, 1994 series) #9 (October 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 "Mr. George" by Stephen Grendon.

Revenge is the Nuts! (Table of Contents: 7)

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

Script

Bill Gaines; Al Feldstein

Pencils

Graham Ingels

Inks

Graham Ingels

Colors

?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hee, hee! I see by your leering faces...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Old Witch (host); Doctor Blackpool

Synopsis

At the eerie Croydon Insane Asylum, horrible screams are heard as patients are being whipped, and as Mr. Aldershot, a relative of a patient, is in Blackpool's office in response to a letter from his patient-relative. Blackpool tells him that these people are filled with evil spirits and his "treatments" are the only way to deal with the patients...and he kicks the man out. Blackpool then retreats to the dungeon-basement area and has the patient taken back to the ward, where the other patients are shocked by what has happened. As days drag by, Blackpool continues to tease and mistreat the patients, unknowing that the patients have decided to strike back. That evening, as Blackpool sat in his office, the door bursts in and the patients drag him to the dungeon, and to the cell of an insane patient named Olaf [many times maltreated himself], and gleefully watch as Olaf tears him apart!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #9 (October 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #13 - Grave Business and Other Stories (June 2015) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #2 (May 2022)

Indexer Notes

Writer credits confirmed by Johnny Craig (1982).