Vault of Horror #28

(December 1952-January 1953)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Mad / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Till Death... (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

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! The doors to the Vault of Horror are open, fiends!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); Donna (Steve's wife, death); Steve (death); Jebco (servant)

Synopsis

Steve's new wife falls ill, dies and is buried. Steve's servant, Jebco, tries to fill the void, but the despair is too great. But Jebco says there is a way to have her back, and secretly he removes the corpse of Donna from her grave and puts it through a voodoo ritual.....and she walks again....as a zombie! Steve is overjoyed until she begins to decompose. When Steve, in vain, tries to kill her, he drinks poison to end it all. But loyal Jebco puts him through the same voodoo ritual, and he returns as a zombie....to be with his love....forever!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #3 (1982)
• in EC Classics (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #6 - The Vault of Horror (1986)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #1 [1988] ([februar] 1988)
which is reprinted
• in Iskalde Grøss pocket (Semic, 1996 series) #1 ([april] 1996)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #1 (September 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #17 (October 1996)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #5 - Fall Guy for Murder and Other Stories (July 2013) [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) #3

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.
Cover story.

The Chips Are Down! (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)

Inks

Jack Davis (signed)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! Once I saw a saw-mill!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Crypt-Keeper (host); Sigmund Darby; Averill Henning; Dilbert Field; Colonel Turner

Synopsis

Sigmund was buzzed on his intercom that Colonel Turner was there to see him and his two partners, Henning and Field. The Colonel was there to tell them that their sawmill had been chosen ror a highly secret government contract to produce thin wooden discs, at a rate of 60,000 per month. They agreed, but then wondered how they could produce that many until Field arrived at a solution with a new type of saw. Later, Henning and Darby muse over a way to keep all the profits for themselves, cutting Field out by engaging him in poker matches and taking him to the cleaners by winning his share in the saw mill.....which they did. After he walked out of the game, he shot himself and was buried.....and as Darby and Henning walk away, they muse over the marked deck they had used on Field. What they didn't see was a rotting hand rising from Field's grave that followed the two back to the mill, where screams are heard. The next morning, the mill foreman walked into open up and saw Darby and Henning standing stiffly next to the cutting machine in a pool of blood. When he touched them, they fell over.....minutely sliced into thousands of thin layers!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #3 (1982)
• in EC Classics (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #6 - The Vault of Horror (1986)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #1/1989 (uke 3 1989)
which is reprinted
• in Iskalde Grøss pocket (Semic, 1996 series) #3 ([mars] 1997)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #1 (September 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #17 (October 1996)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

Indexer Notes

Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.

The Defiler (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Gaines

Pencils

? (spot illo)

Inks

? (spot illo)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

From Tabou on the French Ivory Coast...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Trader Trask

Synopsis

Trader Trask, an unscrupulous trader on Africa's west coast, used whiskey to cheat the natives out of their valuable ivory, gold, timber and raw rubber. His ship was full of this cargo after his "dealings" with the natives and was preparing to sail off when he saw a tempting silver pendant hanging around the neck of an Arab. He was able to see a strange writing on its reverse and wanted to buy it....but the Arab refused. The next day, Trask walked into the Arab's tent, grabbed the pendant, slit open a pig and shoved the pendant inside....defiling the object. He then pulled it out and threw the pig at the merchant and left. The next morning, Trask was found in bed....his stomach ripped open and the pig stuck into his belly.....while the Arab once more proudly wore the pendant.....able to do so because of what was written on the back of the pendant: it said that only a swine would defile this object....so to cast away sacrilege, it could be annointed with a larger swine's bile: that of Trader Trask!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #3 (1982)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #1 (September 1991)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

Indexer Notes

This text story is found on the inner halves of the two pages, with EC house ads to either side. One promotes Weird Fantasy #16 [with cover by Al Feldstein], while the other promotes, with covers, the Complete Old and New Testaments of the Picture Stories From the Bible series, Picture Stories From Science #2 and Pictures Stories From World History #2.

[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 (spot illustration)

Synopsis

VK features letters from Willy Reith, Robert Goldstein, B.D. Velvin, Jr., Walt Bowart, Mrs. C.H. Lindles, Gene Schaffel, George Salaida and Bobbie Kelley. Barbara Matson sent in some "torrid terror tunes" for the E.C. Horror Hit Parade, then told readers that writer Ray Bradbury has given permission to EC to adapt some of his stories. VK also pushed subscriptions to EC mags.

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #3 (1982)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

For How the Bell Tolls! (Table of Contents: 6)

The Vault-Keeper's Grim Fairy Tale! / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

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

Pencils

George Evans (signed)

Inks

George Evans (signed)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! In the last issue of the Vault of Horror...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); unnamed King; unnamed Queen; unnamed bell ringer (death); unnamed apprentice to the bell ringer (villain, death)

Synopsis

Long ago, in a far-away land, there was a castle which had a belfry and a large bell hanging in it. Every time there was a special occasion, the royal bell ringer plied his trade, watched for over 34 years by his apprentice, but never given the chance to ring the bell once in all that time! On the Queen's birthday, the royal bell ringer, now very old, was told to ring it all day long, but his apprentice wanted to do it. When he was told no, he pulled down an axe from the wall and killed the royal bell ringer just as the King walked in. But the paid for the crime as the clapper for the bell.

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #3 (1982)
• in EC Classics (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #6 - The Vault of Horror (1986)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #7 [1988] (uke 41 1988)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #1 (September 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #17 (October 1996)
• 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.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

Indexer Notes

Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.

This is the first "Grim Fairy Tale" by Evans.

Evans draws in his own portrait on panel 4 of page 5.

We Ain't Got No Body! (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

Hmmph! First the Crypt-Keeper steals my 'grim fairy tale' idea!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Old Witch (host); Henry Bodwin (Norton's brother, department store owner, death in flashback, a walking corpse); Mr. Yeson; Flaggerty (policeman); Norton Bodwin (villain, also in flashback); Charlie (villain, death, in flashback); Sidney (villain, death, in flashback)

Synopsis

The rotting corpse of Henry Bodwin confronts his brother Norton, and reminds him about when his two buddies and he conspired to kill him over the will in which Henry had made Norton his beneficiary: for $20,000 with double indemnity. The trio pushed Henry under the wheels of a train, killing him, but all they ever found was the man's torso....no arms or legs. The check for $40,000 was a reason for the three to celebrate, until strange events led to retribution by Henry and peace in the grave at last.

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #3 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #2/1991 (uke 9 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #1 (September 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #17 (October 1996)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #7 - Sucker Bait and Other Stories (February 2014) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

Indexer Notes

Script and letterer credits by Craig Delich.

Loosely based on "The Return of the Sorcerer" by Clark Ashton Smith.