Vault of Horror #29

(February-March 1953)

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

Mad / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

The Mausoleum! (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! Well, it's time for another terrifying tale from my collection...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); Howard Martin; Mr. Weatherby (owner of a castle, death); Nathan Weatherby (villain, Mr. Weatherby's nephew)

Synopsis

When Howard Martin made an offer to buy the castle from its owner, Mr. Weatherby, then dismantle it and reassemble it back in the states, the owner wouldn't sell and Martin left. But Weatherby's nephew Nathan saw a chance to get some money, so he murdered his uncle, carried him out to the family mausoleum and buried him, then notified the authorities that his uncle had stepped into a quicksand bog on the property and died. Martin was then allowed to buy the property, but strange things began to happen and the castle soon became a tourist attraction.

Reprints

• in Nacht der vampiers (Classics/Williams, 1973 series) (1973)
• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in Skræk (Semic Interpresse, 1994 series) #6 (1. december 1994)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #18 (January 1997)
• 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 The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

Indexer Notes

Colorist and letterer credits by Craig Delich.
Cover story.

Let's Play Poison! (Table of Contents: 3)

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

Script

Ray Bradbury (original story); Al Feldstein (adaptation)

Pencils

Jack Davis (signed)

Inks

Jack Davis (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! And now it's my turn to entertain you!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Crypt-Keeper (host); Mr. Howard

Synopsis

Mr. Howard returned to his classroom in time to see some of his students corner a young boy, who then fell out of a window to his death. Stunned, Howard resigned his position because he secretly now hated all children because of what happened. Seven years later, he resumed teaching after a fellow teacher friend of his died. He called his charges less than human....and they resented it. One day he came across some the kids "playing poison".....on sidewalks with names on them that they took for gravestones. From then on, Howard screamed at any kid even playing hopscotch on the sidewalk. One night, as he sat in his home, he saw a skull appear outside his window.....and he continued seeing it, night after night. One evening, he ran outside after the kids responsible, and fell into an excavation ditch. The kids covered him with dirt. In the days that followed, no adult paid much attention to the sidewalk square with the name "M. Howard R.I.P." on it......as the kids continued to play their game of poison!

Reprints

• in The Autumn People (Ballantine Books, 1965 series) #U2141 (October 1965)
• in EC Portfolio (Russ Cochran, 1971 series) #2 (1972)
• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in Monsieur Sourire (Albin Michel, 1985 series) (1985) [N&B [B&W]]
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #1/1993 (uke 6 1993)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #18 (January 1997)
• in Home to Stay! The Complete EC Ray Bradbury Stories (Fantagraphics, 2022 series) (January 2023)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

Indexer Notes

Based on the 1946 Ray Bradbury story.

Last Assignment (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

? (spot illo)

Inks

? (spot illo)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

There was a fellow in the pressroom today...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Brian Conrad; Erica Williams

Synopsis

A fellow came into the newspaper office, looking for Brian Conrad, and was told he didn't work there anymore, as he left on an assignment, camera in hand, over 5 months earlier and never returned. Conrad's sensational journalistic pictures of crime scenes had increased the paper's readership, and whenever he was snapping such pics, he was doting on Society Editor, Erica Williams. The last time the fellow had seen Conrad was after Conrad had taken pictures of a boy who jumped off a building ledge, and as they sat in the pressroom sipping coffee, in walked Erica. Conrad walked her out to her car, then came back in...until they got a Police call saying there had been a bad accident. Conrad grabbed his camera and left with his friend to visit the crime scene, where they discovered a body, whose chin was impaled on an iron spike on a pole it had been hurled onto by the crash. As Conrad raised his camera.....he stared for a minute and lowered it again....the victim was Erica!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

Indexer Notes

The text story was printed on the inner halves of the two pages, with EC house ads to either side. One featured a promotional ad for Weird Fantasy #17 [with a cover by Al Feldstein], while the other featured, with covers, the Complete Old & New Testaments from the Picture Stories From the Bible series, Picture Stories From Science #2 and Picture Stories From World History #2.

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

The Vault-Keeper's Corner / letters page / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

?

Letters

typeset

Synopsis

The editors take over most of the column to discuss the comic industry's collapse, as many companies were folding up and getting out of the business. They urged loyal EC readers to keep buying their mags, even though EC was losing money on their efforts. VK then talks about the Ray Bradbury adaptations and pushes EC subsciptions.

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6)

statement of ownership / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

?

Letters

typeset

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

Indexer Notes

Frank D. Lee is mentioned as being EC's Business Manager.

A Sock for Christmas (Table of Contents: 7)

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

Script

Al Feldstein; Bill Gaines

Pencils

Jack Kamen (signed)

Inks

Jack Kamen (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! Well, I see it's time for another idiotic infantile insanity...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); Tarby

Synopsis

Long ago in a huge castle lived a King [Irving], his Queen [Matilda] and their only son, Tarby, who was a real brat! The King decides to go into the village and forcibly take another young lad to be the Prince's companion, hoping that would straighten him out. It didn't, but the King gave the Royal order that if Tarby acted up, the other young boy would be whipped instead....and he became the official "whipping boy" at court. With Christmas coming on, the whipping boy was looking forward to what Santa would bring him....but Tarby told him that "bad boys" as he wouldn't get anything from Santa. On the day before Christmas, the whipping boy was returned to his own parents for 24 hours, and he spent time telling them that he was whipped for the bad things that Tarby did. He wanted to know if Santa would still bring him something for Christmas, and his Dad assured him that he would, then went to see the King to beg him to do just that. The King laughed at the man....but the next morning, as the whipping boy woke up and checked out his sock, he saw a presents in his stocking....and the boy's father saw his stocking filled also: with the bloody corpse of the King!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #8/1990 (uke 48 1990)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #18 (January 1997)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #3

Pickled Pints! (Table of Contents: 8)

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! Greetings, ghouls!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Old Witch (host); several bowery derelicts [Jack; Tommy (death); others unnamed]; Herb (blood bank employee); a vampire (villain); Cal (villain, death); Warren (villain, death)

Synopsis

Cal and Warren offer bowery derelicts $10 a pop if they would be willing to donate a pint of blood, then then the two sell it to a legitimate blood bank for $30, thus making a very nice living. However, when one of the bums die, prospects for more donations dry up, so the pair decide to take matters into their own hands. However, one night, they bring in a rather heavy guy, lay him on a table and prepare to take the blood, when the man opens his red, fiery eyes and attacks them both. How could they have known this guy was a vampire?!?

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #5/1992 (uke 29 1992)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #18 (January 1997)
• 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

Keywords

monsters

Indexer Notes

Script, colorist and letterer credits by Craig Delich.