Vault of Horror #33

(October-November 1953)

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

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

Script

?

Pencils

Bill Elder (signed as B. Elder)

Inks

Bill Elder (signed as B. Elder)

Letters

?

Synopsis

House ad for MAD Comics.

Together They Lie! (Table of Contents: 2)

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

Script

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

Pencils

Reed Crandall (signed as Reed Crandall)

Inks

Reed Crandall (signed as Reed Crandall)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh, heh! Hello again, little horror fiends.

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); Agnes Wheatley (death); Mr. Horton (Agnes’s boss, death); Alex Fairchild (Horton's attorney)

Synopsis

Agnes and her boss's attorney decided to create a major hoax on her employer, Mr. Horton, as she implied to him that his wife was having an affair with his attorney. Distraut, Horton went to his attorney, had his will changed making Agnes the heir instead of his wife, and then committed suicide. As Agnes and Alex Fairfield celebrated the success of their hoax, the pair were suddenly interrupted by the corpse of Horton crashing in. The next morning, the dead bodies of Alex and Agnes were found on top of the Horton grave, and his tombstone carefully restored to what it had been!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #2 (November 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (January 1998)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2014 series) #4, #4
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #15 - The High Cost of Dying and Other Stories (February 2016) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #4

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

Script credit from Tales of Terror: The EC Companion.

Partly influenced by Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca" (1938) per John Benson.

Much of the story is told in flashback.

Let the Punishment Fit the Crime! (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

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

heh, heh! Find felicitations, fiends.

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Crypt-Keeper (host); Clara Cootes; Edwin Cootes; Herbert Draper (mortician); Dr. Stacey; Frank Bundage (store owner); George Sparkman (electrician); Mathilda Priddy (schoolteacher); Sye Shusters (lawyer); Judge Delaney; Mrs. Philips; Freddy Philips (death)

Synopsis

Children in town had questioned people about various things regarding death and funerals, and were fascinated about a man dying in the electric chair. But they really wanted to know what the punishment for robbery and kidnapping would be, and a lawyer informed them it wouldn't be death. As the kids came down the street carrying a coffin, a mother came up screaming to townsfolk, telling them that her son was missing and that he had stolen another child's doll and had refused to give it back. Then they all looked in horror as they gazed over at the kids, who had just finished burying the coffin!

Reprints

• in Tales from the Crypt (Ballantine Books, 1964 series) (December 1964)
• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in Gysertimen (Interpresse, 1987 series) #5 (13. november 1987)
• in Iskalde Grøss album (Semic, 1989 series) #2 ([mai] 1990)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #2 (November 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (January 1998)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2014 series) #4
• 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) #4

Indexer Notes

Script revision by Craig Delich, adding Feldstein's script credit.

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

Cover story.

Wrecker! (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

Carlson squinted through the tiny cab window...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Carlson; Jaffery

Synopsis

Carlson was at the controls of a wrecker-crane after working over a troublesome wall, and he watched Jaffery working on that partially demolished wall. All Carlson could think of was to bring down that wall with Jaffery still clinging to it......Jaffery would be dead and Carlson would claim the derrick got away from his control. Carlson swung the ball closer and brought down the wall, and he could hear Jaffery's screams. He jumped out of the cab and peered down at the wreckage, unaware that the derrick was still in operation, and he didn't see the steel cable come at hom until it was too late. Later, Carlson's co-workers stood over his body, remarking that they had never seen anyone beheaded so quickly before!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #2 (November 1991)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2014 series) #4
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #4

Indexer Notes

The text story is found on the inner halves of each pages, w/EC house ads to each side. On one side is an ad for Weird Fantasy #21 [cover by Al Williamson & Frank Frazetta], while the other side had ads, w/covers, for 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 / 1 page (report information)

Letters

typeset

Synopsis

The entire column, given over by VK to the editors, promoted the new E.C. Addict Fan Club, and how to become a member.

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2014 series) #4
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #4

A Slight Case of Murder! (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

George Evans (signed as G. Evans)

Inks

George Evans (signed as G. Evans)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The newspaper stories and word-of-mouth rumors ...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); Doc Sam Swanson; Phil Ingram (newspaper editor); Sheriff Moulton (villain, actually a deformed baby, death); Amelia Bates (Moulton's mother)

Synopsis

Doc Swanson gazed up at the abandoned mansion on the hill and knew it was the answer to all of the killings, and told the Sheriff who he thought responsible for the crimes, but the Sheriff said the murders had to have been committed by something inhuman, and explained how each of the bodies were found, throats slashed, and door locked. Sam figured that a woman's deformed baby born in the mansion was the murderer. The Sheriff suddenly lunged at Doc, wanting to kill him, but the townsfolk entered and took care of the Sheriff, whose body was an artificial framework housing that deformed child!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in Gysertimen (Interpresse, 1987 series) #4 (13. september 1987)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #4/1989 (uke 22 1989)
which is reprinted
• in Iskalde Grøss pocket (Semic, 1996 series) #4 ([august] 1997)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #2 (November 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (January 1998)
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2014 series) #4
• 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) #4

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

The visage of the Vault-Keeper on page 1 was a photostat taken from the Johnny Craig illustrated story, "Werewolf Concerto".

Script credit from Tales of Terror: The EC Companion.

Strung Along! (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

Hee, hee!

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Old Witch (host); Tony Zargono (puppet maker, death); Nora (Tony's wife, death)

Synopsis

Tony once was a famed puppeteer, performing shows all over and becoming quite wealthy. Although he loved his puppets, he needed a human love interest and that was Nora, whom he married. Soon Tony was diagnosed with a bad heart condition, forcing him to retire. It was then that money troubles began and his wife finally told him that she married him for his money. He gave her once last kiss before he died, and the next day, they found their bodies, side-by-side.......but Nora's had been dismembered and reconnected by strings.....strings tied to the marionettes' hands!

Reprints

• in The Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #4/1990 (uke 22 1990)
which is reprinted
• in Iskalde Grøss pocket (Hjemmet / Egmont, 1998 series) #7 ([mars] 1999)
• in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1991 series) #2 (November 1991)
• in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (January 1998)
• in Nemi (Hjemmet / Egmont, 2003 series) #8 ([november] 2003) [2. translation]
• 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, 2014 series) #4
• in The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #4

Indexer Notes

Script revision by Craig Delich, adding Feldstein script.

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

Much of the story is told in flashback.