EC Comics Have Risen From The Dead In New Series

Controversial EC Comics, which warped young minds with tales of horror and suspense and spawned spinoffs in film and TV, has returned with original stories in a new anthology series.

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Oni Press has licensed the EC Comics banner and last month released its first issue, Epitaphs From the Abyss. The second, Cruel Universe, arrives this month with a focus on science fiction stories.

The EC Comics brand has a fabled history.

EC Comics stopped publishing all but its humor magazine, Mad, in 1956 because of government censorship pressures and accusations of fomenting juvenile delinquency. As a result, the Comics Code Authority was created to regulate the industry.

The new series is a partnership between Oni Press and the family of William M. Gaines, the original publisher of EC Comics, who died in1992.

EC Comics brought the world series like Tales from the Crypt and Weird Science.

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Epitaphs from the Abyss #1 has stories by Brian Azzarello, J. Holtham, Stephanie Phillips and Chris Condon, with art by Lee Bermejo, Phil Hester, Peter Krause and Jorge Fornés. Epitaphs From the Abyss has been extended from its original five-issue run to a 12-issue monthly series.

Creators for stories in upcoming issues include Charlie Adlard ( The Walking Dead ), Corinna Bechko ( Green Lantern: Earth One ), Matt Bors ( Toxic Avenger ), Chris Condon ( That Texas Blood ), Matt Kindt ( BRZRKR ), Matthew Rosenberg ( DC Vs. Vampires ), Mark Russell ( X-Factor ), Tim Seeley ( Local Man ), Jay Stephens ( Dwellings ), Joanne Starer ( Sirens of the City ), and Alexandre Tenfengki ( The Good Asian ).

All issues will have covers by Eisner Award nominee Lee Bermejo ( Joker ).

Oni said more than 65,000 copies were sold of the first issue of Epitaphs From the Abyss.

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