Showing posts with label EC Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EC Comics. Show all posts

EC Comics Imprint Returns


Some news from Oni Press:

Seventy years after the creation of the Comics Code Authority irrevocably changed the course of comics history, the most infamous, notorious and controversial comic publisher of all time is set to return from the grave in summer 2024… 

Oni Press – the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic fiction for more than 25 years – is proud to announce a brand-new publishing partnership with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. that will see the full-fledged return of EC Comics to comic shop and bookstore shelves worldwide with a slate of all-new series beginning in the summer of 2024. 

Beginning with EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 in July and CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 in August – the first official EC Comics series produced in nearly seven decades – Oni’s ambitious EC Comics publishing program will be overseen by Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson and Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn in partnership with Cathy Gaines Mifsud and Corey Mifsud, the daughter and grandson of legendary EC Publisher William M. Gaines and administrators of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. 

“As my father said, ‘Only in the bounds of good taste!’ and I’m so excited to exhibit EC's good taste with Oni Press, who have distinguished themselves with both an award-winning library of comics and graphic novels and a passionate understanding of EC’s singular role in shaping comics history,” said Cathy Gaines Mifsud, President of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. 

“EC Comics is no stranger to a good comeback story! We’re thrilled to make this return with Oni Press and usher the classic EC sensibilities into the modern world,” said Corey Mifsud, Executive Director of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. “It’s always been our dream to one day bring the fearless creative spirit of EC to a new generation. Working hand-in-hand with Oni’s award-winning team and a sensational cast of creators, it’s a pleasure to – at long last – shepherd EC into the 21st century with all-new series and stories.”

Edited by Hahn, Oni’s curated line of EC titles – which will include at least two series on a monthly basis from July 2024 onward in the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and more – will feature contributions from a rotating cast of high-profile comics talents that includes writers Jason Aaron (Thor, Southern Bastards), Brian Azzarello (Batman: Damned, 100 Bullets), Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), Corinna Bechko (Invisible Republic), Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun), Christopher Cantwell (Briar), Cecil Castellucci (Shade the Changing Girl), Chris Condon (That Texas Blood), Joshua Hale Fialkov (The Bunker), J. Holtham (AMC’s The Handmaid’s Tale), Jeff Jensen (HBO’s Watchmen, Green River Killer), Matt Kindt (BRZRKR, Mind MGMT), Sean Lewis (King Spawn), Stephanie Phillips (Grim), Jay Stephens (Dwellings), Zac Thompson (Cemetery Kids Don’t Die), Ben H. Winters (CBS’ Tracker), and more; artists Kano (Gotham Central, Immortal Iron Fist), Peter Krause (Irredeemable), Leomacs (Rogues), Malachi Ward (Black Hammer: The End), Dustin Weaver (Avengers, Paklis), and more; designer Rian Hughes (The Multiversity); alongside covers from Lee Bermejo (A Vicious Circle, Batman: Damned), Greg Smallwood (The Human Target), J.H. Williams III (Sandman: Overture, Promethea), and more to be revealed in the weeks and months ahead. 

“Seventy years ago, EC Comics redefined what comics could be with shocking, confrontational and brilliantly crafted stories that challenged the existential issues at the center of American life – censorship, racism, sexism, nuclear proliferation, and more. Today, those battles continue in alarming and pernicious new ways,” said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief, Sierra Hahn. “What better time to resurrect the undying spirit of EC Comics – one of the most entertaining, subversive, and influential publishers of all time – with an all-star cast of storytellers to examine today’s society through the lens that William Gaines and his legendary collaborators have left us.”


Founded by M.C. "Max" Gaines – often cited as one of the original creators of the comic book format – as “Educational Comics” in 1944, EC spearheaded a watershed evolution in the craft, quality, and power of the comics medium under Max's son, William M. Gaines, following the elder Gaines’ sudden death in 1947. Rechristening his father’s creation as “Entertaining Comics,” publisher, editor, and writer William M. Gaines recruited one of the most legendary creative stables in the history of the comics medium – including future Eisner Hall of Fame inductees Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Will Elder, Al Feldstein, Frank Frazetta, Bernard Krigstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Joe Orlando, John Severin, Marie Severin, Al Williamson, Wally Wood, and many more – to oversee the creation of a revolutionary slate of new series that would soon grow to include TALES FROM THE CRYPT, MAD MAGAZINE, WEIRD SCIENCE, TWO-FISTED TALES, and more. 

Widely celebrated for fearlessly confrontational stories that were as creatively innovative as they were culturally subversive – confronting racial and gender inequality, militarism, and environmental degradation in ways that would anticipate both the burgeoning counterculture and Civil Rights movements – EC’s urge to probe the darkness lurking beyond the edges of post-war America through tales of horror, science fiction, humor, and war earned the company millions of readers … and established a new high watermark for one of the first definitively American artforms: the comic book. 

However, EC’s reign at the forefront of the American comic book industry – a period during which it eclipsed Marvel, DC, and Archie with sales of 10 million comics per year – would come crashing down in 1954 as an anti-comics moral panic swept America, inspiring book burnings, police surveillance, and a Congressional investigation that would see William M. Gaines’ testimony broadcast live in households across the country. This pro-censorship movement soon culminated in the creation of the Comics Code Authority, a sanitizing regulatory group whose guidelines were specifically tailored to remove EC’s comics from newsstands. EC’s final comics – until now – were published in 1956, and the hugely popular MAD was re-formatted as a magazine to escape Code scrutiny. Even so, the untimely death of EC could not erase the company’s far-reaching impact, having already inspired a young generation of readers – including John Carpenter, Guillermo del Toro, Matt Groening, James Gunn, George Lucas, Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, The Ramones, George Romero, Steven Spielberg, and hundreds more – who have cited EC’s iconoclastic brand of storytelling as a deep and primordial influence. 

“There are few things more sacred to the canon of comic book history – and global pop culture – than EC Comics. The company’s audaciously inspired sensibilities have continuously echoed through nearly all facets of entertainment – like pieces of shrapnel embedded in American imagination,” said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. “It’s both a huge honor and immense responsibility to be entrusted to work alongside the Gaines family in inhabiting EC’s indomitable spirit for a new generation. At a moment when we find ourselves confronting the same reactionary forces – injustice, inequality, and of course, censorship – that EC challenged head-on, we intend to write a new and powerful chapter that honors and expands one of the most important legacies the comic book medium has ever produced.”

Oni Press’ first two new EC titles – EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS and CRUEL UNIVERSE, a pair of horror and science anthologies in the classic EC mold – will debut in July and August 2024, respectively, before the publisher introduces more series in genres and formats that will expand the scope and scale of the EC publishing line in ways never before attempted. 

Coming Up: 'Home to Stay!: The Complete Ray Bradbury EC Stories'



Out from Fantagraphics Books Oct. 18. Order now from Amazon.

Details:

A special companion to our New York Times best-selling classic reprint series, this collection features all the Ray Bradbury stories adapted by EC Comics (including the unauthorized ones!) for the first time in one volume.

Between 1951 and 1954, EC Comics adapted 28 classic Ray Bradbury stories into comics form, scripted by Al Feldstein and interpreted and illustrated by all of EC's top artists: Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Will Elder, George Evans, Frank Frazetta, Graham Ingels, Jack Kamen, Bernard Krigstein, Joe Orlando, John Severin, Angelo Torres, Al Williamson, and Wallace Wood. This special companion collection to our EC Comics Library series features all 28 stories with stunning art reproduced in generously oversized coffee table dimensions!

Highlights in this singular volume include: "Home to Stay"— a clever combination of two Bradbury science fiction stories that Bradbury himself proclaimed topped his originals (available in no other form or medium), masterfully woven together by Al Feldstein and Wallace Wood. "A Sound of Thunder" — the classic time-travel-gone-wrong story brilliantly illustrated by Al Williamson and Angelo Torres. "Touch and Go" — an obsessive psychological thriller tautly executed by Johnny Craig. And many more, including "The Million Year Picnic" (Elder), "I, Rocket" (Williamson and Frazetta), "Zero Hour" (Kamen), "Mars Is Heaven" (Wood), and "There Will Come Soft Rains…" (Wood). Plus three bonus stories inspired by other Bradbury tales.

A superb, sumptuous showcase for these classic comic book masterpieces that have never before been collected together in one volume.





Coming Up: The EC Archives - Confessions Illustrated

Out in June. Order now from Amazon.

Details: 

Containing illustrated prose stories of scandal and forbidden romance, The EC Archives: Confessions Illustrated collects the entire Confessions Illustrated in one volume and is illustrated by industry legends: Wally Wood, Joe Orlando, Reed Crandell, and more!

This archive volume contains Confessions Illustrated issues 1 though 3.

Out July 6: "EC Covers Artist's Edition"

Available for order now from Amazon.

Details:

EC Comics, under the guidance of publisher Bill Gaines, was--according to the editor of this collection--the greatest line of comics ever done. This once-in-a-liftime Artist's Edition collects more than 140 EC covers by their best and brightest talents. The luminaries included in this gigantic (15 x 22 inches!) tome include:

Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman, Graham Ingels, Al Williamson, Johnny Craig, Frank Frazetta, Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, and more! To make a baseball analogy, this is a Murderers Row every bit as noteworthy as the '27 Yankees!

Also includes an Introduction by noted EC scholar Thommy Burns.

Each cover in this collection has been scanned from the original art While appearing to be in black and white, these images were scanned in COLOR, enabling the reader to see all the subtle nuances that make original art unique. Blue pencil notations, zip-a-tone, Duoshade, whiteout--all of these and more are clearly visible. Honestly, the only better way to see these covers is to be holding the original art in your hands! 

"EC Covers Artist's Edition" gives fans a close-up look at classic comic book art

Another of IDW's large-format art collections, the "EC Covers Arists' Edition" is out in June and available for pre-order now from Amazon.

Details from IDW:

EC Comics, under the guidance of publisher Bill Gaines, was--according to the editor of this collection--the greatest line of comics ever done. This once-in-a-liftime Artist's Edition collects more than 140 EC covers by their best and brightest talents. The luminaries included in this gigantic (15 x 22 inches!) tome include:

Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman, Graham Ingels, Al Williamson, Johnny Craig, Frank Frazetta, Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, and more! To make a baseball analogy, this is a Murderers Row every bit as noteworthy as the '27 Yankees!

Also includes an Introduction by noted EC scholar Thommy Burns.

Each cover in this collection has been scanned from the original art While appearing to be in black and white, these images were scanned in COLOR, enabling the reader to see all the subtle nuances that make original art unique. Blue pencil notations, zip-a-tone, Duoshade, whiteout--all of these and more are clearly visible. Honestly, the only better way to see these covers is to be holding the original art in your hands!

Hardcover, 160 pages. 

Coming up: "Man and Superman and Other Stories: The EC Comics Library" by Harvey Kurtzman


Out Jan. 28. Order from Amazon now.

Details:
These stories ― all drawn by Kurtzman, some of which he also wrote ― are from the pages of Weird ScienceWeird FantasyTales from the Crypt, and more. With Al Feldstein, Kurtzman created "Lost in the Microcosm," "The Man Who Raced Time," and "Atom Bomb Thief." There's also "The Radioactive Child," "The Last War on Earth," and the titular story, a cautionary tale about how the laws of physics would impact a real-world superhero, delivered in a uniquely bold, slashing cartoony-but-dead-serious style. This volume also includes essays by experts and more. Black & white illustrations throughout.

Coming Up: "Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics"



Out Dec. 17 from Dark Horse. Order from Amazon now.

Details:
This volume collects stories from EC Comics' most famous titles, featuring classic stories from the hands of legendary creators Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Johnny Craig, Jack Davis, Wally Wood, and more!

Collects material from issues of Crime SuspenStories, Frontline Combat, Haunt of Fear, Impact, Shock SuspenStories, Tales from the Crypt, Two-Fisted Tales, Vault of Horror, Weird Fantasy, Weird Science, and Weird Science-Fantasy. Over 500 pages.

Coming up: Fall Guy For Murder And Other Stories by Johnny Craig

Out April 20, 2013: The first collection to ever showcase the chronological run of Johnny Craig’s crisp, elegantly drawn Crime SuspenStories adds noir to the EC Comics library.

Surrounded by the ornate, retro, proto-splatter horror graphics of Jack Davis and Graham Ingels and the slick, futuristic sci-fi stylings of Wally Wood and Al Williamson, EC Comics superstar Johnny Craig stood out with his elegant, crisp, contemporary graphic style. And nowhere did this style work more beautifully than in the dozens of superb crime comics he wrote and drew for EC, mostly in Crime SuspenStories (for which he handled the cover and lead-story duties for most of its run).

Featuring escaped convicts, murderous husbands and wives, blackmailing maids, scheming nurses, executioners, time bombs, private dicks, and the occasional hatchet killer, the 22 stories in this book—all written and drawn by Craig—comprise a perfect encapsulation of the very best kind of noir writing, stunningly executed (in more than one sense of the word!) by one of the great cartoonists of his (or any) era. And all in eight pages per story! Fall Guy For Murder and other Stories is the first collection to showcase the chronological run of Craig’s Crime SuspenStories tales in one criminally convenient package, supplemented with several fascinating essays and informative historical notes on the stories.