How could I have made such an oversight? I have been on a horror comics kick and I have been celebrating a number of excellent, classic comic book covers and I have failed to mention EC Comics. Oh, there is MUCH I have to say about EC since the books were awesome reads (well, the reprints were) when I was a youngster. They were creepy, scary, and they stood the test of time. DC Comics from the 1950’s are barely readable and even some early Marvel titles are downright rotten in their prose. EC, however, were DECADES ahead of their time…and that was one reason they were targeted into extinction.

Doesn't the following cover from THE VAULT OF HORROR truly make you want to flip open the book and see what is in it? The creepy image of the ghost "crashing" the seance truly adds a sense of ominous dread and mystery. That, folks, is how you attract a potential buyer. EC knew how to lure customers in. It was a publisher that truly mastered the art of the comic book cover.