Is anyone talking about the EC Archives?

[discostu]

Seriously, these things rock. EC is putting out archive hard cover collections six issues at a time. Tales From The Crypt, Shock Suspense Stories, Weird Tales, Two Fisted Tales. All re-colored from the original artwork!

[Sir Tim Drake]

Seriously, these things rock. EC is putting out archive hard cover collections six issues at a time. Tales From The Crypt, Shock Suspense Stories, Weird Tales, Two Fisted Tales. All re-colored from the original artwork!

Who is publishing these (obviously it can't be EC)? Are you referring to the Russ Cochran reprints or the EC reprints or what?

My university library has what appears to be a full set of the EC hardcovers, but I haven't yet gotten around to reading any of them. I will one of these days.

[Cherokee Jack]

Who is publishing these (obviously it can't be EC)? Are you referring to the Russ Cochran reprints or the EC reprints or what?

My university library has what appears to be a full set of the EC hardcovers, but I haven't yet gotten around to reading any of them. I will one of these days.

I've seen these on my last trip to the big city. One nice thing about them is they are just a bit bigger (height & width, not page count) than DC's Archives, or Marvel's Masterworks, so the page size isn't shrunk.

You can see a preview here:

http://talesofwonder.com/info-exec/display/store_locator

....and here's some more info:

EC ARCHIVES LAUNCH IN OCTOBER

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Press Release


Once unjustly maligned as a cause of escalating teen delinquency during the ’50s, the EC Comics line — created by publisher William Gaines and a host of some of comics’ most legendary artists — is now considered by scholars, fans, and collectors alike as a milestone achievement in graphic storytelling, years ahead of its time. These comics entertained millions during their all-too-short runs and influenced some of our generation’s most talented writers, filmmakers, and artists. They have inspired cartoons, movies, TV series, and countless parodies and tributes, and now these classics of the 20th century are set to return, presented in a stunning new format for the 21st century!

EC Crypt and Gemstone Publishing are proud to present the first volume in The EC Archives, launching in October 2006 with Weird Science Volume One! Previous collected editions of the classic EC Comics line reproduced the stories in black-and-white which, although showcasing the beautiful line art rendered by such EC greats as Graham “Ghastly” Ingels and Wally Wood, did not preserve the wonderful coloring expertly applied by EC and Marvel Comics veteran, Marie Severin. The EC Archives editions will present these stories with all-new colors based on the originals, but utilizing new methods of shading and texture to enhance and improve each story’s impact. The reproduction of these volumes will be the best ever presented, as each of The EC Archives will be shot directly from the original EC art!

Weird Science Volume One kicks off the series in October with a 212-page hardcover volume collecting the first six issues of the legendary Sci-Fi comics series! Included are stories by Al Feldstein, William Gaines and more, with art by legendary illustrators Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman, Joe Orlando, Jack Kamen, Al Feldstein and others. Each volume will also include all of the original EC advertisements, editorial pieces, and even letters pages, to give readers a true idea what made EC one of the most influential comic book lines ever created.

“The EC Comics line was a classic in its day, “said Publisher Russ Cochran. “It is still popular with collectors and has been an influence on everyone from comic creators to filmmakers in Hollywood.”

One filmmaker in particular who holds the EC Comics line in high regard is legendary Star Wars creator, George Lucas, who provides a nostalgic foreword for this first volume. One can assume that comics such as Weird Science helped to expand the imagination of a young George Lucas, steering him towards an eventual journey to A Galaxy Far, Far Away…

And Lucas isn’t alone in his appreciation for the EC Comics line. His own friend and frequent collaborator, Steven Spielberg, provides the foreword for the second volume in the series, Shock SuspenStories Volume One, which will be released in November 2006. Thereafter, fans and collectors can expect additional volumes such as Tales from the Crypt Volume One in December 2006, Two-Fisted Tales Volume One in January 2007, and additional volumes to follow throughout 2007!

All volumes are priced at $49.95 and will be available at bookstores and comic book specialty stores.

[MDG]

For some reason, I can't get excited over the seventh or eighth EC reprint series.

MDG

[Allan Harvey]

Who is publishing these (obviously it can't be EC)? Are you referring to the Russ Cochran reprints or the EC reprints or what?



The short version is that Gemstone is reprinting the EC material in HC volumes that mimick the DC Archive or Marvel Masterwork format - with new colouring, supervised (iirc) by Marie Severin.

[Bill Angus]

I hadn't heard that Marie was actually involved... I thought they were just using her guides as a starting off point.

I've only flipped through one of these, but I honestly found the modern colouring techniques distracting. I'm a much bigger fan of the b&w hardcover editons.

[Slam_Bradley]

EC reprints are pretty readily available in a variety of formats, and the paper ones can be pretty cheap. And I have a hard time reading more than a couple of EC books a week. They get pretty repetitive otherwise. I can't really see me picking these up unless I could get them at a DEEP discount.

[sheets]

I got the first two around Christmas (Tales From the Crypt is delayed right now) and tore through them very quickly. I think the recoloring and production values on the books are outstanding and I'm looking forward to the rest of the line being reprinted in that format.

[Lone Ranger]

For some reason, I can't get excited over the seventh or eighth EC reprint series.

MDG

LOL!

I agree - I've probably got enough of the EC horror in either original or one reprint form or another to keep me happy.

I really wish that someone would reprint the Harvey Horror books.

Now, those would be great!

[TheHistorian]

For some reason, I can't get excited over the seventh or eighth EC reprint series.

And arguably not even the best...


I've only flipped through one of these, but I honestly found the modern colouring techniques distracting. I'm a much bigger fan of the b&w hardcover editons.

...as Bill points out.


I'm with you guys. After waiting a gazillion years for the Picto-Fiction set to finish my collection, I'm not rebuying all this stuff in another (IMHO, inferior) format. Actually, I think the only reason we actually got Picto-Fiction is because they wanted to cash in on the Archive format, and were a little worried about backlash if they didn't. (Yeah, I'm cynical, but the timing would be a heck of a coincidence.)

[dan bailey]

All true. It's almost enough to make me think that EC is in the public domain, or something -- I'm reminded of the myriad, perfectly legit DVD editions of Night of the Living Dead.

[Reptisaurus!]

I'm not the world's hugest EC fan except for Kurtzman's War Comics and, of course, Piracy.

But it's historically important 'n classic mateiral, and I think it's dang cool that people can buy this stuff in a bunch of different formats.