Epitaphs from the Abyss Volume 1 offers a visually striking experience, with each story featuring a different art style that, while varied, still feels cohesive. This keeps the anthology fresh, and the one-shot tales are inventive and provide a nice mix of ideas. However, the political themes can come across as heavy-handed, detracting from the overall storytelling. The short story format makes it tough to develop strong characters, and as a result, none of them leave a lasting impression. The horror elements also fall flat, lacking the tension and scares expected from the genre. Overall, while the anthology shows promise, it struggles to fully engage emotionally or chill the reader.

This comic started so promising and failed to deliver. The first issue of EC Epitaphs is the strongest. The stories are unique and interesting, and the short pace didn't hinder them. The remaining three issues are weak. The stories are dull or clichéd, and the ones that aren't don't have enough space to breathe. They wrap up so quickly, just as things were getting good. It's a mixed bag of stories.

This collection does excel at recapturing the look, feel, and vibe of the old horror comics. You’ve got gruesome artwork, stories that drop you right in the middle of action, blood, guts, and a creepy host – what every good anthology needs. Otherwise, there are better horror anthologies out there. If anything, it'll give you the itch to watch anthology series like Tales from the Crypt or Tales from the Darkside once you finish reading. I'd recommend watching those instead of reading this collection.

THE MOST NOTORIOUS NAME IN TERROR IS BACK—WITH A VENGEANCE!

From the publisher that drove Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, and many more into the depraved hearts of an unsuspecting world, the immortal EC COMICS returns with its first ALL-NEW series in nearly 70 years!

EC comics is back like a zombie from the grave! If you're an old Boomer or Gen x'er like me you probably have sweet memories of getting the latest issue of "Tales from The Crypt" from the comic store and racing up to your room to scare yourself silly with the amazing stories inside.
I have missed that experience and the comic for all of these years and none of the imposters that have popped up over the years have even come close to the magic of the original.

But here it is! Reborn and dripping blood!

All the stories within are worth reading, some a little better than others but all worthy. I love how the new stories are not just rehashing of the stories of old but new tales that are relevant to today's issues, concerns, and interest.
This baby doesn't come with any trigger warnings cus if you remember the original then you know what to expect. Blood, gore, violence, irreverent humor, and just about any other trigger you can think of that will make you skin crawl, your eyes pop, your breath quicken, and probably grin like a psychopath.
I guess you get that I enjoyed every bloody page and stayed up late into the night to finish because I just could not turn away.
Give me more!

Highly recommended . Published May 6,2025

Thanks to @netgalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for access to the eARC for "EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1".

'EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1" collects issues #1-4 of "Epitaphs from the Abyss". Hearkening back to the classic horror comics of the 50's, the modern re-imagining of the classic EC comics was done quite well. The stories include every bit of nostalgia that could be pulled from classic EC: simple stories, imaginative twists, gore, and top names in the genre. You really can't lose with this collection. As is typical with any anthology, the stories vary in quality, but fortunately they are all middling to better.

My first experience with this and it was good. I feel like maybe the hype I heard in the past wouldn't qualify for this just because while I enjoyed parts there's some that stuck me in a eh way. It's hard to describe. This was interesting but definitely in the '80s 90's interesting way and nothing truly scary or frightening.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Arc of this comic. I really liked this collection of short stories. Each story being so different from the next and the art was amazing. I enjoyed the different twists and turns, though I will say some stories were a bit hit or miss. Due to the length of certain stories, it kind of made some of the endings a bit underwhelming. I am looking forward to seeing how this series will grow.

A fair return for an old, beloved series. All of the stories in Epitaphs from the Abyss are beautifully drawn but few of them are too memorable.

Really a great read if you don’t mind gore and you like the old Tales from the Crypt and The Creepshow. Lots of twists, unapologetic homicidal lunatics, and creatures, very nostalgic in the writing and delivery. I enjoyed it a lot. The artwork is traditional but good, not for the faint of heart.

This is a serviceable collection of short horror comic book stories. There's not a lot to rave about. but most of the stories are good. I think this will appeal to fans of classic horror comics, but won't do as well with people who aren't fans of that genre.

When I was younger I used to watch The Tales from The Crypt show (although I probably shouldn’t have at that age) and then I quickly migrated to the books. Once I saw there was a new collection in the same vein of Tales from the Crypt etc I knew it would be good but I didn’t know how good. One thing I love about the horror genre is how often it is used to explore current societal issues under the guise of a quick scare but there is so much more than just quick scares here. I devoured this comic. Each story is unique, with fantastic storytelling, wonderful lines and colouring and is sure to stay with you long after reading.

It is hard to pick a favourite but I will definitely be getting this in hard copy and continuing to collect the series. This is a must for horror comic fans, horror fans and of course Tales from the Crypt fans.
As always thank you to Oni Press for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

Unfortunately I will not be leaving a review for this title. The art is awesome and I really enjoyed the throw back to old horror comics. The story’s are just too heavy handed and steeped in politics for my liking. The stories that weren’t were just too simplistic.

Thank you for the opportunity and look forward to future reads.

In 1944, Max Gaines, once principal of All American Comics who introduced such heroes as Captain America, Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman, decided that he would go it alone and set up a new comic for children that would showcase educational and religious material for children called Educational Comics - later to change its name to Entertaining Comics and finally to EC.

Unfortunately, Gaines died, leaving his inheritance (and his debts) to his son, Bill.

Managing a company that took him away from his studies as a trainee chemistry teacher, Bill’s main contribution to the company was to turn up once a week to sign paychecks.

That all changed in 1948 when a young artist called Al Feldstein joined the team and a new line and a new era of comics launched in the fifties thus cementing the company’s place in comic book history.

Surprisingly, the comic only ran for five years, and whilst not the first to include horror in their material, they made an impact on the minds and psyche of their young readers, with fans including Stephen King, Steven Spielberg, Tobe Hooper and John Carpenter to name a few,

However, with the cries of alarmist conservatives decrying that EC and the many others were responsible for corrupting the young minds of the American nation and driving them to delinquency, the Comics Code Authority was introduced in 1954, basically stating whilst ‘voluntary’ this was the industry standard and that publications not sporting the standard on the cover would not be stocked and in short becoming the Sword of Damocles for the eponymous horror comics.

The comics were reprinted throughout the years, and even I as a horror obsessed young child in the UK enjoyed reprints of Tales From The Crypt or Vault of Horror. So, to see this latest attempt to breathe new life into the famous comic line, I knew I had to give it a go. And not only that, to see that it was published by Oni Press, I was intrigued.

The new iteration of the comics uses the moniker Epitaphs of The Abyss, which I thought ‘fair enough, I’m not quite sure, but let’s give it a go!’.

This collection brings together the First four issues of the new series and has a galaxy of comic book stars including Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets, Before Watchmen: Comedian / Rorschach, Wonder Woman, Hellblazer), Stephane Phillips (Harley Quinn, Grim, Spider Gwen, Ghost Spider), Chris Condon (Green Arrow, That Texas Blood, The Enfield Gang Massacre) to name a few.

Now! How does it do to bringing back something that is already loved?

Well, reboots are always difficult, and there is an expectation from those that already have something lodged in their brains. However, Oni Press don’t do a half bad job to be honest. The mission statement at the end of the collection highlights that the publishers wanted to bring back the comic as if the Comics Code Authority had not existed and suitable for a 21st Century audience.

One of the things that they have done is manage to capture the social commentary that was apparent in the originals, and unfortunately in this second quarter of the twenty first century there is as much to shine a light on as there was in the fifties. The comic attempts to bring to the fore neo nazism, conservative politics, coercive control and other matters. However, whilst it is ok to capture the political effervescence of the originals, it also has to capture that sense of macabre fun, and guess what? It does!

Yeah, sometimes it can be a bit hit and miss, but that was the same with the original, as it is with all anthology stories. Some of them might be a bit frying pannish in their attempt to get a point across, but who cares? At least they are attempting to make people think.

Overall, this showcase, with its new iteration of hosts, manages to capture all the aspects of the originals that made them what they were, and whilst there may be a couple of hops and skips, let’s hope the jumps take the comic sky high.

As a huge fan of the classic EC comics of the 1950s, I was looking forward to this new series. For the most part the artwork is good to top notch, especially the covers. But the stories fail to capture the EC mystique and seem to aim simply for gore. The clever twists EC was known for fall flat here. To be honest, these stories would fare better without having to carry the burden of the EC name—one is bound to fail to reach that standard. Still, a good try and I appreciate the effort to honor these great classic comics.

Was really looking forward to this, but ended up feeling let down. The art was okay for the most part, with some stellar artists and a couple of mediocre ones, but the stories themselves were really lacking, IMO. Underdeveloped, weirdly structured, with twist endings slapped on that more often than not fell flat completely, and lots of gore just for gore's sake, this was just one disappointment after the other.
YMMV, of course, and I'm all for resurrecting classic horror anthology comic books, but EC really needs to invest in better storytelling. That said, I'll keep an eye out for future volumes, because I just really like the format.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

I am a huge fan of the classic EC comics. I was a bit disappointed by the revival of EC comics with this volume

As an EC addict I couldn't be more disappointed by this, which feels awkward and amateurish, an affront to the legacy of geniuses such as Johnny Craig. Read Fanta's archives instead.

This is a fantastic and creative look at horror in comics form. A wonderful reminder that this is a vibrant genre for this medium.

The artistry of the cover is great. I wish the artwork within each story was to this level too, but I also understand why it wasn't and it's fine. The stories themselves were so-so. I imagine back in the late 80s or early 90s these stories would have been captivating, but they weren't that interesting. I have mixed thoughts about the political horror story, because I understand the angle they were going for, but this story just like the others felt a bit rushed. The pacing of each story feels rushed at times, but I found the stories somewhat entertaining.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this collection and will read it again soon.

I ended up reading the first 4 volumes, and I plan on getting the rest.

Growing up in a small rural area, I didn’t have access to or even know about the original Tales from the Crypt comic books, but I did grow up with the Tales from the Crypt TV show, and the Creepshow movies, which I both love.

The stories have that same touch of ghoulish humour and twisted justice.
The Artwork is fantastic and fit the stories perfectly.

If you liked the original comics or the Tales from the Crypt TV show, you will love this.

The same as when rating a prose short story collection, EC Epitaphs from the Abyss is difficult to rate because while I was entertained by each of the stories, some were simply better than others. As always, major kudos to the creative teams, as it's incredibly difficult to tell a story in just a few I do hope Oni Press will continue to put out these anthologies.

Special Thanks to Oni Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.