Epitaphs from the Abyss is the revival we have all been waiting for!!

Not only is the collection topical and very tongue-in-cheek, but it pays the best homage to all the tales that came before. It’s excellent writing and gore-tastic storytelling and I think horror fans are going to jump for joy when this collected volume comes out!

There are some terrifying sequences within these pages. Stories that kept me reading deep into the night and a couple stories that made me laugh out loud. There is a little something for every type of reader and I cannot wait to see how ONI continues with this series!!

PS - this edition comes with some of the most amazing variant covers in the gallery, don’t forget to look at those!

I am so excited for EC to be back in such a bombastic way ! The stories in here are sometimes political, sometimes goofy, and always gruesome. I had so much fun with this!

EC IS BACK, BABY!

Well, okay, EC has been back for a little while, but I was so excited I just wanted to write that.

Netgalley provided me with this book in exchange for an honest review. So here it goes.

Sure, it was mostly a mixed bag. Some stories, such as Killer Spec, Family Values, and Gray Green Memories stand out more than others. However, at the end of the day, every story here was fun. It seemed like the entire creative team of each story was having a great time making this.

The artwork is stunning, filled with so much detail and expressive characters that practically leap off the page. And of course, this has some of the best cover art I've ever seen. Lee Bermejo has been one of my favorite artists for years, and his art alone is worth the price of this book.

Read it. Enjoy it. Have fun with it. It's campy, pulpy, and silly. I loved every second of it!

These feel like the old comics. Short, menacing stories with horrifying twists. The pacing is more modern, of course, and the art familiar from recent comics.

Like most short-form horror many of these stories are inspired by current events and the concerns they inspire. Some of these will hold up to the test of time, while others will feel dated in just a few years. They are all brief enough that the twists make or break the story.

The best of the comics in this collection seem to fall into one of two categories: old-school classic, new takes on the old genre. I try not to play favorites, but one offering in particular feels like a rediscovered classic, or a flawless adaptation of a John Collier story; “The Perfect Pearl” is an amazing piece.

"Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1" is a very fun anthology that is rife with quick-witted and timely stories, as well as traditional horror tales. It's such a fun read, whether it be for the stories or the art style, this compilation is just a ton of fun. As per usual in anthologies, there are some stories that are stronger than others, but this collection really doesn't have any boogers. I absolutely had a great time reading this, and genuinely cannot wait to see what comes next from this series.

I absolutely loved Tales From The Crypt as a child on HBO. It’s hard to find but well worth it. So, when I saw a reboot of this type of comic, I was thrilled!

I haven’t read a lot of comics so this was another exciting endeavor. I enjoyed the four episodes and there were plenty of good stories. Quick read. Entertaining.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've always enjoyed horror anthologies and back in the 50s no one did it them better that EC Comic under Bill Gaines.
So even if this collection as got a star studded list of comic creators, they must have all felt the pressure of filling some very big shoes. I quite enjoyed that at the back of the book you get a bit about both Max and Bill Gaines as well a list of all the contributors to ECs original publications.
The stories where good to grea and all of them looked very good.
I especially enjoyed the interstices with the classic Gravedigger recaps and comments.

I’ve always loved these anthology type horror (and sci-fi) comics, they are so ripe for playfulness and experimentation. Or just running with the classic tropes and enjoying themselves.

and I’ve got to say Epitaphs has really embraced the second of these with a great breadth of sub-genre works.

I really was just in the mood for this anthology coming off a binge read of a single author it was nice to read a nice mix from different authors with all the great artists joining in.

Each of the four volumes are introduced by the Grave-Digger (Crypt Keeper, et al) with pithy asides relating to each story in the volume.

For me there wasn’t a weak story in this anthology, though some were stronger than others, they all hit the mark. Whether that was humorous and a wee bit gross (US vs US), the dark home invasion (Family Values), fun zombie (Gray Green Memories), or Hillbilly fun (Dead From Exposure) I was kept rapt throughout and once more finished this in a single sitting.

I loved the how the anthology used so many different artists, it is always good to see such a varied collection of art styles and I’ve now got a little list of artists to look out for 😉.

I received this from Oni Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

(Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this comic to read for an honest review.)

I'm an EC comics fan from way back, reading reprints of the 50s comics as recent as just yesterday. Lately I haven't been impressed by their attempts to revamp "Tales from the Crypt." They always seem like lazily done extensions of something you'd see in Mad Magazine, which was also an EC comics spin off, but isn't what I wanted. So color me surprised that I genuinely enjoyed this new endeavor from EC. This really felt more like a modernization of "Tales from the Crypt," "The Vault of Horror," and "The Haunt of Fear." Definitely the stories aren't all going to be gold, but most of them are thoroughly enjoyable. "Epitaphs" even features a new horror host in the form of The Grave Digger. In terms of horror anthology comics, you've certainly got a lot of choices, and this is a genuinely good addition to the horror reader's library.

Volume 1 feature collections #1-4 of dark, gory, horrifying, emotional nostalgic fun!
i was constantly being reminded of my childhood kids horror shows on YTV and Teletoon!!
perfect for all horror fans! produced by the EC Comics who gave us childhood favourites such as Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror
13 short stories narrated by the Grave Digger i imagined the iconic voice of the crypt keeper the entire time
from the horrors of Hollywood to apocalyptic earth to down right monstrous humans, there is something for everyone

My thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advance copy of this resurrection of a book of classic comic and cosmic horror, reborn to haunt the shelves of comic stores once more. A collection of nightmares composed from the decomposed brains and arms of many of the most popular comic creators living, at least for now.

The first real book of horror to make an impact on me was the short story collection Night Shift by Stephen King. Page for page one of the best collections of horror, of anything I have ever read and still even today I get shivers thinking of the stories that reside inside the tome of eldritch horror. That book made me a horror fan, but also branded me in a way also. I enjoy short horror stories, the most. The short, sharp shock. I'll read the big novels, Swan Song by Robert McCammon is long but as with most of his novels great horror. But the short stories I love. My father was the same way. He grew up on EC comics and as is common, had them thrown out by my grandmother, when told they would poison his mind. Knowing my Father it was probably too late, but I grew up on these tales, these gross little stories my Dad could kind of remember. So it was with nostalgia and a quickening of the heart that I greeted the return of EC comics to my life. EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1 features a horde of creators writers, artists, mad dreamers joining together to return something back from the dead, in tales full of gruesome people, medical horrors, and murder most foul.

EC comics was in its day the bête noire of parents trying to get their children to go to bed at night, educators and politicians who feared that readers were becoming delinquents, and other publishers as their stories were getting to much attention. The stories featured murders, monsters, maidens in trouble, and mad men in massacre mode. Their antics nearly brought down and industry, and in fact changed the face of comics, and its development for almost fifty years. And now it is back, to ruin sleep, to make readers turn to crime, and change comics again. Writers include Brian Azzarello, Jason Aaron, Matt Kindt, and artists Charlie Adlard, Klaus Janson and Phil Hester, along with many others. The stories feel like classic stories, short, pointed and bloody, dealing with modern politics, medical shenanigans, strange noises, creatures who should not be and other tales of macabre.

As with any anthology, especially one spread over so many issues and creators, some stories leave a stain, and some are forgotten with a flip of the page. The stories are generally good, feeling like something from the past, from the writing, the pacing, and the color palette in the story. A few stories stand out, but all have the feeling that something is wrong, and that something will never be right again. The art is very good, though sometimes I wish they had let the artists cook, the palette of color seems to take away from what is going. on. One can see the homages. One story seems like a Ernie Colón story, with the use of light and shadows on the page.

A very fun collection, and I hope the start of something spooky and eternally lasting. A fun reminder of what once was, and a reminder that while culture and times might change, people love a good old scary story to get the heart going.

As someone who’s too young to have grown up with the original Tales from the Crypt comics, I’m really glad that these kinds of stories are still being made. There’s just something timeless about EC-style horror that is short, punchy, and dripping with that old-school macabre charm. Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1 keeps that tradition alive, delivering a solid collection of bite-sized terror that scratches the itch for classic horror storytelling.

I love how straightforward these stories are. No fluff, just eerie setups, grim twists, and that signature EC Comics irony. The artwork nails that vintage feel while still looking sharp enough for a modern audience. It’s the kind of collection that makes you want to read it under dim light on a stormy night, preferably with some creepy music playing in the background.

If you’re a fan of old-school horror anthologies or just enjoy a good, twisted tale, this one’s definitely worth checking out.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is a horror comic like Tale from the Crypt. It is basically a whole bunch of mini horror stories in this volume. I loved all the stories !
They are all so good and entertaining !

This was so much fun to read! I very much enjoyed the different stories and the art work is killer. I don't often read graphic novels but this might be the book that changes that for me!

Comic: EC Epitaphs From the Abyss Vol. 1 (collecting Epitaphs From the Abyss #1-4)
Creative Team: Oni press has a production team of dozens, and the collection features over forty contributing authors and artists…
Publisher: Oni Press
Publication Date: May, 2025
Capone’s Rating: 5 of 5 ⭐s

You may have read my review of Fuck This Place from last month in which I mentioned I’ve been reading Epitaphs From the Abyss. Epitaphs was the main impetus for me picking up a bunch of other horror comics. I got lucky: Oni Press granted me a review copy of the new collection of four comics done in the style of the EC Comic series from over seventy years ago. Why this seventy-year radio silence? It’s interesting.

Here’s our backstory: Gritty comics (not comics about the popular mascot Gritty, but comics with an edge to them) were seen as a part of pro-communist, anti-American activities and contributing to a general moral rot destroying American values in the early 1950s. Sounds whacky, right? Here’s a bit more in the way of Cold War history as regards artists generally and, eventually, comic creators in particular:
In 1947, the Second Red Scare began for creatives with a public incident in which a group commonly dubbed the “Hollywood Ten”—a group of ten directors and screenwriters—refused to testify about their political beliefs. They’d been called to testify in front of HUAC (the House Un-American Activities Committee, tasked with investigating threats of subversion of the United States). These people went to prison and then were unofficially blacklisted (basically, no one would hire them) for the next decade (one of the Hollywood Ten, Dalton Trumbo, was hired in 1960 to direct Spartacus, and HUAC lost a lot of power after taking on the Army in `54 but held maintained through the decade). During those years of moral panic, many Americans were subpoenaed to testify, and folks tried everything from refusing to answer questions to trying to defend themselves to using their Fifth Amendment rights to avoid saying anything that might be taken as compromising. It went badly for everyone involved. (Fun fact: Bobby Kennedy was a McCarthy staffer).
Just as the film industry began self-policing, the comic publishing industry hurried to prove itself loyal. And so, American publishing companies threw a grenade into their own works, submitting to bullies and canning comic series like Epitaphs and Tales from the Crypt when the biggest publishing association formed the Comics Code Authority (CCA) to self-censor its members. Famously, even the words “horror” and “crime” were banned from appearing in titles. Black protagonists were often shit-canned, as were plot lines that made the “bad guys” too sympathetic. As with other codes (in TV, film, and radio), crime could never be seen as paying off, and depictions of sex were strictly prohibited. So EC comics went all in on its one promising series, MAD magazine, and shuttered everything else circa 1956.
And here we are, . Oni Press has been around for some 25+ years now and is picking up defunct lines like Epitaphs and Cruel Universe (press release here)—and hints at others to come!—to print all new stories in the style of the old, somewhat infamous (for some reason) horror and oddity comics.

So how is the new EC Epitaphs? First, a disclaimer. If you read my review of Fuck This Place, you know I’m so close to 100% brand-new to comics on the whole that we might as well just say that it’s a totally new medium for me (see very bottom for my comic-reading resume). But I’m not new to storytelling or to horror, as you know. So I’m doing my best here, and maybe I’ll OPEN YOUR EYES (nod to Clay McCleod Chapman’s recent, excellent novel) and get you checking out a new medium alongside me.

The short version here—the throughline—is that these comics are awesome. The stories are short, salty, and pack a punch. There are morality tales (along the lines of “be careful what you wish for”—not the anti-communist morality tales McCarthy would have loved). There are twisty turns (“Family Values” is my favorite in the bunch, a comic blueprint for a killer Black Mirror episode if there ever were one). And there’s a lot of blood and guts. Icky!

I breezed through this collection, and I’ll say this: Were I reading these comics one at a time, I’d go nuts waiting for each issue. I’m glad to be stumbling into Epitaphs after a complete volume has been assembled. The storytelling in this collection is strong, and the art supports the stories. I can’t wait for Volume 2.
In the meantime, thanks to EC Comics Epitaphs From the Abyss, I now have a distinct hunger for horror comics. Drop your recs in the comments or send me a note on BlueSky!


My comic-reading resume, in toto: I read Spawn for its first 50 or so issues and a ton of Calvin & Hobbes and a few Batman collections when I was a kid… and then Doonesbury when I was in college… but compared to most comic book readers out there, I’m a greenhorn.

EC Comics is back under Oni Press! Epitaphs for the Abyss, the first title of this revival, is an anthology of horror tales - a genre that EC was famous for. The creators of this interpretation are not trying to replicate what was published in the 1950s. Instead, these are uniquely modern, featuring anxieties of the now wrapped into terrifying packages. The nature of anthologies means not every story is likely to appeal. However, since the tales are conceptually sound, it comes down to their execution. At this point, what resonates will vary from reader to reader. Overall, it's an interesting start to the EC Comics revival, with plenty more to come.