In case you missed it, Oni Press is bringing EC Comics back from the dead in 2024, giving one of the most important horror and sci-fi comic publishers of all time a new lease on life. The new EC Comics imprint kicks off with two series, Epitaphs From the Abyss and Cruel Universe, and IGN has an exclusive look at the first issues of both titles.
Read on for a closer look at both comics and to get a better idea of how that old-school EC flavor is being adapted for 2024.
Epitaphs From the Abyss
Debuting July 24th in a double-sized, 40-page testament of terror, EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 ushers in the full-scale resurrection of comics’ most infamous and influential publishing house with four all-new tales of torment and tension: “KILLER SPEC” by J. Holtham & Jorge Fornés, “SENATOR, SENATOR” by Chris Condon & Peter Krause, "FAMILY VALUES” by Stephanie Phillips & Phil Hester, and “US VS. US” by Brian Azzarello & Vlad Legostaev.
Cruel Universe
Following in the blood-stained footsteps of EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1, CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 welcomes cosmic annihilation August 7th with four bizarre tales of time and space, packed with strange extraterrestrial entities, malevolent scientists, and terrifying technological catastrophes: “THE CHAMPION” by Matt Kindt & Kano, “SOLO SHIFT” by Corinna Bechko & Caitlin Yarsky, “DRINK UP!” by Chris Condon & Jonathan Case, “PRICELESS” by Ben H. Winters & Artyom Topilin.
"We're pouring our hearts and souls – and gallons upon gallons of red ink – into resurrecting EC's indomitable spirit for a new era in the pages of Epitaphs From the Abyss and Cruel Universe," said Hunter Gorinson, Oni Press President & Publisher, in a statement. "These stories are pernicious, primal, and primed with the visceral raw intensity that EC first injected in the American imagination. Spanning the streets of Los Angeles to the far-flung reaches of the cosmos, these first two stories – from writers J. Holtham, Matt Kindt, and Stephanie Phillips – cut so deep that they're bound to leave scars."
In other comic book news, we've got an exclusive preview of the TMNT 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration special, and we break down the epic ending to the X-Men's Krakoan era.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
