Upcoming EC book - FOUL PLAY

While I've been slow to start the regular looks at the individual stories I want to do, it should still be obvious that I'm a fan of the EC comics of the 1950s. I've also been disappointed in whoever owns the publication rights not doing any decent collections (except a few expensive coffeetable books, one of which as much about the CRYPT TV show as it was about the comics) in the past few years since they finished the single issue reprintings. So it was good to hear about this upcoming 272 page book:

Foul Play!
The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics!
by Grant Geissman
Legendary publisher Bill Gaines is perhaps best remembered as the founder of MAD Magazine, but in the opinion of many dedicated comic book fans, his greatest achievement was E.C. Comics, a line of pre-code adventure, horror, and science fiction comics published in the 1950s that included the likes of Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, and Weird Science — bestsellers embraced by readers for their macabre wit and stunning illustration that are still prized fan-favorites even to this day. This lavishly illustrated tome celebrates the creators of E.C. Comics, as well as profiling such legendary artists as Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Graham Ingels, Will Elder, Al Williamson, and Bernie Krigstein. Additionally, this book contains the never-before-published 1956 story, "Wanted for Murder!"

"Reflection of Death!,” from Tales from the Crypt #23 (April-May 1951). Illustrated by Al Feldstein. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein.

"Corpse on the Imjin!,” from Two-Fisted Tales #25 (January-February 1952). Written and illustrated by Harvey Kurtzman.

"Touch and Go!,” from Crime SuspenStories #17 (June-July 1953). Story by Ray Bradbury. Adapted and illustrated by Johnny Craig.

"Foul Play!,” from The Haunt of Fear #19 (May-June 1953). Illustrated by Jack Davis. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein.

"Horror We? How’s Bayou?,” from The Haunt of Fear #17 (January-February 1953). Illustrated by Graham Ingels. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein.

"Kamen’s Kalamity!,” from Tales from the Crypt #31 (August-September 1952). Illustrated by Jack Kamen. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein.

"The Precious Years,” from Weird Science #19 (May-June 1953). Illustrated by Wallace Wood. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein.

"Judgment Day!,” from Weird Fantasy #18 (March-April 1953). Illustrated by Joe Orlando. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein.

"The Night Before Christmas,” from Panic #1 (February-March 1954). Illustrated by Will Elder. Written by Charles Clement Moore.

"...For Us the Living,” from Weird Fantasy #20 (July-August 1953). Penciled by John Severin, inked by Will Elder. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein.

"Blind Alleys,” from Tales from the Crypt #46 (February-March 1955). Illustrated by George Evans. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein.

"50 Girls 50,” from Weird Science #20 (July-August 1953). Illustrated by Al Williamson and the Fleagle Gang. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein.

"The High Cost of Dying!,” from The Haunt of Fear #21 (September-October 1953). Illustrated by Reed Crandall. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein.

"The Flying Machine,” from Weird Science-Fantasy #23 (March 1954). Illustrated by Bernie Krigstein. Story by Ray Bradbury, adaptation by Al Feldstein.

The Best of the Rest! - Marie Severin! - Sheldon Moldoff! - Alex Toth! - Basil Wolverton! - Joe Kubert!

E.C. Christmas Party Art!

Looks like it'll be a good sampler of all the main artists and genres, and the extensive profiles of each artist should be interesting. Hopefully there'll be more (I've long wanted to see EC collections like THE BEST OF AL WILLIAMSON, THE BEST OF KURTZMAN etc, maybe a nice 200 pages for each main artist with further volumes for the more popular and prolific artists).