Back in the 1960-'70s I bought a slim paperback called " Tales from the Crypt "! The cover is by ghastly "Graham Ingel's "! It is scary to look at. I bought the Weird Science -Fantasy set and a few others I think. I am much indebted to Mr, Cochran for his devotion to preserve such classic comic books and especially the artwork. Was not aware that Russ had passed away, So sad. :(
I started reading comics by the very end of the 90s when I was 17 years old (not a comic book shop in my country until then) and right in the spot I was so into it I got into art school and started learning how to draw comics with a guy who helped ink some of the Spiderman comic strips, but I was all in for the "modern" look at the time, I only saw very few issues from EC comics but the color print was so underwhelming I kind of never got into them and was more focused on Xmen and other popular Marvel and DC superheroes. I recently started looking at vintage comics both for learning as well as to admire the art from the old masters and came across EC comics again (I just hope I'm not late to start collecting at least a few of these, especially seeing the prices at ebay), the B&W art is just fantastic as well as the reprints and modern coloring. You have a fantastic collection and thanks for this video, I didn't know what to look for and I think the Archive collection is quite nice and affordable to collect in individual volumes.
The EC Archives are affordable, especially in paperback, and the EC Artist's Library from Fantagraphics is great if you want to check out the b&w line art from individual artists
I am so poor I couldn’t afford to buy even one of anything you have there. But if you’re gonna invest in a collection of something, I think you chose well. That’s some neat stuff there. Enjoyed seeing that that stuff even exists. Thumbs up, dude.
Russ was a prince amongst men. I remember working so hard as a kid in the 1970's to save up the astronomical sum of $100 for that Crypt set! TBH It was the Feldstein covers that enthralled me. Something about his work was just so classic and at the time I was losing my tiny mind over any reprints I could find of Jack Cole Plastic Man, Pre-Robin Batman and Will Eisner's Spirit. There was just something about old comics that was so much more appealing to me than modern stuff. Anyway, I had to smile when I noticed your set of Mad has a faded spine on volume 1 just like mine! lol (I'm guessing that's typical due to the first volume being released stand-alone) Second, I had no idea the black & white Mad was so scarce! That's the version I got because I'd grown up seeing that material in the reprint paperbacks and loved being able to see the art without the distraction of color. I actually didn't have that much trouble finding the B&W version on ebay maybe five years ago and I don't think it was much more expensive than the color editions I saw (mebbe $20 more?), and the prices were nowhere near what people were asking for Haunt of Fear, so I suspect the difference in print runs may not be common knowledge? Or mebbe peeps just don't realize how glorious that stuff is without color? But it is easily my favorite set in the collection.
Volume 1 spines, yes they are faded regardless of color or B&W, and they are ALL lighter! As for the scarcity of the black and white MAD, I think that became common knowledge after Russ posted about it on the EC Fan-Addict Club page about 5 years ago...you were lucky to snag one when you did!
hmmm...I don't recall paying that price for them... it may have been close... I remember buying my first volume... either weird fantasy or weird science.. for between 79.00 to 88.00... I can't really remember.. so maybe crypt did cost what you said since it had one more volume to it.. geez that was about 40 years ago... they've never left my shelf since...
This could have been me typing, to the last comma, except for me Tintin was and is in a league its own: " I remember working so hard as a kid in the 1970's to save up the astronomical sum of $100 for that Crypt set! TBH It was the Feldstein covers that enthralled me. Something about his work was just so classic and at the time I was losing my tiny mind over any reprints I could find of Jack Cole Plastic Man, Pre-Robin Batman and Will Eisner's Spirit." Yup .I remember being in London in the late 1970s at a huge comic shop and seeing the Crypt set for more than 100 pounds (import and all that), and it took some doing to be able to buy it. Wholeheartedly agree with Jack Cole, the Spirit and very early Batman (the really dark stuff). Really interesting to read of an experience and tastes at the same time that were so similar to mine. We probably liked the same music too....
Came late to your video, but really enjoyed the collection tour. Back in the 90s I managed to get the Cochran sets for Tales from the Crypt, Weird Fantasy, Two Fisted Tales, Frontline Combat, one of the New Direction boxes and the color Mads (no slipcase on the latter, alas)-- all prized possessions to this day...
I got hooked on EC comics after reading the comic book price guide no. 9 feature. Russ was advertising his hard bound volumes and I saved my paper route money and purchased wierd science and eventually tales from the crypt. I was in Canada and I paid for the set in Canadian dollars. He must have known I was just an 11 year kid because of the way scribbled letter and Cheque I sentRuss still sent it me even though our money was worth less not to mention duty and postage. I still have the originals today just wish I had the whole collection . Maybe when I retire. Thanks for vid!
Beautiful collection and walkthrough. Thank you for taking us through it. I recently won the #6 portfolio for just $25 at an auction. Can't wait to read Master Race in the oversize format.
Nice tribute to Russ Cochran. I subscribed to the EC Library in 1978. What you may or may not know is that when he did the annotations for the 2nd printing of “Weird Science” was that Russ printed up special 8.5”x11” 16 page booklets for all the subscribers who bought the first edition so we would have those annotations too. He really cared about his customers. I also did receive the misprinted MAD covers he sent.
Thanks! Yes, I know about those but I don't have a copy (or the first printing of the set). There was recently a warehouse find on at least one box of those annotations, and the Cochran family has sold a few copies through their Comic Art Auctions. He really did care about his customers, and his products. He is missed
I have all the most important slip case sets and they are about the only thing I purchased in the mid 1980s or in that decade I am truly glad I bought.Its nice to hear here that I may not have everything out there EC but I have the best.
my first encounter with the ghoul lunatics... was around 1965... when I purchased a used comic book trivia quiz book.. kind of a pamphlet .. about 20 pages long or so.. for about 75 cents.. and one of the quiz questions.. pictured the unholy trio.. and had a multiple choice answer as to who they were... my curiosity was sparked.. cuz I'd never heard of them before...I was into Marvels and D.C. s.... I had a faint idea.. that MAD magazine started out as a comic book... but I did Not see my first MAD magazine.. until issue 87 in the spring of 1964.. fortunately.. by looking for deals over the years.. I was able to get the entire issue run of MAD including the comics.. with the exception of a few specials here and there...now my Mad collection is complete with about 200 MAD paperbacks as well.. I wish I was that fortunate with the original E.C. s.... I could Not imagine what this comic book company called... E.C.. was all about.. but years later.. I found out...
The unfortunate thing about the digital recolours is, aside from being not as good, really erases Marie’s contribution to the books. She really revolutionized colour in comic books, and it’s a damn shame she was effectively erased with those volumes. She should have been hired or consulted at the very least.
I feel the same way. I’m now considering buying all of the color EC reprints and getting those made into custom bound omnibuses, because I like the quality on those better.
@@ecfan-addict9477 Because of Russ, I am an EC fan! I owe it ALL to him. His reprints are what got me hooked. I didn't own an original copy of an EC Comic for many decades after I was already a fan. He kept EC alive for decades, and allowed us to have all the great things like the EC Library editions! I own a lot of original comic books from Marvel and DC. Many of the "grail" comics. The Atlas monster comics, etc. None of those things make me as happy as those EC Library editions! I've probably read the WEIRD SCIENCE volumes at least a dozen times from beginning to end at this point! Same with TALES, HAUNT, VAULT and MAD! I've personally purchased 8 sets of the WEIRD SCIENCE, but I only own 2 sets (the early 80s set and the later version). I sometimes pay my colorists with a set of those for their services, because they like them better than money!
My dad had these laying around both our houses in Brooklyn and Vermont, so as a kid from the 60s I was reading all this great stuff from the 50s! Am pretty sure my Catholic grandad had NO idea what either my Dad was reading and as I was a visiting girl in a very Sicilian household no one paid attention to what I was up to!!! Including old issues of MAD. No WONDER I turned out so differently from everyone else in the family, thank goodness! Still have a bunch of originals upstairs in the closet...sooooo. how do I buy all these fantabulous reprints!!! LOVED your segment!
You are lucky to read all those originals as a kid! All of the various reprints I talked about in this video are pretty easily found on eBay or through used book sellers.
@@ecfan-addict9477 Can't wait to see what's out there. So if I wanted full color reprints I guess I can get those too...so much to choose from!! LOVED your talk! Evelyn
@@ecfan-addict9477 heck I have about 40... E.C. originals in my collection... besides most of this library.... back when I bought my E.C.'s the average price for a used copy at a comic shop was about 25.00... so I stocked up on as many that came thru... I would trade or pay for them... one time the owner made a deal with me to trade a bunch of E.C.'s he had there for Carl Bark's art Disney comics from the late forties /early fifties.... I got about 8 of them that way..
I will always be grateful to RUSS COCHRAN and his EC hardcover volumes for introducing me to the greatness of EC! I had read non- super hero comics before, but nothing like EC!
I remember how cool it was to see EC on the newsstands when I was a kid. Im trying to complete the entire singles repro set. It's the most affordable way to get comprehensive EC library.
you were lucky enough to see the original E.C. s when they were on the stands..?.. wish I was.//.. unfortunately by the time I was born they had already came and went...
Great show! I started collecting The Complete EC Library in the 1970’s and picked up a few original EC’s when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, my mother sold my entire comic book collection when I went away to college. I’ve collected all of the Fantagraphics boxed sets and bought a copy of EC Portfolio #1 that was owned by the late great Herb Trimpe.
Not yet! I have talked about them in videos about the 1972 Fan-Addict Con and about cover variants...but I should do one just about East Coast Comix. Cheers!
Yes, I second this request. The very first EC reprint I bought was the East Coast reprint of the Vault of Horror with the hands breaking through the pavement. No lie, I once freehanded the Jack Davis corpse illustration for a 10th grade school project in which I had to make a poster illustrating the word “macabre.”
Great overview! I, too, treasure The Complete EC Library hardcover sets. I've got the first edition only of Weird Science, and the B&W Mad set (which I was surprised to learn from you was so rare!) as well as all the others, and I wouldn't part with them for any price! Chris Rock played a major part in bringing the whole project to fruition as well. I met both Chris and Russ in the early 80s when I stopped in West Plains on the return half of a cross-country drive. I only saw Russ briefly, but Chris gave me a guided tour of the business -- which included going through _stacks_ of EC original art -- and a couch to sleep on that night. One of the high points of my fannish existence!
I knew Russ back in the early 1970's. Russ sold not only original art but newspaper comic pages. I 'am a huge fan of Alex Raymonds Flash Gordon. Over a few years I talked to Russ when I had saved enough to buy a page or two from him. I would call him and find out what he had new for sale. He would joke that I should buy an original page from him. I stuck with the newspaper pages. Russ published a catalog of original art for sale. I remember ALL the Frank Frazzetta paintings and drawings for sale. I did buy a Conan like drawing for a pretty good price and still have it today. It has been many years since we talked or had any business dealings. He was always willing to work with me when I was in my late teens. Lots of fond memories.
I appreciate this video a ton. Thanks for helping me understand what came out and when. It's a bit confusing at first. Now I've got a good grasp as to what I want to collect. I grew up watching the tv show and its very special to me because of the family I watched it with. I now own the TFTC pinball machine and I'm slowly collecting books/comics. EC comics are amazing thanks for sharing!!
hmmm... I think I have more volumes..than what he showed... I have 16.... I think I am missing one MAD volume set... and the pre new trends... gunfighter/saddle justice...and the moon girl set...
I got that large format TFTC the other day. It's nice as a one off experiment but I can see why it didn't catch up. It is very hard to read comfortably due to being so big and floppy. I actually expected it to be the same size as the EC Classics magazine format releases which I love.
Thank you for passion for EC, it's good to see such a great collection of RC's publications. I look forward to your videos with great anticipation, you have a loyal subscriber for life.
a lot of people who were into E.C.'s in the 70's when these sets started.. and continued to follow the sets as they were released..... would know things regarding these sets... what is hard is to remember it nearly 40 years after the fact ..
Even though I was reluctant at first to buy any B/W Ec´s I managed to find Tales and Crime number 1 from the EC library for about 30 Euros each and BOY was I wrong!!! The size and print quality of these volumes are just astonishing, sorry Marie, but when I read them I do not miss your great coloring... well maybe just a bit he he, Huge props to Mr Cochran and thank You for sharing your collection!
I'm pretty sure he photoshopped the comic in (on another occasion he photoshopped his head onto a news photo of a kid with a ton of comic books)... but it's still cool!
Russ also sent some of the misprinted covers out in any order you got from him for a while. I have somewhere that MAD cover that came with one other misprint (I want to say Vault?) which was part of ordering a single volume. Also, both Russ and Another Rainbow would often wrap orders in full misprint sheets uncut from the EC or Carl Barks volumes. Not sure I have any around anymore or not they were cumbersome to keep and meant to be tossed by the recipient, but I did have one or two for years.
Yes! Unless I'm mistaken those were not misprints though, they were overruns that he sent out as samples and also included with orders occasionally. Eagle-eyed viewers may notice that I've got one for Frontline Combat in the same bag with the Mad misprint set!
Wally Wood was the one artist that got me into EC Comics and what an amazing Comic Lines from EC Comics there Sci-Fi and Horror and Crime man it's such a beauty to look at and the stories are great EC Comics Fan here 4Life
I have almost all the slip covered Complete EC sets, actually in a book case that looks almost identical to the one you have. One issue I found was that the spines on two of the sets (Mad & Haunt) faded while all the rest look brand new. I don't know why, or if this was a printing defect, because I've had all the books in the same case, in the same place, with the same light exposure, over all the years. It's too late to do anything about it now. I would have liked to have gotten the B&W Mad, even over the color set, but I never saw it for sale. Now, i guess, it's too late. if they're that rare, they must be beyond my budget.
The spine of Mad volume 1, whether it's color or black and white, is always a lighter color than the other volumes. I have yet to see one that isn't lighter. As for Haunt I don't know about that, mine are not faded...
well at least some are floating around between ebay and amazon.. at ridiculous prices.. and a lot of people are not selling them by the sets but buy the book.. which I think should be illegal... breaking up sets like that...
These are incredibly entertaining. Your videos are as professional as can be, intricate and marvelous. I am hooked, keep them coming. I intend to review each video, Consider me a fan of your talent as much I am of our mutual interests/obsessions! HAHAH! Thanks for being you, I hope we meet someday, that would be righteous!
One thing I find really impressive about Thommy's videos is that he's speaking off the cuff, frequently for several minutes without a break, or a cut. That's difficult to do, even if you're very familiar with the subject matter -- which of course he is. So, kudos for a job well done! :)
Thanks for sharing this! I am a EC nut myself, and I always heard about the cover prints and the portfolio editions but I never saw them on camera before. I suppose the only thing missing are those gigantic EC Artist editions IDW put out, but I don't know if Russ had anything to do with those (I don't own them, so I can't check the fine print for his name). And I have no idea where Fantagraphics sourced their artwork for their confusingly similarly named EC Artists Library stuff. Russ was such a integral part of EC preservation that when I see any high-quality reprint of the EC library I just assume Russ Cochran had something to do with it, 100% of the time. The man was a legend.
Fantagraphics sources most of their stuff from Russ's original shots of the art. The only exceptions are when they have access to vintage silver prints and things like that. Russ didn't have anything to do with the IDW Artist's Editions... I have all of those as well and I wrote the introduction for the upcoming EC Covers AE!
Very informative. I never knew why Gladstone had them for a while. I loved Gladstone, because Donald Duck was finally getting some respect, and it also introduced me to Floyd Gottfredson. I'm sorry to hear that they weren't able to reprint the E.C. titles as nicely as Cochran, but I was glad to have the few that I found.
Cochran was involved, but Gaines was unhappy with the quality and asked Cochran to do them himself! The Gemstones really were nicer, but of course I have them all either way!
My family and I visited Cochran's publishing company when I was 12. I believe my dad had corresponded with Cochran prior to the visit. In any case, I vaguely remember that the company was run out of a large and rather old building. Also, the town seemed pretty small. My most vivid recollections are of the art itself--the printed, black-and-white pages laid out on long tables, as well as the color covers. Before we left, someone working for Cochran gave my dad a manilla-sized envelope filled with glossy cover pages. Happily enough, I still have several of those covers. They are now framed and hanging my wall. I don't know what sort of paper Cochran used for his reprints, but the covers don't seem to have aged at all. The colors are as vivid as ever. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the bound volumes that my father owned. Many years ago, they were all destroyed by paper mites while sitting on a shelf. They basically turned into powder. What a loss.
I have a modest EC collection of about 8 science fiction, weird science 1,9,19,20, weird science fantasy 29 and incredible science fiction 30,31 and 33 my favorite Wally Wood cover ever. Also vault 16,27 and 34. All complete but mostly low grade. I love Al Feldstein, Ghastly, Craig.what liite Frank frazetta did but was still great, man, Mr burns to have these in hardcover omg... I tell people, if you ever get a chance, pick up some of the 90s reprints because it's worth it. 😎. EC forever Mad. 😎
I have about 40 myself... I started buying them in the early 70's.. I wish I would have known what E.C. comics were in the 60's though when I started seriously collecting comics..
counting both variations of the MAD set.. black and white... and color... there are actually 19 total sets in this Library... I am missing... Saddle Justice/Gunfighter... Moon Girl and the black and white MAD sets...I have 16 complete sets total with slipcases... but...... I started buying these around 1978/1979... in fact ....I think I began pre-ordering these.. with the release of the first set... I believe it was Weird Science.. then Weird Fantasy followed shortly after...before that I only had a few dozen original E.C.'s in my comic collection...they still popped up in comic shops in the mid 70's now and then...
Russ Cochran was responsible for my expensive tastes! I'd walk into the comic shop around 1981 and I'd just drool over that five volume Crypt set! By the time the MAD set was released I had my first job and it was probably the very first thing I bought with my first paycheck. Then I bought the other available sets, one oer week. From then on I just HAD to have these hardcover limited editions of illustrators. The upshot? I haven't saved a dime in over thirty years!
When EC came along knowbody had ever seen such masterfully drawn and colored comics with talent like frank frazetta and Wally wood they went in a new direction with horror suspense sci fi war stories ect
iI understand what you are saying regarding money... but bear in mind there WILL come a time when these sets will not be anywhere to be found... EVEN used... they seem to be disappearing and becoming scarce even now...there is a pretty ample selection on ebay.. at scalpers prices.. though..
@@jeffcarlson3269 I looked them up recently on Ebay out of curiosity, and was actually surprised the prices weren't higher. The most expensive were in the $3-400 range. If you paid $80-100 for them 30-40 years ago, the price they are now are barely beating the rate of inflation. As someone who has collected baseball cards, these haven't gone up as much in price, percentage-wise. So now might be a good time to buy.
I prefere DC comic over EC and Marvel. in the early eighties, I used to read Superman stories. They were my favorite stories, and I was very impressed by the drawings. I began to have a talent for drawing from these stories the drawings interested me more than the story i used to look for the most beautiful drawing in the magazine and draw like it and color it.
I do, definitely if you're referring to the EC Archives. I grew up collecting originals, so the digital coloring just looks wrong to me. With that being said there is no bad way to read ECs!
@@ecfan-addict9477 I heartily agree with you on both counts! I have the box set of Weird Fantasy, along with some single volumes of Tales from the Crypt and Psychoanalysis, copies of the Ballantine paperbacks of The Autumn People and Tomorrow Midnight, a bunch of Gemstone annuals, and the full-color, oversized volume Horror Comics From the 1950s, which is truly gorgeous. But my pride and joy is the program EC Lives! from the 1972 EC Fan-Addict convention which is signed by William Gaines, Al Feldstein, Al Williamson, Jack Kamen, Wallace Wood, Marie Severin, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, Jack Davis, George Evans and Joe Orlando, including a sketch of a BEM by Williamson, self-portraits by Wally Wood and Marie Severin, and for some reason a sketch of yours truly done by Howard Chaykin. If there's ever a fire in my house, this will be the first thing I grab.
I just found your videos and your collection and knowledge are amazing. I have a bunch of the Russ Cochran issues and just purchased my first original Tales From the Crypt #33 :) Do you think they'll ever unwind all the legal issues pertaining to the rights of the different properties so they can release the show again or reboot it? That would be lovely.
There was some news in this regard last year, but unfortunately I don't see a release or reboot coming anytime soon 😕 Congrats on the Crypt 33 - origin of CK!
@@ecfan-addict9477 Yeah, it's too good a property to not bring back from the dead, ha! And if they don't, that's fine too bc we'll always have the comics and the stories with us.
Two more possible additions -- the 2008 EC Sampler that Gemstone produced for Free Comic Book Day that year, and the Russ Cochran Comic Art Auction catalogs with EC artwork.
I wish you had critically examined and commented on the 'digitally recloured' reprints. I have just gone through the 2 volumes of Panic (reprinting all 12 original issues), and I can see that in a lot of places, the finer details of the artwork (especially noticeable in the work of Jack Davis), is overwhelmed and somewhat obscured by the new colours, as well as a heavier application of black ink on the outlines, as compared to the original work. I wish the black & white reprints of all EC comics were available online, so at least we could savour the original artwork in all its finer details, without having to seek out the hard to find and high priced Cochran hardcovers.
I've gone much more in depth on the new digital recoloring online - maybe something for another video. As far as black and white reprints, the current EC Artists Library from Fantagraphics are in crisp, clear B&W
Hello EC Fanaddict. Me and my girlfriend really enjoy your videos about EC Comics. We are newcomer to the fantastic world of EC and comics in general. We are fans of classic Horror and after watching your video we have found in store some of the Complete EC Library books. I bought for myself The Vault of Horror and The Haunt of Fear collection and my girlfriend bought Weird Science. Sadly they didn't have in store the Tales from the Crypt (Complete EC Library ). Online it is really expansive... do you know where I would be able to find one to complete my collection. Thank you
All of those sets are long out of print you would have to get them on eBay (or some other auction site) or a private sale. Sometimes they turn up at comic shops and used book stores
I'm curious why you consider the EC Library volumes to be the definitive set of EC comics, since they don't have color. I love the black and white hardcover editions myself, but the lack of color nags me on occasion. Yet the new EC archives editions with the digital color strike me as hardly definitive either. I guess one just has to own everything!
the E.C. library by Russ Cochran.. though mostly black and white... IS the ONLY definitive complete E.C. collection... all the others the reprints. oversized.. .. everything.. only came out sporatically,,,.. not in chronological order... some issues skipped.. And So if you are trying to build a library off reprints to match completely the original E.C.'s ... you won't be able to do it...
One other question regarding the Weird Science hardcover sets -- Thommy, in your experience, do the books fit a little more loosely in the slipcase with the 1978 edition of WS, as opposed to the 1980 edition? I have owned one set of each, and ended up selling the 1980 edition because I couldn't get the books out of the slipcase unless I upended it and shook -- as opposed to gently tipping it forward. At the time, I didn't realize there was a difference in the comments, though.
Yes, there were several sets that were so loose you could just pour the books out, and on the other hand there are sets that are so tight it's difficult to get the books out. MAD and the ND sets are particularly tight, while Two Fisted, Crypt, and that WS set stand out in my experiences ones that are quite loose. With that being said I'm sure there was a lot of variation!
I myself do not know about your particular question... but I Do know that the MAD color volumes do NOT fir into the MAD black and white volume slipcase... they are about 1/16 ".. wider over all.. and cannot stuff them in without ripping the case to do it....
@@ecfan-addict9477 I have the Mad color set, and they don't fit in the slip case. If I stick all four volumes in, I can't get them out. What I do is leave volume 1 out and stick in the hardbound volume of "Impact" in its place, which is the only one of the "New Direction" volumes I have, so it's not breaking up a set. Then I just leave that Mad Volume one between two of the complete sets. It doesn't look neat, but it works.
How closely does the coloring of the single-issue reprint series (of the ENTIRE EC line) match the original comics? Were all the original color elements available, or did all of the coloring have to be done over from scratch. (Was always disappointing that the covers of of the entire single-issue reprint series were lacking in the subtle tones, muted colors and graduated shadings of the originals.)
The single issue series utilized the original color guides from the 1950s, which Cochran still had at the time. The reason the covers didn't look as good is because those were sourced from the 70s and 80s recoloring that Marie Severin did for the EC Library series.
There was a slipcover, but they were greatly under-produced and Russ was selling that set without them within a few years of publication. My HOF set has the slipcase.
Vault and Crypt probably have the most classic monsters, as in werewolves vampires and mummies, but Haunt has plenty of horror too (along with a handful of monsters earlier in the run). EC didn't do a lot of monsters though, tending towards horror of the human kind including a lot of walking dead.
@@ecfan-addict9477 Haunt of Fear series is my favorite.. only because.. Graham Ingels is my favorite E.C. artist.. but all the artists are phenomenal..
The original ART is in black and white. These were shot from the original art. The pb printings have new digital coloring, so they aren't the original comic colors either, but there's no bad way to read ECs, so enjoy!
EC Fanaddict what do you think would be a fair price today for one of the Complete EC Library box set. I read the launch price back in the 80's was 50$ USD. I am from Canada and I bought in a comic store The Haunt of Fear for 175$ CAD and The Vault of Horror for 175$ CAD. My girlfriend bought Weird Science for 140$ CAD. Online the price are higher but I don't know if I can trust what they ask for. A guy in a specialized horror store in Montreal told me lately he sold the ''full collection'' of Complete EC Library for 300$ CAD... So me and my girlfriend were wondering if we paid too much ?!?! What do you think
The "full collection" is 18 slipcased sets, anyone selling all that for $300 would be extremely foolish! The prices you paid are fair, especially for Haunt which is hard to find in the slipcase. I've seen them go for more.
DH sources these for the line art and adds digital recoloring. Fantagraphics sources these unless alternative proofs or original art is available. These sets are the primary source for every reprint venture since. If you want my opinion, these are the best, hands down. Crisp, clear, shot from original art, and a nice big 9x12.
This is really getting into the weeds, but in 1958 the reprint-specialist comic company IW published the first issue of Strange Planets, and the interior content was reprints from EC's Incredible Science Fiction issue 30. The company didn't use any EC material in subsequent issues, so far as I know.
I ordered my Weird Science HC set should be here by Monday. And boy am I hyped for it to arrive. I’m going to buy the rest of the sci-fi line, MAD in color, Shock Suspenstories, & PictoFiction because they are the most affordable for me
Back in the 1960-'70s I bought a slim paperback called " Tales from the Crypt "! The cover is by ghastly "Graham Ingel's "! It is scary to look at. I bought the Weird Science -Fantasy set and a few others I think. I am much indebted to Mr, Cochran for his devotion to preserve such classic comic books and especially the artwork. Was not aware that Russ had passed away, So sad. :(
I started reading comics by the very end of the 90s when I was 17 years old (not a comic book shop in my country until then) and right in the spot I was so into it I got into art school and started learning how to draw comics with a guy who helped ink some of the Spiderman comic strips, but I was all in for the "modern" look at the time, I only saw very few issues from EC comics but the color print was so underwhelming I kind of never got into them and was more focused on Xmen and other popular Marvel and DC superheroes.
I recently started looking at vintage comics both for learning as well as to admire the art from the old masters and came across EC comics again (I just hope I'm not late to start collecting at least a few of these, especially seeing the prices at ebay), the B&W art is just fantastic as well as the reprints and modern coloring.
You have a fantastic collection and thanks for this video, I didn't know what to look for and I think the Archive collection is quite nice and affordable to collect in individual volumes.
The EC Archives are affordable, especially in paperback, and the EC Artist's Library from Fantagraphics is great if you want to check out the b&w line art from individual artists
It's the future here. This collection is now available in paperback. Still awesome.
The paperbacks are the EC Archives I mention at about 8:40 - probably won't ever see the B&W Library sets in tpb.
@ecfan-addict9477 thanks and sorry for skipping!
I am so poor I couldn’t afford to buy even one of anything you have there. But if you’re gonna invest in a collection of something, I think you chose well. That’s some neat stuff there.
Enjoyed seeing that that stuff even exists. Thumbs up, dude.
Russ was a prince amongst men. I remember working so hard as a kid in the 1970's to save up the astronomical sum of $100 for that Crypt set! TBH It was the Feldstein covers that enthralled me. Something about his work was just so classic and at the time I was losing my tiny mind over any reprints I could find of Jack Cole Plastic Man, Pre-Robin Batman and Will Eisner's Spirit. There was just something about old comics that was so much more appealing to me than modern stuff. Anyway, I had to smile when I noticed your set of Mad has a faded spine on volume 1 just like mine! lol (I'm guessing that's typical due to the first volume being released stand-alone) Second, I had no idea the black & white Mad was so scarce! That's the version I got because I'd grown up seeing that material in the reprint paperbacks and loved being able to see the art without the distraction of color. I actually didn't have that much trouble finding the B&W version on ebay maybe five years ago and I don't think it was much more expensive than the color editions I saw (mebbe $20 more?), and the prices were nowhere near what people were asking for Haunt of Fear, so I suspect the difference in print runs may not be common knowledge? Or mebbe peeps just don't realize how glorious that stuff is without color? But it is easily my favorite set in the collection.
Volume 1 spines, yes they are faded regardless of color or B&W, and they are ALL lighter! As for the scarcity of the black and white MAD, I think that became common knowledge after Russ posted about it on the EC Fan-Addict Club page about 5 years ago...you were lucky to snag one when you did!
hmmm...I don't recall paying that price for them... it may have been close... I remember buying my first volume... either weird fantasy or weird science.. for between 79.00 to 88.00... I can't really remember.. so maybe crypt did cost what you said since it had one more volume to it.. geez that was about 40 years ago... they've never left my shelf since...
This could have been me typing, to the last comma, except for me Tintin was and is in a league its own: " I remember working so hard as a kid in the 1970's to save up the astronomical sum of $100 for that Crypt set! TBH It was the Feldstein covers that enthralled me. Something about his work was just so classic and at the time I was losing my tiny mind over any reprints I could find of Jack Cole Plastic Man, Pre-Robin Batman and Will Eisner's Spirit." Yup .I remember being in London in the late 1970s at a huge comic shop and seeing the Crypt set for more than 100 pounds (import and all that), and it took some doing to be able to buy it. Wholeheartedly agree with Jack Cole, the Spirit and very early Batman (the really dark stuff). Really interesting to read of an experience and tastes at the same time that were so similar to mine. We probably liked the same music too....
Came late to your video, but really enjoyed the collection tour. Back in the 90s I managed to get the Cochran sets for Tales from the Crypt, Weird Fantasy, Two Fisted Tales, Frontline Combat, one of the New Direction boxes and the color Mads (no slipcase on the latter, alas)-- all prized possessions to this day...
Fantastic reading! With a little patience the other sets can be found for reasonable prices... if you want to keep building on the collection!
I got hooked on EC comics after reading the comic book price guide no. 9 feature. Russ was advertising his hard bound volumes and I saved my paper route money and purchased wierd science and eventually tales from the crypt. I was in Canada and I paid for the set in Canadian dollars. He must have known I was just an 11 year kid because of the way scribbled letter and Cheque I sentRuss still sent it me even though our money was worth less not to mention duty and postage. I still have the originals today just wish I had the whole collection . Maybe when I retire. Thanks for vid!
Beautiful collection and walkthrough. Thank you for taking us through it. I recently won the #6 portfolio for just $25 at an auction. Can't wait to read Master Race in the oversize format.
Those portfolios are really beautiful - great price too!
Nice tribute to Russ Cochran. I subscribed to the EC Library in 1978. What you may or may not know is that when he did the annotations for the 2nd printing of “Weird Science” was that Russ printed up special 8.5”x11” 16 page booklets for all the subscribers who bought the first edition so we would have those annotations too. He really cared about his customers. I also did receive the misprinted MAD covers he sent.
Thanks! Yes, I know about those but I don't have a copy (or the first printing of the set). There was recently a warehouse find on at least one box of those annotations, and the Cochran family has sold a few copies through their Comic Art Auctions.
He really did care about his customers, and his products. He is missed
Buried with your comics... that's a tale from the crypt!
I have all the most important slip case sets and they are about the only thing I purchased in the mid 1980s or in that decade I am truly glad I bought.Its nice to hear here that I may not have everything out there EC but I have the best.
my first encounter with the ghoul lunatics... was around 1965... when I purchased a used comic book trivia quiz book.. kind of a pamphlet .. about 20 pages long or so.. for about 75 cents.. and one of the quiz questions.. pictured the unholy trio.. and had a multiple choice answer as to who they were...
my curiosity was sparked.. cuz I'd never heard of them before...I was into Marvels and D.C. s.... I had a faint idea.. that MAD magazine started out as a comic book... but I did Not see my first MAD magazine.. until issue 87 in the spring of 1964.. fortunately.. by looking for deals over the years.. I was able to get the entire issue run of MAD including the comics.. with the exception of a few specials here and there...now my Mad collection is complete with about 200 MAD paperbacks as well.. I wish I was that fortunate with the original E.C. s.... I could Not imagine what this comic book company called... E.C.. was all about.. but years later.. I found out...
The unfortunate thing about the digital recolours is, aside from being not as good, really erases Marie’s contribution to the books. She really revolutionized colour in comic books, and it’s a damn shame she was effectively erased with those volumes. She should have been hired or consulted at the very least.
I feel the same way. I’m now considering buying all of the color EC reprints and getting those made into custom bound omnibuses, because I like the quality on those better.
You, my friend, are the "SME" (Subject Matter Expert) of EC Comics. Thanks again for your expertise....
Thank YOU ✌️
Love this video, Thommy! Russ was a great champion of the best comic books ever made!!
We owe so much to him!
@@ecfan-addict9477 Because of Russ, I am an EC fan! I owe it ALL to him. His reprints are what got me hooked. I didn't own an original copy of an EC Comic for many decades after I was already a fan. He kept EC alive for decades, and allowed us to have all the great things like the EC Library editions! I own a lot of original comic books from Marvel and DC. Many of the "grail" comics. The Atlas monster comics, etc. None of those things make me as happy as those EC Library editions! I've probably read the WEIRD SCIENCE volumes at least a dozen times from beginning to end at this point! Same with TALES, HAUNT, VAULT and MAD! I've personally purchased 8 sets of the WEIRD SCIENCE, but I only own 2 sets (the early 80s set and the later version). I sometimes pay my colorists with a set of those for their services, because they like them better than money!
A great insight into Mr Cochrans vast ouput and efforts in keeping EC very much alive, thanks for sharing, much appreciated.
My dad had these laying around both our houses in Brooklyn and Vermont, so as a kid from the 60s I was reading all this great stuff from the 50s! Am pretty sure my Catholic grandad had NO idea what either my Dad was reading and as I was a visiting girl in a very Sicilian household no one paid attention to what I was up to!!! Including old issues of MAD. No WONDER I turned out so differently from everyone else in the family, thank goodness! Still have a bunch of originals upstairs in the closet...sooooo. how do I buy all these fantabulous reprints!!! LOVED your segment!
You are lucky to read all those originals as a kid! All of the various reprints I talked about in this video are pretty easily found on eBay or through used book sellers.
@@ecfan-addict9477 Can't wait to see what's out there. So if I wanted full color reprints I guess I can get those too...so much to choose from!! LOVED your talk! Evelyn
@@ecfan-addict9477 heck I have about 40... E.C. originals in my collection... besides most of this library.... back when I bought my E.C.'s the average price for a used copy at a comic shop was about 25.00... so I stocked up on as many that came thru... I would trade or pay for them... one time the owner made a deal with me to trade a bunch of E.C.'s he had there for Carl Bark's art Disney comics from the late forties /early fifties.... I got about 8 of them that way..
I will always be grateful to RUSS COCHRAN and his EC hardcover volumes for introducing me to the greatness of EC! I had read non- super hero comics before, but nothing like EC!
We have a lot to thank Russ for!
I remember how cool it was to see EC on the newsstands when I was a kid. Im trying to complete the entire singles repro set. It's the most affordable way to get comprehensive EC library.
Im doing the same. Im getting the soft volumes one at a time
I was at my local half price book store 2 days ago, picked up like 30 of them for a dollar a piece. Your right it is the most affordableway
you were lucky enough to see the original E.C. s when they were on the stands..?.. wish I was.//.. unfortunately by the time I was born they had already came and went...
Great show! I started collecting The Complete EC Library in the 1970’s and picked up a few original EC’s when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, my mother sold my entire comic book collection when I went away to college. I’ve collected all of the Fantagraphics boxed sets and bought a copy of EC Portfolio #1 that was owned by the late great Herb Trimpe.
❤❤ have you done a video documenting the 73-75 East Coast Comics line? If not please do. THANKS for the great EC content 🍻
Not yet! I have talked about them in videos about the 1972 Fan-Addict Con and about cover variants...but I should do one just about East Coast Comix. Cheers!
Yes, I second this request.
The very first EC reprint I bought was the East Coast reprint of the Vault of Horror with the hands breaking through the pavement.
No lie, I once freehanded the Jack Davis corpse illustration for a 10th grade school project in which I had to make a poster illustrating the word “macabre.”
Great overview!
I, too, treasure The Complete EC Library hardcover sets. I've got the first edition only of Weird Science, and the B&W Mad set (which I was surprised to learn from you was so rare!) as well as all the others, and I wouldn't part with them for any price!
Chris Rock played a major part in bringing the whole project to fruition as well. I met both Chris and Russ in the early 80s when I stopped in West Plains on the return half of a cross-country drive. I only saw Russ briefly, but Chris gave me a guided tour of the business -- which included going through _stacks_ of EC original art -- and a couch to sleep on that night. One of the high points of my fannish existence!
Michael Tuz they are the BEST!
Chris Rock ?.. the comedian... I did not know he was into E.C.'s....
@Jeff Carlson
No, this is a different Chris Rock who worked for Russ Cochran...
I knew Russ back in the early 1970's. Russ sold not only original art but newspaper comic pages. I 'am a huge fan of Alex Raymonds Flash Gordon. Over a few years I talked to Russ when I had saved enough to buy a page or two from him. I would call him and find out what he had new for sale. He would joke that I should buy an original page from him. I stuck with the newspaper pages. Russ published a catalog of original art for sale. I remember ALL the Frank Frazzetta paintings and drawings for sale. I did buy a Conan like drawing for a pretty good price and still have it today. It has been many years since we talked or had any business dealings. He was always willing to work with me when I was in my late teens. Lots of fond memories.
He was quite a character and a really good guy and I miss him
Holy cow...this is a museum and amazing collection! Probably the worlds greatest collection! Even the history of all this was cool!
I appreciate this video a ton. Thanks for helping me understand what came out and when. It's a bit confusing at first. Now I've got a good grasp as to what I want to collect. I grew up watching the tv show and its very special to me because of the family I watched it with. I now own the TFTC pinball machine and I'm slowly collecting books/comics. EC comics are amazing thanks for sharing!!
Cheers! 😁
That is a nice collection. The horror comics scare of the 1950s really derailed a great art form.
wow what a great representation of the EC library, I learned a good amount here
What a great library !
hmmm... I think I have more volumes..than what he showed... I have 16.... I think I am missing one MAD volume set... and the pre new trends... gunfighter/saddle justice...and the moon girl set...
Thanks for this, I'm just discovering the comics- it was intimidating as there are so many.
AWESOME , I am envious and jealous you have an awesome collection of EC COMICS the greatest graphic novel series ever written/made .
Russ was the only reason I even read them. The over sized editions are my favorite.
Great overview of his EC efforts!! Forgot to mention the reprint annuals but that’s just a small detail, love these videos Thommy!
I didn't forget - I don't have any! 😂
Well...I did forget to even mention them...
EC Fanaddict 😂😂😂
I got that large format TFTC the other day. It's nice as a one off experiment but I can see why it didn't catch up. It is very hard to read comfortably due to being so big and floppy. I actually expected it to be the same size as the EC Classics magazine format releases which I love.
Great channel!! Just finding it! Thanks for sharing
Thank you for passion for EC, it's good to see such a great collection of RC's publications. I look forward to your videos with great anticipation, you have a loyal subscriber for life.
I like your enthusiasm and your knowledge.
a lot of people who were into E.C.'s in the 70's when these sets started.. and continued to follow the sets as they were released..... would know things regarding these sets... what is hard is to remember it nearly 40 years after the fact ..
Even though I was reluctant at first to buy any B/W Ec´s I managed to find Tales and Crime number 1 from the EC library for about 30 Euros each and BOY was I wrong!!!
The size and print quality of these volumes are just astonishing, sorry Marie, but when I read them I do not miss your great coloring... well maybe just a bit he he, Huge props to Mr Cochran and thank You for sharing your collection!
I love Marie's coloring, but I still consider the Library sets to be definitive - you're right, they look amazing!
that pic of baby russ cochran holding an action comics 1 in the bath tub solidifies his OG status in the game!
I'm pretty sure he photoshopped the comic in (on another occasion he photoshopped his head onto a news photo of a kid with a ton of comic books)... but it's still cool!
Epic video! Beautiful collection and editions! Very informative too!
Much appreciated! Spa Fon!
Russ also sent some of the misprinted covers out in any order you got from him for a while. I have somewhere that MAD cover that came with one other misprint (I want to say Vault?) which was part of ordering a single volume. Also, both Russ and Another Rainbow would often wrap orders in full misprint sheets uncut from the EC or Carl Barks volumes. Not sure I have any around anymore or not they were cumbersome to keep and meant to be tossed by the recipient, but I did have one or two for years.
Yes! Unless I'm mistaken those were not misprints though, they were overruns that he sent out as samples and also included with orders occasionally. Eagle-eyed viewers may notice that I've got one for Frontline Combat in the same bag with the Mad misprint set!
Stunning collection and info to go with it..Great vid
THANK YOU!
Great presentation. I hadn’t heard Russ Cochran passed.
Yes - he is much missed.
Wally Wood was the one artist that got me into EC Comics and what an amazing Comic Lines from EC Comics there Sci-Fi and Horror and Crime man it's such a beauty to look at and the stories are great EC Comics Fan here 4Life
I have almost all the slip covered Complete EC sets, actually in a book case that looks almost identical to the one you have. One issue I found was that the spines on two of the sets (Mad & Haunt) faded while all the rest look brand new. I don't know why, or if this was a printing defect, because I've had all the books in the same case, in the same place, with the same light exposure, over all the years. It's too late to do anything about it now. I would have liked to have gotten the B&W Mad, even over the color set, but I never saw it for sale. Now, i guess, it's too late. if they're that rare, they must be beyond my budget.
The spine of Mad volume 1, whether it's color or black and white, is always a lighter color than the other volumes. I have yet to see one that isn't lighter. As for Haunt I don't know about that, mine are not faded...
I had the cover sets too. Bedroom walls were plastered. Awesome channel, man!
Cheers!
Excellent video, Thommy! Even an old EC fan like me learned a few things!
Thanks Bill! As you know I got all my release information from you!
I didn't realise those Ross Cochran collections were so large in scale!
Man!!! That was a killer video I had NO IDEA! Why can't we get these printed today???
well at least some are floating around between ebay and amazon.. at ridiculous prices.. and a lot of people are not selling them by the sets but buy the book.. which I think should be illegal... breaking up sets like that...
These are incredibly entertaining. Your videos are as professional as can be, intricate and marvelous. I am hooked, keep them coming. I intend to review each video, Consider me a fan of your talent as much I am of our mutual interests/obsessions! HAHAH! Thanks for being you, I hope we meet someday, that would be righteous!
One thing I find really impressive about Thommy's videos is that he's speaking off the cuff, frequently for several minutes without a break, or a cut. That's difficult to do, even if you're very familiar with the subject matter -- which of course he is. So, kudos for a job well done! :)
great review and education on these, thank you!!
Cheers!
Love your passion for EC. I'm there too.
Thanks for sharing this! I am a EC nut myself, and I always heard about the cover prints and the portfolio editions but I never saw them on camera before. I suppose the only thing missing are those gigantic EC Artist editions IDW put out, but I don't know if Russ had anything to do with those (I don't own them, so I can't check the fine print for his name). And I have no idea where Fantagraphics sourced their artwork for their confusingly similarly named EC Artists Library stuff. Russ was such a integral part of EC preservation that when I see any high-quality reprint of the EC library I just assume Russ Cochran had something to do with it, 100% of the time. The man was a legend.
Fantagraphics sources most of their stuff from Russ's original shots of the art. The only exceptions are when they have access to vintage silver prints and things like that. Russ didn't have anything to do with the IDW Artist's Editions... I have all of those as well and I wrote the introduction for the upcoming EC Covers AE!
EC Fanaddict oooh, I’ve been waiting for that one! Looking forward to reading the introduction.
Very informative. I never knew why Gladstone had them for a while. I loved Gladstone, because Donald Duck was finally getting some respect, and it also introduced me to Floyd Gottfredson. I'm sorry to hear that they weren't able to reprint the E.C. titles as nicely as Cochran, but I was glad to have the few that I found.
Cochran was involved, but Gaines was unhappy with the quality and asked Cochran to do them himself! The Gemstones really were nicer, but of course I have them all either way!
Love them when i was a kid I wanted to order those books so bad but I couldn't get my mother to order them for me im still mad about it
My family and I visited Cochran's publishing company when I was 12. I believe my dad had corresponded with Cochran prior to the visit. In any case, I vaguely remember that the company was run out of a large and rather old building. Also, the town seemed pretty small. My most vivid recollections are of the art itself--the printed, black-and-white pages laid out on long tables, as well as the color covers. Before we left, someone working for Cochran gave my dad a manilla-sized envelope filled with glossy cover pages. Happily enough, I still have several of those covers. They are now framed and hanging my wall. I don't know what sort of paper Cochran used for his reprints, but the covers don't seem to have aged at all. The colors are as vivid as ever. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the bound volumes that my father owned. Many years ago, they were all destroyed by paper mites while sitting on a shelf. They basically turned into powder. What a loss.
This EC stuff is new to me, I just started collecting, but this is an awesome video for those of like me. Thanks, this was very informative.
Thanks! If you are new to EC you're in for a treat!
I dig ur stuff.(I originally saw ur fanaddic vids so I cud see legit pin differences in the kits). This is an awesome collection.
I have a modest EC collection of about 8 science fiction, weird science 1,9,19,20, weird science fantasy 29 and incredible science fiction 30,31 and 33 my favorite Wally Wood cover ever. Also vault 16,27 and 34. All complete but mostly low grade. I love Al Feldstein, Ghastly, Craig.what liite Frank frazetta did but was still great, man, Mr burns to have these in hardcover omg... I tell people, if you ever get a chance, pick up some of the 90s reprints because it's worth it. 😎. EC forever Mad. 😎
I have about 40 myself... I started buying them in the early 70's.. I wish I would have known what E.C. comics were in the 60's though when I started seriously collecting comics..
new sub! just started collecting these in trade paperback
counting both variations of the MAD set.. black and white... and color... there are actually 19 total sets in this Library... I am missing... Saddle Justice/Gunfighter... Moon Girl and the black and white MAD sets...I have 16 complete sets total with slipcases... but...... I started buying these around 1978/1979... in fact ....I think I began pre-ordering these.. with the release of the first set... I believe it was Weird Science.. then Weird Fantasy followed shortly after...before that I only had a few dozen original E.C.'s in my comic collection...they still popped up in comic shops in the mid 70's now and then...
Russ Cochran was responsible for my expensive tastes! I'd walk into the comic shop around 1981 and I'd just drool over that five volume Crypt set! By the time the MAD set was released I had my first job and it was probably the very first thing I bought with my first paycheck. Then I bought the other available sets, one oer week. From then on I just HAD to have these hardcover limited editions of illustrators. The upshot? I haven't saved a dime in over thirty years!
HOOHAH!
Holy shit, dude! I grew up on the Russ Cochran reprints in the 90s. I had the entire Complete EC Library but sold then all on eBay. :-(
you should have waited... I've seen some sets going for close to 500.00 nowadays..
When EC came along knowbody had ever seen such masterfully drawn and colored comics with talent like frank frazetta and Wally wood they went in a new direction with horror suspense sci fi war stories ect
I'd love to get those big slip case sets, but, budget won't allow it right now. I'm enjoying the Fantagraphics reprints, good value for the money.
iI understand what you are saying regarding money... but bear in mind there WILL come a time when these sets will not be anywhere to be found... EVEN used... they seem to be disappearing and becoming scarce even now...there is a pretty ample selection on ebay.. at scalpers prices.. though..
@@jeffcarlson3269 I looked them up recently on Ebay out of curiosity, and was actually surprised the prices weren't higher. The most expensive were in the $3-400 range. If you paid $80-100 for them 30-40 years ago, the price they are now are barely beating the rate of inflation. As someone who has collected baseball cards, these haven't gone up as much in price, percentage-wise. So now might be a good time to buy.
I prefere DC comic over EC and Marvel. in the early eighties, I used to read Superman stories. They were my favorite stories, and I was very impressed by the drawings. I began to have a talent for drawing from these stories the drawings interested me more than the story i used to look for the most beautiful drawing in the magazine and draw like it and color it.
Great job, Thommy. Loved it.
The EC Library editions are indeed beautiful, but I'm curious if you prefer them to the editions in color.
I do, definitely if you're referring to the EC Archives. I grew up collecting originals, so the digital coloring just looks wrong to me. With that being said there is no bad way to read ECs!
@@ecfan-addict9477
I heartily agree with you on both counts! I have the box set of Weird Fantasy, along with some single volumes of Tales from the Crypt and Psychoanalysis, copies of the Ballantine paperbacks of The Autumn People and Tomorrow Midnight, a bunch of Gemstone annuals, and the full-color, oversized volume Horror Comics From the 1950s, which is truly gorgeous. But my pride and joy is the program EC Lives! from the 1972 EC Fan-Addict convention which is signed by William Gaines, Al Feldstein, Al Williamson, Jack Kamen, Wallace Wood, Marie Severin, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, Jack Davis, George Evans and Joe Orlando, including a sketch of a BEM by Williamson, self-portraits by Wally Wood and Marie Severin, and for some reason a sketch of yours truly done by Howard Chaykin. If there's ever a fire in my house, this will be the first thing I grab.
I just found your videos and your collection and knowledge are amazing. I have a bunch of the Russ Cochran issues and just purchased my first original Tales From the Crypt #33 :)
Do you think they'll ever unwind all the legal issues pertaining to the rights of the different properties so they can release the show again or reboot it? That would be lovely.
There was some news in this regard last year, but unfortunately I don't see a release or reboot coming anytime soon 😕
Congrats on the Crypt 33 - origin of CK!
@@ecfan-addict9477 Yeah, it's too good a property to not bring back from the dead, ha!
And if they don't, that's fine too bc we'll always have the comics and the stories with us.
Two more possible additions -- the 2008 EC Sampler that Gemstone produced for Free Comic Book Day that year, and the Russ Cochran Comic Art Auction catalogs with EC artwork.
True - I do have those, maybe a part 2 someday 👍
I wish you had critically examined and commented on the 'digitally recloured' reprints. I have just gone through the 2 volumes of Panic (reprinting all 12 original issues), and I can see that in a lot of places, the finer details of the artwork (especially noticeable in the work of Jack Davis), is overwhelmed and somewhat obscured by the new colours, as well as a heavier application of black ink on the outlines, as compared to the original work.
I wish the black & white reprints of all EC comics were available online, so at least we could savour the original artwork in all its finer details, without having to seek out the hard to find and high priced Cochran hardcovers.
I've gone much more in depth on the new digital recoloring online - maybe something for another video. As far as black and white reprints, the current EC Artists Library from Fantagraphics are in crisp, clear B&W
Hello EC Fanaddict. Me and my girlfriend really enjoy your videos about EC Comics. We are newcomer to the fantastic world of EC and comics in general. We are fans of classic Horror and after watching your video we have found in store some of the Complete EC Library books. I bought for myself The Vault of Horror and The Haunt of Fear collection and my girlfriend bought Weird Science. Sadly they didn't have in store the Tales from the Crypt (Complete EC Library ). Online it is really expansive... do you know where I would be able to find one to complete my collection. Thank you
Keep checking Ebay, they can be affordable with a little patience
@@ecfan-addict9477 Thank you, I will be patient
Where on Amazon can you buy the Hardcover collection of Tales From The Crypt? 3:25
All of those sets are long out of print you would have to get them on eBay (or some other auction site) or a private sale. Sometimes they turn up at comic shops and used book stores
I'm curious why you consider the EC Library volumes to be the definitive set of EC comics, since they don't have color. I love the black and white hardcover editions myself, but the lack of color nags me on occasion. Yet the new EC archives editions with the digital color strike me as hardly definitive either. I guess one just has to own everything!
the E.C. library by Russ Cochran.. though mostly black and white... IS the ONLY definitive complete E.C. collection... all the others the reprints. oversized.. .. everything.. only came out sporatically,,,.. not in chronological order... some issues skipped.. And So if you are trying to build a library off reprints to match completely the original E.C.'s ... you won't be able to do it...
Do you have a list of the EC paperback books that were printed? Thank you!
I have a video here about them - "Vintage EC Comics Paperbacks"
I’m going to able to buy Weird Science or Weird Fantasy HC and I’m having a hard time deciding which to buy first. Could you please help me decide?
Weird Science. So many Wood covers gives it the edge IMO.
@@ecfan-addict9477 Thank you very much sir!
One other question regarding the Weird Science hardcover sets -- Thommy, in your experience, do the books fit a little more loosely in the slipcase with the 1978 edition of WS, as opposed to the 1980 edition? I have owned one set of each, and ended up selling the 1980 edition because I couldn't get the books out of the slipcase unless I upended it and shook -- as opposed to gently tipping it forward. At the time, I didn't realize there was a difference in the comments, though.
Yes, there were several sets that were so loose you could just pour the books out, and on the other hand there are sets that are so tight it's difficult to get the books out. MAD and the ND sets are particularly tight, while Two Fisted, Crypt, and that WS set stand out in my experiences ones that are quite loose. With that being said I'm sure there was a lot of variation!
I myself do not know about your particular question... but I Do know that the MAD color volumes do NOT fir into the MAD black and white volume slipcase... they are about 1/16 ".. wider over all.. and cannot stuff them in without ripping the case to do it....
@@ecfan-addict9477 I have the Mad color set, and they don't fit in the slip case. If I stick all four volumes in, I can't get them out. What I do is leave volume 1 out and stick in the hardbound volume of "Impact" in its place, which is the only one of the "New Direction" volumes I have, so it's not breaking up a set. Then I just leave that Mad Volume one between two of the complete sets. It doesn't look neat, but it works.
How closely does the coloring of the single-issue reprint series (of the ENTIRE EC line) match the original comics? Were all the original color elements available, or did all of the coloring have to be done over from scratch. (Was always disappointing that the covers of of the entire single-issue reprint series were lacking in the subtle tones, muted colors and graduated shadings of the originals.)
The single issue series utilized the original color guides from the 1950s, which Cochran still had at the time. The reason the covers didn't look as good is because those were sourced from the 70s and 80s recoloring that Marie Severin did for the EC Library series.
Who owned that Frazetta cover that Russ asked Gaines for? I'm guessing Frazetta :)
Correct, he kept it and took less $ for it's use
Do you know why a slip cover was never made for the HAUNT OF FEAR series of hard back books ?
There was a slipcover, but they were greatly under-produced and Russ was selling that set without them within a few years of publication. My HOF set has the slipcase.
@@ecfan-addict9477 Thank you for your response , you are very fortunate to have that slip case LOVE YOUR COLLECTION 🤟
Wish I could find an original haunt of fear 15 and 18 at reasonable price
Which ones have the most horror of them all? Vault, tales etc...as far as monsters and such
Vault and Crypt probably have the most classic monsters, as in werewolves vampires and mummies, but Haunt has plenty of horror too (along with a handful of monsters earlier in the run). EC didn't do a lot of monsters though, tending towards horror of the human kind including a lot of walking dead.
@@ecfan-addict9477 Haunt of Fear series is my favorite.. only because.. Graham Ingels is my favorite E.C. artist.. but all the artists are phenomenal..
The original comics are in black and white? I'm buying the new pb printings.
The original ART is in black and white. These were shot from the original art.
The pb printings have new digital coloring, so they aren't the original comic colors either, but there's no bad way to read ECs, so enjoy!
I think you missed the set of 8"×11" color reprint set
6:40
Ive never heard of these slipcases. Do they have ISBNs? What was the official name of this release?
No ISBNs, these were direct sale. Official name is Complete EC Library, published by Russ Cochran.
EC Fanaddict what do you think would be a fair price today for one of the Complete EC Library box set. I read the launch price back in the 80's was 50$ USD. I am from Canada and I bought in a comic store The Haunt of Fear for 175$ CAD and The Vault of Horror for 175$ CAD. My girlfriend bought Weird Science for 140$ CAD. Online the price are higher but I don't know if I can trust what they ask for. A guy in a specialized horror store in Montreal told me lately he sold the ''full collection'' of Complete EC Library for 300$ CAD... So me and my girlfriend were wondering if we paid too much ?!?! What do you think
The "full collection" is 18 slipcased sets, anyone selling all that for $300 would be extremely foolish! The prices you paid are fair, especially for Haunt which is hard to find in the slipcase. I've seen them go for more.
@@ecfan-addict9477 Thank you very much for the prompt reply I really appreciate. You are a cool guy :)
How do these compare to the Dark Horse and Fantagraphics release?
DH sources these for the line art and adds digital recoloring. Fantagraphics sources these unless alternative proofs or original art is available. These sets are the primary source for every reprint venture since. If you want my opinion, these are the best, hands down. Crisp, clear, shot from original art, and a nice big 9x12.
@@ecfan-addict9477 im planning to read EC starting 2021. These would be major whales to hunt down.
@@WrestlingGenius777 why not start now!
@@ecfan-addict9477 I have a lot on my backlog!
Got most of these
"These are the books I want to be buried with". :)
😁
Read them all to us, please!
I'll get right on that! 😄
Did you get these from Russ before he died?
I had everything shown here before he died, yes. Or did you mean the signed items? If I got those after he died it would be a real life EC story...
@@ecfan-addict9477 I didn't realize about the signed stuff.
What a haul!
Thommy! East Coast comics were first!! But that wasn't Russ of course...
Of course, East Coast were the first EC comic book reprints. That was Ron Barlow and Bruce Hershenson. Bruce married Russ's daughter!
This is really getting into the weeds, but in 1958 the reprint-specialist comic company IW published the first issue of Strange Planets, and the interior content was reprints from EC's Incredible Science Fiction issue 30. The company didn't use any EC material in subsequent issues, so far as I know.
Russ and Bill were both bearded men.
I ordered my Weird Science HC set should be here by Monday. And boy am I hyped for it to arrive.
I’m going to buy the rest of the sci-fi line, MAD in color, Shock Suspenstories, & PictoFiction because they are the most affordable for me
I started to buy them in single volumes
Why dark Horse prints those garrishly overly computer colored reprints instead of these is beyond me