Number 644


"Reflection" redux


In April I posted the horror story, "Reflection of Death," from Tales From the Crypt #23, in Pappy's #503. It's one of my favorite EC stories, told in a POV style by Al Feldstein. I think that 1951 story helped set the overall tone for the horror comics that Bill Gaines and Feldstein were trying to do. Some years later, after the Comics Code came about, Gaines started a line of magazines. Feldstein re-wrote the story for Terror Illustrated #2, an attempt to mix EC comics and prose fiction. Except for Mad Gaines flopped in the magazine business.

Feldstein wrote the story under the name, Alfred E. Neuman (yuk, yuk), and used the art talents of George Evans. In my opinion the original incarnation of "Reflection of Death" worked; by the time of this re-working the plot seems predictable and the writing pedestrian. The artwork, however, is a good enough reason to look.

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Number 570


The Basket


Picto-Fiction was an attempt by EC publisher, William M. Gaines, to save his comic book business and avoid the Comics Code by going upscale to the magazine market. Picto-Fiction, including Terror Illustrated, Crime Illustrated, Confessions Illustrated and Shock Illustrated, were a mixture of art and story, not comic books, but not traditional magazines either. Picto-Fiction failed because it didn't reach the readers of either the comic book or prose fiction market. On the other hand, Mad, his non-Picto-Fiction magazine, succeeded beyond anyone's dreams.

"The Basket" is from Terror Illustrated #1, December 1955. It's adapted from a story in the 10¢ comic book, Haunt of Fear #7. In its original form it was drawn by Jack Davis. Graham Ingels handles the assignment here.

Hairy Green Eyeball presented a whole issue of the Picto-Fiction Crime Illustrated here.

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