As a big fan of horror anthologies, EC Comics, and Tales from the Crypt, I was super excited to read EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1.

First off, the artwork is fantastic—I really loved the classic horror comic style. Some of the stories were really engaging and fun, but others didn’t quite land for me. It felt like a mixed bag, with some tales feeling rushed while others dragged on a bit. I wanted this to be a five-star read, but it just didn’t fully get there.

That said, I still enjoyed it overall and will check out more in the future. If you’re a horror fan or love Tales from the Crypt, it’s definitely worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the advanced copy.

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.

Horror has always been my favorite genre and if it is a graphic novel then I know I cannot resist it. This book has some wonderful illustrations that are totally mesmerizing. Some of the stories are also terrifying. Some of them are also satirical and give us a message. The authors have really done a great job. I am planning to read all the other volumes in the coming month. Although, the stories need to be more hair raising to make it a horror graphic novel. I would like to give it 4 stars.

EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1 nearly lost me out of the gate kicking off with a cliched tortured artist tale and then the low-hanging-fruit of Anti-vaxers vs. Vaxers bit. Here I nearly tapped out. I am glad that I didn’t as some solid narratives fill the remainder of the collection. Family Values, Gray Green Memories, Sounds and Haptics, A Crossroads Repetition, and Dead From Exposure are my favorite entries.

I’ll back other’s sentiments that a couple of pages to each story to fatten them up a big would have been great, but that’s the classic hurdle with anthology storytelling, squeezing a lot into a little.

The artwork is killer throughout, high fives there, it’s what kept me going. In the moments I was losing interest the artwork kept me invested.

All in all an enjoyable read. Thank you for the opportunity.

I grew up watching Tales From the Crypt on HBO and reading some of my brothers old Vault of Horror comics so when I saw this collection in NetGalley I grabbed it. The artwork is excellent and very detailed and colorful. Some of the stories are great and some are mediocre which I find yo be true in most anthologies or collections. The stories range from psychological horror to thriller to body horror.

If you grew up with the Crypt Keeper you will appreciate this collection.

**Thanks to the authors and artists and the publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.”

Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1 is a solid horror anthology that delivers a mix of psychological, paranormal, and body horror. The stories are diverse, each offering a unique take on fear and terror. The classic horror comic format with a modern twist adds to the experience.

The artwork is stunning, elevating the eerie atmosphere of each tale. It brings back a strong sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of Goosebumps and classic horror comics. Some standout stories include the first one about the writer, Killer Spec, The Perfect Pearl, and Gray Green Memories. Gray Green Memories was especially interesting, giving insight into a zombie’s perspective, something rarely explored in horror. It offered a fresh take on zombies, exploring their thoughts and how they see the world.

While most of the stories were enjoyable, a few were disappointing. However, as a huge fan of horror anthologies, this was still a decent read overall.

Actual Rating 3.5/5

Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for the E-ARC!

Like most anthologies, this is a mixed bag. There were some stories I liked better than others. The brevity of each segment is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, if you aren't vibing with it, the ending comes quickly. On the other, there were several I wanted to be filled out just a bit more. Overall, EC's return is a great start and I hope they put out more!

"EC Epitaphs From The Abyss: Volumes 1-4" are fast-paced and disturbing. The artwork is gruesome and adds to the stories. Overall, I would recommend these comics, but I wish some of the stories would have been longer. I thought volumes 3 and 4 were stronger than volumes 1 and 2.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Oni Press for sending me ARCs of this fun and disturbing comic series! All four volumes will be available on 05/06/2025!

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

(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.

1 star.

This volume consists of Issues 1-4. These are….not good, as far as the stories go. I’m not a big comic book person but I thought I would expand my horizons and try these out, and I definitely don’t know enough about comics to judge the art, so it may be wonderful. The stories, though, aren’t scary, nor are they entertaining. A big miss for me.

2/5

Une lecture qui ne m'a pas convaincue, alors que j'avais hâte de relire du EC comics ! J'ai trouvé les histoires peu abouties. Soit celles-ci étaient trop courtes, soit il m'a manqué quelque chose. Je ne me suis pas sentie investie dans ma lecture malheureusement.

As a long time ago fan of the EC comics I was intrigued by Epitaphs from the Abyss. It comes across as a loving tribute with some call back to the original style mixed in with very modern art work and storylines. Sure, some of the stories work better than others and there are occasional 'modern day issues' that will not work quite so well for some depending on their political/ ecological/ other al stance, but I enjoyed this as an updated approach to the old classics.

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This reminded me of the comic anthology version of the Reddit subreddit “one sentence horror”. Incredibly cheesy and not even remotely scary. There’s some really high calibre art here but the incredibly short stories come across as rushed and juvenile.

Phenomenal as always. I LOVE the EC archives and I can’t recommend them enough. The artwork is fantastic and the individual stories are always captivating.

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 so badly wanted this to be a five star read - EC Comics are legendary and I even have some of their old horror comics that used to be my dad's, so I'm thrilled they're back to doing what I want them to be great at. Unfortunately the first few issues was not full of bangers as I'd hoped but a rather mixed collection of some I really enjoyed (Gray Green Memories was sad), some good (Under the Influence amused me), and one or two mehs (Bloodtype - kind of boring?). I think that's a solid three stars.

I fully plan on continuing to recommend EC to horror readers though, and I will continue picking up future issues should they release them. I miss the days of a comic host and while The Grave-digger isn't as much fun as The Cryptkeeper, I still enjoyed his presence and introductions lol And the artwork was all A+, I especially loved the fun call-back covers to the classic days. It really made me want to crack out some of my old comics.

God, I just really really miss Tales From The Crypt!! And to be fair, Epitaphs from the Abyss scratched that itch. It just didn't scratch long enough or hard enough for me to be satisfied. I want more!

"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.

A nostalgia trip gone awry. It tries hard to channel the spirit of classic horror anthologies but fails. It's familiar in style (I love the retro vibe) but lacks the bite. The art is striking, and some stories are creative(shoutout to "Gray Green Memories"), but the collection as a whole is uneven, with most stories disappointing.

Now, these stories are all horror bites - extremely short and I know it makes doing the horror right difficult. Still, to me, they lacked the darkly ironic justice or clever twists known for example from Tales From The Crypt. Instead, we get endings that feel either rushed, unsatisfying, or grim for the sake of being grim.