List of Entertaining Comics publications

Entertaining Comics, commonly known as EC Comics, was a major publisher of comic books in the 1940s and 1950s. The letters EC originally stood for Educational Comics. EC's Pre-Trend titles are those published by Max Gaines and his son William M. Gaines, who took over the family business after his father's death in 1947.

In 1950, with the addition of writer and artist Al Feldstein, EC found success with their New Trend line, including their horror titles Tales From the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror. A line of science fiction titles soon followed, Weird Science and Weird Fantasy, illustrated by the best artists in the business, such as Wallace Wood, Reed Crandall, Johnny Craig, George Evans, Graham Ingels, Jack Davis, Bill Elder, Joe Orlando, Al Williamson and Frank Frazetta. In addition to original stories, the books also featured adaptations of Ray Bradbury's short stories.

The New Direction group was a response to the Comics Code Authority. Picto-Fiction was a short-lived line of heavily illustrated short story magazines. Beginning in 1958, EC published annual and special editions of Mad.

Publications

Pre-Trend
TitleGenreInitial RunIssuesNotes
Animal FablesComedy1946–1947#1-7
Animated Comics (1947)N/AN/A#1
Blackstone the Magician Detective Fights Crime!Superhero(1947)#1
Crime PatrolCrime1948–1950#1-16
  • Issues #1-5 titled as International Comics
  • Issue #6 titled as International Crime Patrol
  • Issue numbering continued as The Crypt of Terror
Dandy ComicsComedy1947–1948#1-7
Fat and SlatComedy1947–1948#1-4
  • Issue numbering continued as Gunfighter
GunfighterWestern1948–1950#5-14
  • Issue numbering continued as The Haunt of Fear
Happy HoulihansComedy1947#1-2
  • Issue numbering continued as Saddle Justice
Land of the LostAdventure1946–1948#1-9
Modern LoveRomance1949–1950#1-8
Moon GirlSuperhero1947–1950#1-12
  • Issue #1 titled as Moon Girl and the Prince
  • Issues #7-8 titled as Moon Girl Fights Crime!
  • Issues #9-12 titled as A Moon, a Girl...Romance
Picture Stories from the Bible (New Testament edition)N/A1944–1946#1-3
Picture Stories from American HistoryN/A1945–1947#1-4
Picture Stories from ScienceN/A1947#1-2
Saddle JusticeWestern1948–1950#3-11
  • Issues #9-11 titled as Saddle Romances
  • Issue numbering continued as Weird Science
Tiny Tot ComicsChildren1946–1947#1-10
War Against Crime!Crime1948–1950#1-11
  • Issue numbering continued as The Vault of Horror

New Trend
TitleGenreInitial RunNumber of Issues
The Crypt of Terror/Tales from the CryptHorrorApril/May 1950 to February/March 195530 issues
The Vault of HorrorHorrorApril/May 1950 to December/January 195529 issues
The Haunt of FearHorrorMay/June 1950 to November/December 195428 issues
Weird FantasySci-fiMay/June 1950 to November/December 195322 issues
Weird ScienceSci-fiMay/June 1950 to November/December 195322 issues
Crime SuspenStoriesCrimeOctober/November 1950 to February/March 195527 issues
Two-Fisted TalesWarNovember/December 1950 to February 195524 issues
Frontline CombatWarJuly/August, 1951 to January 195415 issues
Shock SuspenStoriesSuspenseFebruary/March 1952 to December/January 195518 issues
MadComedyOctober–November 1952 to April 2018, rebooted June 2018 with new numbering from #1. Ceased news stand distribution in December 2019 after 10 issues. Soon after switched to mostly reprinted contents550 issues
Three Dimensional E.C. Classics/Three Dimensional Tales from the Crypt of TerrorN/ASpring 1954 to March 19542 issues
PanicComedyFebruary–March 1954 to December/January 195612 issues
Weird Science-FantasySci-fiMarch 1954 to May/June 19557 issues
PiracyFantasyOctober/November 1954 to October/November 19557 issues

New Direction
TitleGenreInitial RunNumber of Issues
ImpactSuspenseMarch/April 1955 to Nov/Dec 19555 issues
ValorFantasyMarch/April 1955 to Nov/Dec 19555 issues
Extra!Slice of LifeMarch/April 1955 to Nov/Dec 19555 issues
Aces HighWarMarch/April 1955 to Nov/Dec 19555 issues
PsychoanalysisSlice of LifeMarch/April, 1955 to September/October 19554 issues
M.D.Slice of LifeApril/May 1955 to Nov/Dec 19555 issue
Incredible Science FictionSci-FiJuly/August 1955 to Jan/Feb 19564 issues

Picto-Fiction
TitleGenreInitial RunNumber of Issues
Confessions IllustratedRomanceFebruary 1956 – July 19563 issues
Crime IllustratedCrimeDecember 1955 – June 19563 issues
Shock IllustratedSuspenseSeptember/October 1955 – Spring 19563 issues
Terror IllustratedHorrorNovember/December 1955 – Spring 19562 issues

Mad annuals and specials
  • More Trash from Mad, 1958–1969 (12 issues)
  • Worst from Mad, 1958–1969 (12 issues)
  • Mad Follies, 1963–1969 (7 issues)
  • Mad Special, 1970–1973 (10 issues)
  • Mad Super Special, 1973–1999 (131 issues)
  • Mad XL, 2000–2005 (34 issues)
  • Mad Color Classics, 2000–2005 (11 issues)
  • Mad Classics, 2005–2009 (25 issues)
  • Mad Kids, 2005–2009 (14 issues)

Reprints
For the Russ Cochran reprints, see Russ Cochran (publisher).
For the Gladstone reprints, see Gladstone Publishing.
For the Gemstone reprints, see Gemstone Publishing.
For the Fantagraphics reprints, see The EC Artists' Library.

Many of these titles were reprinted during the past 30 years by publisher Russ Cochran, both independently and in conjunction with Gladstone Publishing and later with Gemstone Publishing.

Russ Cochran's reprints include The Complete EC Library in black and white but with full-color covers; EC Annuals in full-color, comic-book sized reprints with four to six complete comics in each Annual; and EC Archives, full-color hardcover books containing six complete EC comics.

In 2012 Fantagraphics Books began publishing a series of artist- and theme-based collections of EC stories titled The EC Artists' Library.

The full-color EC Archives project was taken up by Dark Horse Comics in 2013, both reprinting previous Gladstone and Gemstone volumes and producing new volumes collecting further EC Comics titles.

References
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