SDCC | Oni’s EC Comics revival announces two new projects

The winter months will bring ‘Shiver Suspenstories’ and ‘Cruel Kingdom’ to the line, while the just-launched ‘Epitaphs from the Abyss’ grows into a maxi-series.

Oni Press is in Sand Diego this week to talk about all the comics and graphic novels they have in the “coming soon” pile, but one title they’ll be talking a lot about is already out — Epitaphs from the Abyss, part of the EC Comics revival.

According to the publisher, Epitaphs is their “biggest Direct Market launch in a decade,” and with its success comes three pieces of news related to their EC Comics plans.

First, the planned five-issue miniseries has now been extended to 12 issues, taking the horror anthology into next summer. Oni also announced two new EC titles that will come out in December and January.

“With Epitaphs from the Abyss #1 now on store shelves, it’s safe to say the full-blooded return of EC Comics to store shelves worldwide has exceeded even our own aggressive expectations to become Oni Press’ biggest Direct Market launch in a decade,” said Hunter Gorinson, Oni Press president and publisher. “We owe a huge debt of thanks to the fans, creators and retailers who have supported this righteous resurrection for one of the most iconic and influential publishing houses in the history of the comics medium. It also means the second phase of our ambitious plans to strengthen the scope of our EC publishing program can now be revealed – beginning with a surprise expansion for Epitaphs from the Abyss and continuing into two new releases: this winter’s holiday-themed Shiver Suspenstories special and EC’s first-ever excursion in dark fantasy, Cruel Kingdom, beginning in January!”

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return

Check out comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Jason Aaron, Joëlle Jones, John Ridley, Johnnie Christmas, Alitha Martinez, Jeremy Adams, Will Conrad, James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jeff Smith and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.

It’s Comic-Con week, and the comics are out in droves this Wednesday. There’s a brand new Teenage Mutants Ninja Turtles title, the debut of the new EC Comics and the return of Flash Gordon. The Nice House on the Lake gets a sequel, while an early 2000s X-title finds new life. Plus there’s Moebius, Spawn, Keanu Reeves, Johnnie Christmas and a whole lot of Jason Aaron, giving you plenty of reasons to stay home and read comics if a trip to San Diego isn’t on your itinerary.

I’ve pulled out some of the other highlights for this week below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

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Dustin Weaver designs three new ‘hosts’ for Oni’s EC Comics revival

‘… it’s just such a treat to draw characters so unabashedly wicked.’

As EC Comics continues its climb out of the grave, publisher Oni Press has revealed a trio of faces that will serve as “hosts” for the revived horror line — The Grave-Digger, The Tormentor and The Grim Inquisitor.

They’ll make their debut next month in Epitaphs from the Abyss #1, the first double-sized issue of the anthology. It will feature contributions from Brian Azzarello, Chris Condon, J. Holtham, Stephanie Phillips, Jorge Fornes, Phil Hester, Peter Krause, Vlad Legostaev and more, and in between those stories, you’ll find appearances by EC’s new “torturous trio,” as designed by Paklis creator Dustin Weaver.

“Usually a big part of designing characters is costuming, but in looking back at the original Tales From the Crypt comics, it’s clear that the most important and defining features of the horror hosts are their ghoulish faces,” the former Avengers and Star Wars artist said. “It’s all about the faces, and with these modern host designs I wanted to carry on that tradition.”

Check out the three new faces on Weaver’s “Horror Host” variant cover:

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EC Comics will return this summer

Oni Press has announced a publishing partnership that will bring new EC material to print for the first time since the 1950s.

EC Comics, the notorious and influential publishing house from the 1950s headed up by William Gaines that was at the forefront of Dr. Fredric Wertham’s campaign against comics, will return as an imprint of Oni Press this summer.

Oni Press has partnered with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. to bring Entertaining Comics, or EC Comics, back from the dead. The publisher of Tales from the Crypt, Two-Fisted Tales, Weird Science and more has not published new comic books since the 1950s — with MAD Magazine, probably their most famous publication, being the exception.

“There are few things more sacred to the canon of comic book history – and global pop culture – than EC Comics. The company’s audaciously inspired sensibilities have continuously echoed through nearly all facets of entertainment – like pieces of shrapnel embedded in American imagination,” said Oni Press President and Publisher Hunter Gorinson. “It’s both a huge honor and immense responsibility to be entrusted to work alongside the Gaines family in inhabiting EC’s indomitable spirit for a new generation. At a moment when we find ourselves confronting the same reactionary forces – injustice, inequality, and of course, censorship – that EC challenged head-on, we intend to write a new and powerful chapter that honors and expands one of the most important legacies the comic book medium has ever produced.”

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