The EC Archives: Shock SuspenStories #3
"Only Skin-Deep" is a chilling tale from The EC Archives: Shock SuspenStories #3 (2015), showcasing Al Feldstein’s sharp storytelling and Joe Orlando’s masterful art, with inks by Orlando and coloring by Marie Severin. When a diamond-smuggling surgeon uses his medical skills to hide gems in his henchmen, he sets a deadly trap—only to discover the ultimate irony in his own greed. The cover, a striking illustration by Jack Kamen, captures the story’s cold, suspenseful tone.
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A diamond thief surgeon cuts open his two goons to smuggle diamonds into the country in their bodies. When he gets a big one worth $250,000 he tells the men he will operate on both of them, but place the diamond in only one so that they will not be tempted to disappear. The doctor sends them a note saying he will be delayed because he knows that this will play on their greed and they will turn on each other. They kill each other, but the doctor did not place the stone in either of them but himself. But the diamond was paste and it quickly caused the doctor's death due to poisoning.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).