The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #20

In 2902 B.C., a desperate love story unfolds in a sealed tomb when Nirrah, daughter of the High Priest, uses a forbidden prayer to resurrect her beloved Famu—only to be trapped by King Khufu’s cruelty. Centuries later, the same tomb is unearthed by a British Museum expedition, where Tom, Nina, and Carl Bronson uncover echoes of that ancient tragedy—now threatening to repeat itself.

In "A Fatal Caper," a group of teenagers pull a dangerous prank involving a buried corpse and a mystically summoned monster, only to face a chilling consequence when the undertaker refuses to exhume the body—revealing it died of leprosy. As the weight of their actions sinks in, they stare in dread at their own hands, realizing too late that the disease may have already taken hold.

In "Report from the Grave," the town’s undertaker, Fred Coombes, leads the Vault-Keeper’s Club in a chilling initiation ritual for Warren Lake, who must exhume a recently buried member and report back with the time from his wristwatch. When Warren returns claiming the coffin held only rags and bones, the members doubt him—until they return to the cemetery and find the corpse inside was buried fifty years prior. With Vardy, who once roomed with the deceased, now the prime suspect, the club’s tension mounts as they search for answers—only to be met with a sudden explosion and the discovery of Willie Balm’s body, buried beneath a toppled gravestone.

In "The Grave Wager," Paul and Clyde make a reckless bet that Roger won’t spend the night with a corpse—so they enlist Pirro, the Wax Man, from a local freak show to play the part. When the "body" mysteriously moves and rises in Roger’s apartment, the prank takes a dark turn. The next morning, Paul and Clyde find Roger unhinged and Pirro’s corpse—beaten beyond recognition—lying in the room.

In "The Tunnel of Terror!", Paul Cross, already teetering on the edge, is taken by his sister Linda to a remote border town in search of peace. But as the heat and isolation take hold, Paul’s unraveling mind begins to reveal a darker truth—especially when a mysterious tunnel and a sinister figure named El Jefe appear in the shadows. The Vault-Keeper warns of the dangers lurking beneath the surface, where fear and madness become real.

In "Death's Turn!", the Old Witch sets the stage for a chilling tale of ambition and retribution, where three ruthless amusement park owners—Robert Bixby, Kane, and Crossen—plot to eliminate a rival who threatens their grip on the industry. When their scheme to silence a man who dared to dream big backfires in the most gruesome way, the ride they built becomes a deadly reckoning.

In the eerie heart of Haiti, George Barker seeks a voodoo bust that promises to capture his likeness—only to find himself trapped in a nightmare of ageless youth and creeping dread. As the years pass and the bust grows old while he remains unchanged, his relationship with Jean, the daughter of one of his employees, unravels into something far darker than he ever intended. When the final act of desperation comes, the line between possession and punishment blurs—leaving only a face in stone that bears the terrible truth of what was lost.

Ken Anders stops by a strange costume shop on his way to a party, where the shop’s unsettling owner fits him with a mask and outfit meant to reveal his true self. Back home, he opens the box to find a costume of a rotting corpse—and when he dons it, his night spirals into a series of unsettling encounters. After a painful rejection from his fiancée, he returns to her house only to see her with another man, then flees to the party, where he meets a woman in a vampire costume. As their romance deepens, the truth behind her disguise begins to surface—leading to a shocking confrontation in the garden and a final, horrifying revelation in the reflection of a lily pond.

In "A Grave Gag!!," the Old Witch hosts a chilling tale of dark humor gone too far, where a man’s cruel prank at a funeral backfires in the most literal way—when he hides in a coffin to scare his family, only to find himself buried alive, his screams dismissed as just another joke.

In a quiet house haunted by memory, Martin Blackson’s resentment toward his stepdaughter Kathy boils over as he grapples with grief and guilt. When Kathy receives a strange man-shaped candy doll from the mysterious Mrs. Thaumaturge, a chilling chain of events begins—one that blurs the line between punishment and possession. The story unfolds with creeping dread, as a single bite from the doll sets off a terrifying spiral neither Martin nor Kathy can control.

In "Grandma's Ghost!!," little Peggy is haunted not by the past, but by the weight of a legacy she doesn’t yet understand. After her grandmother’s sudden passing, Peggy finds herself caught between her aunt and uncle’s greed and the quiet kindness of the gardner—only to be guided by a presence only she can see. As danger closes in, the line between memory and menace blurs, and the past begins to speak in ways no one else can hear.

In "Child's Play," the unsettling presence of the Vault-Keeper looms over a chilling tale of domestic cruelty and retribution. When Milton Collins, a man haunted by his own violence, turns on his wife Emma, the boys who once sought her kindness are left with only their memories—and a desperate, vengeful plan. As shadows stretch long and whispers drift through the night, the past comes calling in ways no man should face.

In "The Age-Old Story!" from The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #20, a young woman’s betrayal of her older husband takes a chilling turn when he serves her a final toast—unbeknownst to her, laced with an aging hormone that transforms her into a withered old crone before her eyes. The story unfolds with quiet dread, anchored by the chilling presence of The Old Witch, who narrates this tale of vanity, revenge, and the price of youth.

When Betty Marsh’s dog Jerry is injured, wealthy Roger Cartwright steps in to help—returning the dog with unexpected kindness. As their bond deepens, Betty begins to notice strange things: Roger’s late-night absences, the way Jerry keeps returning alone… until one day, the dog comes home with him. The Vault-Keeper warns of the price paid when the dead are brought back, and the truth behind the dog’s final return is far more unsettling than anyone could have guessed.

In "My Uncle Ekar!", a young boy’s chilling confession during a police interview unravels into something far more unsettling than a child’s fantasy. As the officers press him for answers, the truth begins to twist in ways they never expected—especially when the boy leads them to a place where the line between reality and nightmare blurs. The story lingers long after the final panel, where a single, knowing wink from the boy hints at a darkness that may never truly be gone.

In "A-Corny Story," the Crypt-Keeper introduces a chilling tale of vengeance and twisted fate: an elderly man, wronged by age discrimination, journeys to Haiti seeking retribution through voodoo magic. There, he commissions a cursed tree that grows in reverse—its power meant to unravel his former boss’s life, reversing time in ways no one could foresee.

In "The Acid Test!", the Vault-Keeper presents a chilling tale of twisted love and deception, where a woman’s hatred for her husband reaches a horrifying peak—only to find her own fate sealed by his calculated performance. When she’s tried for blinding him with acid, his public confession of love and forgiveness seems to save her, but the truth is far more sinister.

In "Board to Death!", The Crypt-Keeper introduces a chilling tale of terror born from a childhood trauma: a woman haunted by her fear of enclosed spaces, now pushed to the brink by her husband’s cruel psychological games. When his threats finally become reality, she’s airlifted to safety in a pine box—only to face a darkness far deeper than any coffin.

In this chilling tale from The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #20, a young boy named Toby is haunted by a voice in his head—first urging him to mischief, then claiming to be his aunt trapped in the coal chute. As doubt creeps in and the voice grows more desperate, Toby must confront the terrifying possibility that the voice he dismissed was real, and that the coal he ignored might be more than just fuel. The Crypt-Keeper invites you to listen closely—some secrets are buried deep, and not all that’s buried stays there.

In "Practical Yolk!", Fredrick Hamilton returns from a Congo hunting trip with his servant B'uuna, eager to marry his fiancée Louise—only to find her gift of an ornate Easter egg unsettling. As tensions rise and secrets surface, a chilling ritual unfolds when Louise vanishes, and the egg reveals a horrifying truth. The Vault-Keeper invites you to ponder what lies beneath the surface of a seemingly innocent tradition.

In "Minor Error!", the Old Witch spins a chilling tale of neighborhood secrets and mistaken assumptions, where curious boys uncover a terrifying truth—only to find their own conclusions shattered in the most unexpected way. A young boy’s isolation, a mysterious carton, and a blood-stained jug lead to a desperate plan that unravels in a cellar full of silent, sleeping answers.