The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #35

In "Double-Crossed," a traveling salesman named David Volney finds himself bewildered when the entire town mistakes him for the wealthy Edwin Jordon—down to the last detail. As he’s drawn into Jordon’s life, even winning the affection of Jordon’s estranged wife, David hatches a plan to eliminate his doppelgänger and claim his fortune and new identity. But when a murder is discovered, the town’s suspicions turn toward David, and the truth behind the crime threatens to unravel everything he’s built.

In "The Shadow Knows," a man’s dark secret comes to life in the most literal way when the shadow of his murdered wife begins to follow him after his crime. As his new life unravels, the shadow becomes a haunting presence—first disrupting his relationship, then turning the tables in a chilling twist that leaves him accused of a murder he didn’t commit. The Vault-Keeper presents this chilling tale of guilt and retribution, where the truth is buried as deep as the grave.

In "Dog Food," a prison guard's cruelty reaches a breaking point when an inmate dies under his brutal treatment. Tom, pushed to the edge, devises a desperate plan to reach the guard’s home beyond the prison walls, using stolen meat to lure the vicious dogs away. When the guard destroys the cache, Tom makes his move—only to reveal a horrifying truth about what he’s sacrificed to survive.

In "Burial at Sea," a man driven by greed uncovers a map leading to a sunken treasure, only to find himself entombed beneath the waves by a grave marked with his own name. The Vault-Keeper recounts this chilling tale of fate and retribution, where the sea claims what was always meant to be.

In the shadowed entrance of the eerie Woltam Theatre, three actors—Blye, Nash, and Winton—await a rehearsal of Hamlet that quickly unravels when a crucial prop vanishes. With Winton stepping in to replace one of the others, jealousy ignites, leading to a shocking act of violence. As Blye takes the stage, the unsettling mystery deepens when the skulls meant for Yorick’s scene begin to disappear—leaving only the Crypt-Keeper’s chilling presence to witness what unfolds.

In the shadow of a glittering Hollywood dinner, Bela Kardiff turns the spotlight on his former allies—Lawrence B. Maynor, Don Muller, Marcel Duvall, and Sidney Chase—each a piece of the machine that cast him as a monster. As the night unfolds, the line between performance and vengeance blurs, and the true horror isn't just in the killings, but in the roles they were all too eager to play.

In "Swamped," The Crypt-Keeper introduces a chilling tale of a shack in the swamp, home to a foolish cannibal who buries his victims beneath its rotting foundation. As the structure slowly gives way, the weight of his crimes begins to pull him down into the same mire where his victims lie.

In "The Firebug," an arson investigator and a fire chief team up to stop a string of mysterious fires plaguing the city—only to uncover a chilling truth buried in the flames. As the investigation deepens, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur in ways no one expected.

In "Rundown," a desperate gambler named Mr. Farrell takes a dangerous gamble that spirals into murder, all in a bid to reclaim the love of his wife. But as he flees the scene, he unknowingly becomes the target of a deadly scheme orchestrated by Joe Harris, Marsha Harris, and her lover Wally—each with their own reasons to see him gone. The story unfolds with cold precision, where every move is a calculated step toward a violent reckoning.

In a future where Earth's radiation has rendered humanity sterile, a desperate plan to colonize Mars is put into motion—only to reveal that Martian life reproduces through binary fission, not sex. Left behind as the last human, one man makes a startling choice: to stay on Mars and undergo the same transformation, splitting into two in a moment of radical biological change.

In "The Switch," the tense atmosphere of a quiet neighborhood cracks open when Edwin Lambert, already on edge from his wife Elsa’s growing unease, overhears a conversation he misinterprets as a murder plot against his neighbor’s wife. As paranoia sets in and the lines between suspicion and reality blur, the truth behind the whispered exchange begins to unravel in ways no one could predict.

In "Indian Burial Mound," the Crypt-Keeper spins a tale of greed and reckoning as Roy Madison, eager to build a flight school, ignores the warnings of Hiram Becker about an ancient burial mound on the land. When Roy’s bulldozer breaches the mound and the storm rolls in, strange drums echo through the night—followed by a scream that never ends. The next morning, Hiram finds Roy’s body, stripped bare and scalped, the ground around the mound disturbed as if something stirred beneath.

In the downpour of a storm-lashed night, Bert picks up a hitchhiker named Charles, unaware that a chilling radio broadcast warns of an escaped maniac who preys on those who offer rides. As they seek shelter in an empty house, the tension mounts—until the truth of who’s really on the road becomes terrifyingly clear.

In "Extermination," a man’s mundane evening unravels after a dream that blurs the line between nightmare and reality. Waking to find a cockroach on his floor, he’s haunted by the memory of a shrieking bug—only to face the same moment again, with chilling consequences.