Back to the Future EC Inspiration

Like many films, books and TV shows in pop culture in the 1980s, Back to the Future was in part inspired by EC comic books from the 1950s. In particular the science fiction titles such as Weird Science and Weird fantasy. The first movie in the Back to the Future series gives homage to this by featuring a mock EC comic in one scene where Marty first arrives in 1955 and is discovered by a farmer and his family. The farmers son tells his dad Marty must be an alien and shows him the cover of a comic book styled like a classic EC comic. 

The comic titled Tales From Space even has the EC logo in the top corner, though Tales From Space wasn't actually a real EC comic title. But the layout of the cover is pure EC. A fun little nod. 

Robert Zemeckis who directed Back to the Future would go on to be a executive producer on the HBO Tales From The Crypt TV series beginning in 1989 which would adapt stories from across the EC titles of the 50s. Yet another creative in Hollywood at the time who was inspired by EC while growing up. 

Toxic Crusaders Mayor Grody Figure

 The Toxic Crusaders toy line only lasted for one wave, with a second planned but never produced due to the cartoon never gaining enough popularity and poor toy sales. For wave two, guest stars from the cartoon such as Snail Man and Mower Man were planned along with regular villain Mayor Grody, based on the corrupt Mayor Belgoody from the Toxic Avenger film. Grody appeared in almost every episode of the cartoon as one of Dr Killemoffs main allies so felt missing from the original toyline. Especially as the line consisted of five heroes but only four villains. Grody would have made up the numbers. 

Finally Trick or Treat studios are releasing the unproduced Grody figure which until now had only been seen in a few prototype photographs. 

Grody scales pretty well with the vintage line but is slightly bigger than he would have been if released in the early 90s. Trick or Treat have also re-released Toxie and Dr Killemoff slightly taller too. Perhaps as a way to get collectors to re-buy characters they already have so all scale exactly with each other.

 

The Howling EC Inspiration

 Many classic horror movies and creators have told of their love of EC comics in childhood and how it influenced and inspired them in their writing and directing of horror in adulthood. Steven King, George Romero and John Carpenter in particular. However EC's influence can be seen in many other films of the 80s era. The Howling for instance features a blink and you'll miss it reference to EC on the wall of Eddie Quists apartment. Amongst the art and magazine covers he has stuck to his wall is a comic cover with art work homaging issue 29 of Tales From The Crypt. Though strangely they chose to make the cover a vampire hunter staking a Vampire rather than using or homaging one of the many Werewolf covers EC published. 

Shiver Suspenstories 2 Oni Press EC

 Oni Press have been going full throttle with their EC revival titles over the last two years publishing constant new titles and issues. In December 2024 we had a one shot Christmas special titled Shiver Suspenstories, following from the legacy of EC's classic Shock Suspenstories and Crime Suspenstories. Now for Christmas 2025 Oni Press have published a second issue with one cover in particular homaging the classic Vault of Horror issue 35. Possibly the most well know issue of Vault as it has been adapted to the big and small screen. First in 1972 when Britains Amicus films adapted it along with four other EC stories for their Tales From The Crypt movie then again in 1989 for the first season of the HBO Tales From The Crypt TV series in one of it's most beloved episodes. 

History of Toxic Avenger Comics

 The Toxic Avenger began in 1984, released by Troma Entertainment and went on to become it's most popular and well know franchise. In no small part because of the Toxic Crusaders cartoon released in 1990 in an attempt to replicate the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with a toyline and cartoon created by the same companies who worked on TMNT Playmates and Fred Wolf Productions). Though Crusaders never really took off, only lasting one season and one wave of toys it did still help spread awareness of the character of Toxie who many kids had no idea was from an R rated 80s movie. The original film also spawned three sequels and a 2025 reboot. Though outside of the screen it has a history of comic books that is still going today.

In 1991 Marvel Comics released the first issue of The Toxic Avenger, with Toxie sporting his green skin from the Toxic Crusaders cartoon rather then the brown from the movies. The comic reimagines the story of the first movie, creating it's own continuity. The series lasted 11 issues and was then replaced with the Toxic Crusaders comic in 1992 which lasted 8 issues. Marvels Toxic Crusaders reimagines the origin story from the first few episodes of the cartoon whilst also being more violent than the cartoon would allow. 

1992 saw a second Toxic Crusaders comic published but in the UK by Fleetway Publishing. Like the American comic this only lasted 8 issues, reprinting the US comics while also featuring original UK strips. 

In 2024 Ahoy Comics released a Toxic Avenger mini series, once again reimaging the story of the original movie in a modern setting. Initially a four issue mini series, it proved popular enough to spawn an ongoing series. In 2025 it was joined by a new Toxic Crusaders comic set in continuity with the Toxic Avenger series. 

EC Comics Return From The Dead in the 21st Century

 In 2022 to tie in to the Shudder ongoing Creepshow TV series, Image comics released a five issue mini series. The first new Creepshow comic to be widely released since the original movie comic book adaptation in 1982. Creepshow was George Romero and Steven Kings loving homage to the EC horror comics they grew up with and were inspired by. The most well known and remembered being Tales From The Crypt, in no small part due to the 90s TV series that itself was inspired by the Creepshow movie. 

Image released another five issues as volume 2 in 2023 with a third volume due in Autumn 2024. With the red box around the title on the cover and horror host The Creep introducing each tale inside it felt like a modern return to EC. 

Maybe due to Creepshows success, Oni Press have acquired the license to produce official EC comics. Though rather than reviving established titles such as Tales From The Crypt or Weird Science, they have instead created all new EC titles. The first two being Epitaphs From The Abyss for horror and Cruel Universe for their sci-fi tales. This helps to establish them as something original and somewhat avoid too many comparisons to the classic EC titles which were some of the best comics ever produced and a very hard act to follow or replicate. 

Oni Press are soon to include two more EC titles, Shiver Suspenstories and Cruel Kingdom in the vein of the classic EC titles Shock Suspenstories and Weird Fantasy. 

Oni Press have been proud to announce they are the first return to EC in 70 years though this is not quite true. In 2007, Papercutz had the rights to produce EC comics and published Tales From The Crypt Volume 2 which lasted 13 issues. Then almost a decade later in 2016 Papercutz released a volume 3 of Tales under their Super Genius imprint. This volume was aimed at a slightly older audience than volume 2 which was an ages 10 and up comic. Volume 3 only lasted two issues though from December 2016 to January 2017. 

So really it's been 7 not 70 years since new EC comics were published. But I guess a 7 year gap doesn't sound so impressive. 

As an interesting coincidence, Tales From The Crypt issue 1 and Creepshow issue 1 both show their respective horror hosts rising from the grave to signify their returns after such long absences. 

Aliens Magazine Volume 3 (UK)

The UK Aliens magazine had run from 1991-1994 spanning 32 issues as well as a three issue mini series printing the comics adaptation of Alien 3 to tie in with the release of that movie. Initially it was published by Trident for volume 1, then when Trident went out of business Dark Horse International picked up the license for volume 2. Sadly Dark Horse International didn't last many years before also going under and Titan comics picked up most of their licenses such as Jurassic Park, Terminator and Aliens.

Titan started Volume 3 of the Aliens magazine in December 1997 to tie in with the release of Alien Resurrection. The first two issues printed the comic adaptation of the film as well as Earth Angel. Both stories concluded in issue 2 with issue 3 beginning two new stories, Aliens: Berserker and Aliens: Mondo Pest. 

Sales proved poor though and issue 3 became the final issue, abruptly ceasing publication with no announcement or official final issue released. It is unclear if the comic was intended to be an ongoing or just a mini series for five or six issues. Aliens Berserker would have been a four issue story which indicates Titan had planned at least three more issues after issue 3. 

Titan didn't have much better luck with the other titles they picked up from Dark Horse. Only releasing four issue mini series of The Lost World Jurassic Park and Terminator Salvation to tie in with the release of those films.