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. 

Batman Guardian of the Night Panini Comic

Panini Comics UK began publishing Batman comics in 2003 with Batman Legends which would feature three US issues in one, bound in a cardboard cover like Paninis Marvel Collectors Editions. They eventually lost the license to Titan Comics but in 2020 regained it and released the one and only issue of Batman: Tales of the Dark Knight. Unfortunately the global pandemic quickly put an end to what was to be a new series. This one issue still had the cardboard cover but now only included two US comic issues rather than three to reduce costs, coming in at £4.50

 Panini made a second attempt to return Batman to UK comic stands with Batman Guardian of the Night. Featuring two US comic issues but without the cardboard cover the Collectors Editions are known for. This change knocked the cover price down to £2.99. It was sad to see the cardboard covers go but £4.50+ per issue was getting a little high for many readers. Especially if they bought multiple titles from Paninis Marvel and now DC range every month.

Unfortunately Batman Guardian of the Night was cancelled after issue 22 in 2023. Not quite lasting two years. It's sad to be without a UK Batman comic on shelves again like the late 1990s. 

H.P Lovecraft Cool Air Comic Adaptations

Cool Air is a short story written by H.P Lovecraft in 1926, originally published in the March 1928 issue of Tales of Magic and Mystery. It tells the tale of a man who moves into a New York apartment block and meets a fellow tenant who is obsessed with defying death and preserves himself though increasingly low temperatures. Though his efforts come gruesomely unstuck when the power goes out....

                                      

Berni Wrightson adapted H.P Lovecraft's Cool Air into a comic strip eventually collected by Pacific Comics in issue 2 of Berni Wrightson, Master of the Macabre. Wrightsons art work brings the story to beautiful and gruesome life. Invoking the style of Ghastly Graham Ingels of EC fame.

EC had themselves adapted the story in Vault of Horror issue 17, renaming it Baby It's Cold Inside and giving it a more contemporary setting.

 

Jurassic Park Comics UK

 Dark Horse International published 16 issues of Jurassic Park in the early 90s, reprinting Topps comics movie adaptation, prequel and sequel stories. Much like their Alien and Terminator comics which would feature supporting strips from relevant franchises such as Predator for Alien and Robocop for Terminator, Dark Horse International included Xenozoic Tales and Age of Reptiles in their Jurassic Park comic.

After 13 issues however, the title rights changed to Manga who sold the comic direct to consumers rather than it appearing in newsagents. This only lasted three issues and the comic was cancelled at issue 16. The comic rights then changed hands to Titan Publishing who also acquired the rights to Alien and Terminator from Dark Horse International. Titan would release their own Jurassic Park comic to tie in with Lost World. This was a four issue series reprinting the Topps Lost World comic adaptation from the US. As with Titans Alien Resurrection and Terminator Salvation movie tie in comics, after four issues it was cancelled,