A HALLOWEEN HORROR SUSPENSTORY

GOOD LORD! Here's a grisly tale from EC's SHOCK SUSPENSTORIES #2 (April-May 1952) that only Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein could think up for Graham Ingels to illustrate. Colors are by Marie Severin and lettering by Jim and Margaret Wroten.

Happy Halloween, everybody!

EC Comics are copyright (c) by William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.

GRAHAM INGELS' FIRST SIGNED EC ART

As good as he was with the medium, after EC's horror comics folded, Graham Ingels turned his back on the genre and produced very little horror images in later life, preferring to paint other subjects and teaching fine art from his home in Florida.

During his years with EC, he was reluctant to sign his own work. This finally changed when readers saw his first signature, the initials "G.I." inside an open skull on the splash page of the story, "Blood Type 'V'"! in TALES FROM THE CRYPT #22 (February-March 1951). It wasn't soon after that his better known signature, "Ghastly", showed up on his work. Besides being a serious alcoholic, it seems like he might have been a frustrated fine artist. As it was with a lot of artists who didn't necessarily feel like drawing comics was their first choice, it paid the bills.

More details on this topic, as well as a crisp copy from the original can be seen in the latest EC FAN-ADDICT FANZINE available by clicking the cover on the sidebar.

GRAHAM INGELS' FIRST HORROR ART

EC Comics fans might think that artist Graham "Ghastly" Ingels drew his first horror comic stories for Max Gaines. Early in his career, the great Ingels was hired on by Fiction House and it was actually here that he produced his first horror-themed work, a cover for PLANET STORIES #6 (Spring 1944).

Planet Stories #6, Spring 1944 - Cover by Graham Ingels.

Ingels later worked for pulp magazine-turned comic book publisher Ned Pines, founder of Standard Comics, who was being supplied with art by his father-in-law, Benjamin Sangor, who would go on to form ACG Comics. Here he drew two covers for STARTLING COMICS, a superhero title that had just shifted gears into space and science-fiction stories.

Startling Comics #44, March 1947.

Startling Comics #46, July 1947.