EC COMICS IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE āĀ AND ALLāNEW PUBLISHING LINE āĀ AT ONI PRESS
The Infamous and Influential Comics Imprint That Redefined Pop Culture Returns with Staggering New Titles and Superstar Creators āĀ Beginning Summer 2024Ā
Seventy years after the creation of the Comics Code Authority irrevocably changed the course of comics history, the most infamous, notorious and controversial comic publisher of all timeĀ is set to return from the grave in summer 2024ā¦Ā
Oni Press āĀ the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic fiction for more than 25 years ā is proud to announce a brand-new publishing partnership with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. that will see the full-fledged return of EC Comics to comic shop and bookstore shelves worldwide with a slate of all-new series beginning in the summer of 2024.Ā
Beginning with EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 in July and CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 in August āĀ the first official EC Comics series produced in nearly seven decades āĀ Oniās ambitious EC Comics publishing program will be overseen by Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson and Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn in partnership with Cathy Gaines Mifsud and Corey Mifsud, the daughter and grandson of legendary EC Publisher William M. Gaines and administrators of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.Ā
āAs my father said, āOnly in the bounds of good taste!ā and Iām so excited to exhibit EC’s good taste with Oni Press, who have distinguished themselves with both an award-winning library of comics and graphic novels and a passionate understanding of ECās singular role in shaping comics history,ā said Cathy Gaines Mifsud, President of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.Ā
āEC Comics is no stranger to a good comeback story! Weāre thrilled to make this return with Oni Press and usher the classic EC sensibilities into the modern world,ā said Corey Mifsud, Executive Director of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. āItās always been our dream to one day bring the fearless creative spirit of EC to a new generation. Working hand-in-hand with Oniās award-winning team and a sensational cast of creators, itās a pleasure to āĀ at long last ā shepherd EC into the 21st century with all-new series and stories.ā
Edited by Hahn, Oniās curated line of EC titles āĀ which will include at least two series on a monthly basis from July 2024 onward in the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and more āĀ will feature contributions from a rotating cast of high-profile comics talents that includes writers Jason Aaron (Thor, Southern Bastards), Brian Azzarello (Batman: Damned, 100 Bullets), Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), Corinna Bechko (Invisible Republic), Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun), Christopher Cantwell (Briar), Cecil Castellucci (Shade the Changing Girl), Chris Condon (That Texas Blood), Joshua Hale Fialkov (The Bunker), J. Holtham (AMCās The Handmaidās Tale), Jeff Jensen (HBOās Watchmen, Green River Killer), Matt Kindt (BRZRKR, Mind MGMT), Sean Lewis (King Spawn), Stephanie Phillips (Grim), Jay Stephens (Dwellings), Zac Thompson (Cemetery Kids Donāt Die), Ben H. Winters (CBSā Tracker), and more; artists Kano (Gotham Central, Immortal Iron Fist), Peter Krause (Irredeemable), Leomacs (Rogues), Malachi Ward (Black Hammer: The End), Dustin Weaver (Avengers, Paklis), and more; designer Rian Hughes (The Multiversity); alongside covers from Lee Bermejo (A Vicious Circle, Batman: Damned), Greg Smallwood (The Human Target), J.H. Williams III (Sandman: Overture, Promethea), and more to be revealed in the weeks and months ahead.Ā
āSeventy years ago, EC Comics redefined what comics could be with shocking, confrontational and brilliantly crafted stories that challenged the existential issues at the center of American life āĀ censorship, racism, sexism, nuclear proliferation, and more. Today, those battles continue in alarming and pernicious new ways,ā said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief, Sierra Hahn. āWhat better time to resurrect the undying spirit of EC Comics ā one of the most entertaining, subversive, and influential publishers of all time ā with an all-star cast of storytellers to examine todayās society through the lens that William Gaines and his legendary collaborators have left us.ā
Founded by M.C. “Max” Gaines ā often cited as one of the original creators of the comic book format ā as āEducational Comicsā in 1944, EC spearheaded a watershed evolution in the craft, quality, and power of the comics medium under Max’s son, William M. Gaines, following the elder Gainesā sudden death in 1947. Rechristening his fatherās creation as āEntertaining Comics,ā publisher, editor, and writer William M. Gaines recruited one of the most legendary creative stables in the history of the comics medium āĀ including future Eisner Hall of Fame inductees Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, Frank Frazetta, Harvey Kurtzman, Joe Orlando, John Severin, Marie Severin, Al Williamson, Wally Wood, and many more āĀ to oversee the creation of a revolutionary slate of new series that would soon grow to include TALES FROM THE CRYPT, MAD MAGAZINE, WEIRD SCIENCE, TWO-FISTED TALES, and more.Ā
Widely celebrated for fearlessly confrontational stories that were as creatively innovative as they were culturally subversive āĀ confronting racial and gender inequality, militarism, and environmental degradation in ways that would anticipate both the burgeoning counterculture and Civil Rights movements āĀ ECās urge to probe the darkness lurking beyond the edges of post-war America though tales of horror, science fiction, humor, and war earned the company millions of readers ā¦ and established a new high watermark for one of the first definitively American artforms: the comic book.Ā
However, ECās reign at the forefront of the American comic book industry āĀ a period during which it eclipsed Marvel, DC, and Archie with sales of 10 million comics per year āĀ would come crashing down in 1954 as an anti-comics moral panic swept America, inspiring book burnings, police surveillance, and a Congressional investigation that would see William M. Gainesā testimony broadcast live in households across the country. This pro-censorship movement soon culminated in the creation of the Comics Code Authority, a sanitizing regulatory group whose guidelines were specifically tailored to remove ECās comics from newsstands. ECās final comics āĀ until now āĀ were published in 1956, and the hugely popular MAD was re-formatted as a magazine to escape Code scrutiny. Even so, the untimely death of EC could not erase the companyās far-reaching impact, having already inspired a young generation of readers ā including John Carpenter, Guillermo del Toro, Matt Groening, James Gunn, George Lucas, Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, The Ramones, George Romero, Steven Spielberg, and hundreds more āĀ who have cited ECās iconoclastic brand of storytelling as a deep and primordial influence.Ā
āThere are few things more sacred to the canon of comic book history āĀ and global pop culture ā than EC Comics. The companyās audaciously inspired sensibilities have continuously echoed through nearly all facets of entertainment āĀ like pieces of shrapnel embedded in American imagination,ā said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. āItās both a huge honor and immense responsibility to be entrusted to work alongside the Gaines family in inhabiting ECās indomitable spirit for a new generation. At a moment when we find ourselves confronting the same reactionary forces ā injustice, inequality, and of course, censorship ā that EC challenged head-on, we intend to write a new and powerful chapter that honors and expands one of the most important legacies the comic book medium has ever produced.ā
Oni Pressā first two new EC titles āĀ EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS and CRUEL UNIVERSE, a pair of horror and science anthologies in the classic EC mold āĀ will debut in July and August 2024, respectively, before the publisher introduces more series in genres and formats that will expand the scope and scale of the EC publishing line in ways never before attempted.Ā
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