Nicholas Driscoll's Reviews > The EC Archives: Tales from the Crypt Volume 1

Maybe three and a half stars. I kind of experimented with some classic EC comics a few years ago and wasn't very impressed. This time I think maybe having an idea of what I was getting into helped.

Each story is self-contained, and there are no real carryover characters. The Crypt Keeper looks different than his more famous incarnation, and he just makes lots of dumb jokes, so that's... fine. It is kind of amusing to see that he has a relationship with the other horror hosts, and the other horror hosts make guest appearances here, but their humor and personalities are almost identical to CK.

Each self-contained story tends to follow certain patterns, usually involving ghosts and undead and revenge, especially with married couples or spurned lovers and the like. These get repetitive, and I wanted more creature features, but some of the stories are fairly memorable, and some have effectively creepy imagery! The art is definitely a highlight, with lots of highly-detailed and creepy art. The early comics I would say are not that gruesome compared to their eventual reputation. Overall, the stuff is entertaining, although I cannot say the same for the text-only short stories which tend to lack punch or interest.

I read this book for Halloween, and afterwards I found out about an even older horror anthology title called Adventures into the Unknown, republished by Dark Horse. I picked up the first volume and read it soon after this one, and the format is nearly identical save for the lack of a horror host. Tales from the Crypt really feels like an updated, higher-quality version of Adventures into the Unknown, with a lot of the same tropes and patterns appearing in both titles.

Overall, certainly interesting for fans of older comics and comic history. I might continue reading later on, but I wish there was a bit more substance.