In 1955, pressure from the U.S. government and rabid parents groups led William M Gaines of E.C. Comics to shut down his horror, crime, and science fiction titles, including Tales from the Crypt, Crime Suspenstories, and Shock Suspenstories. To fill the gap and hopefully attract a more adult readership, Gaines came up with a new form of graphic storytelling: Picto Fiction, which consisted of prose stories profusely illustrated in black and white, not all too different from pulp magazines that had all but died out by that time.
Among the titles that were released, a few stood out to me: Adult Tales of Terror Illustrated, Shock Illustrated, and Crime Illustrated. All three had lasted only a handful of issues and didn't sell well. It's a real shame considering they are gorgeous. Dark Horse Comics re-released them a few years ago in hardcover collections and I jumped at the chance to buy them.
Terror Illustrated is thoroughly enjoyable. Al Feldstein, artist, writer, and Gaines' right hand man, wrote most of the stories for this title and his work is brilliant. Many of the stories were adapted from E.C. horror comics. We're reintroduced to classics such as "The Basket," with appropriately atmospheric art by Graham Ingles. "The Gorilla's Paw" is a gruesome modern take on W.W. Jacob's most famous story. Feldstein also gave us "Reflection of Death" in which a man realizes too late that he is dead. "Head Man" written by Jack Oleck is a somber shocker about a serial killer who collects human heads; the ending is improbable but it's still a fun tale. Feldstein also penned the conte cruel *Halloween," which was illustrated by Reed Crandall, with E.C.'s usual twisted moral center. I can only imagine how this magazine would have turned out if it succeeded. If anything, it proved that Al Feldstein was an excellent prose horror writer besides having been a great comic creator.
Shock Illustrated started out as a disappointment. All of issue #1 consisted of stories about psychoanalysis and how it is used to delve into why a girl became a drug addict, a husband became a swinger, and a young man became a killer. Maybe these stories were cutting edge in the 50s but they feel quaint now. Issue #2 gave us another psychoanalytical story called "The Lipstick Killer." Those stories were more tedious than interesting. The book improves vastly afterwards. "My Brother's Keeper" is about a man's efforts to protect his mentally handicapped brother. "Dead Right" is about one man being poisoned by his friend and is fully conscious of what the other is doing. We are also treated to excellent artwork by Jack Kamen, Graham Ingles, and George Evans.
Issue #3 of Shock is my favorite from the line aside from another psychoanalytical tale "Sin Doll" about a nympho. "Curiosity Killed" is morbidly reminiscent of Rear Window, and is a carefully sinister story. "The Demon" is a re-write of "The Waxwork" by A.M. Burrage. Not original, but still entertaining and moody. "One Man's Meat" is about an effeminate milquetoast's attempts to win back his cheating wife with horrible results.
Issue #4 was never published because it was nearly completed just as the magazine died. The standout tale is "Came the Dawn" about a man who finds a beautiful woman in his cabin, falls in love with her, and then comes to suspect that she's an escaped homicidal maniac. This story is really special because it has unfinished artwork by Frank Frazetta; even incomplete, his work is still beautiful and renders the female form like no other. "Headwork" is the gripping tale of a husband who kills his wife and finds ways to dispose of her. "Alter Ego" is a fascinating doppelganger story.
Crime Illustrated was a mixed bag, but more successful than Shock. Issue #1 had several excellent stories including Richard Smith's "Fool's Gold" about a young man who takes revenge on his uncle. "Farewell to Arms" is about a gold digging husband's ironic fate. "Mother's Day" is about a woman who gave all of her love to the wrong son. We kick off issue #2 with Feldstein's tale "Motive" about a henpecked husband driven to a fatal extreme. "Fair Trade" is about a sister trying to make a better life for her brother by setting up her husband's murder. "Pieces of Hate" is a macabre story of a husband trying to be clever about his wife's murder.
Issue #3 starts out with "Deadline" about an alcoholic reporter desperate to get back on the saddle with a new story and the split second decision he makes to ensure his success also becomes his undoing. "Out of My Mind" is about a woman who murders her husband, tries to make herself look insane as an alibi, and becomes a prisoner of her own design.
Overall, Gaines had a promising idea with Picto Fiction and for a brief time offered often polished stories of crime and horror that were mostly entertaining. I would have kept on reading these magazines if E.C. had continued with them. They deserved an audience, but as a last gasp (at least for crime and horror) I'm glad they gave it a shot.
Written by Nick Montelongo
Among the titles that were released, a few stood out to me: Adult Tales of Terror Illustrated, Shock Illustrated, and Crime Illustrated. All three had lasted only a handful of issues and didn't sell well. It's a real shame considering they are gorgeous. Dark Horse Comics re-released them a few years ago in hardcover collections and I jumped at the chance to buy them.
Terror Illustrated is thoroughly enjoyable. Al Feldstein, artist, writer, and Gaines' right hand man, wrote most of the stories for this title and his work is brilliant. Many of the stories were adapted from E.C. horror comics. We're reintroduced to classics such as "The Basket," with appropriately atmospheric art by Graham Ingles. "The Gorilla's Paw" is a gruesome modern take on W.W. Jacob's most famous story. Feldstein also gave us "Reflection of Death" in which a man realizes too late that he is dead. "Head Man" written by Jack Oleck is a somber shocker about a serial killer who collects human heads; the ending is improbable but it's still a fun tale. Feldstein also penned the conte cruel *Halloween," which was illustrated by Reed Crandall, with E.C.'s usual twisted moral center. I can only imagine how this magazine would have turned out if it succeeded. If anything, it proved that Al Feldstein was an excellent prose horror writer besides having been a great comic creator.Shock Illustrated started out as a disappointment. All of issue #1 consisted of stories about psychoanalysis and how it is used to delve into why a girl became a drug addict, a husband became a swinger, and a young man became a killer. Maybe these stories were cutting edge in the 50s but they feel quaint now. Issue #2 gave us another psychoanalytical story called "The Lipstick Killer." Those stories were more tedious than interesting. The book improves vastly afterwards. "My Brother's Keeper" is about a man's efforts to protect his mentally handicapped brother. "Dead Right" is about one man being poisoned by his friend and is fully conscious of what the other is doing. We are also treated to excellent artwork by Jack Kamen, Graham Ingles, and George Evans.Issue #3 of Shock is my favorite from the line aside from another psychoanalytical tale "Sin Doll" about a nympho. "Curiosity Killed" is morbidly reminiscent of Rear Window, and is a carefully sinister story. "The Demon" is a re-write of "The Waxwork" by A.M. Burrage. Not original, but still entertaining and moody. "One Man's Meat" is about an effeminate milquetoast's attempts to win back his cheating wife with horrible results.
Issue #4 was never published because it was nearly completed just as the magazine died. The standout tale is "Came the Dawn" about a man who finds a beautiful woman in his cabin, falls in love with her, and then comes to suspect that she's an escaped homicidal maniac. This story is really special because it has unfinished artwork by Frank Frazetta; even incomplete, his work is still beautiful and renders the female form like no other. "Headwork" is the gripping tale of a husband who kills his wife and finds ways to dispose of her. "Alter Ego" is a fascinating doppelganger story.
Crime Illustrated was a mixed bag, but more successful than Shock. Issue #1 had several excellent stories including Richard Smith's "Fool's Gold" about a young man who takes revenge on his uncle. "Farewell to Arms" is about a gold digging husband's ironic fate. "Mother's Day" is about a woman who gave all of her love to the wrong son. We kick off issue #2 with Feldstein's tale "Motive" about a henpecked husband driven to a fatal extreme. "Fair Trade" is about a sister trying to make a better life for her brother by setting up her husband's murder. "Pieces of Hate" is a macabre story of a husband trying to be clever about his wife's murder. Issue #3 starts out with "Deadline" about an alcoholic reporter desperate to get back on the saddle with a new story and the split second decision he makes to ensure his success also becomes his undoing. "Out of My Mind" is about a woman who murders her husband, tries to make herself look insane as an alibi, and becomes a prisoner of her own design.
Overall, Gaines had a promising idea with Picto Fiction and for a brief time offered often polished stories of crime and horror that were mostly entertaining. I would have kept on reading these magazines if E.C. had continued with them. They deserved an audience, but as a last gasp (at least for crime and horror) I'm glad they gave it a shot.
Written by Nick Montelongo
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