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Creator

Johnny Craig

1926–2001

cover inkscover pencilsinkerartistwriterletterer
Johnny Craig
Known forVault of Horror
Issues credited259
Active1947–2024
Primary rolecover inks
Iron Man #17
Iron Man #17 (1969)

John Thomas Alexis Craig was born on April 25, 1926, and went on to become one of the most versatile talents associated with EC Comics during that publisher's celebrated run in the 1950s. He died on September 13, 2001.

The Brave and the Bold #70
The Brave and the Bold #70 (1967)

Craig's career in comics stretched from 1947 onward, and he proved remarkably multi-skilled, taking on roles as artist, writer, inker, colorist, and letterer across hundreds of issues. He is best remembered for his contributions to EC's horror and crime titles, where his clean, controlled linework stood apart from the more visceral styles of some contemporaries — he brought a polished, almost cinematic composure to genuinely unsettling material. His most prominent credits include *Vault of Horror*, *Crime Suspenstories*, *Crime Patrol*, *War Against Crime*, and *Haunt of Fear*, titles that together defined EC's distinctive blend of morality-tinged genre storytelling.

Iron Man & Sub-Mariner #1
Iron Man & Sub-Mariner #1 (1968)

At various points Craig worked under the pseudonyms Jay Taycee and F. C. Aljohn, though his draftsmanship was distinctive enough that devoted readers often recognized his hand regardless of the byline. His body of work — spanning well over two hundred credited issues — remains a touchstone for fans and scholars of mid-century American comics, representing the craft and ambition that made EC's output enduringly influential.

Full bibliography · 108 series

Tales from the Crypt (1950) · 13
M.D. (1955) · 11
The Vault of Horror (1965) · 11
Saddle Justice (1948) · 6
Gunfighter (1948) · 6
Sub-Mariner (1968) · 6
Ironman (1978) · 6
Extra! (1988) · 6
War Against Crime! (1948) · 5
Extra (1955) · 5
I Classici Americani I Racconti del Terrore (1991) · 5
Hit Comics (1966) · 4
El Príncipe de la Atlántida (1969) · 4
The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (2012) · 4
The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (2014) · 4
El Invencible Hombre de Hierro (1968) · 4
Iron Man: El Hombre de Hierro (1978) · 4
Modern Love (1949) · 3
The Crypt of Terror (1950) · 3
Weird SuspenStories (1950) · 3
Strange (1970) · 3
Kalla kårar (1990) · 3
Flashback Replica (2015) · 3
The EC Archives: Crime Suspenstories (2016) · 3
HIP Classics (1969) · 3
Άιρον Μαν [Iron Man] (1975) · 3
Moon Girl (1947) · 2
Dæmonen (1967) · 2
Daredevil (1964) · 2
Diabólico (1966) · 2
Demonen (1966) · 2
Hit Comics Der Eiserne (1971) · 2
Spider-Man Comics Weekly (1973) · 2
Submariner (1976) · 2
Spider-Man Comic (1979) · 2
Mystery in Space (1951) · 2
EC Classics (1985) · 2
The Haunt of Fear (1991) · 2
Skræk (1994) · 2
Die offizielle Marvel-Comic-Sammlung (2013) · 2
Marvel. Официальная коллекция комиксов (2014) · 2
Diabolico (1981) · 2
L'Incredibile Devil (1970) · 2
Moon Girl and the Prince (1947) · 1
#1
Western True Crime (1948) · 1
#4
Star Streamline Comics (1955) · 1
Two-Fisted Tales (1950) · 1
#18
Crime Detective Comics (1951) · 1
Shock SuspenStories (1952) · 1
#11
Ace Reporter (1955) · 1
#3
Wyatt Earp (1955) · 1
#21
Adventures into the Unknown (1948) · 1
Unknown Worlds (1960) · 1
#36
Christopher Lee's Treasury of Terror (1966) · 1
Eerie (1965) · 1
#7
The Brave and the Bold (1955) · 1
#70
Iron Man & Sub-Mariner (1968) · 1
#1
Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD (1968) · 1
#10
Sinister Tales (1964) · 1
#93
Creepy Worlds (1962) · 1
IJzerman Classics (1971) · 1
#4
Nacht der vampiers (1973) · 1
Rufus (1973) · 1
#7
E.C. Classic Reprint (1973) · 1
#7
I Fantastici Quattro (1971) · 1
#81
Eclipso (1968) · 1
#56
Marvel Treasury Edition (1974) · 1
#8
Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up (1975) · 1
#1
Acção e Mistério - Série Fantástica (1977) · 1
#12
Doorway to Nightmare (1978) · 1
#4
L'Inattendu (1975) · 1
#15
House of Mystery (1951) · 1
The Unexpected (1968) · 1
Les Meilleures Histoires de... (1983) · 1
Nye sjokk (1992) · 1
Shock SuspenStories Annual (1994) · 1
#3
Shock Suspenstories (1994) · 1
#11
Iskalde Grøss pocket (1996) · 1
#3
Extra! Annual (2000) · 1
#1
Great American Comic Books (2001) · 1
Biblioteca Grandes del Cómic: Clásicos del Terror de EC (2003) · 1
#6
EC Archives: The Vault of Horror (2007) · 1
#1
Essential Iron Man (2000) · 1
#3
Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man (2003) · 1
#6
Cent pour cent (2010) · 1
Marvel Masterworks: The Sub-Mariner (2004) · 1
#4
Iron Man : L'intégrale (2008) · 1
#5
Messages in a Bottle: Comic Book Stories by B. Krigstein (2013) · 1
The EC Archives: Extra! (2018) · 1
Iron Man Epic Collection (2013) · 1
#3
Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics (2019) · 1
The EC Archives: MD (2021) · 1
The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear (2021) · 1
#1
Namor, the Sub-Mariner Epic Collection (2021) · 1
#3
The EC Archives: Gunfighter (2022) · 1
#1
Iron Man No. 1 Facsimile Edition (2023) · 1
Artisan Edition (2019) · 1
Boys' Ranch (1951) · 1
Devil - Ghost - Iron Man (1974) · 1
The Invincible Iron Man (1976) · 1
#2

Original biography and editorial content © comicbooks.com™. Information drawn in part from Wikipedia and the Grand Comics Database. Portrait by Johnny Craig / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). Cover thumbnails shown under fair use, each linking to its issue.