Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics #[nn]

In "Voodoo Vengeance!" from Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics, Caleb’s quiet evening takes a dark turn when a visit to an eerie antique shop leads him to a voodoo doll crafted in his wife Sally’s likeness. After a heated confrontation fueled by betrayal, Sally hurls the doll at Caleb—only for it to shatter against the fireplace, its fragments vanishing into the flames. The moment the fire takes hold, the air itself seems to shift, and Caleb’s horror deepens as he turns to face Sally, frozen in a silence that speaks volumes.

In "Till Death...", Steve mourns the sudden death of his wife Donna, left hollow by her passing until his loyal servant Jebco offers a desperate, forbidden solution. When Donna returns from the grave—her beauty marred by decay and her eyes cold with the dead—Steve’s joy turns to horror, leading him to a final, tragic choice.

In "Touch and Go!" from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, Acton’s desperate attempt to erase every trace of his presence at Arthur Huxley’s home spirals into a trap of his own making—where the very act of covering his tracks becomes the most damning evidence. The story unfolds with chilling precision, turning a meticulous crime into a psychological unraveling.

When Harry pleads with his old friend and private eye Gregg Saunders to find his missing wife Edith, the case takes a twisted turn—especially after a mysterious murder mystery novel titled *Fall Guy for Murder* surfaces. What begins as a search for answers spirals into something far more personal, leaving Gregg caught in a web he never saw coming.

In "Whirlpool," a woman’s desperate flight from three looming, grotesque figures spirals into a nightmarish sequence of torment—boiling water, freezing cold, electric shocks, and a shrinking cell—leaving her questioning her sanity. When doctors calmly explain it was all in her mind, a chilling realization begins to surface: the true horror may not be her mind, but the ones who claim to save it.

In "…And All Through the House…," a chilling tale from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, a woman returns to her home after a violent act, only to face a terrifying spiral of fear and isolation. With her husband Joseph dead and a masked Santa reportedly on the loose, she scrambles to secure her home—locking doors, boarding windows, hiding the body—only to discover her daughter Carol missing, and then, in horror, returning from the front door, leading in the very killer she’s been dreading.

In "Carrion Death!", a man bound to a corpse by handcuffs fights to survive the merciless desert, where the only way out may be through the very thing he's trying to escape—his own impending death. As vultures circle and time stretches thin, he faces a grim choice that blurs the line between life and the grave.

In "Only Skin Deep!" from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, a man’s Mardi Gras wedding takes a chilling turn when his bride, always hidden behind a hag mask, refuses to remove it—no matter how much he pleads. As his curiosity turns to frustration, the moment he finally pulls the mask away reveals a truth far more unsettling than he could have imagined.

In "The Reluctant Vampire!" from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, Mr. Drink, a night watchman at a blood donor center, struggles to balance his undead needs with his mundane job—until a missing ledger forces him into a desperate act. As the center faces closure unless it doubles its donations, Drink’s quiet routine spirals into something far more dangerous.

In "Ear Today... Gone Tomorrow!" from Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics, two fertilizer factory owners take a risky shortcut by tunneling beneath a cemetery to harvest bone meal—only to find their greed has a terrifying, literal payoff. When their car breaks down in a cornfield fertilized with their own product, they soon realize the crop isn’t just growing—it’s alive and hunting.

In "Yellow!", a young soldier stands before a firing squad, condemned for cowardice in the heat of war. His father, a hardened colonel, delivers a final, heartbreaking lie—telling his son the guns are loaded with blanks, so he might die with dignity.

In "Death of Some Salesmen!" from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, a desperate salesman takes refuge with a seemingly harmless elderly couple—only to realize too late that their home is a museum of failed salesmen, each one preserved in the very appliances they once sold. As the old woman keeps the shotgun trained on him, the man pleads for mercy, but the real horror lies in what the husband returns with, and the terrible truth behind the couple’s collection.

In "Lower Berth!", the Crypt Keeper recounts the eerie tale of how his parents— a 4000-year-old Egyptian mummy and a two-headed corpse—first met, weaving a chilling origin story steeped in ancient mystery and macabre romance.

In "Foul Play!" from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, a brutal act of vengeance unfolds on the diamond when a team of deranged players exact a horrific retribution for a rival’s use of poisoned cleats—turning the game into a gruesome spectacle where body parts become the ultimate playing pieces. The story’s chilling blend of sports and horror, rendered with EC’s signature flair, keeps readers on edge as the line between competition and carnage blurs.

In a quiet town where curiosity about death stirs unease, a group of children becomes fixated on the idea of punishment—especially after a lawyer explains that robbery and kidnapping won’t end in execution. As they parade down the street carrying a coffin, their innocent game turns chilling when a mother screams that her son has vanished, having stolen another child’s doll and refused to return it. The townspeople freeze, staring in horror as the kids stand beside the freshly dug grave—just as the last shovel of dirt is placed.

In "The Small Assassin!", a mother’s growing dread over her newborn’s unsettling behavior takes a chilling turn when her husband is found dead—just as the baby’s first cries begin. The doctor, who delivered the child and now stands witness to the horror, quietly decides to handle the situation his own way.

In the depths of a collapsing mine, a lone engineer emerges to find a world reduced to ash—his home, his people, his child forever changed by the fallout of a war he never saw. Written by an unknown hand and illustrated by an unknown artist, "Child of Tomorrow!" unfolds with quiet dread, tracing the fragile line between survival and what it means to be human in a world remade by radiation.

In "The Thing from the Grave!" from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, Bill’s jealousy turns deadly when he kills his rival Jim and tries to frame him for abandoning Laura. As Bill’s guilt and rage spiral, he traps Laura in a burning cabin—only for a horrifying twist to rise from the earth. Written by a master of classic EC horror and illustrated with chilling precision, this eight-page tale delivers a chilling blend of betrayal, desperation, and the ultimate reckoning.

In "O.P.!", a war-weary howitzer officer reaches out to a forward operation post, seeking confirmation on enemy movements and whether backup is needed—only to uncover a twist that redefines the line between command and chaos.

In "Doctor of Horror," Professor LeMonet, desperate to keep his position at the Hampshire Surgeon School, turns to grave-robbing to boost attendance—only to find his gruesome methods spark a far more dangerous ambition. As his scheme spirals beyond control, he orchestrates a series of murders along the waterfront, all to feed his growing power and prestige. But when his own body is discovered among the victims, the line between predator and prey blurs in a way he never anticipated.

In "Grave Business!", a greedy undertaker’s own schemes come back to haunt him when a car crash leaves him paralyzed—only to be buried alive by his unscrupulous partner, who uses the very tricks the man once employed to fleece grieving families. The story’s chilling twist unfolds with cold precision, turning the funeral home’s secrets into a deadly trap.

In the thick Louisiana bayou, a reclusive man lures travelers to his isolated mansion, feeding his brother’s gruesome hunger. After a doctor becomes the latest sacrifice, three grotesque corpses rise from the swamp, each stitched together from mismatched parts, and begin to dismantle the man in turn—rearranging his body in a way that defies both life and reason.

In "Sucker Bait!", a grieving chemist devises a desperate plan to stop a vampire by lacing his own blood with a radioactive isotope, hoping his brother can use a Geiger counter to track the creature after his death. But when the brother arrives at the scene, the truth of his own nature begins to unravel in ways neither man could have foreseen.

In "The Handler," a mortician whose devotion to the dead borders on obsession begins to lash out at the silent bodies in his care, driven by a deep-seated need for retribution. When one of his victims—still breathing beneath the veil of death—whispers a desperate plea, the graves themselves answer, rising in silent fury to reclaim their own.

In "Mournin' Mess," a curious reporter investigates the Grateful Hoboes, Outcasts, and Unwanteds' Layaways Society, a burial service for the penniless run by a man who claims to have been inspired by a story from *Tales from the Crypt*. When he learns the group has buried its 1000th derelict, he grows suspicious—there’s no way their small cemetery could hold that many graves—leading him to a chilling realization about the society’s true nature.

In "Wish You Were Here," a desperate couple stumbles upon a jade statue said to grant three wishes, but when the wife ignores her husband’s warning—echoing a tale he once read—her desire for money sets off a chain of events that quickly spiral beyond control. As grief and desperation take hold, she makes a final, fateful wish, only to find that some things are better left undone.

In "The Switch," a wealthy older man desperate to win the love of a young woman convinces her he’s poor—only to undergo a series of increasingly drastic surgeries to become the man she desires. When even a full-body transplant doesn’t satisfy her, he discovers too late that she never loved him at all. Written by an unknown author and illustrated by an unknown artist, this chilling tale from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics* turns a romantic fantasy into a grotesque twist on desire and identity.

In "Daddy Lost His Head!", Martin Blackson’s simmering resentment toward his stepdaughter Kathy turns icy when she befriends the mysterious Mrs. Thaumaturge. When a strange man-shaped candy doll arrives after Kathy’s mother’s death, Martin grows frantic—especially after Kathy bites its hand and he suddenly loses his own. As suspicion and dread spiral, the line between fear and reality blurs in this chilling tale of family, guilt, and something far more sinister than a child’s prank.

In "The Martian Monster," a man in a Martian costume schemes to manipulate a boy into killing his father, all to claim the boy’s inheritance with his stepmother. But when the boy actually sees something strange in the woods—something not quite human—the line between fear and reality begins to blur.

In "Split Second!", a desperate act of workplace cruelty spirals into a chilling game of survival when a lumberjack boss blinds a young worker and traps him inside a hollow log—forcing him to chop his way out while his wife, Liz, watches in terror. The story unfolds with relentless tension, as the line between punishment and peril blurs in the heart of the timberland.

In "Dead Right!", a woman heeds a fortune teller’s cryptic warning—marry a man she finds repulsive, and both will meet grim fates. But when the prediction takes a deadly twist, she discovers the real prize isn’t the money, but the price of her own survival. The story unfolds with chilling precision, where fate and greed collide in a single, unforgettable twist.

In "Zero Hour," Mrs. Morris finds herself caught between disbelief and dread as her daughter and a friend play a seemingly innocent game of "invasion"—a game that takes a chilling turn when the girl mentions a Martian named Drill. As more children across the country report playing the same game, Mrs. Morris begins to wonder if the line between childhood imagination and something far more urgent has vanished.

In "Planely Possible," a grieving Walter is offered a shocking choice by a hospital lab tech: enter one of several alternate planes of existence where his late wife might still be alive. Though he takes the offer, the reality of his new world quickly begins to unravel, leaving him questioning what he’s truly lost—and what he’s gained.

In "The Flying Machine," Emperor Yuan’s ruthless grip on power is tested when he learns a humble villager has mastered the art of flight—only to order the man’s execution to keep the secret from spreading. Written by an unknown hand and illustrated by an unknown artist, this six-page drama from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics* explores the cost of innovation in a world where knowledge is a threat.

In the aftermath of World War II, a fugitive former camp commander flees across Europe and into America, haunted by the memory of a single inmate who vowed revenge. Years later, his terror comes crashing into the present when he encounters that man face to face on a train, the weight of his past finally catching up.

In "High Tide!", four men aboard a mail boat bound for Mephisto Prison find their journey upended when news of a prisoner's escape crackles over the radio. With the engine seized by sand and the boat stranded offshore, suspicion flares as each man tries to place blame—none of them willing to admit they might be the one who caused the breakdown.

In "Man and Superman!" from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, Niels is deep in his scientific work, trying to increase atomic mass without altering structure, while his brother Charlemagne has far less interest in theory and far more in physical power. When Charlemagne finally visits Niels’s lab, curiosity gets the better of him—just as Niels steps out, he exposes himself to the machine’s rays, gaining superhuman strength… but at a cost that may be more than his body can sustain.

In "Kill!", two soldiers from opposing sides—each consumed by hatred for the enemy—prepare meticulously for their inevitable confrontation. What unfolds is a moment of startling clarity, far removed from the fury they expected.

In "Air Burst!", a tense moment in a war-torn landscape turns deadly when a hidden mortar trap catches the wrong soldiers off guard. As American forces push forward, the remnants of a Chinese mortar crew set a final, desperate ambush—only to find their fate tangled in unintended consequences.

In "Corpse on the Imjin!", a lone American soldier reflects on the eerie sight of dead soldiers drifting down the Imjin River, each life a mystery, when a sudden ambush turns the river into a silent witness to violence—only one of the two will survive long enough to become part of the current.

In "Judgment Day!", astronaut Tarlton arrives on a planet of orange and blue robots, each indistinguishable save for their color, yet divided by stark inequality. As he witnesses the blue robots' mistreatment, he makes a solemn decision that will determine the planet's fate in the Galactic Republic. The story’s quiet power builds to a striking revelation in its final panel.

In "Midnight Mess!" from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, a skeptical traveler stops in a quiet town where daylight brings routine but dusk brings panic—seventeen people have vanished, and the locals swear it’s the work of vampires. Hungry and restless after a restaurant closes on him, he wanders past the same shuttered diner, only to find it open at night, its doors welcoming him inside with a menu that suddenly feels far too personal.

In "The Lake," a man returns to the beach where he once played with his childhood friend Tally, whose sudden drowning left him with a lifetime of unspoken grief. Now married to Margaret, he’s confronted by an old lifeguard who reveals a haunting truth about Tally’s final days. As he rebuilds the sandcastle they once started, the past rises with quiet, chilling weight.

In a future where robots harvest crops with flawless precision each spring, one machine begins to sense something deeper than duty—curiosity, then connection. When it discovers a hidden door leading to a vast chamber of sleeping humans, it awakens a scientist who reveals the truth: the world was saved by a quiet plan to wait out the war, and the robots were built to tend the Earth until life could return. But after the scientist eats a simple tomato, the robot’s quiet devotion shatters into something far darker.

In "War Story!" from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, a young soldier grapples with the weight of his first kill—only to learn the truth in a moment of shocking clarity. Shaken and haunted, he listens as his Sergeant shares a harrowing tale of two brothers caught in the brutal calculus of war, where the line between killer and victim blurs.

In the frozen hell of the Changjin Reservoir, surrounded and outnumbered, American troops fight a desperate retreat toward the coast. Private Parks, haunted by memories of his family back home, drifts into a fragile dream that blurs the line between survival and surrender.

In "Bomb Run!", a lone American bomber named *The Odyssey* pushes through the skies over a Filipino island after a successful mission, only to be ambushed by Japanese Zeros. With one engine crippled and a desperate call for help, the crew receives a radioed landing sequence—unaware it’s a deadly trap orchestrated by a Japanese deception.

In "By George!!," two archaeologists stumble upon a mysterious, block-like artifact etched with ancient inscriptions—translated by Marvin—that reveal a startling truth: it’s the diary of an alien boy who fled his world 1,400 years ago, piloting a stolen spaceship. The discovery unravels a cosmic mystery buried beneath Earth’s surface, one that redefines what it means to be a child, a traveler, and a rebel across the stars.

In "50 Girls 50," fifty men and fifty women are selected for a century-long voyage to colonize a distant solar system, each frozen for the journey and thawed only once at its end. Sid, one of the men, plans to enjoy a different woman each year—only to find his scheme upended by a woman who has her own ideas about how the trip should go.

In "Upheaval!" from *Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics*, a captain and his crew land on a planet whose surface feels like green felt—only to be swallowed whole and violently expelled from its interior like vomit. As their ship lifts off, the crew is left with a shared, unsettling realization: their long-held belief in humanity’s evolutionary supremacy has just been shattered by the planet itself.

In "A Sound of Thunder," Mr. Eckles ventures into the past with a guide and a group of hunters, all chasing a T-Rex through the prehistoric wilds via Safari, Incorporated’s time-traveling expedition. Warned to stick to the path, the group soon learns that even the smallest misstep could unravel time itself — and that the past isn’t as silent as it seems.

In "Spawn of Mars," Jean—on the historic first female mission to Mars—feels an unsettling presence as her crew explores the red planet. When one of the doctors vanishes and returns with strange changes, Jean begins to suspect that Ken, her husband, knows more than he should. The story unfolds with quiet dread, as the line between discovery and danger blurs in the silent Martian landscape.

In "Desert Fox!", General Rommel navigates the harsh sands of northern Africa, struggling with dwindling supplies and mounting pressure. His journey takes him through a British hospital and a Polish POW camp, where the cost of war becomes painfully clear—especially as news of a failed assassination attempt on Hitler reaches him, implicating his own role in the plot.

In "Came The Dawn!", a man’s growing unease over a mysterious woman in the woods takes a chilling turn when his girlfriend becomes the latest victim of a real killer—leaving him to question who the true danger really is. Written with tense precision and rendered in stark, evocative art, this haunting tale from EC Comics’ storied past lingers long after the final page.