Crime SuspenStories #17
"Touch and Go!" from Crime SuspenStories #17 (1953) delivers a chilling tale of betrayal and desperation, anchored by the stark emotional collapse of Ronald after his wife leaves him for money. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein, with evocative art by Jack Kamen and vibrant coloring by Marie Severin, the story follows Anita as she drifts from ruin to a new, unsettling proposition—offered a position as a live-in companion by an elderly woman, only to face the dangerous past of her new employer’s son, Eric. The cover by Johnny Craig captures the story’s tense, fated atmosphere, making this a standout issue in EC’s acclaimed crime series.
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When Ronald tells his wife that he has bled his business dry and there is no more money, his wife tells him that she only cared for him because of money, and announces she's leaving him. He commits suicide, and Anita then returns to her old stomping grounds where she had found Ronald and hopes that lightning strikes again. Meanwhile, she joins an elderly woman having lunch and talks with her, then is surprised that the woman offers her to be her paid live-in companion. Arriving at the house, she confronts Harriet's son Eric, once jilted by another woman, who craves women to get revenge on.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).