Crime SuspenStories #4
"Backlash!" is a chilling tale from Crime SuspenStories #4 (1951), a standout in EC's acclaimed crime anthology series. Written by Al Feldstein and illustrated with sharp, expressive detail by Jack Kamen—both inks and pencils—this story follows Thelma, a woman who bets on fate by orchestrating her husband’s death for insurance money, only to find herself ensnared in a deadly game of consequences. The cover, a stark and haunting image by Johnny Craig, perfectly captures the story’s tense, foreboding mood.
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To humor a good looking, young insurance salesman, Thelma takes out a double-indemnity policy on her good-for-nothing, worthless husband. After she kills him, she drives out on a country road to dispose of the body, fakes an accident, collects the money and then meets George. George changes his insurance policy to now include his new wife, but when a tragic accident, similar to the one that killed Sam, occurs, Thelma is nailed for murder.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).