Foul Play! The Art and Artists of the Notorious E.C. Comics! #[nn]

In "Reflection of Death!", Al wakes to a shattered world after a car crash, only to find himself trapped in a series of terrifying encounters with strangers who recoil in horror at his appearance. As he stumbles through a desolate night, each encounter deepens the dread—until he reaches a mirror and sees a face that’s not his own. The story unfolds with a creeping unease, where every reflection holds a secret, and every step toward safety feels like a descent into something darker.

In "Corpse on the Imjin!", a lone American soldier reflects on the lifeless bodies drifting down the Imjin River—each a silent question of how they met their end—until an ambush erupts from the shadows, turning one of them into just another corpse on the current.

In "Touch and Go!", William Acton’s attempt to erase every trace of his crime at Arthur Huxley’s mansion spirals into an obsessive compulsion, as his meticulous cleaning consumes him entirely—until dawn reveals a man utterly broken by his own efforts to stay clean.

In "Foul Play!", a twisted game of baseball takes a horrifying turn when a rival team's obsession with revenge leads them to commit a gruesome act—dissecting an opposing player after he used poisoned cleats to sabotage the game. With each inning, the gruesome trophy of their vengeance is put to use, turning the field into a macabre playing ground.

In "Horror We? How's Bayou?", a lonely Louisiana swamp hides a gruesome secret as a man lures travelers to his isolated mansion, feeding his brother’s insatiable hunger for victims. After the latest killing, three grotesque corpses made of mismatched body parts rise from the quicksand, turning the tables on the killer in a chilling twist of fate.

In "Kamen's Kalamity!", Jack Kamen struggles to embrace the grim tone of E.C. Comics horror, spurred on by editors Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein who urge him to match the dark flair of artists like Ingels, Craig, and Davis—each depicted in caricature, tormenting effigies of Gaines. Determined to deliver, Jack dozes off and dreams of a blood-soaked, moonlit return to his family, only to be jolted awake by his wife’s scream at the sight of a mouse.

In the year 4152, where eternal youth is enforced by injections, Martin—550 years old and weary of endless life—meets Jean, a woman equally burdened by centuries of existence. Drawn together by shared exhaustion, their unexpected connection reignites something long lost, leading them to a remote colony planet where they must face the end of their natural lives.

In "Judgement Day!", an Earth astronaut named Tarlton tours a planet of orange and blue robots striving for membership in the Galactic Republic, only to uncover a stark inequality based solely on color. As he witnesses the systemic injustice faced by the blue robots, Tarlton makes a decisive judgment that reshapes the planet’s future—revealing his own identity in a quiet, powerful final moment.

In "Blind Alleys," a ruthless film director meets his cruel fate when the blind actors he exploited trap him and his dog in a deadly maze lined with razor blades—then plunge the space into darkness. With no way out and only the sound of his own fear, the director faces a final, terrifying reckoning in the silence.

In the far future, fifty men and fifty women are cryogenically frozen for a century-long voyage to colonize a distant solar system. Sid, one of the crew, sees a chance to cheat the system—awakening early to pursue fleeting romances with the women, only to refreeze them when he loses interest. But when one of his chosen companions turns the tables, his plan unravels in ways he never expected.

In 19th-century Paris, a grieving man must choose between burying his wife or surrendering her body to medical students under a new health ordinance. After delivering her to the medical college one evening, he uses the payment he receives to feed and clothe his starving children—and to finally give her a proper burial. But the students soon realize the shocking truth: the body they’ve been dissecting belongs to the very Commissioner of Health who made the law.

In 5th century China, Emperor Yuan is both awed and alarmed when he learns of a villager’s invention: a large kite with working wings capable of flight. Fearful that such a device could allow enemies to soar over the Great Wall and breach the kingdom’s defenses, he orders the inventor executed and the machine destroyed.