Haunt of Fear #27
In "About Face," a tragic tale from EC's Haunt of Fear #27, a king haunted by guilt after failing to hear his daughter’s cries for help imposes a deadly silence on his kingdom—demanding that even breathing be forbidden. Written by Al Feldstein and Bill Gaines, with art by Jack Kamen and coloring by Marie Severin, the story unfolds with chilling precision, its haunting tone underscored by Graham Ingels’ masterful cover.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
In this grim fairy tale a remorseful king demands silence after his boisterous merry-making prevents him from hearing his daughter's shouts for help leading to her death. Eventually his demands on the peasants get so absurd he orders them to stop breathing because of the racket he claims to hear they make. They revolt, and one of them sews a sensitive metronome into the king's body that goes off with the slightest disturbance, and when the still-lying king brushes away an insect, the sound so bothers him he throws himself off a cliff.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).