Vault of Horror #20
In "About Face!", a chilling tale from EC's Vault of Horror #20 (1951), young Peggy is left alone after her grandmother’s sudden death, only to find herself targeted by her greedy aunt and uncle. As they plot to eliminate her before she inherits the family fortune at age 22, Peggy begins to form a bond with the family gardner—someone who seems to understand her better than anyone. Written by Al Feldstein and Bill Gaines, with art by Jack Kamen and lettering by Jim Wroten, the story unfolds with a haunting atmosphere and a quiet dread that builds with every step Peggy takes. The cover, by Johnny Craig, captures the tension with a stark, unsettling image that perfectly sets the tone for this classic horror tale.
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Little Peggy is awoken from her sleep by her Grandmother, who is having a heat attack. She asks for her pills, but they are not to be found on the nightstand, and by the time Peggy finds them in another room, her Grandmother has passed away. After the funeral, Peggy's Aunt Helen and Uncle Lawrence were celebrating with each other, thinking they have inherited all of the old woman's money. But at the reading of the will, they learn the money goes to Peggy....at the age of 22....so they plot to kill her. Meanwhile, Peggy is seeking out the friendship of the gardner, who pays more attention to her that her aunt and uncle. That evening, Peggy tells her "new folks" that Grandma came to see her and told her that the gardner was a fine man to associate with....but her aunt and uncle say NO! The next day, all three go on a picnic and Uncle Lawrence sees an opportunity to push Peggy off a cliff. Unfortunately, he goes over the cliff instead when Peggy "sees" her Grandma and moves out of the way. Later that day, Aunt Helen is already counting the fortune as hers, and grabs Peggy by the arm to the basement, opens the furnace door to push her in when Peggy sees her Grandma again.....as does Helen....and Helen falls back into the flames! Peggy then becomes the responsibility of the gardner.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).