Vault of Horror#39

Cover: Johnny Craig

Vault of Horror #39

Oct 1954 · EC · 0.10 USD

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"Deadly Beloved!" in Vault of Horror #39 (1954) delivers a chilling twist on performance and deception, set in the eerie atmosphere of a carnival. A seemingly unassuming clown, Grendat, orchestrates a murder in plain sight, only to meet a grim fate during his own act—his final moments haunted by a single, mocking word from the crowd. Johnny Craig’s striking cover art, both pencils and inks, captures the story’s macabre tone, while the typeset lettering and spot illustrations by unknown hands add to the vintage EC horror aesthetic.

Contains 4 stories

Deadly Beloved!

8 pp · Horror-Suspense

The Vault-Keeper (host)Drusilla (cameo)Edward LeedsEloise Fontagne

Top Billing

7 pp · Horror-Suspense

The Crypt-Keeper (host)BlyeNashWinton

The Purge

6 pp · Horror-Suspense

The Vault-Keeper (host)Sir BenjaminKing HoraceAlicia

All for Gnawt

7 pp · Horror-Suspense

The Old Witch (host)Charlie Mumford (Millie's late husband, death)Lydia Tuttle (Alvin's 1st wife, cameo as a skeleton, death)Alvin Tuttle (villain)Millie Mumford (villain, Millie's 5th husband, death)

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Good) $125

CGC 9.8 · 8 in census $16,870

CGC 9.6 · 2 in census $9,044

CGC 9.4 · 1 in census $4,491

CGC 9.2 · 2 in census $3,317

CGC 9.0 · 1 in census $2,224

CGC 8.5 · 4 in census $1,505

Show all 22 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 3 in census $1,245

CGC 7.5 · 8 in census $1,072

CGC 7.0 · 4 in census $925

CGC 6.5 · 9 in census $742

CGC 6.0 · 8 in census $622

CGC 5.5 · 9 in census $534

CGC 5.0 · 20 in census $437

CGC 4.5 · 11 in census $357

CGC 4.0 · 23 in census $328

CGC 3.5 · 13 in census $302

CGC 3.0 · 9 in census $271

CGC 2.5 · 3 in census $242

CGC 2.0 · 7 in census $182

CGC 1.5 · 3 in census $141

CGC 1.0 · 2 in census $107

CGC 0.5 · 4 in census $82

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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Full credits

writer Carl Wessler

artist, inker Johnny Craig

colorist Marie Severin

letterer Jim Wroten

cover pencils, inks Johnny Craig

Reprints

Reprinted in The Vault of Horror #5 (1982), Gysertimen #4 (1987), Opiumdroom #[nn] (1990), Iskalde Grøss #6/1991 (1991), Iskalde Grøss #8/1991 (1991), Iskalde Grøss #6/1993 (1993), Vault of Horror #28 (1999), The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #21 (2018), The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #29 (2021), The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #33 (2023), The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #35 (2024)

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