Tales from the Crypt's Scariest Stories - Comic Tropes (Episode 22)

For October I visit Midtown Comics in New York City to get an omnibus of EC's Tales from the Crypt. Then I recap three of my favorite short stories and mix up some Halloween cocktails.
/ comictropes
/ comictropesshow

[@darkwoods1954]

I'd love to visit an alternate reality where EC were never forced to go under. People think of comics as a super hero medium but had EC continued to this day I wonder if comics would instead be seen as a horror medium.

[@210SAi]

That’s s good idea for a movie or TV show

[@drowningin]

I wish I lived in that timeline. I never liked super hero comics. As close as I get is sometimes reading Spawn. I like detective, occult, horror kind of comics. There's really never enough to read in the medium so I drop out for long periods of time

[@darkwoods1954]

@@drowningin I never buy modern comics. I like collecting the 90s EC reprints and 80s Twisted Tales and those sort of comics.

[@robd1329]

...woww...that a brilliant idea for a movie or tv episode!

[@robd1329]

@@darkwoods1954 same...the EC bug hit me and been buying all the 90s reprints! I was Never into horror and stumbled some EC stories and couldnt believe how good the stories were! And they were written and drawn over 50yrs ago!!

[@ryanbenson4610]

Still one of my favorite videos out there.

[@capnmo6718]

EC is, I strongly argue, the most important publisher in comics history.

[@achiaviv2474]

i just realized this beautiful man is drinking hella cocktails alone

[@thebigwagyu]

He’s drinking with all of us.

[@TheNomad2727]

@@thebigwagyu at least hes not drinking FOR all of us......oh wait

[@tazzahmed511]

Bradbury did not sue them! He wrote a letter. Kindly letting them know, how much he's owed for them using his stories! So instead of disputes? Gaines invited him to a deal, we're they both would benefit. And Bradbury accepted happily. It did become and made EC more strong. 👊

[@MarioUcomics]

Oh man you were at Midtown comics. Wish I was there when you were filming since I always buy my comics there

[@jasonnorton2821]

I'm late to the party yet again, but really happy to see you included these terrific EC gems. Loved all their books and Tales remains one of my all-time favorite titles. Jack Davis was amazing and his covers were as beautiful as they were grizzly. Al Feldstein was stellar, as well. Fantastic writers, too. I concur about the need for more modern-day anthologies. Often, those short, pull-the-rug-out-from-under-you stories are the ones that haunt you the longest. Great job, as always, and sweet ass libations, to boot! Thanks for your hard work!

[@ryanbenson4610]

Love this video. Reading it to get ready for the approaching spooky season.

[@calvincampbell9815]

I’m surprised nobody mentioned the comic shop run being an homage (intentional or not) to the opening of the show. That was a great touch.

[@blairenewland4139]

i have been bingeing \this channel for about a week now... This guy and ReportoftheWeek are the greatest thing on youtube

[@duckhovland4527]

My two favorites too! so calm and drama free.

[@brianflatley5873]

for a horror themed episode, this is so wholesome

[@ES_Glenn]

This is SUCH a good channel! Love watching Comic Tropes and drawing comics :)!

[@jamesoblivion]

Aside from a few Bradbury adaptations (after he cordially brought it to their attention that they'd ripped off one of his stories, they ended up doing several more, credited, adaptations), the stories were actually all written - uncredited - by Al Feldstein, after being brainstormed between Al and Bill Gaines (with voracious reader Gaines often drawing heavily - sometimes riding the plagiarism line - from all the stories he was reading in the pulps). And speaking of, you did actually hit that trope, as The Ventriloquist's Dummy was heavily inspired by a number of previous "living dummy" stories, though adding their own perverse penchant for utilizing conjoined twins. The artists were always considered the stars, and were given stories suited to their unique styles. And there wasn't a better stable of artists at any other publisher. I've always felt that much of the pushback against EC was motivated, not only by a desire by the other publishers to exile the black sheep that was causing them so much heat, but also professional jealousy. At its height, Tales from the Crypt was outselling everything but Superman, and the art was stunning. Particularly the original line work, before it was colored and printed down to size. The EC artists were very competitive, and fans of each other's work, and would include detail that they knew would never translate to newsprint, simply to impress their peers in the bullpen. And full time colorist Marie Severin, who later went on to draw for Marvel, is sorely underrated, though the printers often botched the placement. Overall, for a few short years, EC was producing some of the most impressive graphic fiction available.

[@cessnaace]

Kevin Tighe was also one of the regulars on the 70's TV series "Emergency" He played one of the Paramedics.

[@JurassicRod]

EC deserves so much more attention than it gets. Great to see you cover them. Telescope was the first issue of Tales I ever bought.

[@toonbat]

I remember reading Telescope on a reprint. I rather loved how the author makes the rat unexpectedly sympathetic. The two castaways are shown as equal throughout the story, and are described as sharing the same plights and going through the same emotions. And I loved how in the end the rat had more genuine reason to fear the sailor than the other way around. Usually a human vs rat story would have the rat as the outright bad guy.

[@timf7413]

I would suggest that a possible EC Horror/Sci-Fi trope would be a sympathetic view of animals, particularly those hunted and/or consumed as food.

[@batman-gu7pm]

When my dad was younger he stayed at a cheap hotel that had a stand up comedy show the unknown person turned out to be george lopez before he became famous

[@xXCigarXx]

The second story was actually a hbo series episode.

[@ComicTropes]

The third one as well.

[@jeffreycoogan09]

+ComicTropes In the old EC comics primarily The Crypt- Keeper was the narrator of , (of course),, Tales from the Crypt. The Vault Keeper, The Vault of Horror. The Old Witch was the narrator of The Haunt of Fear.

[@farmandoart5850]

19:19

[@favoritemustard3542]

@@farmandoart5850 mmmmmmmMaybe they made their comment @ like 16:05? & then became so engrossed w/the remainder, no thoughts toward edit/dlt?

[@favoritemustard3542]

Hey-o, @@ComicTropes, I've seen ppl make all kinds of Jack O'Lanterns outta all kinds... ...but not an apple! But for your cup purposes, how about just a few flecks deskinned for eyes/teeth/etc? Oi~! Just. Realized. Skin = Deskin. Well shit. ha!

[@troycruikshank1027]

I love this show. I love comics but I don't know anything about the history of comics. I find it fascinating.

[@TeatroGrotesco]

Nice Ghostbusters reference at the beginning. EC was the best.

[@timf7413]

I'm sure you probably know this, but it's worth noting that most of the Tales from the Crypt adaptations (including the HBO series and the UK movies), despite the title actually adapt material from across the entire range of EC's horror, suspense and even war comics.

[@SeanFu123]

The telescope is definitely the inspiration for the the pirate story in watchman

[@KevinSmith-jh1ld]

You left out my favourite EC horror comix trope: the scene where the gruesome corpse is discovered by someone whose invariable reaction is "Good Lord! *choke*" Virtually all EC artists were great, but "Ghastly" Graham Ingels (16:08-19:12) was always my favourite in the horror comics. His people live in a dingy world of decay, deep shadows and distorted perspectives where everyone looks venal and ugly, always grimacing or flying into a rage, committing terrible acts before finally getting their EC-standard issue comeuppance. To me the effective horror aspect of any story he illustrated comes mostly from his dark, creepy depiction of the world as a slightly surrealistic nightmare, a strong visual effect that at times can play against the frequently goofy stories. You almost don't notice the visual storytelling going on because what gets your attention is how vividly he depicts people worn down by time, struggling to hang on or to live with some terrible secret, existing in some falling-apart house or apartment, being goaded by desperation into doing unspeakable things.

[@jacobroller1955]

How would the two guys choped off all of their limbs, eventually there would be only one limb left, and you cant chop off your arm with your arm, was there a third person or am i putting too much thought into this.

[@flamestoyershadowkill6400]

well the guy cut off the arm with an axe in his mouth

[@cnault3244]

@@flamestoyershadowkill6400 Or the axe was braced, & the guy slammed his limb down on the blade.

[@flamestoyershadowkill6400]

​@@cnault3244 another possibility is always welcome

[@cassandracastro2759]

in the series adaptation, there was a third person, the dealer, and the episode implies that he was in charge that no one chickened out.

[@vo1non]

Thanks for covering old EC horror! It doesn't get enough exposure. Great job on the drinks, too!

[@jamesoblivion]

So glad you chose Cutting Cards. Not only was it one of my favorites from the comics, it's also one of my Top 10 HBO episodes, and almost certainly the most faithful adaptation they ever did on the series. You can even look at the way Gus is drawn and see exactly why they cast Lance Henriksen. He's a dead ringer.

[@timf7413]

It was also one of the 3 episodes directed by Walter Hill and his signature visual style really helped the episode IMHO.

[@alisonbabalon8399]

If you keep reading comics like this you will get cirrhosis!

[@210SAi]

I remember watching the movie Creepshow and Tales From the Crypt on HBO back in the 80s

[@djipminderman4840]

Later the Creepy magazine would duck out from under the CC on the technicality that it was not a comic but a magazine given its physical size (they made it bigger so it would fall under what would constitute a magazine). This also, by the way, influenced where they could sell these. Eventually they got some Italian artists who specialized in sexy Romance comics and/or books to add some spice to the stories to great succes. This also opened up the way for these comics to get liscensed, translated and sold to European markets, starting with Italy. Given their enormous popularity everywhere else all over Europe, Dutch publishers figured they had a garanteed succes on their hands and printed vast amounts of the first issues. Unfortunately however, nobody was buying them. So the series got the axe after seven issues and nowadays those seven issues aren't really all that rare.

[@WarriorsforInfoTV]

In October of 2024 you should make another video featuring more Tales From the Crypt. Much appreciated!

[@asunachan9999]

Binging this while on lockdown. I freakin' LUV Tales! ☠️💕🇵🇭

[@dachers1238]

19:03 Man I thought the dude's hand had like mind control powers or was able to turn people into dummies when he touched them but wow the real story was way more shocking lol

[@TheGeekyAmreeki]

Haha you were feeling them drinks in this one.

[@Gambit771]

Some hotels in the UK do provide entertainment. Cabaret and such and more likely by the seaside.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

14:53 Lamda Lamda Lamda Fraternity! Let's see who got that !

[@orenkiyama6860]

LOL - Finally, another person who gets that reference. :)

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@orenkiyama6860 About time. Thanks for the response.

[@orenkiyama6860]

@@constipatedinsincity4424 You are welcome. :)

[@210SAi]

NERDS!!!!!!

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@210SAi Thank you OG I guess great minds think alike!

[@darthbrutalicious6066]

You are knowledgable on tbe industry, you love comics , you are a living encyclopedia, you are well educated , historically savvy, open to different genres but what I like you about you as well is that you are not a nerd , geek or soy manchild!! Tales from the crypt was reprinted in Greece in Greek language years ago, 20 or more. I collected some of them but I had no idea it was a 1950's comic...

[@edvoorhees4253]

What a great idea! I believe I read a similar volume of Tales From the Crypt. Making a Halloween cocktail between stories would have been so much fun.

[@thetreblerebel]

I traded 3 comics for 1 TFTC comic when I was in the 4th grade in 1991, nothing special except it was a TFTC comic. I loved the vintage, spooky art and cool stories

[@D.G.M.]

I don't think a normal rat can swallow a seagull like that. The reverse has been known to happen, though.

[@favoritemustard3542]

She only drank Midori... She only smoked Parliments... Thanks for another blast from the past! (I needta fire my Crypt Keepa.)

[@tricky2k]

Wow, I got really scared when I saw the cops

[@drigodamus]

I love you, Man!

[@HughRaine]

This was a really fun episode! 👻

[@qrissy3742]

Make more ooky spooky drinks!

[@Dr.MantisTobogganMD]

I'd buy a Multiplex, Comic Shop, and Nightclub; put them together and give you control.

[@JurassicRod]

Shoe Button Eyes is a favorite of mine. Actually quite tragic at the end.

[@HyperspacePictures]

Nice selection of horror stories. The comics produced in this decade are simply the best ever produced. Period. Have you noticed the recent Craig Yoe line of horror stories? Highly recommended.

[@Rometiklan]

Great video, Chris! Used to love watching the show, but never read the comic. The Crypt Keeper was hilarious. He's my go-to voice whenever I make creepy comments HahA! The influences of pop culture! Thanks for posting!

[@toonbat]

You know what I wish would use the anthology idea? Godzilla movies. I somehow think that the giant monster formula would work better as short vignettes than as full-fledged films. Just pick any old Godzilla flick and notice how much of it is just filler that they crammed in to stretch out the movie, when they could have just made three 30-minute stories instead. Making it an anthology series would also allow you to feature a lot of different monsters that could each have their turn in the spotlight, instead of just shoe-horning them all into the same story to appease the fans.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

9:11 Are you living in a frat house? Who's day is it to do dishes

[@broomhands8001]

Why that time stamp

[@damienscanlon5585]

If you you stay at a hotel resort they might provide nightly entertainment.

[@shabangschmagoigal2091]

Did the chopping story take inspiration from that episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents "Man from the South" in which Steve McQueen and Peter Lorre bet fingers for Lorre's car? It also has a great twist ending.

[@AngeloPetrino69]

The last drink has the calories of the sun.

[@armandmuniz97]

Love the roddy piper shirt Chris

[@xcar0982]

I can't drink alcohol, but those drinks looks delicious.

[@evelyntullycosta2662]

In the 1980s I donated my Dad's EC comics that we had around the house to the New York Public Library's rare book collection....you couldn't find it? Uh oh....

[@legoaddiction8607]

It’s really sad that the government dealt a killing blow to EC. It’s pretty sickening actually. Also, parent groups are one of the worst things America has ever produced

[@greyhameavandhat1220]

gotta luv dry ice

[@c.a.k.comedy692]

I went to that comic shop when my family and I went to New York a few years ago

[@kcollier2192]

IIRC Kevin Tighe was also an actor on an old NBC show called Emergency...

[@patjanus0069]

"Entertainment director at a big resort hotel at the mountains" No doubt Feldstein wrote this story about the Catskills mountain resorts, in the 50's it was filled with tourists and the hotels had a lot of entertainment and performers, from big names, Sinatra, Lewis &Martin, to unknown performers comedians singer etc

[@eriksmith6873]

Now, wait == that's not how I remember the story about Bradbury. Where did I see it? Was it The Steranko History of Comics or The Mad World of William M. Gaines? One of those. But it's definitely been going around for years. EC published a story that clearly mashed together two stories Bradbury had written. I mean, there would have been no doubt if any court case had been filed. But Bradbury didn't sue. He wrote EC a letter saying he appreciated the adaptation, now where was that check they owed him? And that led to the series of Bradbury adaptations you saw throughout the EC line, often touted on the cover with Ray Bradbury's name featured prominently. It was the best way that sticky situation possibly could have been resolved.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

16:50 Have you ever been here to Las Vegas?

[@dougg1075]

I’m like are you by yourself with all this alcohol and stuff?

[@socialmedia4637]

So my question is, in regards to the chop poker, how did the armless man cut off the last remaining arm of the other guy?

[@seanb.6793]

Menace - tennis court, racket - it's not a good pun, but I see what they were going for

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

26:28 I like you better when you're buzzed. You seem more insightful and retrospective! But where's the Frat Mom?

[@ionvash]

Watching you make drinks is almost as entertaining as the parts about comics hahaha By the way, were those cops in Midtown Comics on official business or were they shopping for comics?

[@ComicTropes]

Shopping.

[@TeatroGrotesco]

Classic. 1st Drink...carefully measured 2nd Drink...pour and count Lets see how 3rd goes.

[@ZackLonbee]

A bit of Trivia, That bite of an apple from his cocktail was the first piece of fruit between those chubbly jaws in years.

[@radiofreeacab]

Acting like this is one of the primary reasons nobody wants to be friends with you, I hope this helps with your problem

[@headwyvern11]

Vault of horror is my favorite!

[@HetLedie]

DEM PUNS man ! Good spooky episode.

[@RSEFX]

I wish you'd given some background about the artists and writers of the stories (as well as what issues the stories appeared in) instead of spending all that time with the booze. I have a complete collection of EC'S, but not totally familiar with what story is where/wanted to look these up, but, unless I missed something by skipping all the liquor-making, guess I'll have to thumb through those issues myself to find them (although I DO seem to recall that the TELESCOPE story may have actually been a cover story---and fact you mentioned it was one of the later issues will likely help make it relatively easy to find). I always felt that THE HAUNT OF FEAR was superior to CRYPT and VAULT due to the stronger focus on Graham Ingels'/ "Ghastly" art over the others.

[@maef7026]

The last story kind of reminds me of a Roald Dahl story called "Man from the South".

[@elander7462]

But… how would the last guy remove the last appendage without arms to do it..?

[@Bucky749]

I think New England comics published a horror anthology comic series you might want to check out I forget the title .

[@farpointgamingdirect]

If you think that store is big, come check out Third Eye Comics in Annapolis MD

[@elektrozil9728]

Alcohol and diabetes tropes

[@MountainDewComacho494]

There was a Tarentino story that made reference to that last story. I think the movie was Four Rooms. I loved all these stories even though they are extremely cheesy.

[@sourtoaster3974]

He got a whole puddle of alcohol on his floor by the end of this I know his pets were turnt tf up

[@totallynotzokix11_mc21]

I have that SAME skull glass!

[@totallynotzokix11_mc21]

Okay, not same but similar

[@notEJM]

Fun fact. The crypt keepers eyes in the tv show are the same eyes from the Chucky doll in the original child's play movie. Any way check out some of my detailed music in my playlists thEP and thEP2

[@stueygriffith4671]

Kevin Tighe.... Katherine Janeway's ancestor on an episode of STAR TREK VOYAGER! but dont hold that against him. 😉

[@jpmcpheemcphee2695]

Oh man! I wish I still had my Hot Rod!!! T-shirt 😭

[@Plamspam07]

0:55 and the haunt of fear

[@lazarussolomon3541]

I think telescope would be better for twilight zone like story, where a kid or someone gets a telescope and sees a Alien or something.

[@DWNicolo]

Try The Library of Congress in Washington DC, they have all the comic book titles in their collection.

[@cketcham1217]

Is that first issue the basis for the pirate comic from watchmen??

[@ComicTropes]

It would be more accurate to say that the Tales from the Black Freighter comic in Watchmen is based generally on EC horror comics of the 50s.

[@joedent3323]

At the intro to "Telescope" (9:41), the crypt-keeper is making tennis+horror puns. I don't know why. "Menace, anyone"; "You've come to the right Creep-Court, 'cause that's my Racket!". As you stated: very, very poor. The story has nowt to do with tennis, so its an odd choice. It's too specific + tennis has far too little of the Macabre about it; after all these years? The link between Tennis & Death is still yet to be proven. Game, Set and Cr*p.

[@dougg1075]

Different artist working on the anthology was cool.

[@luimack6205]

Awesome shirt!

[@favoritemustard3542]

@12:10 ₵☈⅄℘₮ ₭☠☠ㄗ☠ℜ ཿ "I'll dig you Later w/Another Grave Tale of Terror! Till Then, Let me leave you with This Morbid Thought: Don't count your Chicks until they're _HATCHETED!_ 'Bye Now!" Pay later; that's some real... ... _CRYPTIC_ advice!

[@mysteryneophyte]

Take off the top nice and eve.... sh**... oops I cut all of my fingers completely off

[@animalmother8037]

I thought Mile High Comics in Denver, Co. was the world's largest comic dealer in the world. 65,000 square feet 10 million books in their warehouse on Jason street.

[@ComicTropes]

Animal Mother 80 Mile High Comics has the most inventory and warehouse space. Midtown asserts they have the most retail floor space.

[@animalmother8037]

skunkape what's their floor space?

[@animalmother8037]

skunkape sorry not sure I understand.

[@animalmother8037]

skunkape is that just for new comics?

[@ComicTropes]

Animal Mother 80 5,000 sq. ft.

[@Pellefication]

What about 'Eerie', 'Creepy' and 'Vampirella' magazine?

[@patrickjay6019]

the ventriloquists dummy, watch the real episode of it done from he 80s, bobcat and don..just amazing ,mr ingles

[@patrickjay6019]

so is the gambling video thy do

[@johnkirby8939]

Featuring the invention of the Turducken at 12:12.

[@sarawelling5271]

Marvel and DC's predecessors took the opportunity to get rid of the competition by toning down their books and throwing EC and other horror publishers beneath the proverbial bus. Besides, it looks to me as though Congress was more interested in claims of organized crime being involved with publishers than Dr. Wertham's highly questionable theories.

[@benb3316]

What better? The Warren era - Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella.

[@geckoo9190]

I know that those comics are bad, but do you really need that much liquor?