Censorship Nearly Killed Horror Comics, But a New Revival Is Trying to Right Those Wrongs

While superhero comics are still king in American comics, horror is another popular genre for the medium, especially for publishers like BOOM! Studios, Mad Cave Studios, Image Comics, DSTLRY, and Oni Press. Along with the traditional best-selling titles, there are almost always two new horror singles hitting the shelves of local comic shops in recent years.

For instance, the week of February 12th, 2025 sees titles like Feral #10, Creepshow in Love #1, The Hexiles #4, and Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #4 coming out. The following week will see titles like W0rldtr33 #13, Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale #8, and Epitaphs From the Abyss #8, with the last title being from Oni Press' EC Comics imprint, a recently revitalized name that will be familiar to fans who know their comics history.

Aside from delivering three recent anthology comics - Epitaphs From the Abyss, Cruel Universe, and Cruel Kingdom - EC Comics is one of the most influential comic publishers of all time, but it has an infamous history.

The Comics Code Authority Targeted Horror Publications in the 1950s - Like EC Comics

The Comics Code Authority Targeted Sex, Violence, Horror, and Crime in Comics

After inheriting his father's publishing company, EC Comics, Bill Gaines and his crew of comic creators delivered mature and iconic titles like Tales from the Crypt, Weird Science, and Mad from 1947 to 1955. Unfortunately, comics were then under extreme scrutiny and criticism from figures like Dr. Fredric Wertham, a controversial psychological "authority" and the author of Seduction of the Innocent. Advocating for comic book legislation, Wertham's attacks eventually led to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency to investigate the industry and stage hearings in 1954, according to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

As reported by the CBLDF, numerous witnesses testified in these hearings, including Gaines, who defended EC Comics' horror comics. Unfortunately, this testimony did not work in Gaines' favor, and things got worse for EC. The comic industry wanted a quick solution, so the Comics Magazine Association of America was born, and the industry self-regulated what could and couldn't be published via the Comics Code Authority. Any comic that did not abide by this code would not receive the literal stamp of approval, which made it next to impossible to sell comics through wholesalers.

Oni Press Has Resurrected EC Comics, Ushering in a New Era of Horror

70 years later, EC Comics Is Back with Epitaphs From the Abyss

Despite EC Comics trying to survive under the Comics Code, it was to no avail, and EC had to close its doors. EC Comics was not the only company to go under in part due to the Code, but it is the most famous. This Code wanted comics to be more suitable for younger readers of the culturally conservative United States of the 1950s, which meant an emphasis on respect for the government and other authorities, and sex, violence, and horror were just some of the subjects no longer allowed.

The Comics Code Authority fizzled over the decades and was no more by 2011, but it took 68 years for EC to return thanks to Oni Press. The next horrifying chapter for EC is Epitaphs From the Abyss, an anthology dedicated to the genre that made EC so infamous: horror. There is a lot of excitement about introducing EC to contemporary fans, according to the Executive Director of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc, Corey Mifsud, as he said in a statement to Oni Press:

It’s always been our dream to one day bring the fearless creative spirit of EC to a new generation. Working hand-in-hand with Oni’s award-winning team and a sensational cast of creators, it’s a pleasure to – at long last – shepherd EC into the 21st century with all-new series and stories.

For readers, the return of EC Comics and its stories thanks to Oni Press is only one sign of a healthy horror ecosystem in comics - and a healthy respect of the medium's history.

EC Comics' Epitaphs From The Abyss#8 is available February 19th, 2025 from Oni Press.

Sources: Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Oni Press