If you are a comic reader and I mention Tales From the Crypt to you, I’m sure some very clear images come to mind. The Crypt-Keeper, that iconic font, and those gruesomely playful illustrations are all the work of EC comics great, the late Jack Davis. Now fans of Davis and fans of horror and adventure comics can dive into Foul Play and Other Stories, a new 40-story collection of EC stories illustrated by Jack Davis.
Buy Foul Play and Other StoriesDavis’s style brought not only a very specific look to his comics, but it caused the emotions and motivations of his characters to leap off of the page. This collection brings together his horror stories (which were mostly scripted by Al Feldstein), as well as his adaptations of three Ray Bradbury stories (“The Coffin!”, “Let’s Play Poison!”, and “The Black Ferris!”), his five aerial war stories from Aces High, and all three of his science-fiction stories for EC.
Foul Play and Other Stories also includes in-depth commentary by EC experts Grant Geissman and Thommy Burns who give greater context to this new collection.
While “Foul Play” is one of the most well-regarded stories of Davis’s legacy, and the story for which the new collection is named, the other 39 stories of darkness, death, and adventure serve as testament to his legacy as well. And Foul Play is a collection that you can either read one story at a time or get completely lost in depending on your mood. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and the found myself both creeped-out and called in by the grisly and gripping tales as well as by Davis’s stunning visuals. This collection is a must-have for Jack Davis and EC Comics fans.
Foul Play And Other Stories is published by Fantagraphics and is available now wherever you get your books.
