Nearly 70 years since the release of its last new issue, EC Comics has been resurrected by Oni Press with the publication of Epitaphs from the Abyss #1, which will soon be followed by the August 7th release of Cruel Universe #1. To celebrate the scary good news, Oni Press has teamed up with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund for the annual CBLDF San Diego Welcome Party at the Westgate Hotel this Thursday at 8:00pm, followed by the "EC Comics Lives Again at Oni Press!" San Diego Comic-Con panel this Friday at 5:00pm in Room 23ABC.
Daily Dead is also celebrating the creepy occasion with a new Q&A feature with Ben H. Winters (creator of CBS' Tracker TV series, author of Big Time), whose story "Priceless" is featured in the forthcoming first issue of Cruel Universe, with amazing artwork by Artyom Topilin. Below, you can read the full Q&A with Ben, and we also have additional details on the CBLDF San Diego Welcome Party and EC Comics SDCC panel, as well as cover art and preview pages from both Epitaphs from the Abyss #1 and Cruel Universe #1.
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for us, Ben, and congratulations on your story in Cruel Universe #1, the new cosmic sci-fi horror series from Oni Press’ exciting resurrection of EC Comics. How did the opportunity to take part in this historic first issue of Cruel Universe come about?
Ben H. Winters: Well, I was rooting around in this haunted pawn shop near my house, see, and I came across the withered, dead hand of a monkey. No, just kidding! I knew Hunter Gorinson, publisher of Oni Press and mastermind behind this EC relaunch, from a TV project, and he was kind (or crazy) enough to reach out to me to join the roster.
What can you tell us about your Cruel Universe story “Priceless,” and what has it been like to see your prose paired with the excellent artwork by Artyom Topilin?
Ben H. Winters: It’s an idea I had kicking around in the ol’ noggin for a while, and I had tried it out as a short story, and as a TV pitch, and it never quite gelled. Something about the opportunity to do it as a comic—and especially in the EC universe—really felt right. Artyom’s art is FANTASTIC. Just enough edge and energy without ever being busy. It’s a real gift. There is nothing as satisfying as seeing one’s ideas come to life in the hands of the right artist, and he totally nailed it. I’m a huge fan.
Were you a fan of EC Comics before working on Cruel Universe? Do you have any favorite memories of reading EC Comics?
Ben H. Winters: I have always been aware of EC Comics, and the EC comics vibe has always been such a huge part of my cultural universe, whether I knew it or not. Growing up I read almost exclusively DC stuff—I was a huge The Flash guy, for the record—but also a lot of MAD magazine, and I watched the 1980s Twilight Zone reboot, so I was right there in the cultural slipstream created by EC. Only as a (so-called) adult did I really engage with the EC legacy, getting into Weird Fantasy and the Tales from the Crypt lines, and starting to understand that the writers I admired had in their day admired this stuff.
Your new TV series Tracker enjoyed a very successful first season on CBS and has already been renewed for a second season. How does writing for television compare to writing a comic book script, and do you have any plans to adapt “Priceless” for film or television?
Ben H. Winters: Aw, thanks. Writing for TV and writing comics is completely different and also exactly the same. You are laying down the foundation upon which a lot of other incredible talents will build: actors, set designers, directors, or inkers, letterers, artists. With TV it takes a lot more time and a lot more money, but in a comic you’re trying to deliver the same satisfaction in a scant few pages. "Priceless" would be a FANTASTIC show, come to think of it, and now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m going to start right away!
With the first issue of Cruel Universe coming out on August 7th, what other projects do you have coming up that you can tease for our readers?
Ben H. Winters: Well, I’ve got more stories in upcoming Cruel issues, and Epitaph from the Abyss issues, and my own first three-issue comic series, immodestly titled BENJAMIN, will be out from our friends at Oni Press sometime next year. Oh, and my most recent novel is called Big Time, and I think EC fans will love it.
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EC Comics Lives Again at Oni Press!
Friday, July 26 | 5:00PM - 6:00 PM PT | Room: 23ABC
From the publisher that drove Tales From The Crypt, Weird Science, Mad Magazine, and many more into the depraved hearts of an unsuspecting world, the immortal EC Comics is back with a bold and bloody new line of comic book series, only at Oni Press! What the Comics Code Authority couldn’t kill has only made it stronger… Join us for a look ahead at EC’s no-holds-barred return in Epitaphs From The Abyss, Cruel Universe, and more series yet to be revealed with creators Jason Aaron (Thor), Corinna Bechko (Invisible Republic), J. Holtham (Night Thrasher), Klaus Janson (The Dark Knight Returns), Matt Kindt (BRZRKR), Jay Stephens (Dwellings), and Ben H. Winters (CBS’ Tracker) alongside president & publisher Hunter Gorinson and editor-in-chief Sierra Hahn as they begin a new chapter for comics’ most infamous and influential publishing house!
Oni Press Presents
THE ANNUAL COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND (CBDLF) SAN DIEGO WELCOME PARTY
Celebrating the Return of EC Comics!
THURSDAY, JULY 25th, 8pm-MIDNIGHT
THE WESTGATE HOTEL
1055 Second Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
NO RSVP OR SDCC BADGE NECESSARY
$20 SUGGESTED DONATION
FREE GIFT BAGS FOR THE FIRST 100 GUESTS
Generously Provided by Co-Sponsors:
Certified Guaranty Company (CGC)
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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