EC Comics lives again at Oni Press, and the publisher released information and cover images for the upcoming Cruel Universe #1.
“There were so many twists and turns in the original EC stories that you never knew what you were in for until the last panel,” said Corrina Bechko.” Each was a masterclass in the economic juxtaposition of word and image to build a rich, wicked world in just a couple of pages. I’m willing to bet every creator on this project had as much fun as I did because the beauty of these anthologies is the ability to tell gonzo stories that really kick… And make you think.”
“The cool thing about “going back” to the classic EC style is that it doesn’t really feel like going back, ” said Ben H. Winters. “These guys were thinking and drawing so far ahead of their time, aesthetically and thematically, it’s as if we’re still trying to catch up with them, now. My tale for CRUEL UNIVERSE is about a hard-luck loser who ekes out a living selling memories to the rich—has a touch of Philip K. Dick, a touch of Black Mirror, maybe a smidge of Blade Runner…but all of these touchstones owe a debt back to EC.”
“What is an EC-esque story?” asked writer Matt Kindt. “ I couldn’t quite figure it out, so I just started writing. Ten story ideas and two full scripts later I figured it out. EC is in my DNA. I’ve always been writing them – or my version of them. With one difference: My stories usually end with a sense of optimism. Or at least a melancholy hope that things will get better. Spoiler. These stories don’t do that. These stories are hard cautionary tales. I guess at the end of the day, as dark as these stories get. As twisted as the endings are. They are optimistic by their very existence. The stories are saying –”Don’t do this. Don’t be like this.” Cautionary tales with optimism that you, the reader, can be a better person.”
“There is only one word to describe an EC universe: cruel,” said writer Chris Condon. “So it only makes sense that this new science fiction-centered EC title, CRUEL UNIVERSE, is an appropriately twisted successor to the wildly speculative tales that appeared in the likes of Weird Science or Weird Fantasy.”
CRUEL UNIVERSE #1
WRITTEN BY CORINNA BECHKO, CHRIS CONDON, MATT KINDT & BEN H. WINTERS
ART BY JONATHAN CASE, KANO, ARTYOM TOPILIN & CAITLIN YARKSY
COVER A BY GREG SMALLWOOD
COVER B BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY JAY STEPHENS
B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:50) BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
SPA FON! VARIANT (1:100) BY TOM FOWLER
FOIL COVER (SILVER) BY GREG SMALLWOOD
FOIL COVER (GOLD) BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
BLANK COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
ON SALE AUGUST 7TH | $4.99 (STANDARD) | $7.99 (FOIL) | 40 PGS | FC
IOC: 06/27/2024
FOC: 07/15/2024
Galaxies will collapse. Space-time will be distorted. And your very will to exist, too, shall be broken . . . Just remember: it’s all in the name of SCIENCE!
Are you ready for a new era of EC Comics?
