Incredible Science Fiction: The EC Archives volume 2 (graphic novel review).

The reason I delayed reading ‘Incredible Science Fiction: The EC Archives Volume 2’ was because of some confusion with the issue numbering for the different comic books, which was not explained in the opening text. I recently found out what had happened: the numbering and names were being carried to other EC Comics rather than starting afresh. There are reasons for this. I do know that the US postal system at the time meant you had to apply for new subscription rates with new comic books, and that took time, so why not move them to existing titles where the post people didn’t read titles, only numbers? Hence, what we have here is the complete material from Weird Science-Fantasy # 27-29 and Incredible Science Fiction # 30-33.

Although I enjoyed the stories in the first volume, I did think the art was ordinary or a little more compressed for the text. Here, it’s like opening up on a spectacular improvement. I suspect, in part, that the first three or more issues are prepared before there is a reflection from editorial and even the creators as to what they really want to do. With comic books, the art tends to be the real selling point. You have a quick look at the cover, and if a quick flick at the contents looks good, you buy. I think that happened on both sides of the pond with American comics. Compared to how we bought British comics, we bought out of habit, but they were a lot cheaper. EC Comics weren’t distributed in the UK before I was born.

Let’s start with Weird Science-Fantasy #27. The opening story, ‘Adaptability’, drawn by Wallace Wood and written by Otto Binder, shows a generation spaceship arriving at their adopted planet only for them to discover the outside environment dangerous and distasteful. So they hopped back into their spacecraft and took to the stars again.

‘Close Shave’, drawn by Reed Crandell and written by Otto Binder, has a prejudice story where Vida falls in love with Jay, who attacks prejudice against the hairy Ganymedes, and word gets out that some had gotten shaved to pass as humans. A standard plot but a beautiful double twist at the end.

The same applies with ‘4th Degree’, drawn by Jack Kamen from a script by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein. A man from the future arrives in the past trying to get them to change things to stop his future from happening, which twists things as well.

Now to Weird Science-Fantasy #28. ‘The Inferiors’ has art by Wallace Wood and is written by Al Feldstein, with humans investigating dead civilisations on different planets until the revelation that makes them the connection.

‘Lost In Space’ with art by Al Williamson, Angelo Torres and Roy Krendel and written by Otto Binder is a love story with a woman wanting her ex-lover, not knowing his fate, which is a spoiler that works extremely well.

‘Round Trip’, drawn by Jack Kamen and written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein, is an oddity. You can have a desire to live on another planet but be less likely to change your job.

Now to Weird Science-Fantasy # 29. ‘The Chosen One’, drawn by Wallace Wood and written by Al Feldstein, is a superb story of misdirection but is totally spoilery.

It’s getting very hard not to praise every story. ‘Genesis’, drawn by Reed Crandall and written by Al Feldstein, examines a different way for birth.

I should point out that the three-part ‘Adam Link’ story across these three issues, drawn by Joe Orlando and written by Otto Binder and Al Feldstein, ends here. A robot getting recognised as a sentient being is never easy.

Now to Weird Science-Fantasy #30, the first to feature the Comics Code Authority marker. I didn’t expect to see any major changes. After all, there hadn’t been any nudity, extreme violence or even horror, come to that. Jack Oleck was a busy writer doing all the stories from this point on but thought to leave the credits as such for easy reference.

‘Clean Start’, drawn by Wallace Wood and written by Jack Oleck, has two aliens tasked to sort out the violent earthlings, so they use time travel to see just where it started but are unable to resolve it, and when back to the present, they choose breeding stock and eliminate the rest as you do. The flaw is the spoiler.

‘Marbles’, drawn by Bernie Krigstein and written by Jack Oleck, is an odd one. A spaceship discovers that the size of the planets and stars is the same size as seen from Earth. I think that tends to throw perspective out of the window, let alone distance.

Far superior was ‘Conditioned Reflex’, drawn by Joe Orlando and written by Jack Oleck. The inhabitants of a planet around Alpha Centauri want to study man before he discovers space travel and create an avatar for one of their kind to come to Earth. He picks up a bad human habit which he uses when returning home, which is nicely staged.

‘Barrier’, drawn by Jack Davis and written by Jack Oleck, again returns to the theme that space isn’t quite what it seems when a succession of Earth spaceships discovers a barrier around the planet and tries to break through it.

The comic book title changes to ‘Incredible Science Fiction’ due to, as explained on the letters page, a need to match the contents. It’s around this time I felt some of the stories were losing their quality. Let’s pick out some favourites. Odd, as I only dropped one story.

‘You, Rocket’, drawn by Wallace Wood and written by Jack Oleck, has a human inventor having to outwit his AI robot head when it is sent into space. On the final page of this book, it shows the original second page for this story and that the CCA asked for it to be changed so you can compare them. Frankly, a lot of it is implied. From all you’ve read, you would have thought these issues might have had more run-ins with the CCA. I haven’t looked at EC Comics horror titles to compare, but from here, although there are people running around with assorted weapons, rarely do you see them used, let alone any blood.

‘Fulfilment’, drawn by Bernie Krigstein and written by Jack Oleck, has a couple of tourists stuck on Earth who create chaos in the environment before they are rescued.

‘A Time To Leave’, drawn by Roy Krenkel and Al Williamson and written by Jack Oleck, has a time traveller from the past reaching one thousand years into the future and what his knowledge would mean and change if he goes into the past. The twist is the utopia isn’t as perfect as it seems.

New name, we are now reading Incredible Science Fiction #32. The opening page covers the letters, especially about the story ‘Condition Reflex’ and how the ‘man’ could light up a cigarette in a methane atmosphere, knowing it would instantly explode. That and how could an alien society develop in a methane atmosphere when it couldn’t use heat? I stopped and had a think. One could presume the ‘man’ wasn’t breathing methane but oxygen. Probably pure oxygen, so boom! As to them creating technology. One would presume if they used heat, then they would have the means to limit it mixing with methane.

‘Fallen Idol’, as drawn by Joe Orlando and written by Jack Oleck, is an odd one. A new leader of a tribe leads them to an old civilisation looking for technology. I’m not quite sure what it is in the last panel, but I don’t think it’s a robot.

The Al Williamson and Roy Krenkel art for ‘Food For Thought’ is truly beautiful. The Jack Orleck-written story has colonists destroying the local environment before realising the giant tree still standing might be sentient.

‘The Ultimate Weapon’, art by Bernie Krigstein and written by Jack Orleck, has humanoid aliens coming to Earth and put off by an angry woman when they trample on her roses. The twist at the end still works, although I think the aliens should have looked less human.

‘Marked Man’, drawn by Jack Davis and written by Jack Orleck, is also a misdirection story, although I’m not sure the lead character would be applauded today.

EC Comics’ final issue is Incredible Science Fiction #33. I have said much about the covers for all these issues, but these are equally stunning. ‘Big Moment’, as drawn by Wallace Wood and written by Jack Orleck, has similarities to ‘Fallen Idol’, reminding the reader of man’s destructive tendencies.

‘Kaleidoscope’, drawn by Jack Davis and written by Jack Orleck, is unusual because it shows not everyone is suited for space travel, which is an interesting twist.

The same can also be said for the last story, ‘One Way Hero’, drawn by Angelo Torres and written by Jack Orleck, which sort of ends these issues on a down note rather than optimism, which is unusual for American fiction. Of course, they might be subtly reminding the reader that not all people can be astronauts.

I’ve only ignored one story, and that was part of an attempt to reduce the size of this review. That didn’t do well. It’s only when we get to the last issue that there is more repetition, but I suspect they knew the end was nigh. All three volumes together constitute all of EC Comics’ SF output and if you’re adding to your education of early SF, then they need to be part of your reading.

GF Willmetts

August 2025

(pub: Dark Horse, 1955-59 reprint 2022. 231 page large softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-50672-109-5).

check out website: www.darkhorse.com/Books/3007-371/The-EC-Archives-Incredible-Science-Fiction-TPB