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have important roles, but second-string or even third-string characters play pivotal
parts in this saga, including Absorbing Man, Belasco, Nighthawk, and Machine Man.
Additionally, the Earth X series provides a deeply nuanced explanation as to how and
why this Earth contains so much power and potential.
Th ough the series offi cially ended in 2003 under some speculation that it was trun-
cated due to sales, an Earth X Companion trade paperback was released in 2008 which
included sketches, covers, character profi les, and a short comic on Nick Fury.
Selected Bibliography: Ross, Alex, and Jim Krueger. Earth X Trilogy Companion.
New York: Marvel, 2008.
Lance Eaton
EC COMICS. Originally founded by Maxwell Gaines, EC was an American publishing
company widely-known for producing horror, crime, science fi ction, and satire comics
under the direction of Maxwell’s son William M. Gaines during the late 1940s and
1950s. EC titles, such as the popular Tales From the Crypt series, were at the center
of the mid-century controversy over censorship and juvenile delinquency in the comic
book industry. Crippled by new restrictions instituted by the Comics Code Authority,
EC discontinued all of its comics titles after 1954 with the exception of the ground-
breaking satire comic, Mad, which was transformed into a magazine and thus moved
outside the purview of the code.
Before forming his own comic book publishing company, Max Gaines distin-
guished himself as an industry pioneer through his work in the development of the
eight-by-eleven, four-color saddle stitch newsprint magazine that would later become
the modern comic book. In 1946, Gaines began producing titles such as Picture Stories
from the Bible under the name Educational Comics, specializing in religion, history,
and funny animals. Unfortunately, a weak distributor and an unenthusiastic market
saddled the company with debt, and when Max Gaines was killed in a boating acci-
dent in 1947, his son William reluctantly assumed control of the family business.
William Gaines worked closely with editors Al Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman to
transform EC into “Entertaining Comics.” Th ey made the company profi table by pushing
the boundaries of popular commercial trends in comics, by directing their content to
older teen and adult readers, and by promoting quality storytelling and photo-realistic
artwork. Th eir “New Trend” line specialized in horror (Tales From the Crypt, Th e Vault
of Horror, Th e Haunt of Fear ); science fi ction (Weird Science, Weird Fantasy); crime
(Crime SuspenseStories, Shock SuspenStories); war comics (Two-Fisted Tales, Frontline
Combat); and humor (Mad). Endings with a surprise twist became known as an EC
trademark, along with gruesome portrayals of murder and deception that underscored
the terrors hidden behind the white picket fences of the American Dream. EC’s Contes
Cruels horror aesthetic fl aunted extreme acts of brutality, while their absurd satires ridi-
culed Hollywood stars and parodied beloved children’s characters. Unlike other Cold
Wa r -era comics, those published by EC openly engaged contentious issues including
