Number 2075: Gloom and doom in the tomb

When Heritage Auctions sold the original art for “Tomb's-Day” in 2011, they said: “This shocker showcases art by Jack Davis at the peak of his career at EC. The bold ink work and attention to gritty detail that Davis put into every panel contrasted nicely with his signature cartoony style, perfect for the insanely hysterical faces of his ill-fated characters. The peerless portraits of the Crypt-Keeper are original art and not stats.”

As a fan of the late Jack Davis, it has always been fun for me to look at Davis’s early career — the foundation for his later success as a cartoonist and illustrator — through the pages of EC Comics. He came quickly to his mature style. He showed in the horror comics he could provide mood and suspense as well as laughs, as he did in Mad and Panic.

Thanks to Heritage for the scans I have appropriated from their site for the purposes of this post. The pages sold at auction in 2011 for $10,157.50. I showed them before, in 2012.

The story appeared in Vault of Horror #35 (1954). Script is credited to Jack Oleck.

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