Crime SuspenStories (E.C.)  CSEC   (E.C., 1950-1955) ™ and © William M. Gaines, Agent

Crime SuspenStories was EC’s second-generation crime title (the first being War Against Crime and Crime Patrol). This time out, the stories were less concerned with bank robbers and gun molls than they were with ancient curses and ax murderers.

Typical of its stories was “Understudy to a Corpse” wherein a young actor murdered his ailing uncle, then took his place long enough to rewrite his uncle’s will. Before he could benefit from his acting coup, he was poisoned by his uncle’s nurse (the previous beneficiary) who, mistaking him for his uncle, thought the time was right to cash in. Another tale, “Touch and Go,” from issue #17 was an adaptation of a classic Ray Bradbury story. In it, a man murders his boss, then becomes obsessed with wiping away all fingerprints which might mark him as the killer. He is found several hours later by police still obsessively polishing everything in the house from attic to basement.

		Notes	Writer	Artist
	#1 Date: 10/1/1950 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $800.00 No copies available		Graham Ingels, Harvey Kurtzman, Johnny Craig, Wally Wood	Graham Ingels, Harvey Kurtzman, Johnny Craig, Wally Wood
	#1 Variation A Date: 10/1/1950 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $1,000.00 No copies available	Printing change with the #15 blackened out on cover with #1 printed over it	Graham Ingels, Harvey Kurtzman, Johnny Craig, Wally Wood	Graham Ingels, Harvey Kurtzman, Johnny Craig, Wally Wood
	#2 Date: 12/1/1950 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $650.00 1 copy available for $67.50
	#3 Date: 2/1/1951 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $330.00 No copies available	Includes Edgar Allen Poe adaptation: “Blood Red Wine” (adapts “The Cask of Amontillado”)
	#4 Date: 4/1/1951 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $320.00 No copies available		Graham Ingels, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, Johnny Craig	Graham Ingels, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, Johnny Craig
	#5 Date: 6/1/1951 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $320.00 No copies available
	#6 Date: 8/1/1951 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $420.00 1 copy available for $59.25
	#7 Date: 10/1/1951 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $235.00 No copies available
	#8 Date: 12/1/1951 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $240.00 No copies available
	#9 Date: 2/1/1952 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $235.00 No copies available
	#10 Date: 4/1/1952 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $300.00 1 copy available for $39.50
	#11 Date: 6/1/1952 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $185.00 No copies available
	#12 Date: 8/1/1952 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $185.00 No copies available
	#13 Date: 10/1/1952 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $300.00 1 copy available for $73.50
	#14 Date: 12/1/1952 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $185.00 No copies available
	#15 Date: 2/1/1953 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $185.00 No copies available	Includes “The Screaming Woman” Ray Bradbury adaptation
	#16 Date: 4/1/1953 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $190.00 No copies available		Al Williamson, Jack Kamen, Joe Orlando, Johnny Craig	Al Williamson, Jack Kamen, Joe Orlando, Johnny Craig
	#17 Date: 6/1/1953 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $235.00 No copies available	Includes “Touch and Go” Ray Bradbury adaptation	Al Williamson, Bill Elder, Frank Frazetta, Jack Kamen, Johnny Craig, Ray Bradbury	Al Williamson, Bill Elder, Frank Frazetta, Jack Kamen, Johnny Craig
	#18 Date: 8/1/1953 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $170.00 No copies available		Bill Elder, Jack Kamen, Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall	Bill Elder, Jack Kamen, Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall
	#19 Date: 10/1/1953 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $170.00 No copies available		George Evans, Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall	George Evans, Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall
	#20 Date: 12/1/1953 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $215.00 No copies available	Graphic hanging cover cited in Seduction of the Innocent
	#21 Date: 3/1/1954 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $115.00 No copies available
	#22 Date: 5/1/1954 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $145.00 No copies available
	#23 Date: 7/1/1954 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $250.00 1 copy available for $57.75
	#24 Date: 9/1/1954 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $115.00 No copies available			Bernie Krigstein, Jack Kamen, Joe Orlando, Reed Crandall
	#25 Date: 11/1/1954 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $115.00 No copies available			Bernie Krigstein, George Evans, Jack Kamen, Reed Crandall
	#26 Date: 1/1/1955 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $230.00 1 copy available for $83.25			Jack Kamen, Joe Orlando, Reed Crandall
	#27 Date: 3/1/1955 Cover Price: $0.10 NM Guide: $115.00 No copies available	Final Issue		Bernie Krigstein, George Evans, Graham Ingels, Jack Kamen