I know I have made this nomination the past two years, but I'll probably keep making it until he gets nominated... I nominate William Gaines for the Hall of fame. After inheriting his father's comic company he, along with Al Feldstein, steered the direction of the company headlong into horror, turning Entertaining Comics into the EC comics we all know and loved.

Crypt of Terror, Haunt of Fear, Tales from the Crypt,Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, Shock Suspenstories, etc. probably had more to do with my becoming a horror host than any other influence. I didn't read Famous Monsters that much as a kid (but I sure would have liked to!), but by golly I sure had my horror comics! Whether EC comics themselves, reprints, or cheap imitations - I loved them all!

Sure they're cheap, tawdry, and crass - but they are also entertaining, funny (in a dark sense), and almost always pack a morality tale. These comics probably had as big an influence on the horror community, (writers, artists and fans alike) as any other single source. They were a visual representation of the old radio horror tales, and they rocked the nation. Why it took a congressional hearing to stop EC - and that was short lived. EC crawled from the grave and is more popular now than ever. Why the Crypt Keeper is a star, baby!

Okay - enough of a rant. Guess I'm in a mood tonight. But there you have it. William Gaines for Hall of fame. Creep on, my friends!

Doc Gangrene