BLOOD TYPE, CATACOMB OF TORMENT, and CRUEL UNIVERSE: EC Comics' Horror Revival Hits Like a Scalpel to the Spine

BLOOD TYPE, CATACOMB OF TORMENT, and CRUEL UNIVERSE: EC Comics' Horror Revival Hits Like a Scalpel to the Spine

The Summer of Fear Is Here to Burn You Alive — One EC Horror Comic at a Time

Hold onto your entrails, horror hounds — the EC bloodbath is officially back on tap and Oni Press just spiked the punch with something toxic. Summer of Fear isn’t just a clever seasonal name — it’s a full-throttle, nerve-flaying descent into madness courtesy of Oni Press and the resurrected ghouls at William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.

And kicking off this wicked resurrection?

BLOOD TYPE #1, launching June 11th with a sinister splatter — the first of many, as CATACOMB OF TORMENT #1 and CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #1 follow close behind like bloody footprints in a moonlit morgue.

But wait, there's more… horror never sleeps.

Come August, EC Comics tears the skin off subtlety with the first ongoing title of their unholy revival. CATACOMB OF TORMENT #2 isn’t just a sequel — it’s a goddamn autopsy in motion. And you’re the cadaver. Return to the Tormentor’s lair, where every scream is a lullaby and every new tale is another nail in the coffin of your sanity.

This issue drags some serious genre heavyweights down into the darkness — we’re talking Toxic Avenger’s Matt Bors, Beasts of Burden maestro Evan Dorkin, and Doom Patrol doom-slinger Jeremy Lambert. As for the art? It's a triple threat of doom and decay: Kano (Action Comics), Lukas Ketner (Count Crowley), and Fabiana Mascolo (Catwoman) light the way with blood-soaked brushstrokes.

Will they escape the catacombs with their minds intact? Will you?

We're not betting on it.

Scroll down for the Catacomb of Torment variant covers.

Just when you thought The Summer of Fear couldn’t bleed any harder, EC Comics and Oni Press are back to feast on your fragile little feelings. First up, it’s BLOOD TYPE #1 (of 4) — a twisted transfusion of horror and hunger from Hugo Award nominee Corinna Bechko (Sister Imperator) and Eisner-winning visual warlock Andrea Sorrentino (Gideon Falls). Dropping June 11th like a hot scalpel to the jugular, this one’s got your name written in plasma.

And if that doesn’t crack your psyche, just wait ‘til the universe gets personal.

CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #1 (of 12) lands August 8th — a galaxy-brained gut-punch of existential sci-fi that’ll leave you weeping into the cosmic void. Think 2001: A Space Odyssey by way of Event Horizon, but penned by an all-star cast of creators who’ve already stared too long into the abyss: Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead), J. Holtham (Epitaphs from the Abyss), Kano (Immortal Iron Fist), Ann Nocenti (Daredevil), David Rubín (Sherlock Frankenstein), and Greg Pak (Planet Hulk).

This isn’t just fear — it’s cosmic rejection on a panel-by-panel basis. You've been warned.

EC CATACOMB OF TORMENT #1

WRITTEN BY JOHN ARCUDI, MARGUERITE BENNETT & MATT KINDT

ART BY DAVID LAPHAM, DAN McDAID & PATRICK PIAZZALUNGA

COVER A BY JORGE FORNÉS

COVER B BY TOM FOWLER

FOIL VARIANT ($8.99) BY JORGE FORNÉS

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY JAY STEPHENS

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN

HORROR HOST VARIANT (1:100) BY DUSTIN WEAVER

BLANK SKETCH VARIANT AVAILABLE

ON SALE JULY 16th, 2025 | $4.99 | 40 PAGES | FC

IOC: 5/22/2025

FOC: 6/23/2025

EC CATACOMB OF TORMENT #2

WRITTEN BY MATT BORS, EVAN DORKIN & JEREMY LAMBERT

ART BY KANO, LUKAS KETNER & FABIANA MASCOLO

COVER A BY ARIEL OLIVETTI

COVER B BY LUKAS KETNER

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY JAY STEPHENS

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY LUKAS KETNER

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN

ON SALE AUGUST 20th, 2025 | $4.99 | 32 PAGES | FC

IOC: 6/28/2025

FOC: 7/28/2025

EC CATACOMB OF TORMENT #3

WRITTEN BY J. HOLTHAM, JOANNE STARER, AND RYAN HADDOCK

ART BY VALERIA BURZO, SAMI KIVELÄ & ANDREA MUTTI

COVER A BY MARK BUCKINGHAM

COVER B BY BJÖRN BARENDS

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY JAY STEPHENS

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY BJÖRN BARENDS

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN

ON SALE SEPTEMBER 17th, 2025 | $4.99 | 32 PAGES | FC

IOC: 7/26/2025

FOC: 8/25/2025

Catacomb of Torment #2 Covers

Catacomb of Torment #2 - Cover A by Ariel Olivetti

Catacomb of Torment #2 - Cover B by Lukas Ketner

Catacomb of Torment #2 - Archive Edition Variant by Patricia Martin

Catacomb of Torment #2 - B&W Artist Edition Variant by Lukas Ketner

Catacomb of Torment #2 - Homage Variant by Jay Stephens