Tales from the Crypt Vol 2 22

"Marry me first, Herbie. Then we can unmask... when we make our love complete..."

- Suzanne

"Tight Grip!" is the first of four vignettes featured in issue #22 of the horror anthology comic book reprint series Tales from the Crypt, Volume 2 by Gemstone Publishing, which reprints classic stories from the original EC Comics magazine version of Tales from the Crypt. The story was written by Al Feldstein with artwork by Jack Davis. The second story, "...Only Skin Deep", was also written by Feldstein with artwork by Reed Crandall. The third story is called "Last Laugh", and is written by Al Feldstein with pencils and inks by Will Elder. The fourth story, "Mournin' Mess" was co-written by Feldstein and Bill Gaines with artwork by Graham Ingels, who also did the ink work. Coloring for all four stories was provided by Marie Severin with lettering by Jim Wroten. The stories were edited by William M. Gaines. The cover art illustration was composed by Jack Davis. This issue shipped with a October-November, 1953 cover date and carries a cover price of 10 cents per copy.

"Tight Grip!"
This story is narrated by a trunk and concerns the murder of a woman the trunk is fond of. When the murderer attempts to hide in the trunk, he panics and shoots holes through it, whereupon the trunk contracts itself turning the killer into flesh spaghetti and concentrated bone.

Host

 * The Crypt Keeper

Characters

 * Carl Roswell
 * Jeeves
 * Willy
 * Wilma

"...Only Skin Deep"
A man marries a woman at Mardi Gras who wears a hag mask. She continually puts off his requests to remove her mask until he becomes agitated enough to bodily pull the mask off of her head whereupon he realizes she wasn't wearing a mask.

Host

 * The Vault Keeper

Characters

 * Herbert
 * Suzanne

Locations

 * Louisiana
 * New Orleans

Items

 * Mask

Miscellaneous

 * Nightmare

"Last Laugh"
An obese practical joker with a stomach problem visits a doctor. He relates his latest practical joke involved getting some old clothes and bloody butchered chunks of horse flesh to take down to the trainyard near where some children regularly play. When the train rolls through, he lets out a scream after dropping the gory mess on the rails, and finds the ensuing panic tearfully funny. The doctor gives him some capsules to swallow for his stomach pain and then reveals that he used to have a wife and two children, one of whom used to play by the trainyard. As a result of the prank, the boy rushed into the path of a truck and was killed. The doctor's wife forgot about the infant she was bathing and it drowned. She died of a heart attack. The vengeful doctor reveals that the capsules contained fish hooks and he straps the obese man to a table and tickles him so that he will literally 'die laughing'.

Host

 * The Crypt Keeper

Characters

 * Doctor

"Mournin' Mess"
The Grateful Hoboes, Outcasts, and Unwanteds' Layaways Society is run by a man who read 'Midnight Mess' in Tales from the Crypt #35. He offers a pleasant burial for the penniless. A local reporter thinks their setup odd, and when his boss later tells him that they have buried their 1000th derelict, he is sure something stinks because their cemetery does not have enough area for 1000 graves. After the burial at night, he buys a spade and stakes out the recent grave. Shockingly, he watches as the recent risen grave dirt recedes to the point that it is level with the ground. He sets to digging up the grave and hits a metal trap door that collapses inward to a series of tunnels. The leader of the society pulls a gun on him and explains their purpose. hint: (read the initials of the society)

Host

 * The Old Witch

Characters

 * Felix J. Copehard
 * Mayor Merk
 * Sweeney
 * Sweeney's boss

Organizations

 * Grateful Hoboes, Outcasts, and Unwanteds' Layaways Society

Miscellaneous

 * Cemetery
 * Ghouls
 * Mayor
 * Reporter

Notes & Trivia

 * This issue is reprinted in its entirety in Tales from the Crypt, Volume 2 #22 by Gemstone Publishing in 1997.


 * "Tight Grip!" is a Crypt of Terror vignette.


 * "...Only Skin Deep" is a Vault of Horror vignette.


 * Penciler and inker Graham Ingels is credited as "Ghastly" in this issue.


 * As co-plotter, William M. Gaines is credited as Bill Gaines in this issue on "Mournin' Mess". Al Feldstein is credited as Albert B. Feldstein in this same story.


 * "...Only Skin Deep" was adapted into the second episode of season six of the Tales from the Crypt television series, and was titled "Only Skin Deep". The episode was directed by William Malone and written by Dick Beebe.


 * This issue includes a one-page text story called "Big Fish!"


 * The Grateful Hoboes, Outcasts, and Unwanteds' Layaways Society from "Mournin' Mess" is an acronym for GHOULS.

Recommended Reading

 * Haunt of Fear Vol 1
 * Shock SuspenStories Vol 1
 * Tales from the Crypt Vol 1
 * Vault of Horror Vol 1