Vault of Horror #24 for Sale - First Appearance of The Crypt-Keeper - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Vault of Horror (EC, 1950 series)
Issue: #24
Publication date: April-May 1952
Key date: 1952-04-00
On-sale date: 1952
Indicia publisher: L. L. Publishing Co. Inc.
Price: $0.10
Pages: 36

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of The Crypt-Keeper - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Old Witch - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	A Bloody Undertaking	cover	1	script: Johnny Craig; pencils: Johnny Craig; inks: Johnny Craig; colors: Marie Severin; letters: Jim Wroten	The Crypt-Keeper First, The Old Witch First, The Vault-Keeper
1	Johnny Craig	text article	1	pencils: ? (photo); inks: ? (photo); letters: typeset	Johnny Craig
2	A Bloody Undertaking!	comic story	8	script: Johnny Craig; pencils: Johnny Craig; inks: Johnny Craig; colors: Marie Severin; letters: Jim Wroten	The Vault-Keeper (host); Gilbert Podges (undertaker, death); Charlie Drayne (Gilbert's assistant, death); Wilma Podges (villain, Podge's wife, a vampire)
3	...With All the Trappings!	comic story	7	script: Al Feldstein, Bill Gaines; pencils: Graham Ingels; inks: Graham Ingels; letters: Jim Wroten	The Old Witch (host); Pierre; Maria
4	Prescription	text story	2	script: William M. Gaines	Manley
5	-	letters page	1	pencils: Johnny Craig; inks: Johnny Craig	The Vault-Keeper (cameo)
6	Impressed by a Nightmare!	comic story	6	script: Al Feldstein, Bill Gaines; pencils: Joe Orlando; inks: Joe Orlando; letters: Jim Wroten	The Vault-Keeper (host); Fred Dworkin; Emma Dworkin
7	The Death Wagon!	comic story	7	script: Bill Gaines, Al Feldstein; pencils: Jack Davis; inks: Jack Davis; colors: Marie Severin; letters: Jim Wroten	The Crypt-Keeper (host); Police Inspector; Herman Kitch (villain, death); Amos Sink (villain, death)

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Vault of Horror #13	1995	On eBay ›
The Vault of Horror #3	1982	On eBay ›
E.C. Classic Reprint #4	1973	On eBay ›
Fall Guy for Murder and Other Stories ISBN 978-1-60699-658-4	2013	On eBay ›
EC Portfolio #3	1973	On eBay ›
Grave Business and Other Stories ISBN 978-1-60699-827-4	2015	On eBay ›
The Living Mummy and Other Stories ISBN 978-1-60699-929-5	2016	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Golden-age paper is brittle. Ask about page suppleness and check edges for chips in the photos.
Check for trimmed edges, married covers, and clipped coupons - all common on books this old.
Confirm the indicia matches this plate; many golden-age titles changed names mid-run.

Series context

‹ #2313 of 29#25 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com