EC Tortured Hearts #1 Preview

 

COVER A BY DUSTIN WEAVER 

 

Every month, Oni Press brings you great anthologies like EC Comics' sci-fi series Cruel Universe. EC Comics also brings us spine-tingling terror like Catacomb Of Torment. Now, they're alerting us to the dangers of dating, love, and that most crimson of holidays: Valentine's Day! Should you wait to book that special dinner date? Or should you beg your contractors to install a safe room immediately?

Here's all the info from Oni Press and EC Comics:

 

EC TORTURED HEARTS #1 (ONE-SHOT)

WRITTEN BY JORDIE BELLAIRE, TINI HOWARD & BLAKE HOWARD, ANN NOCENTI, AMY ROY

ART BY SEBASTIÁN CABROL, FABIANA MASCOLO, DAN McDAID, ARJUNA SUSINI

COVER A BY DUSTIN WEAVER 

COVER B BY MIGUEL MERCADO 

COVER C BY TOM FOWLER 

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY SHAWN McMANUS

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

ARCHIVE EDITION VARIANT (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN

ON SALE FEBRUARY 11th, 2026 | $8.99 | 56 PAGES | FC

IOC: 12/27/2025

FOC: 1/19/2026

 

LOVE HURTS! Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award–winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, and William M. Gaines Agent, Inc., are wrenching romance comics out of the grave in TORTURED HEARTS #1 – a 56-page tome of terror forged in the unrelenting tradition of EC Comics! In advance of the giant-sized special’s February 11th release date, take a lovelorn first look at "A Pocket Full of Nails" by legendary comic writer and editor Ann Nocenti (Daredevil, The Seeds) and ardent artist Dan McDaid (Dega) with colors from the mighty Michelle Madsen (Buffy The Vampire Slayer).

“Deep down in the EC catacomb, we've been toiling away to bring forth compelling tales of torment and technological terror,” says editor Allyson Gronowitz. "Now, we're excited to present our latest concoction of misery... a one-shot anthology dedicated solely to the particular pains and perils of romance! In this terrifying tale, esteemed writer Ann Nocenti explores the dangers of obsession, and the skin-crawling horror of the dark side of devotion... stunningly brought to life on the page by Dan McDaid and Michelle Madsen!”

“This tale is inspired by a true story about a guy who stalked female comic creators back in the days before stalker laws,” explains Ann Nocenti. “it was up to us to defend ourselves! One visual riff in the story was a scattering of loose nails, and Dan masterfully wove the spiky motif throughout the story to terrifying effect... dare I say he nailed it? Telling EC tales for Oni Press is a blast. My modus operandi is to think about what I'm afraid of, and with so much to fear in the world, the possibilities are endless. It's a pleasure to work with editors Allyson Gronowitz and Jung Hu Lee, who always offer tweaks to make the stories just a bit bloody better.”

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here's one for all of you lovesick lunatics, rancid romantics, and forlorn fatalities as Oni Press proudly presents a giant-sized Valentine’s bouquet full of soft whispers and death rattles from hot-blooded writers Jordie Bellaire (Redlands), Tini Howard (Excalibur) & Blake Howard (Vampire: The Masquerade), Ann Nocenti (Daredevil), and Amy Roy (EC's Epitaphs from the Abyss), alongside candy-coated artists Sebastián Cabrol (Hulk: Maestro), Fabiana Mascolo (Cyberpunk 2077), Dan McDaid (EC's Outlaw Showdown), Arjuna Susini (Lamentation), and many more!

Plus, as an extra-added bonus: Another newly restored and authentically remastered classic from the EC vaults by legendary fiends William M. Gaines, Al Feldstein, and Reed Crandall!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Here are more cover options:

 

 

COVER B BY MIGUEL MERCADO

 

COVER C BY TOM FOWLER

 

 

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY SHAWN McMANUS

 

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

ARCHIVE EDITION VARIANT (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN

Eat your heart out – but make sure to save some for the rest of us! This Valentine’s Day, EC Comics is gifting you a box of poison chocolates and cyanide-laced champagne in TORTURED HEARTS #1 – featuring a slate of salacious covers that will make your eyes linger a second too long from Dustin Weaver (Avengers), Miguel Mercado (X-Men), Tom Fowler (Refrigerator Full of Heads), Shawn McManus (Fables), and Patricia Martín (EC’s Blood Type)! Warm your heart to the boiling point – only in comic shops on February 11th! 

 

 

Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us. 

EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1 Review

 

EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1 Review

Writers: John Arcudi, Tony Moore, Ann Nocenti, Christopher Cantwell & Harvey Kurtzman

Artist: Sebastián Cabrol, Tony Moore, David Lapham, Dan McDaid & Jack Davis

Colorist: Lee Loughridge, Rico Renzi, Nick Filardi, Michael Atiyeh, & Iñaki Azipiazu

Letterer: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith

Cover Artists: Lee Bermejo, Tony Moore, Ladrönn, Shawn McManus with Michelle Madsen & Rian Hughes

Publisher: Oni Press

Price: $8.99

Release Date: October 22, 2025

 

Life was tough in 19th-century America. Before the United States became a nation, it was a group of rowdy states learning to get along. Then there were those roughhousing territories where people did as they pleased. What was life like back in those lawless days? Let's grab our six-shooters, leap into EC Comics' Outlaw Showdown #1, and see!
 

 

Cool, Cool Water

The sun beats down on Rand Keyes. Like every summer day in Oklahoma, it’s hot. But Rand is on the trail of train robbers, and he won't stop until he catches them. Sadly, once people start committing crimes, they lose their moral compass. When the robbers leave corpses in their wake, this only deepens the US Marshal's determination to find them. Rand's job gets tougher after finding someone in need of protection.

 

John Arcudi fills Cool, Cool Water with all the loneliness of the Old West. Yet he infuses it with the tensions that separated people amid a land big enough for all of them. Sebastián Cabrol ratchets up the tension and isolation with constantly changing camera angles to showcase Rand and his horse riding through this panorama.

 

Lee Loughridge shows the moods of the land. The habitable regions shine with yellows, greens, and browns. As grasslands turn to desert, the yellow, brown, and orange grow more luminous. A spark of yellow glows beneath a purple night sky. But Rand needs more than a campfire to ward off the Human and otherworldly dangers that haunt this new world in this first story in EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1.

 

Fire In The Hole

Life in the Appalachian coal mines was hard. Each day, miners descended to dig their quota from the Earth. The story begins with Artie Hall looking after his friend Byron. He makes sure Byron doesn't lose his payment tokens. Then an explosion rips through the mine. Out of the working party, only Artie survives.

 

Tony Moore's story follows Artie's struggle to move on. His detailed art shows working conditions in the mines, the townspeople who remind him of his absent friends, and the wealth Artie amasses. Rico Renzi lends vibrant colors to this story about survivor's guilt and how panic can exacerbate a bad situation.

 

The Cure

Doc Boot’s black-and-gray finery suggests wealth and arcane knowledge. His tinctures and salves promise to cure diseases and relieve any ailment. Yet, as little May notes, he drives his horses harder than he needs to. May lives with Shen Li, who operates a Herbalist shop in Red Dirt, California. She and Shen Li know that their forefathers developed snake oil from snakes, while Doc Boot mixes his from a variety of ingredients. Ann Nocenti’s story reminds us of the cultures that coexisted in the Old West, even if they didn’t understand or respect each other.

 

In this first story in EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1, David Lapham shows Doc's vanity and sense of superiority by how he treats his Native American assistant. As finely dressed townspeople welcome the man dressed like a magician, Little Bear dispenses bottles while Shen Li and May observe from afar. Nick Filardi lavishes a palette of bright and attractive colors on this story about a man who exploits others' hopes.

 

Pony Express

Matt Roundtree works for the Pony Express. Instead of sending letters by mail and waiting weeks or months for the wagons or trains to deliver them, Matt rides alone. He guarantees delivery of the letters secured in his saddle pouch. Like Genghis Khan’s Yam postal system, Matt’s life works by riding his horse hard to relay stations, where he gets fresh supplies and exchanges horses. Christopher Cantwell focuses on Matt’s sense of honor and fulfillment in his devotion to his sworn purpose.

 

While Matt muses on the issues that spark conflict in this vast territory and how his life may change in the future, Dan McDaid and Michael Atiyeh show Matt’s bond with his horses. They contribute beautiful landscapes, familiar villains and dangers, and reveal Matt as an indomitable force of nature: always the perennial visitor who can never stop.

 

Colt Single Action Army Revolver

This six-page tale, published in EC Comics’ Two-Fisted Tales #20, begins with Rufe loading his gun. Rufe waxes philosophical as he contemplates his power. But Harvey Kurtzman’s story isn’t about Rufe and his partner working a mine and getting rich. Instead, Jack Davis' art reveals the gun's power. Iñaki Azipiazu restores the 1952 coloring to this thoughtful, moral tale in EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1.

 

Lettering

Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith fill white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with black uppercase letters. Gunshots punctuate the day and night, explosions rock the air, and large, stylized letters introduce “Fire in the Hole.” Thanks to Oni Press for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

The first two stories in EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1 showcase the horrors and mysteries in a land where the fantastic merges with reality. Then, the remaining three reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly side of life as adventurers transformed a wilderness into a nation.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For more cover art and a look inside "Fire in the Hole" see my preview of EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1.

EC Outlaw Showdown #1 Preview

 

 

This volume begins with a manhunt. Rand Keyes is a US Marshal on the trail of train robbers. He won't stop until he finds the gang. But his job gets tougher when he finds someone he needs to protect. And there are more dangers than he, or the gang realizes, as they travel through this vast, uncharted region. What other stories have Oni Press and EC Comics included in this anthology of Old West Horror tales?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

EC OUTLAW SHOWDOWN #1

WRITTEN BY JOHN ARCUDI, CHRISTOPHER CANTWELL, TONY MOORE, AND ANN NOCENTI

ART BY SEBASTIÁN CABROL, DAVID LAPHAM, DAN McDAID, AND TONY MOORE

COVER A BY LEE BERMEJO

COVER B BY TONY MOORE

COVER C BY LADRÖNN

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY SHAWN McMANUS

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TONY MOORE

ARCHIVE EDITION VARIANT (1:50) BY RIAN HUGHES

BLANK SKETCH VARIANT AVAILABLE

ON SALE OCTOBER 22th, 2025 | $8.99 | 56 PAGES | FC

 

A STORY SO EXPLOSIVE THAT IT WILL HAUNT YOU UNTIL YOU PASS ON! - Oni Press, the multiple Eisner- and Harvey Award–winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, and William M. Gaines Agent, Inc., present to you, fine reader, a first look at “Fire in the Hole” from the upcoming OUTLAW SHOWDOWN #1, on sale October 22. Written and illustrated by the legendary Tony Moore (The Walking Dead, Battle Pope) “Fire in the Hole” relishes in betrayal, death, and dismemberment that you will never be able to unsee. So, if you’re brave enough to look on, do so with caution because . . . 

“Fire in the Hole” may not be suitable for the eyes of the weak or considered cowardly!

As the sun settles high above this bone-dry stretch of mesa, wipe the blood from your boot heels and place your wagers as Oni Press and EC Comics raise their pistols . . . to pump six cylinders of hot lead and cold hearts into OUTLAW SHOWDOWN—EC’S FIRST GIANT-SIZED, 56-PAGE SPECIAL celebrating REVENGE and RETRIBUTION on the lawless frontiers of the Old West! Gunfighters, scoundrels, butchers, and bandits—they’ll all join us here to draw down on fate itself as coffin-bound creators John Arcudi (B.P.R.D.), Christopher Cantwell (Out of Alcatraz), David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Tony Moore (The Walking Dead), and Ann Nocenti (Daredevil) rain hellfire and fury from the holsters on their hip. 

Plus, also featured as an extra-added bonus: A newly remastered and authentically restored tale of Old West retribution and recoil from the EC vaults by comics masters Harvey Kurtzman (Two-Fisted Tales) and Jack Davis (Tales from the Crypt)! 

SOME COMIC BOOK COMPANIES ASK YOU TO CHOOSE: DEATH OR GLORY? AT EC COMICS, WE SAY . . . WHY NOT BOTH?! And we will continue to tempt your fate by telling you to CHOOSE A COVER THAT MAKES YOU RIDE INTO A BLAZE OF GLORY! Pick your poison with covers by Lee Bermejo (Joker), Ladrönn (Cable), Tony Moore, Shawn McManus (Fables), and Rian Hughes (The Multiversity). 

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here are more cover options:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Oni Press and EC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

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