Margins
EC Cruel Kingdom Vol. 1 book cover
EC Cruel Kingdom Vol. 1
2026
First Published
3.95
Average Rating
144
Number of Pages
WHERE ONCE A CRUEL UNIVERSE BECKONED . . . NOW A CRUEL KINGDOM SHALL REIGN! Oni Press is proud to unveil a spellbinding new chapter in the distinguished lineage of EC history! Enter Cruel Kingdom—EC’s first-ever dark-fantasy anthology conjuring tales of MAGIC, MYTH, and MURDER from forbidden realms long before our own! Behold the bloody and barbarous age of wizards, knights, and dragons as reimagined in the immutable EC manner as master scribes Christopher Cantwell (Out of Alcatraz), Chris Condon (Ultimate Wolverine), Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk), Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), Greg Pak (World War Hulk), Ben H. Winters (Benjamin), and more couple their forces with iron-wrought artists Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead), PJ Holden (Judge Dredd), Kano (Gotham Central), David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Leomacs (Benjamin), John McCrea (Hitman), Andrea Mutti (Rebels), and more to forge a terrifying new vision of death, life, and adventure “once upon a time.” From the twisted minds that spawned Epitaphs from the Abyss and Cruel Universe, steel thyself for EC’s first rite of fatal fantasy and skullduggerous sorcery in one cursed tome of comic book enchantment! Collects Cruel Kingdom #1–4.
Avg Rating
3.95
Number of Ratings
21
5 STARS
29%
4 STARS
38%
3 STARS
33%
2 STARS
0%
1 STARS
0%
goodreads

Authors

Corinna Sara Bechko
Corinna Sara Bechko
Author · 40 books
Corinna Bechko has been writing comics since her horror graphic novel Heathentown was published by Image/Shadowline in 2009. Since then she worked for Marvel, DC, Boom!, Image, and Dark Horse, among others, on titles such as Planet of the Apes, Star Wars: Legacy, Savage Hulk, Aliens/Vampirella, Invisible Republic, and Green Lantern: Earth One. She was recently short-listed for the Aeon Award for her prose short Sooterkin. She is a zoologist by training.
Ben H. Winters
Ben H. Winters
Author · 28 books

Ben H. Winters is the author most recently of the novel The Quiet Boy (Mulholland/Little, Brown, 2021). He is also the author of the novel Golden State; the New York Times bestselling Underground Airlines; The Last Policeman and its two sequels; the horror novel Bedbugs; and several works for young readers. His first novel, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, was also a Times bestseller. Ben has won the Edgar Award for mystery writing, the Philip K. Dick award in science fiction, the Sidewise Award for alternate history, and France’s Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire. Ben also writes for film and television. He is the creator and co-showrunner of Tracker, forthcoming on CBS. Previously he was a producer on the FX show Legion, and on the upcoming Apple TV+ drama Manhunt. He has contributed short stories to many anthologies, as well as in magazines such as Lightspeed. He is the author of four “Audible Originals”– Stranger, Inside Jobs, Q&A, and Self Help—and several plays and musicals. His reviews appear frequently in the New York Times Book Review. Ben was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Maryland, educated in St. Louis, and then grew up a bunch more, in various ways, in places like Chicago, New York, Cambridge, MA, and Indianapolis, IN. These days he lives in LA with his wife, three kids, and one large dog.

Cameron Chittock
Cameron Chittock
Author · 7 books
Cameron Chittock is a writer of comics and graphic novels including the Mapmakers trilogy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Stranger Things. When he’s not scribbling down ideas, he enjoys coaching basketball, reading comics of all kinds, and exploring New England with his family.
Steve Niles
Steve Niles
Author · 110 books

STEVE NILES is one of the writers responsible for bringing horror comics back to prominence, and was recently named by Fangoria magazine as one of it's "13 rising talents who promise to keep us terrified for the next 25 years." Niles is currently working for the four top American comic publishers - Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. He got his start in the industry when he formed his own publishing company called Arcane Comix, where he published, edited and adapted several comics and anthologies for Eclipse Comics. His adaptations include works by Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison. Steve resides in Los Angeles in his bachelor pad with one cat. While there's no crawlspace, there is a questionable closet in one corner and no one is quite sure what is hidden in there...but we have an idea. —from the author's website

Matt Bors
Matt Bors
Author · 9 books

Matt Bors is a cartoonist, writer, editor, and the founder of The Nib. He was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist for his political cartoons in 2012 and 2020 and is the co-writer of the dystopian satire Justice Warriors with Ben Clarkson. His cartoons have appeared in The Nation, The Guardian, CNN, The Intercept, and were collected in the book We Should Improve Society Somewhat. He also drew the graphic novel War Is Boring written by David Axe.

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