Russ Cochran (; July 3, 1937 – February 23, 2020) was a publisher of

EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-195 ...

reprints,

Disney comics Disney comics are comic books and comic strips featuring characters created by the Walt Disney Company, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge. The first Disney comics were newspaper strips appearing from 1930 on, starting with ...

, and books on

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He was ...

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype ...

, and

vacuum tube A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric voltage, potential difference has been applied. The type kn ...

s. He was a publisher for over 30 years, after quitting his job as a physics professor. His

reprints included the black-and-white '' The Complete EC Library'', the four-color '' EC Annuals'', and the full-color hardcover

EC Archives The ''EC Archives'' are an ongoing series of American hardcover collections of full-color comic book reprints of EC Comics, published by Russ Cochran and Gemstone Publishing from 2006 to 2008, and then continued by Cochran and Grant Geissman's G ...

. In 1982, he was awarded an

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual c ...

. Cochran was associated with

Another Rainbow Publishing Another Rainbow Publishing is a company dedicated to the re-publication and greater recognition of the work of Carl Barks that was created in 1981 by Bruce Hamilton and Russ Cochran. Its name references Barks's saying that there would be "always a ...

Gladstone Publishing Gladstone Publishing was an American company that published Disney comics from 1986 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1998. The company had its origins as a subsidiary of Another Rainbow Publishing, a company formed by Bruce Hamilton and Russ Cochran to ...

, and

Gemstone Publishing Gemstone Publishing is an American company that publishes comic book price guides. The company was formed by Diamond Comic Distributors President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Geppi in 1994 when he bought Overstreet. Gemstone published licen ...

EC Comics reprints

Cochran's reprints (which have been released through a number of publishers, including Cochran himself) were compiled primarily from copies of the original artwork pages (complemented when necessary by scans of the original printed comics), which were owned by EC Publisher

William Gaines William Maxwell Gaines (; March 1, 1922 – June 3, 1992), was an American publisher and co-editor of EC Comics. Following a shift in EC's direction in 1950, Gaines presided over what became an artistically influential and historically import ...

. Cochran befriended Gaines and also handled the resale of the original artwork to collectors via mail-auction catalogs during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s.

''EC Portfolios''

The ''EC Portfolios'' consisted of a half dozen oversized issues between 1971 and 1977, published by Russ Cochran.

''The Complete EC Library''

From 1978 to 1996, this project reprinted almost every EC comic in 66 hardbound volumes contained in 17 slipcases. Unlike the original comics, these were done in black and white, except for '' Mad'', which had both a black-and-white edition and a color edition. The complete issue was reprinted, including house ads, letters pages, text stories, and editorial content. Covers for each issue were printed in full color on glossy paper. These volumes included annotations and commentary by various comics historians, including John Benson,

Max Allan Collins Max Allan Collins (born March 3, 1948) is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic novels. His work has been published in several formats and his ''Road to Perdition'' series was the basis for a film of the same name. He wrote the '' Di ...

, Martin Jukovsky, Bill Mason,

Bill Spicer Bill Spicer (born October 1, 1937) is an editor and publisher who spearheaded the 1960s movement away from commercial comics, opening the gateway to underground, alternative, and independent comics, notably with his publication '' Graphic Story Mag ...

and

Bhob Stewart Robert Marion Stewart, known as Bhob Stewart (November 12, 1937 – February 24, 2014) was an American writer, editor, cartoonist, filmmaker, and active fan who contributed to a variety of publications over a span of five decades. His articles a ...

. ''The Complete EC Library'' eventually reprinted every New Trend comic, except for the 12 redrawn stories, often by different artists than originally drew the first versions, done for the three Three Dimensional E.C. Classics issues; the third was never published but 2D b&w versions of those last four redrawn stories did finally see print in the late '60s – early '70s in the fanzines

Witzend ''witzend'', published on an irregular schedule spanning decades, is an underground comic showcasing contributions by comic book professionals, leading illustrators and new artists. ''witzend'' was launched in 1966 by the writer-artist Wallace Wo ...

#6 and

Squa Tront The English word ''squaw'' is an ethnic and sexual slur, historically used for Indigenous North American women. Contemporary use of the term, especially by non-Natives, is considered derogatory, misogynist, and racist.King, C. Richard,De/Sc ...

#s 4 and 5 – up to 2012 that set of fanzines was the only way to acquire any of the works done for this unpublished issue.

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

' 2013 EC Library tome ''50 Girls 50 and Other Stories Illustrated by Al WIlliamson'' contains his version of "The Planetoid" story intended for that third issue. The other story reduxs have only been printed in 3-D No. 1 (Three Dimensional EC Classics) and 3-D No. 2 (Three Dimensional Tales From The Crypt Of Terror), both published in 1954 . Later volumes of ''The Complete EC Library'' also published all the New Direction comics and Picto-Fiction magazines, and many of the Pre-Trend comics. Volumes in ''The Complete EC Library'' did not include EAN/UPC or ISBN information. Pre-Trend: * ''War Against Crime (No. 1-11)/Crime Patrol (No. 7-16)'' (4 volumes, 1993) * ''Modern Love (No. 1-8)/A Moon, A Girl... Romance (No. 9-12)/Saddle Romances (No. 9-11)'' (2 volumes, 1995) * ''Saddle Justice (No. 3-8)/Gunfighter (No. 5-14)'' (3 volumes, 1996) New Trend: * ''The Complete

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

(No. 17-46)'' (5 volumes, 1979) * ''The Complete

Two-Fisted Tales ''Two-Fisted Tales'' is an anthology war comic published bi-monthly by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title originated in 1950 when Harvey Kurtzman suggested to William Gaines that they publish an adventure comic. Kurtzman became the editor of ...

(No. 18-41)'' (4 volumes, 1980) * ''The Complete Weird Science (No. 1-22)'' (4 volumes, 1978) * ''The Complete

Weird Fantasy ''Weird Fantasy'' is an American dark fantasy and science fiction anthology comic that was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. The companion comic for ''Weird Fantasy'' was '' Weird Science''. Over a four-year span, ''Weird Fantasy'' ra ...

(No. 1-22)'' (4 volumes, 1980) * ''The Complete

Shock SuspenStories ''Shock SuspenStories'' was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. The bi-monthly comic, published by Bill Gaines and edited by Al Feldstein, began with issue 1 in February/March 1952. Over a four-year span, it ran for 18 issues, ending wi ...

(No. 1-18)'' (3 volumes, 1981) * ''The Complete

Frontline Combat ''Frontline Combat'' is an anthology war comic book written and edited by Harvey Kurtzman and published bi-monthly by EC Comics. The first issue was cover dated July/August, 1951. It ran for 15 issues over three years, and ended with the Januar ...

(No. 1-15)'' (3 volumes, 1982) * ''The Complete The Vault of Horror (No. 12-40)'' (5 volumes, 1982) * ''The Complete

Weird Science-Fantasy ''Weird Science-Fantasy'' was an American science fiction-fantasy anthology comic, that was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. Over a 14-month span, the comic ran for seven issues, starting in March 1954 with issue #23 and ending with ...

(No. 23-29)/

Incredible Science Fiction ''Incredible Science Fiction'' was an American science fiction anthology comic published by EC Comics in 1955 and 1956, lasting a total of four issues. Creative team ''Incredible Science Fiction'' ran for four issues, boasting a number of skill ...

(No. 30-33)'' (2 volumes, 1982) * ''The Complete

Crime SuspenStories ''Crime SuspenStories'' was a bi-monthly anthology crime comic published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title first arrived on newsstands with its October/November 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, produc ...

(No. 1-27)'' (5 volumes, 1983) * ''The Complete

Panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reactio ...

(No. 1-12)'' (2 volumes, 1984) * ''The Complete

The Haunt of Fear ''The Haunt of Fear'' was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics, starting in 1950. Along with '' Tales from the Crypt'' and '' The Vault of Horror'', it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. ''T ...

(No. 1-28)'' (5 volumes, 1985) * ''The Complete MAD (No. 1-23)'' (4 volumes, 1986) * ''The Complete MAD in Color (No. 1-23)'' (4 volumes, 1986) New Direction: * ''

Piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

(No. 1-7)/ Aces High (No. 1-5)/

Psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...

(No. 1-4)/

Extra! ''Extra!'' is a monthly magazine of media criticism published by the media watch group FAIR. First published in 1987, its first full-time editor was Martin A. Lee. Since 1990, it has been edited by Jim Naureckas. The magazine covers a wide vari ...

(No. 1-5)'' (4 volumes, 1988) * ''

Valor Valor, valour, or valorous may mean: * Courage, a similar meaning * Virtue ethics, roughly "courage in defense of a noble cause" Entertainment * Valor (band), a Christian gospel music group * Valor Kand, a member of the band Christian Death * ' ...

(No. 1-5)/

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

(No. 1-5)/

Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Impac ...

(No. 1-5)'' (3 volumes, 1988) In 2006, Cochran/Gemstone supplemented the 1980-90s ''The Complete EC Library'' with a nineteenth slipcase box (counting both versions of the Mad box) of 4 volumes, ''The Complete Picto-Fiction'' collection, comprising all the issues of the post-'New Direction' titles, including material prepared for never-published issues: ''

Confessions Illustrated ''Confessions Illustrated'' was a black-and-white magazine published by EC Comics in early 1956. Part of EC's Picto-Fiction line, each magazine featured three to five stories. The format alternated blocks of text with several illustrations per pag ...

'', '' Crime Illustrated'', '' Shock Illustrated'' and ''

Terror Illustrated ''Terror Illustrated'' was a black-and-white magazine published by EC Comics in late 1955 and early 1956. Part of EC's Picto-Fiction line, each magazine featured three to five stories. The format alternated blocks of text with several illustrati ...

'', including "18 previously unseen stories, never published before".

''EC Classics''

This group of magazine-sized reprints from Cochran appeared between 1985 and 1989. The first six issues featured various stories for each specific comic. Starting with issue 7, each reprint featured two specific issues. A total of 12 issues were released. These comics have no text at the top of the cover aside from the title, and have a cover price of $4.95 within a white circle at the upper right of the cover.

Gladstone Publishing EC reprints

From 1990–1991, Cochran worked with

to reprint issues from seven different titles in a total of eighteen 64-page issues. Each 64-page issue reprinted a single issue of two different titles, with the one of those titles being shown on the cover. Thus, the following were published: * Six issues of ''

'', paired with Crime SuspenStories (July 1990 – May 1991) * Six issues of '' The Vault of Horror'', paired with ''

'' in #1–4 and ''

'' in #5–6 (August 1990 – June 1991) * Four issues of '' Weird Science'', paired with Weird Fantasy in #1–3 and containing Weird Fantasy and Weird Science-Fantasy (not Weird Science) in #4 (September 1990 – March 1991) * Two issues of ''

'', paired with Weird Science-Fantasy (May/July 1991) The covers have text such as "Double-Sized" or "Giant Horror" at the top, above the comic title, and a stylized triangular "G" logo at the upper right side, where a second EC logo appears on the other '90s reprints. Because of the mixing of titles, the Gladstone Reprints are not recommended for those trying to collect every issue from one "New Trend" line.

''RCP Reprints'' (Russ Cochran)

The ''RCP Reprints'' appeared from 1991–1992 and also reprinted various issues from the horror, sci-fi and crime comics, containing two original issues per reprint. In many cases, these issues were from different "New Trend" lines and thus the RCP Reprints are not recommended for those trying to collect every issue from one "New Trend" line. Distinguishing marks are the text "64 pages of vintage EC horror" at the top of the cover, and a cover price of $2.00 under the EC logo. There is also a series with vertical text "An Extra Large Comic" at the left side of the cover, and a $3.95 cover price. Starting in 1992, the comics were reprinted in original chronological order in a 32-page form. Shortly thereafter the publisher changed to Gemstone (see next section) and this line eventually reprinted every ''New Trend'' and ''New Direction'' comic except for '' Mad'', and 'Pre-Trend' titles ''Crime Patrol'' (which became ''The Crypt of Terror'' and then ''Tales from the Crypt''), and ''War Against Crime'' (which became ''The Vault of Horror'') as well.

Gemstone Publishing EC reprints

Cochran and the EC reprints moved to

, which naturally reprinted the Gladstone-printed issues as part of their EC reprints. From 1992, Gemstone also republished ''New Trend'' and ''New Direction'' titles in single issues for the first time ever. In association with Gemstone, Cochran has published the ''EC Annuals'' and ''EC Archives'' described below. The Gemstone reprints have a cover price of $1.50 under the EC logo at the right side, and text such as "First Fearsome Issue" or "First SuspensFul Issue" at the top above the comic title. Gemstone reprints: *''

'', ''

'' and ''

'' (1992) *''

'' (1994) *''

'' (1995) *''

'' (1997) *''

'' and ''

'' (1998) *'' Aces High'', ''

'', ''

'' and ''

'' (1999) *''Crime Patrol'' and ''

'' in 2000.

''EC Annuals''

The Cochran/Gemstone EC Annuals are sixty-three omnibuses of the RCP/Gemstone EC reprints (see above), usually with four to five, occasionally three or six, issues, complete with individual covers, bound in each Annual with a new cover wrap around the whole. Titles in the series were ''Tales from the Crypt'', ''The Vault of Horror'', ''The Haunt of Fear'', ''Shock SuspenStories'', ''Crime SuspenStories'', ''Crime Patrol'', ''War Against Crime'', ''Weird Science'', ''Weird Fantasy'', ''Weird Science-Fantasy'', ''Two-Fisted Tales'', ''Frontline Combat'', ''Panic'', ''Piracy'', ''Impact'', ''Valor'', ''Aces High'', ''Extra!'', ''Psychoanalysis'' and ''MD''.

''EC Archives''

The Cochran/Gemstone 2006 project ''EC Archives'' is a series of full-color hardcover books, each containing six issues of the comic. The series continues under the

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

imprint since 2013.

''The Sunday Funnies''

In 2011, Cochran launched a new monthly publication, ''

The Sunday Funnies ''The Sunday Funnies'' is a publication reprinting vintage Sunday comic strips at a large size (16"x22") in color. The format is similar to that traditionally used by newspapers to publish color comics, yet instead of newsprint, it is printed on ...

'', reprinting vintage Sunday comic strips in a 22"x16", full-color newspaper-insert-style format.

''Death''

Russ Cochran died on February 23, 2020 at the age of 82. No cause of death was made public by the family.

References

External links

Russ Cochran websiteGemstone Publishing re EC Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cochran, Russ 1937 births 2020 deaths American publishers (people) Comic book publishers (people) EC Comics Inkpot Award winners

EC Comics reprints

''EC Portfolios''

''The Complete EC Library''

''EC Classics''

Gladstone Publishing EC reprints

''RCP Reprints'' (Russ Cochran)

Gemstone Publishing EC reprints

''EC Annuals''

''EC Archives''

''The Sunday Funnies''

''Death''

See also

References

External links