Impact (EC Comics)

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title: "Impact (EC Comics)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["comics-magazines-published-in-the-united-states", "ec-comics-publications", "1955-comics-debuts", "1955-comics-endings", "comics-by-carl-wessler", "magazines-established-in-1955", "magazines-disestablished-in-1955", "drama-comics", "horror-comics", "defunct-magazines-published-in-the-united-states", "1955-establishments-in-new-york-(state)"] description: "Comic book series from EC Comics" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_(EC_Comics)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Comic book series from EC Comics ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox comic book title| "]

Field	Value
title	Impact
image	Ecimpact.jpg
caption	Jack Davis cover, issue #1
schedule	Bimonthly
format	Anthology
publisher	EC Comics
date	March/April 1955 – November/December 1955
issues	5
creators	William Gaines
Al Feldstein
::

|title=Impact |image= Ecimpact.jpg |caption=Jack Davis cover, issue #1 |schedule=Bimonthly |format=Anthology |publisher=EC Comics |date=March/April 1955 – November/December 1955 |issues=5 |main_char_team= |writers= |artists= |pencillers= |inkers= |letterers= |colorists= |creative_team_month= |creative_team_year= |creators=William Gaines Al Feldstein

Impact was a short-lived comic book series published by EC Comics in 1955 as the first title in its New Direction line.

Overview

The bi-monthly comic, published by Bill Gaines and edited by Al Feldstein, began with an issue cover-dated March–April, 1955. It ran for five issues, ending with the November–December, 1955 issue. The sub-title "Tales Designed to Carry an..." ran above the title Impact. The book was dedicated to stories with shock endings, and was seen as a toned down, Comics Code era version of EC's earlier Shock SuspenStories. Front covers were by Jack Davis, and the stories were illustrated by Davis, George Evans, Jack Kamen, Graham Ingels, Joe Orlando, Reed Crandall and Bernard Krigstein.

There are two versions of the cover to Impact #1. One logo is yellow and the other is white.

The first issue featured the short story "Master Race", co-plotted by Gaines & Feldstein and illustrated by Krigstein. "Master Race" is one of the first comic book stories about The Holocaust, and has been described as the Citizen Kane of comic books.

Impact was reprinted as part of publisher Russ Cochran's Complete EC Library in 1988. Between April and August 1999, Cochran (in association with Gemstone Publishing) reprinted all five individual issues. This complete run was later rebound, with covers included, in a single softcover EC Annual. Dark Horse reprinted Impact as part of the EC Archives series in 2020.

Issue guide

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Masterrace.jpg" caption="Page four of "Master Race," illustrated by [[Bernard Krigstein]], which appeared in the first issue of ''Impact''."] ::

::data[format=table]

#	Date	Story	Story artist
1	March/April 1955	Tough Cop	Reed Crandall
The Diamond Pendant	Graham Ingels
The Dress	George Evans
Master Race	Bernard Krigstein
2	May/June 1955	Mother Knows Best	Reed Crandall
Divorce	Jack Davis
The Suit	Graham Ingels
Paid in Full	Joe Orlando
3	July/Aug 1955	Life Sentence	Reed Crandall
The Debt	Jack Davis
Totally Blind	Jack Kamen
The Good Fairy	Graham Ingels
4	Sept/Oct 1955	The Lonely One	Jack Davis
Fall in Winter	Graham Ingels
The Bitter End	Reed Crandall
Country Doctor	George Evans
5	Nov/Dec 1955	Heart Interest	George Evans
The Travelers	Joe Orlando
The General	Graham Ingels
So Much More	Bernard Krigstein
::

References

References

1. (2013). "American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s". TwoMorrows Publishing.
2. [https://www.comics.org/issue/11994/ "Impact #1"]. ''[[Grand Comics Database]]''.
3. [[Paul Gravett]] – [http://www.paulgravett.com/articles/article/bernie_krigstein "Bernie Krigstein: The Right To Silence"]: "Krigstein saw such scope in this unprecedented tale addressing the Holocaust"
4. [https://downthetubes.net/?p=101849 "As relevant today as it was in 1955: why the EC story “Master Race” still resonates"]. downthetubes.net.
5. (April 1, 2020). "''The EC Archives: Impact''". [[Dark Horse Comics]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::