SDCC 2026: EC Comics and Oni Press Unleash Artists From the Abyss
EC Comics and Oni Press are digging deep into the graveyard of horror comics history with a new series of blood-soaked artist spotlight specials.
Ahead of Comic-Con International 2026 in San Diego, Oni Press and William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. have announced Artists From the Abyss, a new line of ad-free EC Comics one-shots celebrating some of the most striking artists working in the modern EC tradition.
The first installment arrives this November with Artists From the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1, spotlighting the Eisner Award-winning artist best known for The Walking Dead and Of The Earth. The release will collect some of Adlard’s most punishing EC Comics work while also featuring a brand-new story reuniting him with acclaimed writer Chris Condon.
For fans of horror comics, classic EC storytelling, and modern artists pushing the genre into darker territory, this is one of Oni Press’ most interesting SDCC 2026 announcements.
Artists From the Abyss Begins With Charlie Adlard
Artists From the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1 puts Adlard’s horror work front and center.
The special is described as a 32-page celebration of uninvited resurrections, cursed souls, vicious payoffs, and brutal EC-style shock endings. That makes Adlard the perfect first subject. His work has always carried a strong sense of dread, body language, and emotional collapse, especially in stories where the horror comes from both the monster and the person standing next to it.
The first issue will include previously published EC Comics material illustrated by Adlard, along with a brand-new tale written by Chris Condon, with Tim Seeley also credited among the issue’s writers. Readers can follow more Oni Press coverage through the Comic Book Addicts Oni Press section.
A New EC Artist Spotlight Line
Each Artists From the Abyss special will spotlight a different artist from EC’s new era at Oni Press.
The format is built around two ideas: recollecting the artist’s strongest contributions to the modern EC Comics canon and pairing that work with a new original EC-style shocker. That is a smart structure. It gives readers a curated art showcase while still making each issue feel like a fresh release rather than a simple reprint package.
The first wave includes:
Artists From the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1
Writers: Chris Condon with Tim Seeley
Artist: Charlie Adlard
Cover A: Charlie Adlard
On Sale: November 11, 2026
Artists From the Abyss: David Lapham #1
Art and Cover: David Lapham
Writers: David Lapham, Maria Lapham, J. Holtham, Matt Kindt, Joe R. Lansdale
On Sale: December 2026
Artists From the Abyss: Sami Kivelä #1
Art and Cover: Sami Kivelä
Writers: Greg Pak, Chris Condon, Ben H. Winters
On Sale: January 2027
Artists From the Abyss: Leomacs #1
Art and Cover: Leomacs
Writers: Ben H. Winters, Matt Kindt, Corinna Bechko, J. Holtham
On Sale: February 2028
The lineup is loaded with creators who understand horror from different angles. Adlard brings grit and dread. Lapham brings crime, tension, and psychological unease. Kivelä brings sharp modern genre storytelling. Leomacs brings cinematic atmosphere and grotesque visual energy.
Why This EC Comics Announcement Matters
EC Comics has always been about impact.
The best EC stories do not simply end. They snap shut. They punish greed, cruelty, betrayal, cowardice, and hypocrisy with a final-page twist that feels both brutal and inevitable. That tradition depends heavily on artists who can make every shadow, expression, and corpse feel like part of the punchline.
That is why Artists From the Abyss makes sense as a concept. It recognizes that EC is not only a writer-driven brand. It is an artist-driven horror machine.
The announcement also continues Oni Press’ aggressive expansion of the revived EC Comics line. As covered by outlets like Comic Book Club and AIPT, this new series builds on the momentum of EC’s modern resurrection while giving individual artists the spotlight treatment.
Charlie Adlard Is the Perfect First Victim
Starting with Charlie Adlard is a strong choice.
Adlard’s linework has a controlled brutality to it. He knows how to make violence feel sudden without making the page feel chaotic. He also understands quiet horror. His faces carry fatigue, regret, fear, and suspicion. That matters in EC stories, where a character’s downfall often begins long before the supernatural punishment arrives.
The sample pages for Death and Pickaxes show exactly why Adlard fits this format. The story uses fairy-tale framing, grief, resentment, and revenge to build toward a cruel EC-style moral reckoning. The art shifts between enchanted stillness, grim labor, and blunt violence without losing clarity.
That blend of old-world fable and graveyard justice feels right at home under the EC banner.
SDCC 2026 Panel Details
Oni Press will reveal more about its upcoming slate during San Diego Comic-Con 2026.
The publisher will host “Oni Press: The Loudest Thing in Color” on Thursday, July 24 at 11 AM PT in Room 28DE. The panel will feature updates on Oni’s 2026 and beyond publishing plans, including its growing EC Comics lineup.
Expected guests and featured creators include Tyler Crook, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Tradd Moore, Curt Pires, Juan Gedeon, Christian Ward, Oni Press President and Publisher Hunter Gorinson, Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn, and more.
For EC fans, this panel sounds like one to watch.
Release Details
Title: Artists From the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1
Publisher: Oni Press / EC Comics
Writers: Chris Condon with Tim Seeley
Artist: Charlie Adlard
Cover A: Charlie Adlard
Format: One-shot special
On Sale: November 11, 2026
Announcement: SDCC 2026 / Oni Press
Genre: Horror, anthology, EC Comics, shock suspense
Final Thoughts
Artists From the Abyss is a strong concept for EC Comics’ modern era.
Instead of treating artists as background contributors, Oni Press is putting them exactly where they belong: at the center of the horror. The first issue, spotlighting Charlie Adlard, feels like a natural launch point for a series built around blood, irony, dread, and visual storytelling.
For longtime EC readers, this looks like a celebration of the format’s best instincts. For new readers, it offers a clean entry point into the revived EC line through some of the strongest artists working in horror comics today.
Ad-free, artist-focused, and packed with fresh terror, Artists From the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1 should be on every horror comic fan’s radar this November.
Discussion
Are you picking up Artists From the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1 when it arrives this November? Which EC artist spotlight are you most excited for: Charlie Adlard, David Lapham, Sami Kivelä, or Leomacs?
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