Editing EC Comics (section)

=== 1960–1989: Acquisition from Kinney National Company, focus towards ''MAD'' and other licensing ===
{{See also|Harvey Kurtzman's editorship of Mad}}
''Mad'' sold well throughout the company's troubles, and Gaines focused exclusively on publishing it in magazine form. This move was to reconcile its editor [[Harvey Kurtzman]], who had received an offer to join the magazine ''[[Pageant (magazine)|Pageant]]'',{{sfn|Diehl|1996|p=147}} but preferred to remain in charge of his magazine. The switch also removed ''Mad'' from the auspices of the [[Comics Code]]. Kurtzman, regardless, left ''Mad'' soon afterward when Gaines would not give him 51 percent control of the magazine, and Gaines brought back [[Al Feldstein]] as Kurtzman's successor. The magazine enjoyed great success for decades afterward.{{sfn|Diehl|1996|p=150}}

Gaines sold the company in the 1960s as E.C. Publications, Inc., and was eventually absorbed into the same corporation that later purchased [[National Periodical Publications]] (later known as [[DC Comics]]). 

During the 1960s, Gaines granted Bob Barrett, Roger Hill, and Jerry Norton Weist (1949–2011), the co-founder of [[Million year picnic (comic book store) | Million Year Picnic]], permission to produce a [[Entertaining Comics|EC Comics]] fanzine "Squa Tront" (1967 - 1983) that would last for several years.<ref name=obit>Jerry Weist (1949-2011). Obituary. January 13, 2011. https://locusmag.com/2011/01/jerry-weist-1949-2011/</ref><ref name=obit_hill>Hill, Roger. In Memoriam: Jerry Weist. 2011. https://scoop.previewsworld.com/Home/4/1/73/1012?articleID=104708</ref> In June 1967, [[Kinney National Company]] (it formed on August 12, 1966, after Kinney Parking/National Cleaning merge) bought National Periodical and E.C., then it purchased [[Warner Bros.-Seven Arts]] in early 1969. Due to a financial scandal involving price fixing in its parking operations, Kinney Services spun off its non-entertainment assets as [[National Kinney Corporation]] in September 1971, and it changed names to [[Warner Communications]] on February 10, 1972.{{sfn|Bruck|2013}}

The ''Tales from the Crypt'' title was licensed for a [[Tales from the Crypt (film)|movie of that name]] in 1972. This was followed by another film, ''[[The Vault of Horror (film)|The Vault of Horror]]'', in 1973. The omnibus movies ''[[Creepshow]]'' (1982) and ''[[Creepshow 2]]'', while using original scripts written by [[Stephen King]] and [[George A. Romero]], were inspired by EC's horror comics.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} ''Creepshow 2'' included animated interstitial material between vignettes, featuring a young protagonist who goes to great length to acquire and keep possession of an issue of the comic book ''Creepshow''.{{fact|date=July 2022}}

In 1989, ''[[Tales from the Crypt (TV series)|Tales from the Crypt]]'' began airing on the U.S. [[cable TV|cable-TV network]] [[HBO]]. The series ran through 1996, comprising 93 episodes and seven seasons. ''Tales from the Crypt'' spawned two [[children's television series]] on [[Terrestrial television|broadcast TV]], ''[[Tales from the Cryptkeeper]]'' and ''[[Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House]]''. It also spawned three "Tales from the Crypt"-branded movies, ''[[Demon Knight]]'', ''[[Bordello of Blood]]'', and ''[[Ritual (2002 film)|Ritual]]''. In 1997, HBO followed the TV series with the similar ''[[Perversions of Science]]'' (comprising 10 episodes), the episodes of which were based on stories from EC's ''[[Weird Science (comics)|Weird Science]]''.{{fact|date=July 2022}}