Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard draws his first story for the iconic EC Comics horror anthology Epitaphs from the Abyss

Art from Epitaphs From The Abyss #3 — (Image credit: Oni Press)

Oni Press's revival of the famous EC Comics horror brand is a couple of months deep now, with two terrifying anthologies – Epitaphs from the Abyss and Cruel Universe – both delving into the darker side of genre fiction with stories "told with wanton disregard for moral standards or public decency" according to Oni's press release. That's what we like to hear!

September's Epitaphs from the Abyss #3 features three tales from a starry cast of creators. We have an exclusive preview of the issue below, specifically of a new story titled 'A Crossroads Repetition' from The Enfield Gang Massacre writer Chris Condon and The Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard, whose iconic style perfectly illustrates this haunting story that explores the myth of bluesman Robert Johnson meeting the devil at a crossroads. Check it out in the gallery below...

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Pages from 'A Crossroads Repetition' in Epitaphs from the Abyss #3. — (Image credit: Oni Press)

"One of the greatest twist-of-fate stories in American culture comes not from an EC Comic but from the Delta Blues," said Chris Condon, speaking exclusively to Newsarama about the new story. "Why did bluesman Robert Johnson die at 27; the first to enter the entertainment industry's most exclusive club? Was it due to a fateful meeting at the crossroads with a particularly devilish individual with an offer too good to refuse? Well, comics genius Charlie Adlard and I took a long look at this classic idea, spun it into an EC story, and thanks to Charlie's deft handling of the material, came out with something almost lyrical in its execution – a descriptor you don't often hear attributed to EC stories. But make no mistake – our story, 'A Crossroads Repetition', still packs that patented EC punch-in-the-gut that we know, love, and look forward to in every issue of Epitaphs from the Abyss and Cruel Universe."

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The issue's menacing main cover comes from artist Lee Bermejo, with variants from Jay Stephens and Tom Fowler.

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Covers for Epitaphs from the Abyss #3. — (Image credit: Oni Press)

Condon and Adlard aren't the only creators in the issue, of course, which also features two other stories. One is by Hugo Award nominee Corinna Bechko and the Eisner Award-winning artist Jonathan Case, the other by the demonic duo of Jay Stephens and Leomacs.

Epitaphs from the Abyss #3 is published by Oni Press on September 18.

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Will Salmon is the former Streaming Editor for GamesRadar+. He has been writing about film, TV, comics, and music for more than 15 years, which is quite a long time if you stop and think about it. At Future he launched the scary movie magazine Horrorville, relaunched Comic Heroes, and has written for every issue of SFX magazine for well over a decade. His music writing has appeared in The Quietus, MOJO, Electronic Sound, Clash, and loads of other places too.