Oni Press and William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. have shared a first look at the strange and sordid secret origin of the horror host known as The Tormentor, set to be revealed in an all-new story by acclaimed writer/artist Dustin Weaver (Avengers, Infinity) in EC Comics’ Catacomb of Torment #11. The book is set to hit comic book stores on May 20, 2026.
EC’s very own Mistress of Malice, the Tormentor, finally takes center stage to reveal her hopes (“to see your bone marrow!”), dreams (“slathering you in scalding oil!”), and aspirations (“finding excruciating new ways of using the ball peen hammer!”) in this VERY SPECIAL and EXTRA BLOODY tale of who she is and how she came to be! The issue “marks” the first time that EC Comics and Oni Press have divulged the bloody backstory of one of the three new EC horror hosts – The Grave-Digger, The Tormentor, and The Grim Inquisitor – with a tale both written and drawn by modern EC Comics master Dustin Weaver, who designed and co-created EC’s all-new masters of menace. The revelation of the Tormentor’s untold origin continues a frightening EC Comics tradition; the Crypt-Keeper’s origin was revealed in EC publisher and co-editor Bill Gaines, Al Feldstein (Vault of Horror) and Jack Davis’s (Two-Fisted Tales) “Lower Berth” in Tales from the Crypt #33, and the Old Witch’s origin was revealed in “A Little Stranger” in The Haunt of Fear #14, written by Al Feldstein with art by Graham Ingels (Crime SuspenStories).
“I took inspiration from the resurrection of EC Comics we have right now,” says cartoonist Dustin Weaver. “You can’t kill the human desire to tell and enjoy horror stories. The Tormentor, as a horror host, revels in this hallmark of humanity. In the end, it’s a storyteller, and will always be a storyteller, who’ll have the last laugh.”
In addition to this “all-scar” celebration of Her Royal Majesty of Pain, EC Comics Catacomb of Torment #11 features more new tortuous tales from the depths of the Tormentor’s catacomb including “Type M for Murder,” written by Matt Bors(Toxic Avenger) and drawn by Fabiana Mascolo (Catwoman), and “Every Cut a Lie,” from writer Liam Johnson (Armitage) and artist Arjuna Susini (Lamentation).
Don’t miss our most devilish ish yet—or The Tormentor will leave you for last! Catch the bizarre birth of the Catacomb’s very own hostess of horror in Catacomb of Torment #11, on sale May 20th and featuring cadaverous covers from Dustin Weaver, Jorge Fornés (Batman), Shawn McManus (Fables), and Patricia Martín (Murder Drones)!
