Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as
EC Comics, was an
American publisher of
comic books, which specialized in
horror fiction,
crime fiction,
satire,
military fiction and
science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the
Tales from the Crypt series. In 1954–55, censorship pressures prompted it to concentrate on the humor magazine
Mad, leading to the company's greatest and most enduring success. Initially, EC was privately owned by
Maxwell Gaines and specialized in educational and child-oriented stories. Later, during its period of notoriety, it was owned by his son,
William Gaines.