Transatlantic Terror! French Horror Theater and American Pre-Code Comics

In the case of the Théâtre du Grand-Guignol, however, and the pre-code EC comics, there aren't merely a number of formal and thematic parallels to be drawn but several points where the Grand-Guignol can be seen to have had a direct influence on EC's titles. This influence can be detected in EC's direct reference to the Grand-Guignol's legendary status as the "The Theatre of Horror," but there are also instances where EC makes use of Grand-Guignol archetypes or "borrows" storylines from the French repertoire. Here, Hand and Wilson investigate the hitherto neglected link between two specific examples of French theater and American comics both of which came to share a monumental significance--and notoriety--in their respective fields of popular horror culture. They also give an overview of their respective legends before looking at the parallels between their formal structures, theme and content.