FEAR IN FOUR COLORS: LOVECRAFT IN THE COMICS (PART 2)

In issue #17 of E.C's VAULT OF HORROR (February/March 1951), introduced by The Old Witch, written by Gaines and Feldstein, and drawn once again by Graham Ingels, appeared the story “Baby…It’s Cold Inside”. The title, an obvious play on the 1940s pop standard, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” written by Frank Loesser, and like “Fitting Punishment”, is a close adaptation in everything but the title and the character names, to Lovecraft’s “Cool Air”. Since there is no outright use of Lovecraft’s name and title on these stories, it is apparent that Gaines and Feldstein used these plots after plundering the vast sea of horror and supernatural stories available at the time, finding at least some of Lovecraft’s tales suitable material for their comics. It is also possible that they consciously skirted the question of copyright by adapting these stories without the use of title or character names.