How do you translate to text the sound of someone being scared to death? It’s not an easy task, but vintage comic book writers did a bang-up job delivering a wonderfully diverse set of screams and howls of horror with every issue. Let’s have a look at some great examples….
(1) EEEYAAAA!
The first is the variation of EEEYAAAAA! A combination of repeating E’s, ending with repeating A’s, with some other consonants stuck here and there.
EEEEYAAAARRRRRRGH!
EEEEYAAARRGH!/ EEE-AH-H-H-H-H-H!
EEEYAHHH!/ EEEYYYAAAHHH!!
For similarly creative sounds, see Sound Effects In Archie Comic Books
EEEYYAAAAAA!/ EEE-YAAAHH!
(2) EEEEE! and EEEEK!
A variation on the EEEYAAHH!! This is just a long series of E’s, sometimes with a “K” added at the end (especially if it’s a female screaming).
(3) AIEEE!
Believe it or not, this may be the most commonly used of them all. Stroll through old horror and sci-fi comics, and you’ll lose count of the number of AIEEE’s you’ll find.
(4) Other Screams of Terror
Of course, not all screams of terror could be classified as EEEYYAA, EEEEK or AIEEE. Comic book writers delivered an endless variety of insane howls and shrieks. I’ll leave you with a few examples…
ARRRROOOOEEE! / AIIEEEOOO, YAAAAGH!, AH-H-H-H!
For monster sounds see HRROOGA! And Other Vintage Comic Book Monster Sounds
AARRROOO, YIIIII!
YAAAAAH!
YAAGH!/ NNGGAAHHH
Whew! That last one was nearly a really bad word. Let’s quit while we’re ahead. Until next time – AARRRGGHEEAAHH!!!
Would you like to support Flashbak?
Please consider making a donation to our site. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop.
