From the mid-1960s all the way through the earliest days of the 1980s, Warren Publications provided a bit of an alternative to the mainstream comic book marketplace dominated by Marvel and DC (as well as Archie and Harvey and Gold Key, etc.) Warren's particular forte was in doing horror magazines, very much influenced, at least … Continue reading Forgotten Masterpiece: EERIE #32
There was no greater success story in the world of comic books in the 1950s as MAD Magazine. Even in the world of magazine publishing, the only thing that perhaps bettered it was the rise of PLAYBOY. When Harvey Kurtzman and Bill Gaines switched the dying EC line's breakout hit from a comic book to … Continue reading Forgotten Masterpiece: LUNATICKLE #2
Because he was such a popular and influential comic book creator, most everything that Alan Moore wrote for mainstream publishers has been reprinted and in virtually continuous print since he first started writing in the very late 1970s. But occasionally, there's a little bit of something that's been overlooked--partly because it appeared in an oddball … Continue reading Forgotten Masterpiece: THE DAREDEVILS #8
We've spoken before about how Wally Wood, the master illustrator and cartoonist, was wooed by new start-up company Tower to create a series for them. What Wood and his collaborators came up with was THUNDER Agents, a fun hybrid of spies and super heroes that is fondly remembered by those who read them, even though … Continue reading Brand Echh – T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #9
wonderful-strange: fantasy-ink: Frontline Combat #7, July-Aug. 1952. Cover art by Harvey Kurtzman. Source: wonderful-strange
A powerful Harvey Kurtzman TWO-FISTED TALES cover, in which Kurtzman employs his expressive and bold rendering style to its utmost. The haunting eyes of this snowbound marine are the perfect focal point, and seem to follow your gaze.
It’s the final comic book format issue of MAD before its transition into one of the most popular magazines of the 20th Century, and artist and editor Harvey Kurtzman eschews any visuals in order to get MAD’s particular philosophy across.
So simple, but it tells you everything you need to know about the magazine. MAD cover by Harvey Kurtzman and Leonardo Da Vinci
War comics often tended to have the best covers, but even among that field, this cover to FRONTLINE COMBAT #7 by Harvey Kurtzman is a stand-out. Far from the stark realism that most war covers strive for, Kurtzman’s trademark impressionistic style rather conveys the emotional weight of the moment. He’s drawing not so much what … Continue reading Great Covers – FRONTLINE COMBAT #7
