Interesting that you compare Joe Orlando to the Filipino artists. Orlando was the one who hired Tony DeZuniga to work at DC. In 1971, Orlando and Carmine Infantino traveled to the Philippines on a recruiting trip for more artists: Alfredo Alcala, Steve Gan, Ernie Chan, Alex Niño, and Nestor Redondo.
So fun. I've just been getting into getting the FB Artist Editions--cool hardcovers. I've been into comics for over 40 years but never really felt I've fully explored EC. In some ways, I almost feel these guys are taken for granted. Reading these now, where the art has held up so well, and is in fact, timeless, I can't help but wish there was far less text filling the panels. Obviously, that was the norm back then, but everything you need to know concerning the stories is there in the visuals. Beautiful work.
I see Charles Burns around Philly a lot. We’ve become real friendly over the years. I pointed out recently the similarities in some of his and Johnny Craig. He said Craig is undoubtedly one of his influences.
To an EC art junkie these Artist Editions glow like the temptations of Satan. My methadone has been having the Cochran slipcases over the years, but when I see those scans of Kurtzman covers I get the shakes like I'm Speedy. Could we get a Two-Fisted Tales review, please?
I’ve been picking up a lot of EC reprints lately and my comic shop had one of the artists editions ,there huge,beautiful and absolutely labor intensive! Worth the money to study these creative artists! I had the extreme pleasure to meet Johnny Craig & George Evans at Ithaca back in the 90’s,very smart gentleman who were modest/knowledgeable! Coincidence time when Ed said Aces High,I was looking at Aces High cover! Your enthusiasm for this material is excellent and hopefully get more eyes on EC stuff! Please do a show on Hal Foster/Prince Valiant! Thanks again! Keep reading and making comix!
EC comics is so great and I love this video. The art is so clean and it's interesting how these were banned back in their day. I love the value of the inking, the whole page feels like one piece
I worked in a comic shop for a while a few months ago. They had a few copies of Red Room and it piqued my interest. Holy shit. I ended up Googling Ed and came across this channel. I'm so glad for that happy coincidence.
that first Kurtzman drawing of the tank totally makes me think Victor Moscoso, never noticed the similarity in brushwork until now. I loved EC as a kid (still do) but this is the first time I've seen George Evans' work. Beautiful stuff. I wonder if he was an influence on David Lloyd?
Because I think highly of this channel, I'm going to offer up my opinion about one facet of "Master Race." That being, I think the basic plot of "Master Race" -- fugitive discovered on the subway by an alert fellow passenger -- was inspired by the real-life case of Arnold Schuster, whose murder made headlines nationwide in March 1952, a couple of years before Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein developed the story for "Master Race." Here goes... Schuster, age 24, was an employee in a Brooklyn menswear shop in early 1952. There was a wanted poster hanging in the shop, concerning bank robber and prison escapee Wille Sutton -- whose taste in clothing ran to tailored suits. Schuster paid attention to the poster, and tried to commit Sutton's face to memory. On February 18, Schuster was riding on a New York City subway line and saw a man in the car who looked just like Willie Sutton. When the man exited the subway, Schuster followed him, found a police officer and pointed out the man. Shortly afterward, police arrested Sutton, and the officers involved were feted as heroes. Schuster, seeing this development, reacted by notifying newspaper reporters about his own role in the capture. For a few days, Schuster was interviewed, congratulated and rewarded. On March 8, he was shot to death outside the apartment building where he lived. The bullet placement was typical of La Cosa Nostra hits on "rats" who'd aided law enforcement agencies. The assassin was never formally identified or prosecuted, but figures associated with New York organized crime indicated that the killing was ordered by mob boss Albert Anastasia. Though Willie Sutton was not connected with La Cosa Nostra and Schuster was a civilian, Anastasia supposedly watched television reports about Schuster and was so incensed that Anastasia ordered him killed because Anastasia "hated rats," or words to that effect. If you look at the first panel of Page 3 of "Master Race" there's a well-dressed, mustachioed man in the foreground, with his eyes closed and arms crossed. I believe that's meant to be Willie Sutton. You can see the panel at 36:30 in this video. I think Krigstein knew about the Schuster case. I think he included the Sutton figure to acknowledge Sutton's role in the historical background to the story. Krigstein also used at least two historical photos as references for panels in "Master Race" (one of a massive Hitler rally on Page 3, one of prisoners behind barbed wire on Page 4), so we know that he wanted to pull in authentic historical elements. I believe that Krigstein included images in other panels meant to represent two other historical figures, and make unspoken references to their roles in efforts to address the Holocaust. I invite anyone reading this comment to look into the Arnold Schuster murder, and Willie's Sutton's arrest photos, and see if you agree with me.
This is fascinating. I wish there was a way, at this late date, to confirm this. In any event, a really interesting piece of history. Thanks for posting it.
@@buckocean7616 Thanks. Yes, I sure would like to find some piece of evidence to confirm my suspicions. I have looked through any interview material with Krigstein, Feldstein and Gaines that I can find, hoping that some reference to the Schuster murder would come up. Haven't found it yet.
I just found you a couple of days ago while searching for info about tanino liberatore. I’m as excited as if I discovered an awesome comic book shop in my neighborhood
Food for Thought was the last time that those guys would ever work for EC since it was closing down. They knew it and pulled out all the stops to do something amazing that wouldn't ever be forgotten. I would maintain that it was the greatest art that ever appeared in a comic book. Prove me wrong!
Artist editions are often too rich for my blood, but i always love looking thru EC shit. It's really interesting to catch similar compositions/poses as interpreted by different artists too. Like the Williamson/Frazetta scifi lady at the beginning, and the Davis scifi guy shooting the mastodon at 20 min....similar compositions for sure, but way different spins on essentially the same dramatic beat. Even the Johnny Craig hunter's scope, looking at that and feeling that similarity, but the texture and execution is vastly different. Great stuff. Also, did Bernie Krigstein ever do straight horror shit? Seems like a lot of his stuff would've translated real well to some real Nosferatu, Dr. Caligari style expressionist horror stuff
Krigstein did several EC stories that I'd call horror stories (as opposed to crime stories or suspense stories). Here's a quick rundown... "The Purge" from Vault of Horror issue 39 (cover-dated November 1954) -- The only horror-type story Krig did for EC that has a flat-out supernatural element to it. Basic plot: A woman undergoes painful treatments to make herself suitable to wed a handsome prince, who turns out to be a werewolf. It's less interesting than it sounds, and the finale comes across like something author Carl Wessler wrote in desperation, five minutes before the deadline. Art highlight: The entire story is rendered in a kind of storybook style with minimal shading and very little use of spot blacks. "The Bath" from Tales from the Crypt 42 (cover-dated June 1954) -- An old-fashioned EC revenge story, set in an unspecified South American nation, perhaps Brazil. Basic plot: The brutal owner of a silver mine gets a painful piranha-powered payback after he kills the brother and parents of his faithful valet. Art highlight: Some interesting effects with panel borders. "Numbskull" from Haunt of Fear issue 28 (cover-dated December 1954) -- Nobody seems to discuss this tale, which I consider one of the most stomach-turning in the entire EC canon. Basic plot: A sadistic hunter traps big-game animals so that he can torture them. Eventually, he falls into one of his own traps and, unable to escape, feeds a passing army ant column. Art highlight: Story is rendered in a straightforward, Caniff-like manner, emphasizing thick brush strokes. Finally, since you asked about Caligari-type stuff, the place for you to start would be "You, Murderer" from Shock SuspenStories 14 (cover-dated April 1954) -- Krigstein actually signed the splash page "Dr. Caligari Krigstein" and perhaps took inspiration from the film. Basic plot: This is a point-of-view story wherein the protagonist (the reader) is approached by a hypnotist, then placed in a trance and sent to murder someone. Art highlight: In this story, Krigstein plays around with the degree of realism used in various panels, with some of them pretty normal-looking and others wildly distorted. All of the above stories are available in single-issue EC reprint comics for a few bucks.
Great episode guys. If you wanna know more about Kurtzman's work and process audible just released the audiobook Harvey Kurtzman The Man Who Created Mad and Revolutionized Humor in America. Its really great and goes into some awesome detail on how he worked. I highly recommend.
Interesting that you compare Joe Orlando to the Filipino artists. Orlando was the one who hired Tony DeZuniga to work at DC. In 1971, Orlando and Carmine Infantino traveled to the Philippines on a recruiting trip for more artists: Alfredo Alcala, Steve Gan, Ernie Chan, Alex Niño, and Nestor Redondo.
Very glad to hear Ed remind everyone to NOT put the Red Rooms in the free lending libraries 😂
So fun. I've just been getting into getting the FB Artist Editions--cool hardcovers. I've been into comics for over 40 years but never really felt I've fully explored EC. In some ways, I almost feel these guys are taken for granted. Reading these now, where the art has held up so well, and is in fact, timeless, I can't help but wish there was far less text filling the panels. Obviously, that was the norm back then, but everything you need to know concerning the stories is there in the visuals. Beautiful work.
I see Charles Burns around Philly a lot. We’ve become real friendly over the years. I pointed out recently the similarities in some of his and Johnny Craig. He said Craig is undoubtedly one of his influences.
Wow... It humbles us all, no doubt about it.
Al Williamson was the best. Had the pleasure of meeting him in '94
To an EC art junkie these Artist Editions glow like the temptations of Satan. My methadone has been having the Cochran slipcases over the years, but when I see those scans of Kurtzman covers I get the shakes like I'm Speedy. Could we get a Two-Fisted Tales review, please?
I'm having fun hearing voices of two adults but then seeing these little child hands pointing at stuff.
What a book!!
I’ve been picking up a lot of EC reprints lately and my comic shop had one of the artists editions ,there huge,beautiful and absolutely labor intensive! Worth the money to study these creative artists! I had the extreme pleasure to meet Johnny Craig & George Evans at Ithaca back in the 90’s,very smart gentleman who were modest/knowledgeable! Coincidence time when Ed said Aces High,I was looking at Aces High cover! Your enthusiasm for this material is excellent and hopefully get more eyes on EC stuff! Please do a show on Hal Foster/Prince Valiant! Thanks again! Keep reading and making comix!
EC comics is so great and I love this video. The art is so clean and it's interesting how these were banned back in their day. I love the value of the inking, the whole page feels like one piece
I worked in a comic shop for a while a few months ago. They had a few copies of Red Room and it piqued my interest. Holy shit. I ended up Googling Ed and came across this channel. I'm so glad for that happy coincidence.
Close-ups of details you are pointing to would be appreciated. 🤡🎉
such a great episode! artist edition, multiple EC artists, doesn't get any better
that first Kurtzman drawing of the tank totally makes me think Victor Moscoso, never noticed the similarity in brushwork until now. I loved EC as a kid (still do) but this is the first time I've seen George Evans' work. Beautiful stuff. I wonder if he was an influence on David Lloyd?
That observation re: Moscoso is on the $$. But I only see it again in random spots.
Hey! Thanks for the shout out!
Finally! You guys have the best content!
wow i have a copy of the vault of horror no 22 good video guys i have edition 1 of this artist edition looks like i have to get this one too.
Thanks so much for this one guys!
Because I think highly of this channel, I'm going to offer up my opinion about one facet of "Master Race."
That being, I think the basic plot of "Master Race" -- fugitive discovered on the subway by an alert fellow passenger -- was inspired by the real-life case of Arnold Schuster, whose murder made headlines nationwide in March 1952, a couple of years before Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein developed the story for "Master Race."
Here goes...
Schuster, age 24, was an employee in a Brooklyn menswear shop in early 1952. There was a wanted poster hanging in the shop, concerning bank robber and prison escapee Wille Sutton -- whose taste in clothing ran to tailored suits. Schuster paid attention to the poster, and tried to commit Sutton's face to memory. On February 18, Schuster was riding on a New York City subway line and saw a man in the car who looked just like Willie Sutton. When the man exited the subway, Schuster followed him, found a police officer and pointed out the man. Shortly afterward, police arrested Sutton, and the officers involved were feted as heroes. Schuster, seeing this development, reacted by notifying newspaper reporters about his own role in the capture. For a few days, Schuster was interviewed, congratulated and rewarded. On March 8, he was shot to death outside the apartment building where he lived. The bullet placement was typical of La Cosa Nostra hits on "rats" who'd aided law enforcement agencies. The assassin was never formally identified or prosecuted, but figures associated with New York organized crime indicated that the killing was ordered by mob boss Albert Anastasia. Though Willie Sutton was not connected with La Cosa Nostra and Schuster was a civilian, Anastasia supposedly watched television reports about Schuster and was so incensed that Anastasia ordered him killed because Anastasia "hated rats," or words to that effect.
If you look at the first panel of Page 3 of "Master Race" there's a well-dressed, mustachioed man in the foreground, with his eyes closed and arms crossed. I believe that's meant to be Willie Sutton. You can see the panel at 36:30 in this video.
I think Krigstein knew about the Schuster case. I think he included the Sutton figure to acknowledge Sutton's role in the historical background to the story. Krigstein also used at least two historical photos as references for panels in "Master Race" (one of a massive Hitler rally on Page 3, one of prisoners behind barbed wire on Page 4), so we know that he wanted to pull in authentic historical elements. I believe that Krigstein included images in other panels meant to represent two other historical figures, and make unspoken references to their roles in efforts to address the Holocaust.
I invite anyone reading this comment to look into the Arnold Schuster murder, and Willie's Sutton's arrest photos, and see if you agree with me.
This is fascinating. I wish there was a way, at this late date, to confirm this. In any event, a really interesting piece of history. Thanks for posting it.
@@buckocean7616 Thanks. Yes, I sure would like to find some piece of evidence to confirm my suspicions. I have looked through any interview material with Krigstein, Feldstein and Gaines that I can find, hoping that some reference to the Schuster murder would come up. Haven't found it yet.
Amazing episode, guys. Thanks for sharing this incredible book.
I just found you a couple of days ago while searching for info about tanino liberatore. I’m as excited as if I discovered an awesome comic book shop in my neighborhood
Food for Thought was the last time that those guys would ever work for EC since it was closing down. They knew it and pulled out all the stops to do something amazing that wouldn't ever be forgotten. I would maintain that it was the greatest art that ever appeared in a comic book. Prove me wrong!
Artist editions are often too rich for my blood, but i always love looking thru EC shit. It's really interesting to catch similar compositions/poses as interpreted by different artists too. Like the Williamson/Frazetta scifi lady at the beginning, and the Davis scifi guy shooting the mastodon at 20 min....similar compositions for sure, but way different spins on essentially the same dramatic beat. Even the Johnny Craig hunter's scope, looking at that and feeling that similarity, but the texture and execution is vastly different. Great stuff.
Also, did Bernie Krigstein ever do straight horror shit? Seems like a lot of his stuff would've translated real well to some real Nosferatu, Dr. Caligari style expressionist horror stuff
Krigstein did several EC stories that I'd call horror stories (as opposed to crime stories or suspense stories). Here's a quick rundown...
"The Purge" from Vault of Horror issue 39 (cover-dated November 1954) -- The only horror-type story Krig did for EC that has a flat-out supernatural element to it. Basic plot: A woman undergoes painful treatments to make herself suitable to wed a handsome prince, who turns out to be a werewolf. It's less interesting than it sounds, and the finale comes across like something author Carl Wessler wrote in desperation, five minutes before the deadline. Art highlight: The entire story is rendered in a kind of storybook style with minimal shading and very little use of spot blacks.
"The Bath" from Tales from the Crypt 42 (cover-dated June 1954) -- An old-fashioned EC revenge story, set in an unspecified South American nation, perhaps Brazil. Basic plot: The brutal owner of a silver mine gets a painful piranha-powered payback after he kills the brother and parents of his faithful valet. Art highlight: Some interesting effects with panel borders.
"Numbskull" from Haunt of Fear issue 28 (cover-dated December 1954) -- Nobody seems to discuss this tale, which I consider one of the most stomach-turning in the entire EC canon. Basic plot: A sadistic hunter traps big-game animals so that he can torture them. Eventually, he falls into one of his own traps and, unable to escape, feeds a passing army ant column. Art highlight: Story is rendered in a straightforward, Caniff-like manner, emphasizing thick brush strokes.
Finally, since you asked about Caligari-type stuff, the place for you to start would be "You, Murderer" from Shock SuspenStories 14 (cover-dated April 1954) -- Krigstein actually signed the splash page "Dr. Caligari Krigstein" and perhaps took inspiration from the film. Basic plot: This is a point-of-view story wherein the protagonist (the reader) is approached by a hypnotist, then placed in a trance and sent to murder someone. Art highlight: In this story, Krigstein plays around with the degree of realism used in various panels, with some of them pretty normal-looking and others wildly distorted.
All of the above stories are available in single-issue EC reprint comics for a few bucks.
@@Emma-R Believe me, I am always happy to discuss Krigstein's work for EC.
I love this book! Such beautiful work.
The Aces High cover is cool but that nasty tangent where the plane nose touches the edge of the smoke cloud makes it hard to read clearly.
That Letterer Ledger zine- one of my favorite pick-ups from Heroescon this year 👉 www.patreon.com/davidmoses
Great episode guys. If you wanna know more about Kurtzman's work and process audible just released the audiobook Harvey Kurtzman
The Man Who Created Mad and Revolutionized Humor in America. Its really great and goes into some awesome detail on how he worked. I highly recommend.
Really appreciate the recommendation. Thanks.
Have you guys ever seen Lone Wolf and Cub?
I would say that's probably the best comic book art of all time.
Mannn I Wish EC would create a book to teach you how to draw like there artist/Era of comic
Can you guys point me in a direction to more old school "special effects" artist would use with out software....
I've never read an EC comic before... but damn did I enjoy that video.
Thank you so much for showcasing this... I'm here for Bernie 🚈🚃🚃🚃.