Tag Archives: harvey kurtzman

Preview: Flash Gordon Classic Collection Vol. 5

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Flash Gordon Classic Collection Vol. 5

(W) Harvey Kurtzman (A) Dan Barry

Join Flash, the lovely Dale Arden, and Dr. Zarkov as they make a last desperate stand against alien monsters, corrupt kings, ravenous sharks, and the ultimate supervillain, Ming the Merciless!

Available exclusively in this deluxe hardcover edition, this volume collects Flash Gordon #28-#37, plus the three-issue adaptation of the cult favorite Flash Gordon movie! With an introduction by Michael T. Gilbert.

Flash Gordon Classic Collection Vol. 5

Outlaw Showdown #1 features macabre, subversive takes on horror and thrillers in a Western setting

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Outlaw Showdown #1

Although probably most well known for crime and horror comics, EC also published some Westerns like Gunfighter, Saddle Justice, and some stories in the genre also appeared in the classic Two-Fisted Tales anthology. A proper all-star team of writers, artists, and colorists has convened to rekindle that tradition in Oni Press‘ Outlaw Showdown #1, which features macabre, subversive takes on horror/thriller stories in that setting.

Outlaw Showdown kicks off with “Cool, Cool Water”, a straightforward, yet supernatural horror tale of revenge as a lawman and a young Paiute girl ride into the Chihuahua desert to avenge her family’s murders. John Arcudi has a great ear for Old West prose, and he filters his script through a progressive, anti-imperialist lens, while not being preachy while Sebastian Cabrol and colorist extraordinaire Lee Loughridge capture the effect of slowly dying of thirst as the story progresses from a typical Western to something hazy and finally dark and spooky. Loughridge’s palette is basically what I see every time the sun is blazing, I’m driving, and I’ve left my sunglasses somewhere. I love the eerie whites he uses for the more ghostly scenes as the murderers get their just desserts, and these atmospheric elements, plus Arcudi’s heartfelt script, elevate the story.

Kentucky colonel and The Walking Dead co-creator Tony Moore and colorist Rico Renzi turn things up a notch in their West Virginia coal country yarn “Fire in the Hole” about a man named Artie, who was the lone survivor of a mine cave-in. Moore’s art style is reminiscent of EC horror comics, and he adds some authentic details like “Barboursville, West Virginia” on some boxes while still telling his story suspensefully. The non-linear plotting is a little jarring initially, but it ends up mirroring Artie’s guilty conscience and makes his comeuppance that much more devilishly satisfying. Tony Moore’s facial expressions are vivid, and his layouts are a hellish maze as Artie tries to run from his terrible actions. But he’s in an EC comic, and there’s no escape from that. My one small quibble with this issue is that the transition from page one to two is a little jarrin,g especially with the inclusion of the title lettering and horror host, but placing the proverbial camera at mid-distance establishes Artie as innocent while the rest of the story reveals his miserable existence as a downright dirty scab. (He looks like one, too.)

One of my favorite concepts period, is snake oil, and I love pointing out advertisements for when I teach students how to use music primary sources from the late 19th century. I think that it says a lot about the continued American tradition of charlatanism and hypercapitalism, and that Ann Nocenti, David Lapham, and Nick Filardi would agree in their story “The Cure” about a racist cure-all (Aka poison) peddler named Doc Boot and his put-upon Native American employee, Little Bear. Nocenti and Lapham give the Native American and Chinese characters agency, and I love the character Shen Li’s rejoinders about the Chinese inventing gunpowder and making actual oil from the fat of snakes. Also, the majority of the story is Doc Boot’s sales pitch featuring some delightful, “laying it on thick” dialogue from Nocenti that matches David Lapham’s outrageous facial expressions and Filardi’s beet red palette, which makes the quack’s comeuppance even more cathartic.

Outlaw Showdown‘s final original story, “Pony Express,” isn’t cathartic or a triumph of the marginalized over the oppressors like its predecessors, but it’s just a plain, sad comic from Christopher Cantwell, Dan McDaid, and Michael Atiyeh. It starts as a rousing story of the trials and tribulations of a Pony Express rider trying to get across country, but then it uses the Western genre and the protagonist’s profession to dig into themes of mental health and depression. The Old West was really a shitty place to live, and “Pony Express” doesn’t sugarcoat this at all. However, McDaid’s visuals create empathy for the poor characters in this comic with the help of plenty of close-ups to go with the weather-stricken landscapes and encounters with Native Americans and highwaymen. I needed a hug or maybe a shot of bourbon after reading this final story.

Outlaw Showdown concludes with a reprint of a classic EC comic from Two-Fisted Tales by Harvey Kurtzman and Jack Davis that tells a story from the POV of a Colt revolver and its six bullets. In a country where gun crime continues to be a sad reality, it’s a sobering, well-told story about the corrupting power of firearms and their ammunition. It also showcases the power of the comics medium and its ability to tell stories in creative ways. Unfortunately, it features some cringeworthy stereotypes of Latino characters that remind you that the comic came out in 1950, but it’s a master class in the marriage of art and writing that makes sequential art so magical and makes me want to dig into the old EC books even more.

If you’re a fan of classic comic book storytelling, the Western genre, or just want to see Tony Moore draw ghostly coal miners afflicting a member of the management class, then Outlaw Showdown is a must-buy and fits neatly into anti-colonial and postmodern readings of the genre while still having plenty of entertainment value, blood, and gore.

Story: John Arcudi, Tony Moore, Ann Nocenti, Christopher Cantwell, Harvey Kurtzman
Art: Sebastian Cabrol, Tony Moore, David Lapham, Dan McDaid, Jack Davis 
Colors: Lee Loughridge, Rico Renzi, Nick Filardi, Michael Atiyeh, Inaki Azpiazu
Letters: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.6 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1 Paints the Town Red in October!

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Oni Press and William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. present a first look inside EC Outlaw Showdown #1 – a 56-page slab of sawdust celebrating revenge and retribution on the lawless frontiers of the Old West, as told in the immortal EC Comics tradition! The first in a new series of super-sized EC Comics genre specials – from prehistoric survival to crime and punishment in epochs far beyond our own – Outlaw Showdown #1 is 56 pages of hot lead and cold hearts … so place your wagers before Oni Press and EC Comics paint comic shops everywhere blood red on October 22nd!

Gunfighters, scoundrels, butchers, and bandits—they’ll all join us here to draw down on fate itself as coffin-bound creators John Arcudi, Sebastián Cabrol, Christopher Cantwell, David Lapham, Tony Moore, Dan McDaid, and Ann Nocenti, rain hellfire and fury from the holsters on their hip. 

Here, for the first time, Oni Press and EC Comics can reveal a peek through the saloon doors to what awaits inside Outlaw Showdown #1 with a sly gander at two surefire-hit stories: “Fire in the Hole” by Eisner Award nominee Tony Moore and “The Cure” by comic legends Ann Nocenti and David Lapham.

Plus: As if you need any more gold to add to your ledger… Saddle up for a newly remastered and authentically restored tale from the EC Comics vaults by EC icons Harvey Kurtzman and Jack Davis—authentically restored back to the closest possible approximation of its original coloring for the first time in seven decades by colorist Iñaki Azpiazu!

On October 22nd, Outlaw Showdown #1 fires on all cylinders with a wanted-dead-or-alive cast of the coldest cover artists this side of the Mississippi, including Lee Bermejo, Tony Moore, Ladrönn, Shawn McManus, and Rian Hughes! A blood-stained, power-burned milestone in EC history awaits this October – only in Outlaw Showdown #1!

Outlaw Showdown #1

Preview: EC Covers Artist’s Edition

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EC Covers Artist’s Edition

Wally Wood (Artist, Cover Artist) Harvey Kurtzman (Artist, Cover Artist) Graham Ingels (Artist, Cover Artist) Johnny Craig (Artist, Cover Artist) Al Williamson (Artist, Cover Artist) Frank Frazetta (Artist, Cover Artist) Jack Davis (Artist, Cover Artist) Al Feldstein (Artist, Cover Artist)

EC Comics, under the guidance of publisher Bill Gaines, was—according to the editor of this collection—the greatest line of comics ever done.

This once-in-a-lifetime Artist’s Edition collects more than 120 EC covers by their best and brightest talents. The luminaries included in this gigantic (15 x 22 inches!) tome include:

Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman. Graham Ingels, Johnny Craig, Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, and more.

To make a baseball analogy, this is a Murderers Row every bit as noteworthy as the ’27 Yankees!

To date, IDW Publishing’s Artist’s Edition series has won SIX Eisner Awards!

Each cover has been shot from the original art. While appearing to be in black and white, these images were actually scanned in color, enabling the reader to see all the subtle little nuances that make original art unique. Blue pencil notations, zip-a-tone, whiteout, all of these and more are clearly visible. Honestly, the only better way to see these covers is to be holding the original art in your hands!

EC Covers Artist’s Edition

SDCC 2019: Dark Horse Celebrates 75 Years of EC Comics

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Join Dark Horse Comics in celebrating 75 years of EC Comics with a brand-new hardcover collection! Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics is a premiere collection of the best stories of EC Comics, curated in a deluxe, 528-page hardcover reprinted in full color!

This volume collects stories from EC Comics’ most famous titles, featuring classic stories from the hands of legendary creators Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Johnny Craig, Jack Davis, Wally Wood, and more!

Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics goes on sale December 04, 2019. Be sure to pick up this gorgeous hardcover for $49.99.

Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics

Eisner Award Winning Digital Comic Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost is Now $1.99

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Halloween is over, Thanksgiving hasn’t happened yet, but the holiday season is already upon us! And in keeping with that ever earlier tradition, Eisner Award winning Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost, drops from $6.99 to $1.99 for a limited time on comiXology and Kindle. It’s a great time to read this gorgeously illustrated graphic novel adaptation of Charles Dickens’s beloved classic A Christmas Carol.

In the 1950s, legendary comics creator Harvey Kurtzman had plans to adapt Charles Dickens’s classic story A Christmas Carol into what would become known as a graphic novel. Kurtzman was the creator of MAD magazine, Playboy’s Little Annie Fanny, and TRUMP magazine. The project was never brought to fruition and the pages, thumbnails, and notes that Kurtzman had created remained unfinished. Artist Gideon Kendall and writers Josh O’Neill and Shannon Wheeler– under the supervision of the Kurtzman Estate and book packagers Kitchen, Lind & Associates – teamed up to finish Kurtzman’s dream project for comiXology Originals. Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost adapts and expands upon Kurtzman’s extensive breakdowns and notes to make his long-lost vision a reality.

Earlier this year Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost won “Best Digital Comic” at the prestigious Eisner Award 2018 Ceremony during Comic-Con International San Diego.

Review: Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost

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A Christmas Carol is one of those stories that resonates with you for years. I say this, knowing that most people only know the story from watching the many adaptations of the story itself in the movies or your favorite’s show’s own version. Recently, Charles Dickens’ own adventure in creating the story itself has been immortalized on screen in The Man Who Invented Christmas. Then there is the twist of the same story, but with hint of modernization and a ton of sentimentality in Its Wonderful Life, which many consider a classic all its own but borrows heavily from Dickens epic tome.

One of my favorites of the adaptations of this epic tale is the Muppets Christmas Carol which added some levity to an otherwise gloomy yet hopeful tale. Another of my favorites is Scrooged, the vey definition of dark comedy throughout, as it was both funny and horrifying. Within the comic realms, I cant recall any direct adaptation for the work, until I heard of Harvey Kurtzman working on his own adaptation a few years before he died. It is a good thing that his unfinished work was discovered recently, and what was discovered is probably the most brilliant adaptation of Dickens work, in Marley’s Ghost.

In the opening pages, we get an even grimmer version of Ebenezer Scrooge, a man whose whole life has passed him up, including his business partners. The one consistency amongst all the adaptations is just how dispirited Ebenezer is, and this one doesn’t mince words, as the creators behind this book, understood what Dickens was trying to convey including the late Kurtzman. Each ghost also is as haunting as every adaptation, this one is more on the spooky side sie than some of the more light hearted version. By book’s end, Scrooge, gets a new lease on life, as most anybody who knows this story.

Overall, this is the adaptation that comics fans will love to read over and over again, as it captures those iconic moments the movie and television shows did, including some moments only book readers will remember. The story by Josh O’Neill, Shannon Wheeler, and Harvey Kurtzman captures the perfect balance between adaptation and storytelling. The art Gideon Kendall is gorgeous as it reminded me of some of my old MAD Magazines. Altogether, you may think you know this story, but definitely not the way this team brings it together.

Story: Josh O’Neill, Shannon Wheeler, and Harvey Kurtzman Art: Gideon Kendall
Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

SDCC 2013: IDW Announces Exclusives!

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IDW Publishing is renowned for having great exclusives at San Diego Comic-Con every year, but 2013 finds them taking it to the next level. See below for a complete list of SDCC exclusives, which promise to be the most sought after of the show!

Some of the items will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store beginning July 2nd. Fans that preorder will be able to pick up their books from the IDW booth (These items will be noted below with an *asterisk).

IDW’s web store can be found here: IDW Con Exclusives

A limited edition product not available anywhere else, the Artist’s Edition: Best of EC Covers Portfolio will be on hand. Featuring eight amazing prints of class EC covers by such luminaries as Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman and more, this edition will be limited to 250 copies and priced at $50. It will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, and there is a limit of 3 to a customer.

Speaking of EC and Artist’s Editions, an exclusive edition of the Best of EC Artist’s Edition will be premiered at Comic-Con as well! Signed by the legendary Al Feldstein, numbered, and limited to 250 copies, this edition will feature a variant cover and be priced at $200. This title will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, and there is a limit of 3 to a customer.

That’s not the only big Al Feldstein news at this show. Also debuting is, Felstein: Mad Life & Fantastic Art.  IDW is celebrating the release of this beautiful book with a deluxe, slip-cased version, complete with hand sketches and signatures from Feldstein himself! It will be limited to 100 copies, and be priced at $150, will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, and there is a limit of 3 to a customer. This book is literally at the printer as this is being written, and will be dashed to the show for a last-minute release!

AND, there’s another exclusive EC Artist’s Edition this year! Artist’s Edition: Jack Davis EC Stories Signed & Limited is signed by Jack Davis himself and has a variant cover by the incomparable artist. This edition will be limited to 250 copies and priced at $200. It will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, and there is a limit of 3 to a customer.

A special convention exclusive edition of Mark Schultz’s Xenozoic Tales: Artist’s Edition will also be available, featuring a variant cover by Mark Schultz! This edition is limited to just 250 copies, priced at $200, will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, and there is a limit of 3 to a customer.

For My Little Pony fans, IDW has a special surprise! An exclusive glitter variant cover of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #9. But, here’s the trick: it contains 8 pages of material that isn’t in the regular edition, featuring the Equestrian Girls! Fans worldwide will be clamoring to get a copy of this, and the ONLY place to read this story is in this exclusive, and the ONLY place to get it is the IDW booth at SDCC! This item is limited to 1,000 copies, with a limit of 5 to a customer. **Note – Watch for the Diamond Comics variant, available to Comics Retailers at SDCC.

Another My Little Pony treat is the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Variant Edition HC. This is the only way to get this material in a hardcover format! With a variant cover by fan-favorite J. Scott Campbell, this edition is limited to 500 copies, priced at $25, with a limit of 3 to a customer, and only available at the IDW booth.

Skelton Crew Studio have done it again, producing not one, but two new Locke & Key high-quality pewter key replicas! 100 copies of the Locke & Key: Shadow Key and 100 copies of the Locke & Key: Music Box Key will be available for $25 each, only at IDW’s booth, with a limit of 3 to a customer.

But wait, there’s more!

  • The Hollows Variant Edition HC – Variant cover by Sam Kieth, limited to 200, priced at $25, only available at the IDW booth, limit of 3 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by Chris Ryall and Sam Kieth!
  • Worlds of Sam Keith Variant Edition HC – Variant cover by Sam Kieth, limited to 200, priced at $50, it will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, limit of 3 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by Sam Kieth!
  • The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror Variant Edition HC – Variant cover by Walter Simonson, limited to 100, priced at $25, only available at the IDW booth, limit of 3 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by Walter Simonson and Mark Waid!
  • The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction #1 Variant – Variant cover by Darwyn Cooke, limited to 500, priced at $5, only available at the IDW booth, limit of 5 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by Mark Waid!
  • X-Files: Season 10 #1 Variant – Variant cover by Joe Corroney, limited to 500, priced at $10, only available at the IDW booth, limit of 5 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by X-Files creator Chris Carter, writer Joe Harris and artist Joe Corroney!
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Artobiography Variant Edition HC – Variant cover by Kevin Eastman, limited to 250, priced at $50, it will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, limit of 3 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by Kevin Eastman!

In addition to all these exclusives, IDW will be debuting advance copies of two highly anticipated books! Superman: The Silver Age Newspaper Dailies Vol. 1 (100 copies available, priced at $50, only available in the booth) and Berkeleyworks: The Art of Berkeley Breathed: From Bloom County and Beyond (100 copies available, priced at $50, only available in the booth) will be seen for the first time anywhere! Get these books signed at the IDW booth by Dean Mullaney and Berkeley Breathed!

Once again, IDW is proud to have Ashley Wood and ThreeA as a part of their booth with exclusives in tow! Ash’s Machine Sabbath Variant Edition HC (250 copies available, priced at $25, only available in the booth) and Glitter Sausage Variant Edition SC (500 copies available, priced at $25, only available in the booth) promise to be exciting additions to the Ashley Wood library.

But Ash is bringing a lot more than that! For a complete list of what ThreeA has in store for SDCC this year, visit their blog here:  http://www.threeaonline.com/blog/

IDW Limited will of course be well represented in the booth as well, bringing their incredible assortment of small-run merchandise. For a complete rundown on IDW Limited’s amazing items, go here: http://www.idwlimited.com

Providing an exclusive suitable for each and every fan in the building, the IDW Booth promises to be one of the place to be at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con!

Best of EC Comics Artist’s Edition Coming in June From IDW!

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IDW Publishing has announced an Artist’s Edition like no other—The Best of EC Comics Artist’s Edition, Volume One. This massive book will measure 15″ x 22″, the same size as both the Wally Wood and MAD Artist’s Editions, and will contain stellar works by Al Williamson, Harvey Kurtzman, Bernie Krigstein, Johnny Craig, and others. Additionally, there will be an art gallery of classic covers—including the peerless Weird Science-Fantasy #29 by Frank Frazetta.

EC Comics was arguably the greatest publishing entity in the history of comic books. For a five-year stretch in the early 1950s they set the bar higher than ever before, and with a level of consistency unmatched. In the early 1980s the original art for all EC stories was auctioned off and most of these have been buried in collections since that time, rarely being seen by anyone except the original art’s owners.

What is an Artist’s Edition? Artist’s Editions are printed the same size as the original art. While appearing to be in black & white, each page has been scanned in COLOR to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for example, you are able to clearly see paste-overs, blue pencils in the art, editorial notes, art corrections. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.

THE BEST OF EC COMICS ARTIST’S EDITION, VOLUME 1 (HC, B&W, 160 pgs., $95). In stores 6/19/13.
ISBN: 978-1-61377-650-6

SDCC 2012 – MAD Artist’s Edition coming from IDW

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[MAD Artist Edition Image]Before MAD Magazine was read in nearly every household, there was Mad Comics. Written and edited by the brilliant Harvey Kurtzman, and drawn by the best and most creative cartoonists of the time, including Wally Wood, Bill Elder, Jack Davis, and Basil Wolverton, Mad was the most innovative satirical publication ever unleashed upon the youth of America.

The MAD: ARTIST’S EDITION will be approximately 160 pages and measure 15” x 22”. The expected release date is in December. It will include a dozen of the earliest covers and a selection of some of the finest and most memorable stories, including classics such as “Batboy and Rubin” by Wally Wood and “Howdy Dooit” by Elder. In the Artist’s Edition style, these covers and stories will be reproduced as very few people have ever seen them before.

What is an Artist’s Edition? Artist’s Editions are printed the same size as the original art. While appearing to be in black & white, each page has been scanned in COLOR to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for example, you are able to clearly see paste-overs, blue pencils in the art, editorial notes, art corrections. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.

Truly beautiful books, perfect for any collector.

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