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May 01, 2005
Foul Play!
I'm sure you're familiar with the story: In 1954, Dr. Frederic Wertham wrote Seduction of the Innocent and set off a frenzy of anti-comics hysteria that culminated in Senate sub-committee hearings. This led to the establishment of the Comics Code Authority and arguably dealt a setback to American comics from which they have yet to recover. One of the biggest casualties of this event was Bill Gaines' E.C. Comics, whose wildly popular horror, crime, and science fiction anthologies were pulled off the stands, never to return.
While E.C.'s comics were indeed gory, brutal, and shocking, they also contained some of the most influential comics art of the century. Grant Geissman's Foul Play! The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950's E.C. Comics takes a long look at these comics and the artists who created them, including Johnny Craig, Wally Wood, Will Elder, Jack Davis (my personal favorite), and many more.
Each artist gets a brief biography, illustrated with a generous helping of samples of their art. Even better, each biography is followed by a complete story by the creator. These reproductions are the true highlight of this collection. Gaines was famous for his rejection of any house style, preferring to let his creators develop their own unique looks. The stories that are reproduced in this book present a great opportunity to compare and contrast the distinctive styles of the artists, from Graham Ingels' sketchy, heavily textured realism to Harvey Kurtzman's highly stylized, inky cartoons.
Geissman's histories of the artists are well-researched and fairly exhaustive. Personally, I might have enjoyed a little less history and a little more criticism. A look at the way that the artists and their comics have influenced present-day creators would have also been welcome. But the real value of this book is not to be found in the prose; it's in the gorgeous reproductions of the art and the comics. If you've always been curious about E.C. Comics but unsure of where to begin, this is the book you've been looking for.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at May 1, 2005 05:16 PM