Showing posts with label EC Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EC Comics. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Coming Soon...

Flesk Publications has a new Kickstarter campaign with three books and four prints from Mark Schultz and Al Williamson. There's Carbon 4 in the series of sketchbooks by Mark Schultz. Many of these are fully finished drawings done as commissions and also sketches for different projects. If you're a fan of Schultz, this book will really be a must have.

They are also offering a new collected edition of Mark's Xenozoic Tales work. This one is in a smaller format, making it more portable. It would be terrible to get stuck in a lift or waiting for a bus without some Mark Schultz handy.

As much as I love Mark Schultz's artwork, the third book is the one I'm really looking forward to: Strange World Adventures showcasing the art of Al Williamson. This one is a career overview and promises unpublished and published art shot directly from the original art. If sales on this warrant it, there may be more volumes focusing on specific parts of Williamson's career. 

Flesk is also offering three S&N Schultz prints and one numbered Williamson print. They've already announced at least one cool stretch goal. Flesk always produces high quality books at a very reasonable price, and they've always come through with their Kickstarter projects. Visit the project website and reserve your copy(s) today! The books are slated for release early next year.

And...

If you're a fan of Mark Schultz and Al Williamson, you're more than likely a fan of E.C. Comics. Taschen just released a massive volume The History of E.C. Comics. If you know anything about the publisher Taschen, this book is big, it is expensive, but it will be worth it.

The author, Grant Geissman, has authored numerous books about the legendary E.C. line of comic books. With this book, the Gaines family opened their archives to him and it promises to have a lot of never before seen art and photos. Of course this book will cover the classic E.C. New Trend comics like Tales From the Crypt and Weird Science but will also cover Max Gaines' role in the founding of the modern American comic book and the Pre-Trend comics of the 1940's and early 1950's.

Like I said, it's expensive ($180 to $200) but it's massive, 592 pages and over 13 pounds. It will have a gallery of every E.C. comic cover, and lots of new information too.

Amazon says it is not coming out until October, but people who ordered it directly from Taschen are reporting it as being already shipped. You can order it here from the publisher. I ordered mine from Bud Plant since I trust their packing and that the book will arrive safely but they appear to have it on back order now. Amazon has it, but do you really want to trust a $200 book to their packaging?

Friday, July 19, 2019

Williamson, Frazetta & Krenkel: The One Who Waits


"The One Who Waits" originally appeared in the E.C. comic Weird Science #19, (may-June 1953). It is an adaptation of a Ray Bradbury. The art is by Al Williamson in collaboration with Frank Frazetta and Roy Krenkel. It is one of the most stunningly rendered science fiction stories in the E.C. run. The original art for the complete story is currently on auction at Heritage. The auctions ends August 1, 2019.















Tuesday, February 14, 2017

EC's Saddle Romances

Saddle Romances was a short-lived EC Pre-Trend title. It ran for three issues from 1949 - 1950. It featured the art of later renowned EC stalwarts such as Al Feldstein, Graham Ingels and Wally Wood (in collaboration with Harry Harrison). The title's numbering was continued from Saddle Justice. After only three issues, EC's acclaimed science fiction title Weird Science picked up with #12.


Saddle Romances #9, Nov-Dec 1949. Cover art by Graham Ingels.


Saddle Romances #10, Jan-Feb 1950. Cover art by Al Feldstein.


Saddle Romances #11, Mar-Apr 1950. Cover art by Al Feldstein.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Al Feldstein Science Fiction Paintings



First Landing, circa 1992


Cover for Squa Tront #3, 1969. This painting hung in EC publisher Bill Gaines' office.


Weird Fantasy #11 recreation.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

EC's Shock Illustrated


Shock Illustrated was part of EC's short-lived "Picto-Fiction" line. The third issue was printed but publisher William Gaines could not afford to have them bound. The publisher bound 100 to 200 copies of that issue and they were given away or sold to fans who ordered the issue. It remains a holy grail for many EC collectors.


Shock Illustrated #1, Sep-Oct 1955. Cover art by Jack Kamen.


Shock Illustrated #2, Winter 1955, Cover art by Rudy Nappi.


Shock Illustrated #3,Spring 1956. Cover art by Rudy Nappi.



Frank Frazetta art from the unpublished fourth issue.

Friday, December 30, 2016

Italian EC Comics


These magazine sized issues reprint classic EC comics from Weird Science in black and white. They're most likely shot from the hardcover Russ Cochran library sets. They're nice little curiosities to have.


I Classici Americani Fantascienza Horror #1, March 1991.


I Classici Americani Fantascienza Horror #2, April 1991.


I Classici Americani Fantascienza Horror #3, May 1991.


I Classici Americani Fantascienza Horror #4, June 1991.


I Classici Americani Fantascienza Horror #5, July 1991.


I Classici Americani Fantascienza Horror #6, August 1991.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Pipe-Dream by Bernie Krigstein


"Pipe-Dream," one of Bernie Krigstein's masterpieces for EC Comics. This was originally published in Vault of Horror #36, April-May 1954/







Monday, September 7, 2015

Harvey Kurtzman Biography

Bill Schelly's Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created MAD and Revolutionized Humor in America is easily the best book I have read all year, and likely the best book I will read all year. Schelly's 642 page traces Kurtzman's career from his childhood, his years at the the High School of Music and Art in New York, his beginnings working for Timely Comics, the glory days of Mad and Two-Fisted Tales at EC Comics, later projects like Humbug, Trump and Little Annie Fannie and his eventual status as an elder statesman of the comic book.

The book is meticulously researched and footnoted. There were huge gaps in my knowledge of Kurtzman prior to reading this, but people much better informed than me have said there is a lot of new information in this book. I cant' recommend this highly enough for anyone interested in the history of comic books or humor in America in the second half of the twentieth century.

You can order the book from the publisher, Fantagraphics.

An interview with the author.

And here's a nice article in The Atlantic about Kurtzman and the book.

And some Kurtzman EC covers:









Friday, May 29, 2015

Weird Fantasy by Al Feldstein



Scans of original art by Al Feldstein for Weird Fantasy covers.


Weird Fantasy #6, March-April 1951.


Weird Fantasy #8, July-August 1951.


Weird Fantasy #11, January-February 1952.


Weird Fantasy #16, November-December 1952.


Weird Fantasy #17, January-February 1953.


Weird Science-Fantasy Annual #1, 1952.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Tales of the Incredible



Tales of the Incredible, cover by Frank Frazetta, 1965.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Alone in Space


A scan of Al Feldstein's original art and the published cover for Weird Fantasy #16, 1950.




Thursday, February 28, 2013

Mad Reader!


A great series of cartoons by Basil Wolverton from Mad #11, May 1954.