I’ve written about Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993) from time to time, but after a fairly lengthy search, I’ve finally been able to grab a representative piece from Harvey’s key time at EC. Most people know Harvey for his pioneering work writing and editing “Mad”, and I’m sure some of you know Harvey from his work, “Little Annie Fanny” from Playboy (because I know you weren’t just looking at the pictures).
At EC, Kurtzman started with horror, and quickly became a key editor. He gave the artists incredible freedom to draw in their own styles (versus a consistent “house” style). Although he worked on many titles, it was editing and writing the war titles (Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat) that became his true obsession. Unlike many comics out at the time, EC’s war titles were realistic morality tales and Kurtzman was obsessed with research and detail. At times, he spent hours in the library, ensuring that he captured the specifics that made the story more precise, and more authentic. He didn’t focus on any one war, rather the stories were about wars throughout all of time. It wasn’t uncommon to read about a Roman battle, followed by a story that took place during the civil war. But, while he let his artists draw in their own style, he prepared very precise and detailed layouts. And, there was no opportunity to stray. Not in his shop. These stories were his vision.
If you’re interested in Kurtzman, I highly recommend “The Art of Harvey Kurtzman” by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle.
He tried to personally draw at least one story in each issue of Two-Fisted Tales, and the covers for the first twelve issues. I was lucky enough to pick up the cover to Two-Fisted Tales #20.
