Synopses & Reviews
The creation of
MAD would have been enough to cement Harvey Kurtzman's reputation as one of the titans of American comics, but Kurtzman also created two other comics landmarks: the scrupulously-researched and superbly-crafted war comics
Two-Fisted Tales and
Frontline Combat. Here were finally war comics without heroic, cigar-chomping sergeants, wisecracking privates from Brooklyn, or cartoon Nazis and "Japs" to be mowed down by the Yank heroes, but an unflinching look at the horror and madness of combat throughout history.
Kurtzman employed some of the finest of the EC artists including Jack Davis ,John Severin, and Wallace Wood, but his vision came through clearest in the dozen or so stories he both wrote and drew himself, in his uniquely bold, slashing, cartoony-but-dead-serious style ("Stonewall Jackson," "Iwo Jima," "Rubble," "Big 'If '," and Kurtzman's own favorite, "Air Burst") -- as well as his vividly colored, narratively-dense covers, all 23 of which are reproduced here in full color in a special portfolio.
"Corpse on the Imjin!" is rounded off with a dozen or so stories written and laid out by Kurtzman and drawn by "short-timers," i.e. cartoonists whose contributions to his war books only comprised a story or two -- including such giants as designer extraordinaire Alex Toth, Marvel comics stalwart Gene Colan, and a pre-Sgt. Rock Joe Kubert... and such unexpected guests as "The Lighter Side of..." MAD artist Dave Berg and DC comics veteran Ric Estrada -- as well as a rarity: a story by EC regular John Severin inked by Kurtzman.
Like every book in the Fantagraphics EC line, "Corpse on the Imjin!" will feature extensive essays and notes on these classic stories by EC experts -- but Kurtzman's stories, as vital, powerful, affecting, and even, yes, modern today as when they were created 60 years ago, are what makes this collection a must-have for any comics reader.
Review
"[Kurtzman's] best tales are often narrated by a single soldier, the protagonist's grasp limited by the danger in front of him, with his main hope being to get out alive. Not so much the blood and guts of battle here -- although Kurtzman had a wonderful ear for sound and the unique talent for putting it into words--as the psychological state of warriors, the terrors and recurring sense of futility they experience." Paul Buhle
Synopsis
Besides Mad, Harvey Kurtzman created the scrupulously researched and superbly crafted anthologies Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat, war comics without heroic, cigar-chomping sergeants, wisecracking privates from Brooklyn, or cartoon Nazis and "Japs" to be mowed down by the Yank heroes. These comics are an unflinching look at the horror and madness of combat throughout history. Kurtzman employed some of the finest of the EC artists, including the legendary Jack Davis, John Severin, and Wallace Wood, but his vision came through clearest in the dozen or so stories he both wrote and drew himself, in his uniquely bold, slashing, cartoony-but-dead-serious style ("Stonewall Jackson," "Iwo Jima," "Rubble," "Big 'If '," and Kurtzman's own favorite, "Air Burst"). "Corpse on the Imjin " is rounded off with a dozen or so stories written and laid out by Kurtzman and drawn by a "short-timers," i.e. cartoonists whose contributions to his war books only comprised a story or two.
Synopsis
EC reprint series kicks off with war-story masterpieces from the legendary Harvey Kurtzman.
About the Author
In addition to his pioneering work on the "serious" EC war comics, Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993) created the all-time greatest satirical comic (with Mad), the most widely-read adult comic strip (with "Little Annie Fanny" in Playboy), and one of the earliest graphic novels (with the 1959 The Jungle Book).Gary Groth