Five years in the making and meticulously edited by John Benson, Squa Tront returns with a profusion of rare and interesting features from the EC era: the story behind Basil Wolverton's first EC art; Howard Nostrand's last interview; art from the unpublished third issue of Flip; Jack Davis's WWII cartoons; plus EC era art by Wallace Wood, John and Marie Severin, Harvey Kurtzman, and Roy Krenkel. The longest running EC historical magazine and a perfect companion to Fantagraphics' series of EC reprints.
A massive collection of never-before-collected pre-Comics Code horror comics of the 1950s. Of the myriad genres comic books ventured into during its golden age, none was as controversial as or came at a greater cost than horror; the public outrage it incited almost destroyed the entire industry. Yet before the watchdog groups and Congress could intercede, horror books were flying off the newsstands. During its peak period (1951–54) over fifty titles appeared each month. Apparently there was something perversely irresistible about these graphic excursions into our dark side, and Four Color Fear collects the finest of these into a single robust volume.
Between 1941 and 1945, Hitler was pummeled on comic book covers by everyone from Captain America to Wonder Woman. Take That, Adolf! is an oversized compilation of more than 500 stunningly restored comics covers published during World War II, featuring America’s greatest super-villain. From Superman and Daredevil to propaganda and racism, Take That, Adolf! is a fascinating look at how legendary creators such as Joe Simon, Jack Kirby, Alex Schomburg, Will Eisner, and Lou Fine entertained millions of kids on the home front and buoyed the spirits of GIs fighting overseas by using Adolf Hitler as a punching bag.
Cain (House of Mystery) and Abel (House of Secrets) visit our devilish hosts. Harold Beedle must walk. A sculptor reshapes life and death. For some, the Revolution never ended.
The history of one company's romance comics and their publisher Archer St. John. It includes a short biography and interviews with the company's editors and artists. St. John's good reputation as a publisher attracted many of the top artists of the day, including Joe Kubert, Leonard Starr, and George Tuska. Benson provides an engaging account of Archer St. John, (once kidnapped by Al Capone) and his distinctive comics. Confessions is lavishly illustrated with examples of the comics and includes rare visuals from the period.
You know MAD. Do you know Humbug? Harvey Kurtzman changed the face of American humor when he created the legendary MAD comic. As editor and chief writer from its inception in 1952, through its transformation into a slick magazine, and until he left MAD in 1956, he influenced an entire generation of cartoonists, comedians, and filmmakers. In 1962, he co-created the long-running Little Annie Fanny with his long-time artistic partner Will Elder forPlayboy, which he continued to produce until his virtual retirement in 1988. Between MAD and Annie Fanny, Kurtzman’s biographical summaries will note that he created and edited three other magazines―Trump, Humbug, and Help!―but, whereas his MAD and Annie Fanny are readily available in reprint form, his major satirical work in the interim period is virtually unknown. Humbug, which had poor distribution, may be the least known, but to those who treasure the rare original copies, it equals or even exceeds MAD in displaying Kurtzman’s creative genius. Humbug was unique in that it was actually published by the artists who created it: Kurtzman and his cohorts from MAD, Will Elder, Jack Davis, and Al Jaffee, were joined by universally acclaimed cartoonist Arnold Roth. With no publisher above them to rein them in, this little band of creators produced some of the most trenchant and engaging satire of American culture ever to appear on American newsstands.
On the hunt to learn more about the man he once was deep in the heart of Russia, an encounter with Soviet psychotronic experiments shows Bloodshot truths he was never prepared for!
Mr. Higgins was just the beginning! Follow Professor J.T. Meinhardt and Mr. Knox as they continue their pursuit of ne'er-do-well creatures of the night! Backed by the dauntless vampire hunter Ms. Mary Van Sloan, the heroes of Mr. Higgins Comes Home pursue vampires, werewolves, and other horrors that even they are hard-put to name or explain. The only thing that's for certain is that the strange truths these adventurers uncover are seldom what they seem. From the horror-genius minds of Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell comes the next installment of endearingly terrifying tales from Meinhardt, Knox, and Van Sloan. Set against the detailed and stylized background of Johnson-Cadwell's art, these stories are a striking continuation of daring occult adventure! Grab some garlic and silver bullets, and settle in for a thrilling read!
Amethyst explains everything to her parents about the Gemworld and her many recent disappearances. Back at Castle Amethyst, she takes a long time to train and become increasingly strong in different disciplines. For his part, Granch, along with his siblings, attacks the fortress of Opal.