A History of EC COMICS
I had the pleasure of sitting in on a lecture on Monday 10-21-19 at Art Center in Pasadena and wanted to share some of the excellent artwork and information I learned more about at the history and cultural significance of EC comics. The Lecture was lead by EC historians Thommy & Josh Burns. For more information on them join the EC Comics Fan Addicts on Facebook!
The lecture was on campus at the beautiful Art Center College of Design L.A. Times Media Center at their Hillside Campus. If you have not been to this area before it is absolutely gorgeous. During the tumultuous 1950s, these comic books commented on society, the atrocities of war, segregation, gender inequality, and short moral stories. From this turmoil, we got some amazing illustrated stories like Mad Magazine, Tales from the Crypt, Weird Science-Fantasy, Frontline Combat, Crime Suspense Stories, & other revolutionary EC Comics.
Although it was cool to learn that Max Gaines, who can be considered the father of the modern comic book having created the first saddle-stitched, four-color pamphlet printed on newsprint in 1933. The main fun of the evening was going through the different contributors who no doubt inspired much of the illustrative work we see today. Writer/Editor Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman who had massive careers, and artists like Wallace 'Wally' Wood, Graham 'Ghastly' Ingels, Jack Davis, Bernard Krigstein, Al Williamson and his collaborations with Frank Frazetta and Angelo Torres among others. Can't forget to mention the hero colorist Marie Severin!
These guys helped define what Comic Books were and could be! Telling stories that pushed the envelope for the time. Stories that some felt were very uncomfortable to the modern temperament. Some so much that they were under investigation by the FBI as it were. Harvey Kurtzman specifically was under investigation by the FBI for (and this is the best) "G-2 advised that a review of the contents of these comic books reveals that some of the material is detrimental to the morale of combat soldiers and emphasizes the horrors, hardships, and futility of war. These comic books portray the seemingly needless sacrifices due to blunders on the part of the officers and demonstrate the lack of protection to the United States forces against the trickery of the enemy. G-2 considers these publications to be subversive because they tend to discredit the army and undermine troop morale by presenting a picture of the inevitability of personal disaster in combat.".
These were some heroes trying to keep free speech alive as well as help fight civil rights battle on a different front. Through stories portraying segregation as intolerable, unjust, and outright ridiculous they were scrutinized by the mainstream media of the time. Publications would cherry-pick parts to go after them about and bring it to the parents' attention that these books would rot their brains and make them become juvenile delinquents, as the brothers Burns put it, clearly there were no delinquents before or after the comics! There was even a story in which a Puppet Television star ran and won the Presidency!!!
After this portion of the business sunk, unfortunately, it did help to pave the way for one book to keep going to today where some of my friends and colleagues like ‘Ghoulish’ Gary Pullin, Jason Edmiston, Bill Morrison, and get continue to make really fun work. MAD MAGAZINE!!! My Grandmother got me a subscription to this as a kid and it was one my favorite things. Anticipating monthly when it was going to arrive and see the nonsense that Sergio Aragones would come up with, and so cool to see where this great publication that shaped my youth so much came from, on the backs of brilliant minds who never let go of creating amazing content. Mad became a magazine, along with other attempts from EC to keep going, to get away from the Comic Book Authority that wouldn’t publish some of the more controversial ideas of the time. Including a story called ‘Judgement Day’ that they had run just a few years earlier that was, in a very broad stroke synopsis, about segregation.
EC comics had a huge impact on all of the stuff we do over at Incendium. We even made an homage art piece for the Phantom Halls with proper EC Comics treatment with Matthew Skiff with this art print Called ‘Dare you Enter’. We even printed this Mock CMYK to make it really have the proper feel. Even though it was silk screened the dot patterns really make it look authentic. :D
This lecture brought a newfound admiration and appreciation of EC comics for me, and I hope this brought some to you as well. Especially as they paved the way for all the great horror and sci-fi we love today, which I am fortunate to get to play in! There are loads of ways to see the comics in print or digitally today, so be sure to check them out!