Action and adventure
Action and adventure |
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Page 25 of 42  Cover, Frontline Combat (EC Comics, 1951). Art/script: Harvey Kurtzman. War comics were spurred into life by the Korean conflict: the EC examples were exceptional in that they did not take a gung-ho line. The best were undoubtedly the EC triumvirate of The Vault of Horror, The Crypt of Terror and The Haunt of Fear (all 1950): though no less violent than the rest, they distinguished themselves by the wit of their storytelling (individual tales were introduced by 'horror hosts' like the Old Witch and The Crypt Keeper), and, characteristically for the publisher, superb artwork. Indeed, some EC artists really took to the task - none more so than Graham Ingels, who signed his work 'Ghastly', and who produced some of the most feverishly intense visuals yet seen in comics. Predictably, the titles that tried to imitate the EC formula usually fell short. They tended to eschew the humour in favour of nastiness, and artistry in favour of hackwork. Smaller publishers were particularly guilty of this: one title, Mysterious Adventures (Story, 1951), made a point of featuring violent dismemberments and gross close-ups. There would be a price to pay for such provocative material in the long run.  The Lone Banger (Dell, 1949)  Cover, Crime Does Hot Pay (Lev Gleason, 1949). Art: Charles Biro (a criminally underrated artist). Undoubtedly the best of the controversial 1940s crime comics. |