Action and adventure
Action and adventure |
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Page 26 of 42  Page from Uncanny Tales (Marvel Comics, 1954). Art: Dick Briefer. Of all the adventure genres - war, crime, horror, and so on - it is worth dwelling for a moment on just how outstanding the EC titles were. Most historians point to the artwork as the main bonus (already discussed above), but the care that was taken over the writing was equally impressive: indeed, the word-balloons and narrative boxes were designed first, and then the artwork fitted around them - rather than the other way round. Also, whereas most companies were essentially 'sweatshops', EC was legendarily creator-friendly, and every strip carried credits - virtually unheard of at the time. EC publisher William Gaines later cited this working atmosphere as a major reason for their success: "The artists had tremendous admiration for one another. Wally Wood would come in with a story, and three artists would crowd around him and faint, just poring over every brushstroke and every panel. Next time around it's his turn to adulate someone ... They were all in friendly competition to see who could make everybody faint more than the other guy. And it was wonderful. Just a nice, warm place.' The increasing trend for violence in American comics was too much for the 'Guardians of Public Decency' in the long term. Unfortunately for the fans in the United States, and also Britain where there was a slow but steady flow of comics into the country, there was about to be one of the biggest crises in the medium's history. In a few short years, comics became the scapegoat for various forces of reaction and censorship; the result would be the emasculation and re-structuring of the entire American industry. The immediate cause was the objections of sections of the public in America (and to a lesser degree in Britain) to the two obvious genres: crime and horror.  Cover from The Vault of Horror (EC Comics, 1954). Art: Johnny Craig (cover); Jack Davis (strip). One of the excellent EC line, with stories introduced by 'horror hosts' such as The Old Witch.  The Vault of Horror (EC Comics, 1954) |