Written by written by Al Feldstein and Numerous
Artwork by Wally Wooden, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Davis,
Graham Ingels, Al Williamson, Alex Toth, , Numerous
Revealed by IDW Publishing
I’ve reviewed a whole lot of EC -related books lately and there isn’t a nasty one amongst them.
Grant Geissman’s large historical past and the current Ray Bradbury collections are among the many greatest books ever on EC. The previous is by necessity all-encompassing, and the latter, very particular.
Plenty of the opposite ones I’ve reviewed have been extra in regards to the legendary artists and their EC artwork.
Right this moment, nevertheless, we get to the true motive that EC Comics are so well-regaled within the first place—the tales.
IDW’s The Better of EC Tales Artisan Version, has all of it.
You get 200 pages of most of the greatest and most memorable tales EC ever revealed, with a few of the most spectacular artwork ever in comedian books, and all shot from the unique artwork in pristine full shade pictures of the black and white pages.
That final comment is certain to sound complicated.
Mainly, the black and white unique artwork pages labored over 70+ years in the past now by the likes of “Ghastly” Graham Ingels, Al Williamson and mates, and the ever-popular Jack Davis, are photographed and printed right here in shade. This permits one the possibility to see the discolorations, the stamps, the inked notes, penciled remarks, paint corrections, particular results, paste-over glue stains, and, in fact, the genuinely beautiful linework and use of black ink from the grasp artists like Wooden and Toth.
There may be some repetition right here with the Bradbury assortment, though, once more, probably not, because the tales listed here are all proven in uncooked unique artwork kind. ‘Contact and Go,” “Mars is Heaven,” “The Flying Machine,” and, most impressively, “A Sound of Thunder,” are right here and all a delight to see once more so quickly, particularly underneath such distinctive circumstances.
Many of the tales are, naturally, written by Al Feldstein, though Johnny Craig, Harvey Kurtzman, and lesser-known EC regulars comparable to Otto Binder, Carl Wessler and Jack Oleck, additionally seem.
Oleck, actually, has a narrative with uncommon solo-credited artwork by Roy Krenkel. Entitled “Time to Go away,” it was one of many few I didn’t actually recall when studying this assortment nevertheless it should have made an impression on me sooner or later as I as soon as wrote a time journey story by which the opening scene is a digital duplicate of the one on this story!
Many of the really well-known (or notorious) EC tales are right here: “Horror We? How’s Bayou?” “Grasp Race,” “Corpse on the Imjin,” “50 Ladies 50,” “Judgment Day,” “Foul Play,” “’Tain’t the Meat…It’s the Humanity,” “My World,” and extra.
Every little thing is separated by artist. Apart from the aforementioned Davis, Krenkel, Kurtzman, Williamson, Ingels, and the visiting Toth, there are great and creepy sci-fi and horror tales from Reed Crandall, Johnny Craig, Wallace Wooden, Joe Orlando, and Bernie Krigstein. Surprisingly lacking is EC stalwart, Jack Kamen, and one might make the case for a Mad story or two from Severin and/or Elder. Nonetheless…
General, although, The Better of EC Tales Artisan Version will be the one quantity out of all of the EC collections that demonstrates to a contemporary viewers the whole lot that was particular about EC Comics—not simply their spectacular paintings however their tales that stick in your mind for days, years, a long time!
So yeah, certain.
EC followers will want this of their assortment, however in case you’ve ever been the slightest bit curious as to why there ARE so many EC followers within the first place—would possibly I recommend you begin right here.
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