B.Krigstein Comics

B.Krigstein

by Bernard Krigstein

The definitive (and first) collection of B. Krigstein's comics. Following last year's critically and commercially successful biography/art book, "B. Krigstein," is this companion volume, a full-color collection of 36 complete stories, representing the best work throughout the career of the most innovative comic book artist of his generation. Never before has the evolution of a comics artist been so extensively presented; "B. Krigstein: Comics" is the ultimate testament to the commitment and technical mastery that Bernard Krigstein brought to bear in his attempt to legitimize a then-ridiculed medium. Editor Greg Sadowski has selected and restored 36 stories from 1949-56, tracing Krigstein's respective tenures at the publishers Rae Herman, Hillman, Atlas, DC, and EC. The meticulous restoration is of particular note because, unlike the superficially slick four-color comics of today, ten-cent comics of the '40s and '50s were notorious for their poor color registration, cheap paper, and shoddy printing, all of which worked against Krigstein's complex design and subtle draftsmanship. Here, for the first time, his artistry is not compromised by inadequate production methods: every panel of every story has been painstakingly cleaned and color-corrected. Smothered for generations, Krigstein's compositions are finally presented in the same spirit as he originally conceived them. Fifteen stories, culled from every stage of his career, have been entirely recolored for this volume by Marie Severin, widely regarded as one of the most accomplished color artists in the history of the medium, who colored Krigstein's work at EC in the '50s. Most of this work has been out of print and unavailable for nearly five decades, and will be a revelation to those who know Krigstein solely from his celebrated and justly famous work at EC.

Genres: Comics

240 pages, Hardcover

First published August 16, 2004

Reviews

[Michael Emond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing companion book for the biography of B. Krigstein by Sadowski. Not only does it contain 220 pages of Krigstein's finest comic art - the two stories that are missing (Flying Machine and Master Race) are reproduced (in full) in the biography book. I point this out because a fan might wonder why those two stories (considered two of his best) aren't included in this collection.

As I said in my review of the bio of Krigstein - I had never heard of this artist before Larry Hama mentioned him as a huge influence in an interview. Now I am a huge fan. His art is remarkable not JUST for this time period but it stands the test of time and looks great by today's standards. I think the reason his name isn't mentioned is because he only worked on a few super hero books near the start of his comic book career and then stuck to romance and war and horror comics with the best work coming from his EC era. sadly, those genres (from the 50's) don't get the same recognition that the super hero books do. Another reason is because that genre doesn't get reprinted as much as the super hero stuff does.

One thing that jumps out at me seeing this collection is how Bernie is able to change his art style depending on the story. Alex Toth is Alex Toth and Neal Adams is Neal Adams no matter what they were drawing but Bernie could adjust his style so that he never had one style.

Having said that - there is one style of his that (for me) is genius and stands above the others. It comes in his later work when he was literally pushing the boundaries of what comic art could be by making as many panels as he could fit on a page to change the pace and tone of the story. The art is gorgeous, clean, minimalist but detailed, and the panel innovation is a thing to behold. I see it in Key Chain, the Last Look, Monster From the Fourth Dimension and (my fav) More Blessed to Give...which is an example of everything that comics can be as a medium. It is a story that could only be told in comics as one side of the page is devoted to the husband's tale and the other side is devoted to the wife's side of the tale.

There are also many other amazing art examples - The World's Strangest Shuffle, Salvage, The Kid Talks Tough and In the Bag. Sometimes the stories live up to the art and sometimes they are duds but all are wroth it to see Bernie take this art form to a new level.

So after the bio and this collection, consider me a huge fan of an artist I just discovered - Bernie Krigstein - an an heralded genius in the realm of comic book art.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book collects a ton of Krigstein comics from all eras of his career. It's something of a mixed bag, esp. some of those early stories with their very basic "criminal killed by obvious character flaw" plots.

Later on, getting into his EC years, the stories are a little better, and Krigstein's art becomes stronger. His figure work isn't a strength, nor are his backgrounds, but I LOVE his panel compositions, his use of shadow, and in the later stories, how he jams so many panels onto each page - little staccato bursts of information. Even if the stories are largely forgettable, I'm glad I read to see Krigstein's evolution and get a better understanding of his influence.

[Nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry to differ with you /.../ But you are as wrong as sin!

[Dominick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of Krigstein work covers the range from romance to horror, with most other genres appearing at least occasionally (no SF or overt fantasy, though). Krigstein was a versatile and talented stylist with a real flair for page design and a very recognizeable line, despite the array of techniques he used. His skills are put in the service of mostly second-rate material, here, though; many of his best-known works (including the highly-praised "The Master Race") are not here. These are enjoyable enough, but they do prove that a good comic story requires more than just good art. But the art is very good indeed; Krigstein can convey mood excellently, as well as action, and he even occasionally shows a flair for humour, which would not occur to me immediately as a Krigstein strength--but the "Dinosaur!" story has som quite amusing physical characterization. There's a bit of editorial material--mostly brief notes on the stories--to help contextualize the stuff.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd rather have seen the re-colored stories in original form. They stand out and don't exactly sit well with the images or the other stories which are all beautify done. The writing changes skill but never fully derails the pace. besides the coloring, the only complaint is a minor issue with the exclusion of some of B Krigs better and more well known stories --It would have been wonderful to have some of them in the full size treatment given to the shorts in this edition.