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The EC Artists' Library #27
Man and Superman and Other Stories
Librarian note: An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here.
All of the creator of Mad magazine’s rarely seen EC science fiction comics stories in a single volume!
These stories ― all drawn by Kurtzman, some of which he also wrote ― are from the pages of Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, Tales from the Crypt, and more. With Al Feldstein, Kurtzman created "Lost in the Microcosm," "The Man Who Raced Time," and "Atom Bomb Thief." There's also "The Radioactive Child," "The Last War on Earth," and the titular story, a cautionary tale about how the laws of physics would impact a real-world superhero, delivered in a uniquely bold, slashing cartoony-but-dead-serious style. This volume also includes essays by experts and more. Black & white illustrations throughout.
All of the creator of Mad magazine’s rarely seen EC science fiction comics stories in a single volume!
These stories ― all drawn by Kurtzman, some of which he also wrote ― are from the pages of Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, Tales from the Crypt, and more. With Al Feldstein, Kurtzman created "Lost in the Microcosm," "The Man Who Raced Time," and "Atom Bomb Thief." There's also "The Radioactive Child," "The Last War on Earth," and the titular story, a cautionary tale about how the laws of physics would impact a real-world superhero, delivered in a uniquely bold, slashing cartoony-but-dead-serious style. This volume also includes essays by experts and more. Black & white illustrations throughout.
- GenresComicsAnthologies
180 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 14, 2020
Man and Superman is a collection of EC Comics stories featuring the art, and sometimes writing, of Harvey Kurtzman.
Wally Wood is my favorite EC Comics artist. At one point, he was lightyears ahead of the competition. After two Harvey Kurtzman books, the race is much closer.
While Kurtzman is primarily known for war comics and Mad, this collection is primarily science fiction, crime, and horror stories. In these tales, Harvey Kurtzman explores the dangers of shrinking to subatomic size and beyond, atomic bombs, giggling killers, and syphilis. The usual EC reversal of fortune ending is in full effect.
The stories are in publication order so it's interesting to watch his style evolve from the EC house style to something remarkable. Sans color, a lot of Kurtzman panels resemble woodcuts, with stark blacks and sometimes grotesque figures. As much as I love '60s Marvel books, Kurtzman's art was way ahead of them ten years earlier.
While the stories in Man and Superman lack the emotional impact of the stories in Corpse on the Imjin, they illustrate the evolution of a master storyteller. 4.5 out of 5 faked alien invasions.
Wally Wood is my favorite EC Comics artist. At one point, he was lightyears ahead of the competition. After two Harvey Kurtzman books, the race is much closer.
While Kurtzman is primarily known for war comics and Mad, this collection is primarily science fiction, crime, and horror stories. In these tales, Harvey Kurtzman explores the dangers of shrinking to subatomic size and beyond, atomic bombs, giggling killers, and syphilis. The usual EC reversal of fortune ending is in full effect.
The stories are in publication order so it's interesting to watch his style evolve from the EC house style to something remarkable. Sans color, a lot of Kurtzman panels resemble woodcuts, with stark blacks and sometimes grotesque figures. As much as I love '60s Marvel books, Kurtzman's art was way ahead of them ten years earlier.
While the stories in Man and Superman lack the emotional impact of the stories in Corpse on the Imjin, they illustrate the evolution of a master storyteller. 4.5 out of 5 faked alien invasions.
May 26, 2021
Some clunkers at the beginning, but almost everything afterwards is stellar. A treasure trove of intensely great art with some fun stories added in. Kurtzman is probably my favorite EC artist.
November 6, 2021
More evidence, if any is needed, that Kurtzman was one of comics’ greatest geniuses.
October 1, 2023
I love checking out these old collections of comic anthologies and it's always such a surprise to find one where the average story is actually good instead of... 'oh this is neat'. This collection has a bunch of stories that can be enjoyed for their own merit and the fact that it's a great archival collection is just a bonus! Stellar artwork with compelling stories that only got better the further into the collection I got.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews