 FOUL PLAY!: The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics!
by Grant Geissman (HarperDesign, 2005)
~~~FOUL PLAY! has been nominated for a 2006 EISNER AWARD, and a 2006 BRITISH EAGLE AWARD, in the category of "Best Comics-Related Book"!
This lushly illustrated, full color volume celebrates the creators of E.C. Comics, profiling the artists and describing their careers before, at, and after. E.C. Artists profiled include Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Graham Ingels, Will Elder, Al Williamson, Bernie Krigstein and many more!
Contains 600 full color and b&w illustrations. Also reprints key E.C. stories and includes a new, never-before-published story, "Wanted for Murder."
"A beautiful and long overdue art book, but more than that—a fascinating look at the artists behind the art. Refreshingly thorough and not always pretty. I loved it."
— Michael Mignola, creator of Hellboy
"Here’s an easy review: If you have any interest in E.C. Comics, you need a copy of Foul Play!"
— Mark Evanier, author of MAD ART
"A must-read for anyone interested in the American visual art of the Twentieth Century. Geissman has wrapped up the Age of McCarthyism in a clear cellophane. Concise, comic, tragic, scholarly; anything but "foul." It's outta the park.
— Van Dyke Parks, musician/composer/author
Avaliable at fine comic book shops and book stores, Barnes & Noble, and on the web from online retailers such as www.amazon.com.
Link to order page for FOUL PLAY! at Bud Plant Comic Art:
FOUL PLAY! at Bud Plant Comic Art
Legendary publisher Bill Gaines is perhaps best remembered as the founder of MAD Magazine, but in the opinion of many dedicated comic book fans, his greatest achievement was E.C. Comics, a line of adventure, horror, and science-fiction comics whose influence on American graphic novels is undeniable, even today. Foul Play! is the perfect book for anyone wanting to understand the special place E.C. holds in the comic fan's heart -- or who just wants to read some real good comics!
Foul Play! celebrates the fan-favorite creators of E.C. Comics, profiling their artists -- a veritable who's who of mid-20th century popular illustration -- and describing how they came to work with Bill Gaines and how their careers evolved after E.C.. Among the comics art legends profiled are Al Feldstein; Harvey Kurtzman; Johnny Craig; Jack Davis; Graham Ingels; Jack Kamen; Wallace Wood; Joe Orlando; Will Elder; John Severin; George Evans; Al Williamson; Reed Crandall; Bernie Krigstein; and more! Plus, the book includes a special bonus: a lost E.C. Comics story "Wanted for Murder!" originally intended to be published in 1956 but forgotten and unseen until now.
When originally published, E.C. Comics titles like Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, and Weird Science became best-selling titles, embraced by readers for their macabre wit and stunning illustration. Eventually, E.C. Comics ran afoul of a full Senate Subcommittee investigating (but never proving!) the link between comic books and juvenile delinquency, but not before winning a legion of fans that still treasure E.C.'s output. Foul Play! demonstrates -- in glorious, gory detail -- exactly why these are among the most beloved comics stories ever published.
TALES OF TERROR! The E.C. Companion hardcover
by Grant Geissman and Fred von Bernewitz
Order from Gemstone Publishing:
Gemstone Publishing/TALES OF TERROR order page
The Complete Compendium of all the Incredible Old E.C. Comics! This is the definitive story of all the EC titles that trafficked in horror, suspense and courage: Tales from the Crypt, Weird Science, Frontline Combat and other titles. Nominated for two Harvey Awards and an Eisner Award! Every E.C. cover is reproduced in full color. An exhaustively researched and meticulously detailed book celebrating the 50th anniversary of E.C.'s "New Trend" by the longtime fan and author of Completely Mad. Includes new interviews and other special material: a major interview with Al Feldstein as well as interviews with Adele Kurtzman (Harvey's widow), Moon Girl artist Shelly Moldoff, Nick Meglin (on the Fleagle Gang), and a series of previously unpublished conversations with Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein taped by von Bernewitz in 1955-56!
Plus work by Wally Wood, Feldstein, Al Williamson, Harvey Kurtzman, Bernie Krigstein and others.
Fifty years in the making, this is the definitive story of E.C. Comics. Tales of Terror!: The E.C. Companion is the complete compendium of all the E.C. comics, including M.C. Gaines's early Bible and "funny animal" titles, Bill Gaines's formative Pre-Trend books, the glorious (and gory-ous) New Trend comics, Mad, and the experimental New Direction and Picto-Fiction titles! Every original E.C. comics book cover is pictured in eye-gouging full color! Also features a "lost" E.C. story, illustrated by Johnny Craig! Plus Bill Gaines's 1954 Senate Subcommittee testimony.
This 296-page E.C. Library-size book is a major work, and any longtime EC fan will find it to be chock full of very cool stuff! Includes a creator index and guidebook, unpublished EC art and rare 1950s era photos. Gemstone, Fantagraphics, 2000.
HCW, 9x12, 296 pages, PC.
Tales of Terror!/Softcover version
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COLLECTIBLY MAD
by Grant Geissman
COLLECTIBLY MAD, the history of MAD magazine as shown through its own collectibles, was published by Kitchen Sink Press in 1995. The book was nominated for an Eisner Award in 1996 in the category of "Best Comics-Related Book."
Collector extraordinaire Grant Geissman started reading and saving MAD magazines as a kid back in 1961. Later, upon discovering that MAD publisher William M. Gaines had previously published E.C. Comics (Tales from the Crypt, Weird Science, et cetera), those books and related materials likewise became a passion. MAD, in fact, had begun in 1952 as a 10-cent comic book written by Harvey Kurtzman and published by Gaines's E.C. Comics group. By 1967, Geissman acknowledges that he had succumbed to "comics fandom," and his collecting began in earnest. His 300-page-plus COLLECTIBLY MAD--The MAD and EC Collectibles Guide is a loving tribute to his diligence.
A first of its kind in the collectibles field, COLLECTIBLY MAD is not just a check list but a virtual compendium of MAD and EC trivia, anecdotes, vintage photos, and other information. Among other revelations, it is reported here for the first time that illustrator Norman Rockwell originally agreed to paint the archetypal Alfred E. Neuman face for MAD, but later declined because he wouldn't be able to work from a live model, as was his custom. Geissman's compilation sails through years of pop culture, detailing the books, record albums, jewelry, clothing, games, foreign reprints, calendars, and other ephemera that spawned from Bill Gaines's unique and colorful publishing house. Only a completist like Geissman could have gathered such a massive amount and variety of material--which includes a lengthy interview with the late Bill Gaines and a price guide to aid in the buying and selling of this memorabilia. As his collection grew, Geissman became increasingly committed to tracking down the very rarest items, such as the MAD Straight Jacket, EC cufflinks, and MAD Jewelry. Running "wanted" ads in antique, collectible and comics journals, he garnered materials from all corners of the globe. After writing the publisher of the Swedish MAD, for example, Grant returned home to find a "care package" of rare Swedish MAD collectibles on his doorstep; the publisher had come to town on business, looked up the address and personally hand-delivered the items.
Geissman began writing COLLECTIBLY MAD in 1990 after realizing that no guide whatsoever for MAD or E.C. collectibles existed. Kitchen Sink Press, a highly regarded publisher of classic comic-related art, subsequently signed on to release the tome. MAD publisher Bill Gaines gave a hearty "thumbs up" to the work-in-progress and contributed some never before seen collectibles, as did various MAD staffers, artists, and writers.
"MAD is a fitting title for this book. It's amazingly well-researched; in fact, it seems meticulous to the point of near-insanity."
--Joe Fielder, HERO ILLUSTRATED, June 1995
"What, Me Collect MAD?"
by Dave Cravotta, STREET CRED
A statuette of Alfred E. Neuman, the grinning idiot mascot of MAD magazine, stands behind the laptop on my desk. Down the hall, a trunk shelters hundreds of prized issues of the old rag. A MAD calendar hangs on the wall, a board game sits under the coffee table, an Alfred towel lies in the closet....
Fans like me who can't get enough of all things MAD need Grant Geissman's new 320-page Collectibly MAD.
In it, Geissman lovingly describes such Mad artifacts as Halloween costumes, old office stationery, mugs, slot machines, a straitjacket, and The MAD Show, a revue from 1966. Collectibles are illustrated with more than 1,000 black-and-white pictures and eight color pages. There are loads of anecdotes, as well as an exclusive interview with MAD's founder, William Gaines.
The wacky, irreverent stories and art created by MAD's "usual gang of idiots" have been making me laugh since the '70s. But whether you're a new fan or an old one, the inane relics showcased in this book will make MAD addicts drool with desire.
WIRED Magazine
Issue 3.12 - Dec 1995
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