Harvey Kurtzman
Articles
Comics and the atomic bomb from 1945 to 1955
On the heels of the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hank Kennedy takes a look at how U.S. comics heralded the arrival of the atomic age.
Harvey Kurtzman Week has come to a close. Here’s a recap of all things potrzebie you might have missed
Sadly, our centennial celebration of beloved Mad genius Harvey Kurtzman is over. We know, we’re crying in our furshlugginer beer, too.
Harvey Kurtzman: Seriously Funny
Acclaimed cartoonist and caricaturist Drew Friedman reminisces about his time spent as a student in Kurtzman’s class at the School of Visual Arts.
Learning from Harvey Kurtzman, part 2: SVA and the Glocca Morra Pub
In 1973, Harvey Kurtzman began teaching weekly three-hour sessions every semester at the School of Visual Arts. Mark Newgarden, Bob Fingerman and more remember what it was like being in his class.
Learning From Kurtzman part 1: How Harvey helped create Punk magazine
Michael Dooley talks to John Holmstrom of Punk Magazine about his SVA education under Harvey Kurtzman and subsequent illustration career.
Nose to Nose With Reality: Harvey Kurtzman and Comics Journalism
Anya Davidson digs us a trench on the front line and fills it with the journalistic works of Harvey Kurtzman.
Harvey Kurtzman on the big comic cleanup of 1954
In 1972, Patrick Rosenkranz talked with Harvey Kurtzman and his wife, Adele, about the Senate Comic Book Hearings of 1954 and the subsequent establishment of the Comics Code.
‘You’re only three-dimensional because of me!’: A celebration of Harvey Kurtzman’s sci-fi stories
Kurtzman’s early EC work, read in order, shows a cartoonist embracing his unique sense of comedy, absurdity and self-reflective antics that erase the wall between reader and character.
Harvey Kurtzman’s Hey Look!: An appreciation and retrospective
Paul Karasik declares that “each Hey Look! page is a master class on how comics work.” And then he provides some examples.
Adventures Into Archives
Shock! Tom Shapira plunges into the inky depths of reprint editions of old horror comics. EC! Warren! Atlas! Find out what sets them apart, and what pulls Tom apart, in this ghastly gallivant.
Ed Subitzky on Poor Helpless Comics! and Other Funny Business
John Kelly reports from the October 13, 2023 book launch event, hosted by Mark Newgarden & Owen Klein, for Poor Helpless Comics! The Cartoons (and More) of Ed Subitzky, a first-ever collection of work by the National Lampoon cartoonist and comedy writer for David Letterman and others.
Drew Friedman’s Maverix and Lunatix: Icons of Underground Comix: “A masterpiece, a treasure, an encyclopedia”
John Kelly didn’t just read Drew Friedman’s new book of portraits, he asked seven of the subjects what they thought of their depictions. Plus: Friedman himself sits down for a new interview.
Paul Coker Jr., 1929-2022
Andrew Farago presents a heartfelt tribute to Paul Coker Jr., a pro’s pro of comics and animation, with comments by MAD colleagues and prominent admirers alike, and dozens of images spanning his entire career.
Remembering Playboy & Hef
R.C. Harvey first encountered Playboy in 1955, two years after it started publishing. Today, in 2022, he eulogizes what the magazine used to be, and laments what it eventually became.
Of the Old Guard and the New Kids
Author Brian Doherty’s forthcoming narrative history of underground comix, “Dirty Pictures”, is a big one – so big, an entire chapter had to be deleted for space. Today, we present to you that lost chapter as a standalone reflection on the generation gap (or lack thereof) between the underground cartoonists and their older, straighter inspirations.
Al Jaffee At 99
Recently retired at the age of 99, Gary Groth catches up with Al Jaffee on his career, his comics, and the things he left behind.
Bill Schelly Tributes
Bill Schelly’s collaborators, compatriots and friends describe what it was like working with him, reading with him, and sharing his friendship.
“He Was an Odd Individual Who Really Pushed the Boundaries”: An Interview with Bill Schelly about James Warren
The comics scholar talks at length about his career and his new book on publisher James Warren.
Seeking Salivation! Food in Early Comics
University of Washington professor José Alaniz invited me to prepare and deliver a guest lecture on early comics for his class on food-themed comics. You could say I hoped the project would turn out to be something I could sink my teeth into. I was not disappointed.
The Woes of Working for Hef
Cartooning legends from Jack Cole to Harvey Kurtzman drew for the deep-pocketed, wannabe cartoonist Hugh Hefner, but there were some significant downsides.
Pushing the Limits: Comics and Creators That Stretch the Form
Comics as a self-aware form.
Big “If”
A review, in comics form, of Bill Schelly’s new biography Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created Mad and Revolutionized Humor in America.
Harvey Kurtzman: The Man who Created MAD and Revolutionized Humor in America Excerpt
In this excerpt from Bill Schelly’s forthcoming biography Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created Mad and Revolutionized Humor in America, the author chronicles the lifespan of the magazine Humbug. Rebounding from the abrupt cancellation of Trump (the magazine he had left Mad to produce) after only two issues, Kurtzman rallied an all-star cast of cartoonists for their next endeavor.
