CRIME SUSPENSTORIES (1950-55) #20
CGC G+: 2.5
(Stock Image)
SOLD ON: Wednesday, 12/12/2018 2:27 PM
$421
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PUBLISHER: EC
COMMENTS: crm/ow pgs
Johnny Craig hanging man cover; cited in "Seduction of the Innocent"
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Johnny Craig hanging man cover; cited in "Seduction of the Innocent"
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crm/ow pgs
Johnny Craig hanging man cover; cited in "Seduction of the Innocent"
Johnny Craig's gruesome cover for Crime SuspenStories #20 made it into Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent as Illustration #10, captioned as "Cover of a children's comic book." From there, Craig's work would be cited in the 1954 sessions of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency, leading to the creation of the Comics Code Authority (and the demise of several classic comic book titles).
That's already enough to make this comic a collectible pop-culture curio. That cover is just the start, however, with Crime SuspenStories #20 also a legendary offering of EC Comics' greatest talents. Craig does double-duty as writer and artist, while the book's other illustrators include Marie Severin, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, and Reed Crandall. The pre-Code mayhem includes a married couple out to kill each other, brothers bungling at murdering mobsters, and a pair of jealous stunt fliers looking to end each other over a gal.
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Artists Information
John Burton Davis, Jr. was an American cartoonist and illustrator, known for his advertising art, magazine covers, film posters, record album art and numerous comic book stories. He was one of the founding cartoonists for Mad in 1952.
Jack Kamen was an American illustrator for books, magazines, comic books and advertising, known for his work illustrating crime, horror, humor, suspense and science fiction stories for EC Comics, for his work in advertising, and for the onscreen artwork he contributed to the 1982 horror anthology film Creepshow.
Johnny Craig hanging man cover; cited in "Seduction of the Innocent"
Johnny Craig's gruesome cover for Crime SuspenStories #20 made it into Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent as Illustration #10, captioned as "Cover of a children's comic book." From there, Craig's work would be cited in the 1954 sessions of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency, leading to the creation of the Comics Code Authority (and the demise of several classic comic book titles).
That's already enough to make this comic a collectible pop-culture curio. That cover is just the start, however, with Crime SuspenStories #20 also a legendary offering of EC Comics' greatest talents. Craig does double-duty as writer and artist, while the book's other illustrators include Marie Severin, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, and Reed Crandall. The pre-Code mayhem includes a married couple out to kill each other, brothers bungling at murdering mobsters, and a pair of jealous stunt fliers looking to end each other over a gal.
_______________________________________________________
Artists Information
John Burton Davis, Jr. was an American cartoonist and illustrator, known for his advertising art, magazine covers, film posters, record album art and numerous comic book stories. He was one of the founding cartoonists for Mad in 1952.
Jack Kamen was an American illustrator for books, magazines, comic books and advertising, known for his work illustrating crime, horror, humor, suspense and science fiction stories for EC Comics, for his work in advertising, and for the onscreen artwork he contributed to the 1982 horror anthology film Creepshow.