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Review: Two-Fisted Tales Vol. 1
Two-Fisted Tales Vol. 1
Written by Harvey Kurtzman
Art by Kurtzman, Al Feldstein, Wally Wood, Johnny Craig, John Severin and Will Elder, Jack Davis, and Alex Toth
Published by Gemstone Publishing. $49.95 USD
While Tales from the Crypt and the other EC Comics horror titles are probably their most beloved by fans, Two-Fisted Tales is the most respected, still looked upon today as some of the most mature, realistic work the medium has produced. And in its day, it was, though as with a lot of things, it doesn't quite live up to the legend. But it comes pretty close.
The brainchild of Kurtzman, Two-Fisted Tales was intended to be more straightforward adventure fiction when it was proposed, but Kurtzman managed to make it a heavily moralistic series, many of the tales set during a period of war or conquest and showing man's lust for blood or power being his undoing. It really was revolutionary for the time, as other comics, and only a handful of films and novels, had dared to show American soldiers in anything but a favorable light. Here were G.I.'s going crazy, killing women and children, or each other, driven mad by war or their own inner demons. Here were white explorers or conquerors unwelcome, attempting to spoil native people's and their culture and being repelled for their arrogance and cruelty.
This volume collects the first six issues of the series, and shows what a control freak Kurtzman is, as he writes all the stories and lays out all the art, not trusting talents like Wood, Craig, Davis, Severin, Feldstein and Toth to do it themselves. They would all go on to reknown, but are already here very capable. In fact, Kurtzman himself is probably the worst penciler, technically--all gaping cartoony mouths and the same brush strokes used for flesh and drapery--but his storytelling is excellent and his work is always full of life. Not all of the stories are winners: "Hong Kong Intrigue" and most of the text stories are filler--but the Wood-drawn WWI story, "Revolution!", the Severin/Elder "War Story!", the Wood "Brutal Capt. Bull!" and the Davis "Ambush!" are among the highlights. Non-war adventures stories were often drawn by Johnny Craig or Kurtzman, more often than not involving gems or other treasure and what men would do to get them, "Jivaro Death!" being one of the better ones. "Pigs of the Roman Empire" makes no secret from the title onward of Kurtzman's feelings about the H.R.E.'s infamous self-destruction through excess, not so much a story as a wad of phlegm flung backwards through time.
The presentation of this and the other EC Comics Archives volumes from Gemstone is exemplary--acid-free paper, strong hardcovers and remastered artwork with some recoloring by Marie Severin. This is one of the essentials of a comics reader's library.
Written by Harvey Kurtzman
Art by Kurtzman, Al Feldstein, Wally Wood, Johnny Craig, John Severin and Will Elder, Jack Davis, and Alex Toth
Published by Gemstone Publishing. $49.95 USD
While Tales from the Crypt and the other EC Comics horror titles are probably their most beloved by fans, Two-Fisted Tales is the most respected, still looked upon today as some of the most mature, realistic work the medium has produced. And in its day, it was, though as with a lot of things, it doesn't quite live up to the legend. But it comes pretty close.
The brainchild of Kurtzman, Two-Fisted Tales was intended to be more straightforward adventure fiction when it was proposed, but Kurtzman managed to make it a heavily moralistic series, many of the tales set during a period of war or conquest and showing man's lust for blood or power being his undoing. It really was revolutionary for the time, as other comics, and only a handful of films and novels, had dared to show American soldiers in anything but a favorable light. Here were G.I.'s going crazy, killing women and children, or each other, driven mad by war or their own inner demons. Here were white explorers or conquerors unwelcome, attempting to spoil native people's and their culture and being repelled for their arrogance and cruelty.
This volume collects the first six issues of the series, and shows what a control freak Kurtzman is, as he writes all the stories and lays out all the art, not trusting talents like Wood, Craig, Davis, Severin, Feldstein and Toth to do it themselves. They would all go on to reknown, but are already here very capable. In fact, Kurtzman himself is probably the worst penciler, technically--all gaping cartoony mouths and the same brush strokes used for flesh and drapery--but his storytelling is excellent and his work is always full of life. Not all of the stories are winners: "Hong Kong Intrigue" and most of the text stories are filler--but the Wood-drawn WWI story, "Revolution!", the Severin/Elder "War Story!", the Wood "Brutal Capt. Bull!" and the Davis "Ambush!" are among the highlights. Non-war adventures stories were often drawn by Johnny Craig or Kurtzman, more often than not involving gems or other treasure and what men would do to get them, "Jivaro Death!" being one of the better ones. "Pigs of the Roman Empire" makes no secret from the title onward of Kurtzman's feelings about the H.R.E.'s infamous self-destruction through excess, not so much a story as a wad of phlegm flung backwards through time.
The presentation of this and the other EC Comics Archives volumes from Gemstone is exemplary--acid-free paper, strong hardcovers and remastered artwork with some recoloring by Marie Severin. This is one of the essentials of a comics reader's library.
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