by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle ; introduction by Harry Shearer
New York :
Abrams ComicArts,
2009
xiii, 241 p. :
chiefly ill. (some col.) ;
28 x 30 cm
Essential Harvey Kurtzman bibliography: p. 241
Includes bibliographical references (p. 238) and index
The creator of MAD and Playboy's "Little Annie Fanny" was called "one of the most important figures in postwar America" by the New York Times. Harvey Kurtzman's groundbreaking "realistic" war comics of the early '50s and various satirical publications (MAD, Trump, Humbug, and Help!) had an immense impact on popular culture, inspiring a generation of underground cartoonists. Without Kurtzman, it's unlikely we'd have had Airplane, SNL, or National Lampoon. Kurtzman also discovered Robert Crumb and gave Gloria Steinem her first job in publishing when he hired her as his assistant. Terry Gilliam also started at his side, met an unknown John Cleese in the process, and the genesis of Monty Python was formed. This definitive book includes hundreds of never-before-seen illustrations, paintings, pencil sketches, newly discovered lost E.C. Comics layouts, color compositions, illustrated correspondence, and vintage photos from the rich Kurtzman archives.--From publisher description